Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission (EC), met with Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis and prime minister Marcel Ciolacu on Wednesday morning, March 6, before the start of the European People’s Party (EPP) congress hosted by Bucharest.

The upcoming elections, Romania’s European priorities and the full accession to the Schengen area, as well as the current security threats, were among the topics discussed.

“I discussed this morning with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about Romania's European priorities, full accession to the Schengen area, and the implementation of the PNRR. We talked about the threats posed by the Russian Federation, the danger of extremism, and the need for stability at the level of Romania and the European Union,” PM Ciolacu said in a post on Facebook.

In his turn, president Klaus Iohannis, as quoted by News.ro, said: “Today, I received Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, at the Cotroceni Palace. We had in-depth discussions on the most important European topics, emphasizing this year's European elections. We agreed that maintaining our unity and solidarity is crucial for the future institutional architecture.”

Approximately 2,000 participants from 44 countries have been invited to take part in the EPP congress hosted by Romexpo in Bucharest on March 6-7. 

Co-hosted by Romania’s National Liberal Party (PNL), EPP president Manfred Weber, and EPP secretary general Thanasis Bakolas, the congress will bring together the European People’s Party political family, focus on the preparations for the European Parliament elections in June, adopt the EPP manifesto, and elect the party's lead candidate for president of the European Commission.

The program of the EPP congress is available here.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Klaus Iohannis)