The German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Monday that the German mass-media published in the past information about Romanians that were grounded on prejudices, but that a recent survey pointed out that they are among the best integrated foreigners on the labor market. The German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated Monday, after the meeting with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu, that they discussed among others, about the approximately 350.000 Romanians working in Germany.
The head of the German diplomacy acknowledged that there were debates in the past in Germany on the situation of the workers, but appreciated that the assessment swhich were not always positive were based on prejudgments.
“I have always had the suspicion that a lot of the information released in the public space is based on prejudices. I have been confirmed the fact that there were such prejudices after a survey was recently published displaying quite surprising data (...) demonstrating that Romanians in Germany range among the best integrated foreign workers in the labor market. (The survey) confirms one thing I knew before the survey’s release, this being that Germany also profits , in its turn, from the big number of Romanian people working and studying in Germany ", Steinmeier stated while on his third visit to Romania.
He also recalled the role of the German minority in Romania, with a history of over 900 years, stressing that here the "identity and nationality are combined in a happy and peaceful way" as we would like to have in many European regions.
The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu said in turn that he communicated to his German counterpart "the appreciation of the added value of the Romanian community in Germany which is strongly rooted in the socio-cultural and economic life of Germany."
The head of the Romanian diplomacy said that he discussed with Frank-Walter Steinmeier about the "importance and the role the German minority plays in Romania as a link between the two cultures, as a bridge between the two countries." However, Aurescu pointed out that "the Germans coming from Romania have a positive role in our country's reception in Germany" and is "an element of enhancement of the bilateral relationship."
Bogdan Aurescu saluted in this context, the celebration of 25 years since the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania was established , which "contributed to the good coexistence between Romanian and German."
Moreover, the two ministers will attend Monday afternoon in Sibiu the celebration event of "25 years of Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania".