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Video recap: State of Romania
30 April 2025
On 25 April, Visegrad Insight hosted a closed-door breakfast with a special guest, President Othmar Karas.
The event featured a special guest, guest speaker: Othmar Karas, President of the European Forum Alpbach (EFA) and former Vice-President of the European Parliament. President Karas opened our meeting with a brief speech.
Our discussion centered on bolstering the EU’s economic resilience, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy in today’s complex global landscape.
Key topics included the priorities for the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), with a focus on advancing Europe’s economic sovereignty in critical sectors such as energy, technology, and defense. The discussion also addressed lessons from past MFF negotiations and the role of the EU’s institutional triangle – Parliament, Commission, and Council – in shaping outcomes.
“We need to stop perceiving MFF only through a cost perspective and start treating them as investments that will benefit all European citizens. The time of frugal states in the EU is over” emerged as a key message of the Visegrad Insight Breakfast.
