On his recent visit to Germany, where he met chancellor Angela Merkel and a group of German investors, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta also attended two conferences and said he was welcomed as the Prime Minister of an important country to Germany. During one of the conferences, several issues were raised, among which the need for Romania to have a stronger voice in Europe, as well as immigration and EU funds absorption, among others.

Ponta attended a conference at the headquarters of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung foundation in Berlin, where he said he took a decision to end confrontation in order to make the country able to fulfill the expectations of its people, and his decision was partially criticized.

Angelika Schwall-Dueren, the Minister for European affairs in North Rhine Westfalia, who also spoke at the conference, said Romania needs to absorb more EU money, help its economy grow more, and have citizens who are more politically, but also economically involved. She also spoke of a stability pact, and said that Romania is needed in this discussion. “Mr. Ponta, one of your important goals is to raise your voice when there is a discussion about the European program between the social democrat parties,” she said.

Responding to a question about the level of EU funds absorption, the Romanian Prime Minister said the country joined the EU in 2007 completely unprepared for the absorption system, with a lack of administrative capacity and with corruption, causing the loss of five years. He reminded that many other countries were confronted with difficulties in absorbing EU funds, but that the Romanian Government has made efforts and wants to be prepared for the new EU budget framework.

The immigration topic was also on the agenda, and the Romanian Prime Minister reminded that Romaians who went to Germany looking for work immigrated via legal methods. “When i hear politicians say that illegal Romanians should leave, I am not worried, as most of Romanians are legally in Germany and they pay taxes,” said the Romanian PM. “If Romanians want to go to Germany or elsewhere in Europe, we need to accept it. If they have a better life in Germany, it is fair, maybe not for Romania, but for Europe,” Ponta concluded.

editor@romania-insider.com

Additional reporting by Volker Moser in Berlin. 

(photo source: Victor Ponta on Facebook)