President before European Council meeting: Romania in tough negotiating spot, but I'm not pessimistic

With a potential reduction of some EUR 80 billion in the EU budget, Romania is in a 'tough negotiating spot', because of the political turbulence over the summer and the low funds absorption, some 9.7 percent on the cohesion funds, according to the country's president Traian Basescu,. However, he said he was not pessimistic about the outcome of the Council meeting. The Council meeting starts today (Thursday, November 22 ) and will last over Friday, potentially Saturday too, as there is no time limit, similarly to the Council meeting in 2006, when the 2007-2013 budget was established. Basescu said the negotiations will be difficult in Brussels and a solution might not be achieved during the upcoming summit. “Based on the contacts I had with a large part of the European Council members, all are unhappy, but there is a wish to reach an understanding, which would largely satisfy national interests and the major interest of keeping Europe united,” said Basescu. “I do not exclude a lack of solution at this Council meeting, but I believe almost all will reach a solution,” said the Romanian President. Romania EU funding for the 2007-2013 financial period is of EUR 33.3 billion, said the country's president Traian Basescu, just before heading to Brussels on Thursday morning (November 22), where he will attend the EU budget discussions. Out of this amount, EUR 5.5 billion were for direct payments for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), while EUR 8 billion for rural development, EUR 19.6 billion for the cohesion policies. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: presidency.ro)