MAE Carrying on the moves for Romania’s accession to Schengen and the OECD as well as supporting the Republic of Moldova’s EU accession are some of the priorities of the Romanian diplomacy in 2023, says the yearly report of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Romania will continue to support the creation of a mechanism for holding responsible those who committed the aggression in the illegal war Russia is presently waging on Ukraine. As for the country’s NATO membership, the Ministry says it will promote Romania’s strategic priorities inside the alliance including at the upcoming NATO summit in July in Vilnius where the Romanian ministry is expected to be pleading for the consolidation of the NATO deterrence and defence posture on its eastern flank in view of defending national security and in the Black Sea area, as an area of strategic importance for the Euro-Atlantic security. The report also mentions the moves to get Romania into the Visa Waiver programme. As for the states in the region, the ministry says that Romania will continue to actively provide multidimensional assistance and support to the neighboring Ukraine and support the European and Euro-Atlantic orientation of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.
EU On January 1st Sweden took over from the Czech Republic the presidency of the EU Council and for six months will be playing a key-role of leader and mediator inside the bloc. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has reviewed some of the main issues, which are to be addressed such as the war in Ukraine, the fight against climate change and Europe’s competitiveness. Sweden’s priorities are focusing on a ‘greener, safer and more free Europe’, Kristersson says. Ulf Kristersson and his cabinet are quite unknown on the European stage as his conservative government came to power more than nine months ago after it had replaced the Social-Democrats led by Magdalena Andersson.
