Romanian-Spanish Agreement in defense and public administration

Prime Ministers of Romania and Spain, Viorica Dăncilă and Pedro Sánchez signed, on Thursday, in Madrid, bilateral co-operation agreements in the field of defense and public administration, the two countries having a strategic partnership of five years.

During the meeting, parties also agreed on boosting cooperation at the level of central authorities as well as at the level of local administration, through twinning agreements and direct contacts, so that Romanian authorities benefit from the solid Spanish expertise in modernizing the public administration.

Two Memorandums of Understanding were signed in this context: Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Romania and Spain's Defense Ministries and Memorandum of Understanding between the National Institute of Administration of Romania (INA) and the Spanish National Institute of Public Administration (INAP).

Prospects for expanding cooperation on road and rail infrastructure were also discussed.

The two dignitaries evoked the historical, cultural and linguistic ties between the two countries and emphasized the firm pro-European commitment of Romanian and Spanish citizens.

Sides expressed interest in maintaining a permanent bilateral dialogue, in the light of Romania's taking over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2019.

Romanian Prime Minister said that a good coordination of preparations for the May 2019 Sibiu Summit should provide the opportunity to assess the proposals, ideas and expectations of the EU Member States and citizens regarding the future of the European Union, including in the perspective of the next European electoral exercise.

At the same time, Romanian Prime Minister expressed interest in Spain's proven experience with the absorption of European funds for modernizing infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and overall society. Appreciation was also voiced for cooperation in the field of internal affairs.

In this context, the issue of common challenges was also approached from the perspective of the two countries' position in the EU's eastern and southern neighborhood, and of the convergent interests for a democratic, safe, prosperous and predictable neighborhood.

Romanian Prime Minister also shared Spain's concerns about the recent developments in illegal migration.

During talks, the two officials also referred to the current good cooperation in multilateral collaboration formats.

At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă extended an invitation to the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, to pay a visit to Romania.

Source:RRA,Romanian Government