Iohannis, about the EU budget: My ambition is to get enough money for cohesion, agriculture

President Klaus Iohannis has said in Brussels that during the negotiations for the EU budget each country will try to maximize its chances.

„It’s a negotiation on a budget where everyone is trying to maximize their chances. My ambition is to receive enough money for cohesion, to receive enough money for agriculture and to have a bigger budget overall than in the previous budget period”, the president said.

Klaus Iohannis said that, in general, opinions are reserved regarding the budget proposal.

„Those who give more than they receive think that too much is given, those who receive more – as we are – we think we receive too little, and for us, I repeat, it is extremely, extremely important to have a consistent funding on cohesion policy and agriculture, but obviously we are also interested in financing new, modern programs – digitalization, artificial intelligence, research, student mobility and so on. Obviously, an important role in the whole discussion will be played by the preparation for climate measures, for the so-called Green Deal. The positions are very different. The initial approaches are quite harsh on most participants and I expect very complicated discussions today”, Iohannis said.

He said that Romania will use, during the negotiations, many arguments regarding the distribution of money, contribution, development, but also traditional policies.

Asked if an agreement on the EU budget will be reached at the end of the summit, the president of Romania expressed skepticism: “I allow myself to be skeptical in this regard. The chances of success I evaluate them somewhere at 50-50″.