The country’s president attends the European Council after two decision of the Constitutional Court, Teodor Meleșcanu, the foreign affairs minister, told Digi24.

The statement comes after the recent comment of prime minister Viorica Dăncilă that the presidency of the EU Council is held by the PM and the Government.

On January 1, Romania took over the rotating presidency of the EU Council.

“The technical answer is given by two decisions of the Constitutional Court, from the time of president Traian Băsescu. According to them, Romania’s president goes to the European Council. If economic or financial problems exist, then the PM can go. In both cases, nonetheless, a mandate is needed from the Parliament, when new proposals or positions concerning Romania’s foreign policy are made,” Meleșcanu said.

PM Dăncilă gave the example of Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who was in the country at the end of last year for a symbolic handover of the EU Council presidency, and said that Romania’s situation was atypical.

“The presidency of the EU Council is held by the prime minister and the government; it is a rule that needs to be followed; all that is related to European legislation, all that entails running councils in various areas, the ministers in the government preside over them and the prime minister runs the presidency of the EU Council,” Dăncilă said.

Meleșcanu said that it “is an atypical situation because at the EU level, there are 2 or 3 heads of state that come at the European Council. In the end, the mandates that are carried out are made by [e.n the foreign affairs ministry] MAE.”

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(Photo: Ministerul Afacerilor Externe on Facebook)

editor@romania-insider.com