Tying EU funds to respecting the rule of law is an important step that needs to be done, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Friday, May 4. He added that, in his opinion, Romania is not in danger of being affected by this conditioning.

“I don’t think this is a surprise for anyone. This discussion has been taking place for a long time. There is still much to work on quantifying the criteria,” Iohannis said.

When asked if Romania could be affected by this conditioning, Iohannis said he had no reasons to think this, despite controversies related to the justice laws.

“Overall, I don’t think that someone is really doubting that rule of law exists in Romania and I hope we don’t ever get there,” the president said.

The European Commission’s budget proposal for the 2021-2027 period ties granting EU funds to respecting the rule of law principles by member countries.

editor@romania-insider.com