The proposal put forward by the 'Friends of Cohesion' is not a return to the past or to the old Multiannual Financial Framework, but rather 'strengthens the negotiating position' regarding allocations from the European Union's long-term budget, interim Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said on Tuesday before attending the General Affairs Council.

She stated that these negotiations 'are necessary for Romania's interests, for the interests of the 16 states that are Friends of Cohesion, and for the future of the European Union as a whole'.

Toiu argued that sufficient funding for agricultural and cohesion policies is absolutely necessary, including to address new objectives such as boosting competitiveness by reducing bureaucracy and increasing the ability to support economic actors in becoming globally competitive players.

'This is not a return to the past; it is about respecting the fundamental principles set out in the treaties. It is very important that when we look at new challenges, for example in the area of security, we remember that cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy are the European Union policies most visible and tangible to citizens,' she explained.

The acting foreign minister added that, from a security perspective as well, citizens need to see direct investment in their future, as this also plays an important role in the level of support for the European project.

At the same time, Oana Toiu called for flexibility regarding long-term investments.

'Our joint proposal is to maintain the existing n+3 rule, meaning that funds can continue to be used for three years after the end of the programming period, so as to avoid decommitment. Romania is not the only country that needs this flexibility; clearly the other states supporting the letter do as well. We believe it is in the EU's interest for funds not merely to be allocated on paper, but actually absorbed so that those investments increase competitiveness,' Toiu said.

According to her, the proposal also addresses the need for new revenue sources that are simple and easy to implement.

'We also have a concrete proposal. President Nicusor Dan supported it in the Council, and it has now become a joint proposal of the countries that signed the letter - namely, allowing a gradual repayment of existing loans in order to create greater budgetary space in the early years.

'Co-financing is also extremely important, especially for local authorities, companies and entities with smaller budgets, because significant co-financing effectively multiplies the impact of their own resources,' the acting foreign minister noted.

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Romania and 15 other European Union member states have called for increased funding for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Cohesion Policy in the bloc's next long-term budget. They also argued that a more gradual approach to repaying existing debt and issuing new bonds should be considered 'viable options', according to EFE.

These ideas were expressed in a joint letter from the 16 member states calling themselves the 'Friends of Cohesion', which include Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia.

In the document, published on the same day that secretaries of state from the EU's 27 member states discussed the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034, the signatories stressed that, according to the European Commission's proposal, funds for agriculture, fisheries and regional policies are the only chapters facing cuts despite the overall increase in the EU budget.

The 16 countries therefore called for 'an increase in budget allocations for member states' within the draft budget, which national capitals would then divide among the Common Agricultural Policy, cohesion programmes, fisheries and other priorities.

Furthermore, the 16 countries argued that these policies 'contribute significantly to the EU's key objectives and are the programmes with the greatest visibility' for EU citizens.

Regarding financing, the Friends of Cohesion expressed openness to discussions on new revenue sources to ease pressure on member states' budgets, adding that any new own resources should be genuine, fair, direct and non-regressive.

In this context, the signatories advocated refinancing the debt contracted under the recovery fund - approximately 25 billion euros annually - in order to make repayment more gradual, and suggested the issuance of new common debt. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Ghita; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)