European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib met with Nicușor Dan at Cotroceni for talks on the EU’s preparedness for crises and new risks

Hadja Lahbib was received on Thursday, September 10, by President Nicușor Dan at Cotroceni Palace, as part of her official visit to Romania. The discussions focused on crisis preparedness, European civil protection, and cooperation between member states in the face of increasingly complex risks.

Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, drew attention to climate, geopolitical and technological threats, which can combine and produce cascading effects. The examples mentioned included drone incidents in the Galați area and the very low level of the Danube.

The agenda of the visit to Bucharest includes meetings with interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, members of the parliamentary committees for European affairs, and Secretary of State Raed Arafat. Romania plays an active role in European civil protection mechanisms and this year participated in support operations to combat wildfires in other European countries.

The visit takes place in the context of the European Union Preparedness Strategy, launched in 2025. The document aims to strengthen the capacity to respond to extreme events, technological risks, threats to infrastructure and geopolitical situations. After Bucharest, Hadja Lahbib will continue her tour in the Republic of Moldova, from September 10–11.