State Secretary for European Affairs Melania-Gabriela Ciot participates in the closing session of the 7th ASEM Rectors’ Conference - Hoofdinhoud

Today, May 14, 2019, State Secretary for European Affairs Melania Gabriela Ciot participated in the closing event of the 7th ASEM Rectors’ Conference.

State Secretary Melania-Gabriela Ciot reiterated in her speech the engagement of the rotating Council Presidency held by Romania to bringing a robust contribution to a stronger European project, by increasing cohesion and solidarity.

In that respect, the state secretary mentioned that sustainable development was one of Romania’s priorities and pointed out that the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU contributed to that process by promoting the Council Conclusions on sustainable development. Those conclusions were adopted by the General Affairs Councils of April 9, 2019.

The state secretary took the opportunity to emphasise the significant role played by education, as “the best investment for the future of Europe and a critical factor in spurring growth, innovation and job creation. Education also paves the way to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals related to innovation and resilience.”

At the end of her word, the state secretary stressed out that the new sustainable growth architecture could be successfully implemented only through a common approach and a strong partnership between the EU Member States, the European institutions and the international community. That principle was also emphasised in the Bucharest Declaration on the promotion of partnerships for sustainable development, which was signed on April 16, 2019.