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19. 06. 12. - 15:00

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19. 06. 12. - 15:00

PM informs president that he goes at the European Council meeting

Michael Leidig

Back from an official visit to Vienna, where he met the Federal Chancellor Werner Faymann, and the president of the National Council Barbara Prammer, Prime Minister (PM) Victor Ponta announced today (Tues) that he will represent Romania at the upcoming European Council meeting.

Victor Ponta told a press conference that Traian Basescu should know that the head of the government will go to Brussels at 28-29 June European Council meeting, where he will sit next to the Finnish and Austrian premiers.

"Sincerely, I had hoped, until last night in a good-will dialogue between the premier and the president. I hope you noticed my balanced position, that I never said that it’s my way or the highway. I always said that I count on the dialogue and common sense decisions. I work with the dialogue and the common sense and the president with mud. It’s difficult, at a certain to refrain acting in the same way", Ponta said.

While Ponta was in Austria on Monday, people close to Cotroceni Palace accused the PM of having plagiarized his Doctoral theses. Ponta organized a press conference early this morning to deny the accusations, offering the press the thesis, which has a forward written by an ambassador, whom the accusers say was plagiarized.

"I was accused that I plagiarized a work of Mr. Ambassador Diaconu, but he is the very person who wrote the forward note at my doctoral thesis", Ponta said, while showing the bibliography to journalists.

Going back to the European Council meeting topic, Ponta said that it will focus on the social and economic measures suggested by the new French leader Francois Hollande and on the current economic situation in Europe.

Once more, he explained that, according to the Constitution, the economic and social decisions are taken by the government.

"The president has absolutely no executive power. Romania cannot be absent from this meeting. If Mr. Basescu goes to a meeting that exceeds his attributions, it’ like he isn’t really there. (…)", Ponta concluded.

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