Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Oana Toiu described reports on Friday that Romania might relinquish its veto power within the European Council as 'false.'

She emphasized that a Foreign Minister cannot initiate such a move, and that the decision rests with the leaders of the member states, the European Parliament, and national parliaments.

During a press conference held at Victoria Palace, Toiu recalled that, in 2023, Romania decided to join 11 other member states in the effort to make the decision-making process more efficient.

'Between 2023 and 2026, we also had a PSD prime minister; during his term, not only did this decision remain unchanged, but there was no proposal—neither from the Government at the time, nor from the Foreign Policy Committee, nor from any individual parliamentarian—aimed at Romania's withdrawal from this group of states. The only exception is the vote (in the Senate - Ed.) that took place in recent weeks, which was based on the false claim that Romania would be giving up its right of veto. (...) No Minister of Foreign Affairs can waive Romania's right of veto. The leaders would have to reach a unanimous agreement and then submit a proposal to the European Parliament and the national parliaments, should such a scenario ever arise,' stated Toiu.

On the MFA website, she added, one can consult a joint letter from 11 member states, which proposes that the European Commission examine a mechanism to improve the speed at which decisions are made.

'Not only does the letter contain no renunciation of the right of veto, but it also states two things very clearly. First, that the treaties are being respected. At no point—not in a single word or line—does the letter propose any amendment to them. It states quite explicitly: (...) every member state retains the full power to oppose any decision by invoking its own national interest. The only thing that seems to have bothered the senators is the proposal that, once a country exercises its right of veto, it should clarify to its partners within the European Union what national interest justifies that decision,' she explained.

Toiu stated that the reasons invoked by any member state to oppose a decision would not be subject to approval or evaluation.

'Romania's right of veto remains intact; it is a gesture of good cooperation to clarify the reasons one had for exercising it. I would remind you, however, that Romania has never actually used it. And, speaking personally, I can say that, in all likelihood, had Romania possessed the courage to also leverage the possibility of a veto during negotiations, we would not have spent so many years waiting at the gates of the Schengen Area after having already met the formal requirements,' she pointed out.

A change in decision-making processes cannot affect military decisions, Toiu further stated.

'Any type of modification proposed through the consensus of all the leaders would, in any case, be submitted as a proposal to the parliament of each member state. Therefore, in any possible future scenario, the Parliament of Romania would have six months to debate it and could halt any such decision by exercising its parliamentary veto,' she further stated.

On October 12, the Senate adopted a Declaration on upholding Romania's right to protect its national interests within the framework of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The Declaration highlights the absence of a transparent political and parliamentary mandate for the interim Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Toiu, regarding the potential abolition of the unanimous voting mechanism within the Council of the EU on matters of common foreign and security policy. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Irinela Visan; EN - writing by: Catalin Cristian Trandafir)