President Nicușor Dan outlines Romania’s EU competitiveness priorities in talks with European Council head

President Nicușor Dan held talks with António Costa on Romania’s priorities for boosting competitiveness at the EU level, ahead of the informal European Council meeting scheduled for February 12. In a social media post, the Romanian leader said the discussion focused on identifying common solutions to stimulate investment, innovation, and the development of European companies, with the aim of improving services and affordability for citizens across the bloc.

Dan outlined Romania’s support for simplifying business bureaucracy within the European Union, strengthening the Single Market, and expanding EU-level trade agreements.

Moreover, he also stressed Romania’s position on the green transition, calling for longer implementation timelines for energy-related policies to ensure they remain sustainable and do not place excessive pressure on national economies.

“Thirdly, Romania seeks to strengthen a European Energy Union, improve the interconnection of energy networks, and build a genuine European energy market. Our goal is to create mechanisms that allow Romanians to pay reasonable energy bills, while ensuring that companies in the country benefit from competitive energy costs,” Nicușor Dan said.

The Romanian president also addressed the future EU Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034, welcoming the focus on competitiveness while mentioning the need to take geographic criteria into account so that all member states benefit equally from funding aimed at reducing economic disparities within the EU.

(Photo source: Facebook/Nicusor Dan)