European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen smiled and ignored a question at Cotroceni Palace on Monday, as press accusations surfaced regarding pre-arranged questions during a joint press conference with Romanian President Nicușor Dan.
This marked the first press conference organized by Nicușor Dan at Cotroceni Palace following the installation of the Luca Niculescu Government, which put an end to a political crisis that erupted on May 5 when the Ilie Bolojan Government was dismissed through a PSD-AUR motion of no confidence.
The joint appearance also brought official announcements regarding regional funding, including 50 million euros allocated for a Black Sea maritime security hub to be managed by Romania and Bulgaria, alongside an additional 10 million euros for Romanian search and rescue operations.
Ursula von der Leyen thanked Romania on Monday for its contribution to the security of the eastern flank, emphasizing the country’s strategic role in protecting the airspace, borders, and the Black Sea.
Although the question was heard and written on a page for the European official to see, von der Leyen doar a zâmbit şi a ignorat chestiunea
HotNews.
Pâslaru noted that the European Commission president read her answers from prepared large-font sheets, leading to press criticism regarding pre-arranged formats reminiscent of past administrations HotNews. Experienced journalists who began writing in the 1990s know that even during the times of Ion Iliescu and Adrian Năstase, questions were not stage-managed or, if they were, they came from the PDSR-favorable press, from the newspapers Dimineaţa
and Azi
.
Amid intensifying regional security challenges and recent drone attacks on commercial vessels, von der Leyen addressed the press alongside Nicușor Dan to emphasize European solidarity. The European Commission president also stated: România se află în prima linie a securității europene și ajutați la protejarea aerului, granițelor și a Mării Negre și sunteți un partener vital pentru statele membre UE și NATO
after meeting with President Nicușor Dan at Cotroceni.
Furthermore, the European official drew attention to the fact that security challenges in the region have recently intensified, stating that cerurile de deasupra Mării Negre s-au întunecat
, while advocating for the restoration and maintenance of freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
The European Union will support Black Sea surveillance, including through the use of satellite imagery provided by the Copernicus program. Meanwhile, the Presidential Administration announced that Nicușor Dan will hold a press conference at Cotroceni Palace on Tuesday evening starting at 19:00.
The visit also drew sharp political criticism from SOS România leader Diana Iovanovici-Șoșoacă, who voiced strong opposition to European directives and questioned the closed-door negotiations following the meetings at Cotroceni Palace. The president of the SOS România party had a vehement and extremely critical reaction on Monday, November 9, following the official visit to Bucharest by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Keep reading