Romania says no to Finland’s plans to cut cohesion funds under next EU budget

Romania does not accept the Finnish project for the European Union’s multiannual budget for the 2021 - 2027 period and will reject it, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday, December 12, while attending the European Council summit in Brussels, Mediafax reported.

Finland, which took the EU Council presidency after Romania, modified the project passed by its predecessor and cut off the funds earmarked for Eastern European countries.

"I do not agree with this Finnish proposal, we do not agree in any way and it seems that we are not alone. The proposal does not satisfy us at all, we lack essential issues, such as flexibility between funds. The money allocated for cohesion is too little, for the common agricultural policy, the division of money and the conditionalities also do not satisfy us. You know that agricultural policy and cohesion are extremely important to us. In this respect, I will not agree in any way with this Finnish proposal and, certainly, we will reach what is proposed in the conclusions, to delegate the work of drafting a new draft for the MFF to the President of the Council."

The president also described the European Commission's project to massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary have already criticized in hash terms, as very complicated for the Eastern countries because it demands a lot of money.

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)