Brussels (BE), 10 September 2014
The Assembly of European Regions (AER) happily welcomes the new Juncker Commission, to be approved by the European Parliament in October and to take office on 1 November. The new college of European Commissioners will shape European policy making for the next 5 years.
Corina CRETU, new Commissioner for Regional Policy
“On behalf of the Assembly, I would like to welcome Mrs Cretu, the new Commissioner for Regional Policy. We look forward to continue and strengthen our cooperation with this new team. AER is ready to meet with Mrs Cretu to launch a hopefully fruitful collaboration”, stated DR Hande Özsan Bozatli, AER President.
Mrs Cretu was born in Bucharest on 24 June 1967. She graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies’ Faculty of Cybernetics (1989), and worked as an economist for factories in Blaj and Bucharest until 1990. She then worked as a commentator for several Romanian newspapers. President Iliescu chose her as his advisor and Spokesperson during two separate mandates (1992-1996 and 2000-2004). She was also Head of the Public Communication Department before being nominated in 2002 for the Board of the Romanian Television Company.
She became a Member of the European Parliament in 2007, following the accession of Romania to the EU. She was also an OSCE observer to the parliamentary election of 2005 in Moldova and to the general election of 2006 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“AER members also express their deepest gratitude to Johannes Hahn, outgoing Commissioner for Regional Policy, who has always paid attention to the needs of the regions and was open to discussion with our network”, underlined AER President.
Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement
Moreover, AER is thrilled that the new portfolio for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations will be allocated to Johannes Hahn, who has proven in his previous responsibilities to have a sound understanding of the regional cause, within and beyond EU borders.
AER grasps this opportunity to invite the two future Commissioners to follow our 5th annual Black Sea Summit taking place 3rd October in Bucharest, Romania. Bearing in mind the challenging political context that affects this area, our Summit will look into the place of the Black Sea Synergy in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP):
• What is the impact of the European Union Association Agreements with Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on ENP?
• Are the strategies and programmes of ENP adapted to the current challenges from the Eastern Neighbourhood?
• What place for the future Black Sea Strategy in all this?
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