“It’s a wonderful day here in Sibiu. A great day for Romania. The Summit in Sibiu and, today, on Europe Day, Europe comes to Romania. Here in central Romania, in Sibiu, the future of the EU will be decided. (…) We have a statement showing that we are determined, united and wish to become involved for a very good future of the EU. Today, Europe is coming to us,” the Romanian president said moments before EU leaders were due to arrive in Sibiu’s Great Square.
The president also mentioned that the issue of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union will not be on the meeting’s agenda, as the summit was initially envisioned to be the first meeting following Brexit. The United Kingdom did not send representatives at the event.
“This summit is not about Brexit. Initially, the summit should have took place after the European Parliament elections. Brexit has not yet took place, but the matter of Brexit will not be on today’s agenda,” the president added.
The leaders of 27 EU member states and the presidents of the European Council, European Commission and European Parliament arrived in Sibiu on Thursday for the summit, which is hosted by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. The meeting is considered crucial for the union’s future, with some leaders requesting changes to the alliance’s treaties.