Romania president, PM at odds over EU budget

(BUCHAREST) - Romanian president Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Victor Ponta disagreed on Tuesday over Romania's policy at the upcoming EU summit centered on the bloc's contested budget.

"Romania's interest is to negotiate, not to brandish the threat of using its veto right. This would bar us from talks," centre-right president Traian Basescu told a press conference.

"In my opinion, Romania's national interest cannot be negotiated or subject to compromise," the head of the centre-left government, Victor Ponta, replied in a speech before parliament.

Ponta last week said that a proposal by EU president Herman Van Rompuy to reduce the bloc's 2014-2020 budget by 75 billion euros ($95 billion) was "unacceptable" and called on Basescu to veto it.

Romania, which joined the EU in 2007 together with Bulgaria, is a net beneficiary of the EU budget and relies on European aid to catch up with the more advanced member states.

The new spat between Basescu and Ponta comes as Romanians are gearing up for general elections due on December 9, the two men accusing each other of trying to gain political capital.

The rivals' power struggle erupted in April, when the government collapsed following an opposition no-confidence motion and Basescu had no choice but to name opposition head Ponta as prime minister.

Ponta's ruling centre-left coalition USL then launched a move to impeach Basescu that was heavily criticised by the international community, leading to a July referendum that failed as voter turnout fell short of the required 50 percent threshold.