Romanian president says Council will not discuss EU treaty reform anytime soon

There will be no discussions on starting procedures to change the EU treaties during the current EU Council summit or the next one, President Klaus Iohannis said before meeting EU leaders for the summit on Monday and Tuesday.

Triggering the change process is an extremely complicated process, Iohannis told journalists in Brussels on Monday (30 May), adding he does not think there is enough political will for a successful attempt.

“We understand the need for change and Romania does not oppose it at all, but we must proceed step by step (…) It is better to do things that can be done quickly, now, without changing the treaties. In the meantime, political discussions between political groups should start to see what is possible,” the president said before the special meeting of the European Council.

Nobody wants to repeat the failure of the European Constitution, a project that “started with lots of enthusiasm, but ended with nothing,” Iohannis noted.

“This is why people are wary when it comes to changing the EU treaties. But, until then, a lot of things could be done without the need to modify the treaties, things that can help the citizens, the member states and the national economies,” the head of state concluded.