Speech by Ambassador Angela Ganninger on the occasion of German Unity Day:
“Mr. President of the Senate, Mr. Mircea Abrudean,
Madam Deputy Prime Minister, Ms. Oana Gheorghiu,
Madam Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Oana Țoiu,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this celebration of the Day of German Unity. Today provides an opportunity to reflect with gratitude on the reunification of Germany and the healing of the division of Europe.
For more than a year now, I have had the great honour of cultivating our relations as German Ambassador to Romania. In addition to the many special places and traditions I have experienced this year, I keep especially in mind the people who connect Romania and Germany, who are committed to a common Europe, or who help their Ukrainian neighbours.
Art and culture also connect us. This year in Berlin, visitors were able to get to know a great Romanian artist at the wonderful Brâncuşi exhibition in the Neue Nationalgalerie, featuring loans from the Centre Pompidou. We have taken the opportunity to show some images from this exhibition here tonight. You will see them later on the screen.
And another major event is coming up: Romania and the Republic of Moldova will be the guests of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2028! The contract was signed already, and we must now intensify our preparations.
Esteemed guests,
Today, in Europe and beyond, we face great challenges: the war on European soil, rising energy prices, the impact of AI, and attempts from outside to divide our societies, to name just a few. Against this background, the German Government continues to place security, prosperity and freedom at the heart of its work.
Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine costs human lives every day, causes terrible destruction there and also threatens our own security.
We are meeting this threat together.
We are continuing to support Ukraine with all our strength – militarily, economically and in reconstruction.
And we are strengthening our joint efforts in the security and defence sector to deter potential attackers. This includes learning from one another and deploying our various capabilities together. For example, in enhanced Air Policing here on NATO’s southeastern flank, in which the Bundeswehr was also actively involved until March of this year.
And this also includes intensive cooperation in the armaments sector in order to use the funds from national budgets, the EU and NATO more effectively together and to strengthen European supply chains through production sites, including in Romania.
We are also securing our prosperity together, among other things by deepening the single market. The German economy remains both the number one trading partner and the largest foreign direct investor in Romania this year. Nearly 10,000 German companies invest and produce in Romania, creating around 250,000 jobs and becoming an integral part of daily life in many cities and communities. The German-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, AHK Romania, also contributes to this, supporting numerous members from both countries and, for example, most recently in September, organising a trip to Munich for Romanian defence firms.
The trade volume between our two countries reached a new record high of 42.6 billion euro last year. Transparency, predictability and good rule-of-law and other framework conditions remain essential for economic investment and trade.
Germany continues to support Romania’s wish to join the OECD.
And last but not least, there is the matter of our freedom – freedom of movement, which we enjoy in the Schengen area. But also freedom of expression, space for civil society engagement and freedom for science and research, art and culture. We see worldwide how quickly freedom and democracy can come under pressure. In protecting these values, state institutions play a key role. We must all commit to fostering freedom, diversity and democracy – in schools, at the workplace and in public spaces, but also in our private environment.
Esteemed guests,
Our bilateral relations are close and trusting. The action plan signed last year in Berlin in the presence of President Dan and Chancellor Merz covers the entire range of our cooperation and remains a guiding light. Please rest assured that Germany remains a reliable partner to Romania bilaterally and in all the multilateral organisations, alliances and forums in which we are engaged.
My fellow Germans, and my compatriots in Romania,
I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your commitment and passion significantly shape Germany’s good reputation in Romania. Without your efforts, for example in the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania and its numerous regional and local forums, many aspects of our everyday coexistence would not be possible. Your outstanding work in German companies and organisations, at schools, universities and cultural institutions deserves our recognition and our greatest respect.
Special thanks also go to the soldiers of the Bundeswehr, who, within the NATO framework, have contributed to the security of us all, working together with the Romanian armed forces – whether in the protection of airspace or in one of the numerous joint exercises.
I would also like to thank the German intermediary organisations, whether they be the political foundations, the AHK or the cultural institutes. They create spaces for profound contact and dialogue in many areas of Romanian society, without which our work would not be possible. And last but not least, a heartfelt thank you to the wonderful team at the Embassy, which works on our relations every day, has organised this celebration with great dedication and join me in welcoming you tonight.
I look forward to many further encounters in the coming year, whether here in Bucharest or in the numerous beautiful places and regions of this country.
I would also like to thank the two musicians for performing the anthems.
And last but not least, I would like to thank our sponsors, who have contributed once again this year to ensure that we can celebrate on a large scale and with German specialties.
Thank you very much to you all! “
©Daniel Angelescu
