Romania must not be a state that merely receives direction from Europe, but one that proposes direction in key areas for our common future – European security architecture, agriculture, EU enlargement toward the Republic of Moldova, and support for the competitiveness of our economies, says Nicusor Dan, independent candidate in the presidential election, in a message conveyed on Friday, on the occasion of Europe Day.

„Today, on Europe Day, we celebrate not just a political project, but a community of values: democracy, freedom, rule of law, European solidarity. Twenty years since Romania signed the Accession Treaty to the European Union, we live in a country deeply transformed by this choice: we have access to the European labour market, our young people can study across Europe, we have an infrastructure massively developed through the more than 100 billion euros received in EU funds, and we have a significantly lower rate of social inequalities and institutional corruption,” wrote Nicusor Dan on his Facebook page.

He stresses, however, that Romania is also „at a turning point.”

„The benefits of the European Union have not reached all Romanians – there are still large wage disparities and inequalities between Romania’s regions. We increasingly see anti-European and isolationist messages, as well as a radicalisation of politics – all fueling a dangerous rift between citizens and the European project. The President of Romania has the responsibility to explain, defend and promote European values, and also to ensure that the prosperity brought by the EU is accessible to all Romanians, not just the privileged ones,” the candidate highlighted.

AGERPRES