AGERPRES special correspondent, Tudor Martalogu, reports: Liberal chairman, Premier Nicolae Ciuca stressed on Wednesday, during the congress of the European People's Party, that Romania's accession to the Schengen area can no longer be postponed, our country meeting all the necessary technical criteria in this regard.

''Again, during this crisis as we did so many times before, Romania has proven that we can secure the external border of the European Union. We can secure an external border of the European Union and we can secure the external border of the Schengen area. This is also what the Commission has been saying for more than 10 years, this is also what the European Parliament has been saying for a very long time. Romania has been waiting for 10 years to join the Schengen area and we believe that this decision can no longer be postponed," Nicolae Ciuca argued in his speech in front the EPP congress's delegates.

He added that the decision must be one based solely on merits.

On the other hand, the Romanian prime minister said that concrete measures are needed to strengthen the EU in the near future. A first targeted area is, in his opinion, the increase of the energy security of the community bloc. In this regard, Ciuca noted that Romania "fully supports the political objective of the European Union to eliminate as soon as possible the energy dependence on Russia".

''Romania is ready and committed to contribute to European efforts through the use of domestic natural gas from the Black Sea, through investments in new technologies in the field of nuclear energy and renewable energy production, as well as through efforts to strengthen energy connectivity in our region. Given the pressure they are under, it is our duty to coordinate effectively for assistance to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in terms of energy needs and reducing dependency through increased connectivity," Ciuca said.

The defence is the second targeted area. According to the PNL leader, the current crisis highlights how important it is to have a solid cooperation between the EU and NATO.

"We need to provide adequate financial resources for defence through dedicated EU instruments and through national increase in budgets. Romania decided to increase its defence budget to 2.5 pct of the GDP as from the next year. We also need to consolidate the EU's capacity to manage the challenges of our times, especially in the cyber and hybrid fields," Ciuca added.

A third priority area must be food security, at a time when the war in Ukraine has had a direct impact on global food security. The PNL leader recalled that Romania participates in joint efforts to facilitate Ukraine's agricultural exports through the Black Sea, including through the development of new infrastructure capacities.

''Dear colleagues, PNL wants to see the EPP remaining the largest political force in Europe and I can assure you that myself and the National Liberal Party will be fully supporting this objective and we will participate with all our experience and energy," Nicolae Ciuca concluded.AGERPRES(RO - editor: Mariana Ionescu; EN - editor: Maria Voican)