A government leader who accompanied President Nicusor Dan on a recent official visit to Germany has praised what he said was a reset in bilateral relations, offering “behind-the-scenes conclusions after the wow visit.”
“Romania is back,” said Dominic Fritz, the leader of the Save Romanian Union, who is also a German citizen.
He said the Germans made what he called ‘a mega effort’ to make the July 18 visit happen quickly. President Dan was also accompanied the foreign, defense, economy ministers and deputy prime minister to Berlin.
“The German president and the chancellor both understand the extremely important strategic role that Romania plays in the region,” Mr. Fritz said.
He said Romania needed to change the way it approaches foreign policy and presents itself abroad, using a vulgar, colloquial expression to suggest Bucharest needed to get its act together.
Mr. Fritz, also the mayor of Timisoara posted a message on Facebook on Saturday, offering “behind-the-scenes conclusions after the president’s wow visit to Germany”.
“Romania is back. The Germans made a mega effort to make this visit happen quickly. (German Chancellor Friedrich) Merz’s seven-day schedule of meetings looks like this: Great Britain, Romania, France. The German president and the chancellor both understand the extremely important strategic role that Romania can play in the region. They almost couldn’t believe that we finally wanted it too. Nicusor Dan came extremely well prepared and with a charming modesty, without expensive watches or a used car seller vibe,” he wrote.
He said Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu used “charm and strategic precision, (and) knows what to offer and what to ask for the country.”
“German companies see a huge potential in Romania. Several CEOs I spoke to (yes, in German) told me that they have billions to invest in us, tomorrow if possible. What has been missing so far? We have moved too slowly, ever-changing governments have given evasive answers, blinkered officials have made decisions instead of courageous politicians. Now? The president promised that a yes will be yes, a no will be no, and the answers will come promptly,” he added.
Germany is Romania’s main economic partner and a key ally in ensuring European security. In 2023, Romania exported 22.62 billion euros of goods in 2023 and imported 23.66 billion euros from Germany.
With an eye on increasing trade, deputy Prime Minister Dragos Anastasiu spoke to German officials about loosening red tape to make business easier.
“Everyone was mega impressed (for 10 years a president has not been interested in the relationship with the business environment). Of course, it helped that the Ministers of Defense (Ionut Moşteanu) and Economy (Radu Miruta) were able to network in perfect English,” Fritz also wrote.
Another plus was Romania’s large diaspora who are looking forward to a new relationship with their home country.
“When they met the president, they embraced him both literally and figuratively. At one point, (his security) got a little stressed because there was a sea of people around Nicusor Dan, everyone wanted to say a good word to him or take a picture. Their optimism, but also their home sickness are a resource that we need,” he said.
“If we manage to project this image abroad, Romania will become one of the most important players on the political and economic stage. (Friday’s) visit to Germany laid the foundations for this,” he concluded.
President Nicusor Dan together with several ministers was in Germany on Friday.
Romania’s president, top ministers on key visit to Germany, talks with Merz
