Romania has taken the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months.
The event was celebrated last night in the Bucharest capital with a light show.
The new presidency begins on the background of political divisions in the country and criticism from Brussels. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said earlier that he can not remember the names of prime ministers in the country because of their frequent change. He doubted that Romanians could fulfill the main task of being a good mediator in the negotiations between the countries of the Community.