Unfortunately, we see that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) of Romania has stepped away from its pro-European commitments and is now opposing the very measures agreed upon within the governing coalition, European People's Party (EPP) President Manfred Weber said on Wednesday in a social media post following a phone call with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, assuring the latter that he enjoys 'the full support of European partners.'

Manfred Weber, who is president of the EPP and of its group in the European Parliament, said he had an 'excellent phone conversation' with Ilie Bolojan and congratulated him for delivering 'concrete results in such a short period of time.'

'He has taken action to reduce the deficit, stabilize the economy, and advance essential reforms. He has put in place a responsible budget, supported by strategic investments, especially through European and Recovery funds,' Weber said.

He added that he and Ilie Bolojan also assessed priorities for the coming period, both at national and European level.

'In these globally challenging times, with the war in Ukraine, energy pressures, and the rise of extremism across Europe, it is essential that we, as the EPP - European People's Party family, lead by example. Responsible governance means putting citizens first and making necessary decisions: reducing excessive spending, cutting bureaucracy, advancing reforms, and modernising public institutions, always with full respect for taxpayers' money. These are core centre-right EPP priorities. Only such responsible leadership will ensure that governments can protect and support their citizens in times of crisis, whether facing energy pressures, security threats, or economic uncertainty, as is now the case across Europe. Prime Minister Bolojan has been one of the European leaders to deliver results on all of the EPP priorities,' Weber added.

'This is why I commend the courage and determination of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan to continue his mandate as head of government, out of a strong sense of responsibility towards the citizens and the country, and to continue on the path of reforms and modernization that he started 10 months ago,' the German MEP further said.

'Prime Minister Bolojan has the full support of European partners to strengthen Romania and continue to govern the country in a responsible way as he has done so far,' he underlined.

The EPP president used the opportunity to criticize the Social Democratic Party, as he has done repeatedly during periods of tension with the National Liberal Party (PNL).

'Unfortunately, we see that the Social Democratic Party of Romania has stepped away from its pro-European commitments. It is now opposing the very measures agreed upon within the governing coalition: to strengthen the Romanian economy and make it more resilient, for the benefit of the people and also putting at risk the much needed legislative reform package for the RRF funding. Depriving Romania of billions of euros of EU funding because of populist reasoning would be a major blow to Romania's democracy and stability,' the EPP leader warned.

He added that, despite this 'emerging political challenge,' Prime Minister Bolojan 'has chosen the more difficult path, but the right one: to ensure stability in governance and the capacity to deliver the reforms that are needed, while keeping Romania on a stable path in this very delicate geopolitical context.' AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Florin Stefan; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)