H.E. Mrs. Manuela Breazu:

Before coming I had a vague hope it would be easy, but has not been. The Chairman has put difficult questions to me and I will try to respond to all of them. First, I thank him for the comments he has made about my country and the relationship between Romania and Ireland. I have worked hard in the five years I have been here to advance bilateral dialogue. One of the most important aspects of bilateral relations is the strengthening of parliamentary relationships. There have been many visits at a higher level between the Speakers of the Houses and various committees and delegations. There has as a result been a much better understanding between Romania and Ireland in the past five years.

On Brexit, the Chairman mentioned how much Ireland had progressed in 100 years. Romania also celebrated its centenary as a modern state last year. Since I came here I have witnessed many important events, including 100 years since the Easter Rising and 100 years of the Dáil. It is also very important that this year we celebrate the fact that it is 30 years since the fall of communism. We should not forget this. My colleagues from the European Union will recognise because I share this with them that waking up in January and preparing to travel as the ambassador of a country that holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union was very emotional for me. Romania and Europe have changed a lot in the past 30 years.

In January 1989 I was getting ready to take up my role as an engineer in a big petrochemical complex on the Black Sea after my maternity leave, with no hope things would be better. On the contrary, there was the very gloomy prospect that the dictator Nicolae Ceauescu would tighten his grip on Romania. His ideas had led us to a highly controlled totalitarian regime. In 2019 we are are not only in the European Union, we also hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and I am an ambassador for Romania which is a big honour and responsibility. We should never forget how Europe has changed, mainly for us, the citizens of a country who lived for 45 years under a dictatorial regime. That is why holding the Presidency has even more important connotations for us. Ireland has been in the European Union for more than 40 years and held the Presidency six times. Sometimes for Ireland it is a case of "Been there, done that" and continuing, but for us, we are holding the Presidency for the first time in our history. It has to be good and prove that Romania has changed irreversibly. I do not think we need to prove this because we have already been a member of the European Union for 12 years.

A question was asked about Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's declaration on 2 January. I do not remember the exact date. When he came to Romania for the formal launch of the Presidency, I think he changed his opinion. He realised Romania was ready to assume all of its obligations. As the committee will know, in any country there are political parties in opposition to the government parties, as they should be. They have to have some conflict, as otherwise they would not be in opposition. This is an overarching objective of foreign policy of Romania. I am confident, as are the Government and the President of Romania, that the Presidency will show Romania at its best, as I am here to prove. Of course, I am only one ambassador for one country of the European Union, but even in this modest role in the whole equation of the EU Presidency I will prove that Romania is very committed to showing that it has the capacity to manage difficult dossiers.

Another question was on migration. I will tell the committee about Romania's outline migration policy. It is a controversial issue within the European Union. In its capacity as President of the Council of the European Union, Romania would like to smoothen the disparities and reconcile the positions of all of the countries that want quotas and those that do not. As part of the intra-EU relocation programme, Romania has already relocated 728 persons. It also advanced an offer to relocate 2,100 persons to Italy and Greece. Among member states, it has made one of the most consistent contributions. On resettlement, we have transferred 43 Syrian refugees and in 2019 we are going to take another 109 Syrian refugees from Turkey. Romania was also one of the main contributors to Frontex, sending 180 experts to the agency. We have made other technical contributions, including the provision of equipment, vessels, helicopters, thermal vision equipment and 32 other vehicles.

On migration, when it is my own opinion, it is easy to express, but when it is the opinion of the EU Presidency, it is more difficult to do so. Of course, it is a very important component of the European agenda. In its Presidency Romania would like to adopt a comprehensive approach, paying special attention to the external dimension and strengthening co-operation with countries of origin and transit, while also looking to the internal security aspect of migration. It hopes some progress will be made at the EU-Arab League summit which will take place during its Presidency. Of course, the right approach should involve tackling problems in the countries of origin, including through development aid. In that respect, we share the Irish position. We will make all efforts to advance the negotiations in this difficult and sensitive chapter of the European Union debate. Romania and the European Union have invested considerable energy and Romania will try to coagulate all opinions to forward the dossier during its Presidency. This is the overarching principle under which Romania will act.

On Brexit, it is a personal issue for me as I am married to a British citizen. My husband is British and we felt conflicted in the initial days after the referendum. However, the situation has not become simpler for Britain, Ireland or the European Union. As mentioned, Romania was a supporter of the Irish position, circumscribing its position to the solitary EU position on the issue. We reiterate our support for the Irish position. Romania would not like to see a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. I was impressed by the declaration the German Minister of Foreign Affairs recently made in Dublin, saying the Border was a matter of European identity.

Needless to say, members know better than I do that the ball is in the hands of Britain. Once the United Kingdom produces its position, it will be easier for everybody, including Romania, as holder of the Presidency of the Council, to take steps forward.

I could make a lot of how I felt. Reference was made to the impact Brexit would have on Ireland. My view at the time of the referendum result, paradoxically, was that countries in the eastern part of Europe would be affected even more. I will not enter into the details, but suffice it to say, I refer not only to cohesion funds and the way they will be directed or limited but also to the fact that the European Union is not the same as it was when we dreamed of joining it. The European Union has changed. I want it to become what we dreamed of joining years ago. It should become a place of peace and prosperity, which it largely is.

The enlargement process is important. If I was living in a candidate member state, I would think as I thought many years ago, namely, that the European Union was an ideal and that we wanted to join because we wanted to be part of the democratic and prosperous countries, countries governed by the rule of law. That is what we wanted. I perfectly understand the position on countries in line to join the European Union. In that respect, it is a guarantee that the European Union has not lost its relevance. There are many critics of the European Union, both inside and outside, but with Turkey, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and the Balkan countries wishing to join, there are over 100 million people who would like to become members of it. That says something about its values that we should defend. Romania is in favour of enlargement of the European Union and will try to advance in that regard. It is important to unite. There is a gap between what was eastern Europe and western Europe. We should never forget the countries of the Eastern Partnership which are on the eastern border of the European Union. We want to be surrounded by a space in which there is peace, predictability and prosperity.

The future of Europe is another important topic. All of the countries have been through the process of debate on the future of Europe. I followed with great interest the debate in Ireland and was delighted to see that it included representatives of minorities, including the Romanian ones, as well as the new communities. It was a very successful process in Ireland. The summit in Sibiu will be another opportunity for the leaders to get together and share their views. What do we expect? We expect a vision in line with citizens’ expectations. There was a very important process to share views with voters, citizens, who need to feel close to the European Union.

The Senator said I was an expert on the European Union. I contradict the Senator publicly by saying I am not. It is a very complicated mechanism, which is why I believe it should be explained better to the people in order that they might understand the benefits. It is also a question of talking about how the European Union has shaped Europe, the obligation to continue with the transformation and how we will continue to transform the Union to dispel the populist tendencies that have emerged, surprisingly for me, in the last year.

Did I respond to everybody?