MEP Victor Negrescu, vice-president of the European Parliament, made an analysis of Romania’s priorities, in the context of the discussions in Brussels regarding the future budget of the European Union for the period 2028-2034.
MEP Victor Negrescu, vice-president of the European Parliament, presented on Friday, April 24, the main priorities that Romania should support in the negotiations regarding the future long-term budget of the European Union, namely the period 2028-2034, emphasizing that the stake is not a technical one, but one directly related to economic development and the standard of living.
“Today, at the European Council, the future long-term budget of the European Union 2028-2034 is being discussed. For Romania, this debate is not a technical one. It is about development, investments and real opportunities for people”, writes the PSD MEP, warning that investments in Romania essentially depend on European funds, and a possible reduction or reconfiguration of them could generate serious economic risks.
“Romania must clearly support several essential priorities:
* Maintaining cohesion policies and agriculture
strong, well-funded and separate, not diluted in centralized mechanisms that reduce transparency and predictability, including increased subsidies for farmers.
* Higher allocations for education, skills and youth. Europe cannot be competitive without serious investment in people. Increasing the Erasmus+ budget and a minimum allocation of 20% for these components in compatible programmes.
* A solid European funding for health. A strong Europe needs healthy citizens, and this area must be visible and protected in the budget. Just yesterday, in my capacity as rapporteur of the SANT Commission’s opinion on future national plans, I requested 35 billion euros.
* Simplification, no more bureaucracy. European funds must reach the beneficiaries faster. Maintaining the N+3 rule for the national tire.
* Maintaining the allocation of 60 billion euros for our country. For this, new own resources are needed for the EU budget, which do not put pressure on citizens, but properly capitalize on economic activities at the European level.
* European programs such as the European Competitiveness Fund must include a fair geographical distribution and initiatives of interest to Romania, which our country can coordinate.
* European-scale projects and initiatives launched by Romania: the European Cyber Competence Center, the European Black Sea Security Hub, infrastructure projects (transport and energy) for interconnection with the states in the region, the Black Sea AI Gigafactory and the AI Research Institute, a new funding phase for the Măgurele Laser and the Danubius-RI project, co-financing of large-scale industrial investments, etc.
At the same time, we must be aware of the risks: the tendency to excessive centralization, the reduction of the role of civil society and local authorities, the conditioning of European reform funds and the possibility that national priorities will be diluted.
Romania needs an ambitious, balanced and results-oriented European budget. We cannot accept a compromise that weakens our long-term development.
It is time to support our interests firmly, but also with European responsibility”, pointed out Victor Negrescu, on Facebook, in the context of the discussions in Brussels regarding the future multiannual budget of the European Union for the period 2028-2034.
