When I think of Romania, then I think of the last day of 2006," Minister Steinmeieradmitted. He referred to the fact that on December 31, 2006 he was in Bucharest (in the same capacity of foreign minister in the same government coalition in Germany - CDU / CSU-SPD, editor’s note) and there he saw the people enthusiasm, just one day before the entry of Romania into the EU –and he also felt it. "It was a great atmosphere on the streets, one that we have lost in Europe in recent days and the years before the crisis, I want to bring back to Europe something like the uplifting atmosphere that I then saw and felt on New Year's Day in 2006, in Bucharest, "he said
Minister Steinmeier spoke about the economic and cultural ties between the two countries: Germany's number one trading partner and a significant investor in Romania. Cultural relations are also close, Steinmeier said. He praised the relationships based on trust, the "practical examples" taken by the Romanian Government to the German minority in Romania, which includes about 40,000 people.