Dear Comrades and Friends,
Dear Marcel (Ciolacu),

It is good to be here in Bucharest and I am grateful for the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you.

It is a good and strong sign of Romania’s vibrant democracy that we – Socialists and Democrats – can gather here today at the Palace of the Parliament. Built during the times of Ceaușescu, its history is linked to the lack of freedom and democracy during those difficult years. But the fact that we are standing here today bears testimony to the triumph of democracy over the terrible time of the dictatorship.

Friends from the PSD, You were elected in difficult times, but these times are not stopping you from making decisions based on a sense of responsibility for your country*1. Higher pensions, lower taxes for people with small incomes, more support for families with children and an increase in the minimum wage: The achievements of the PSD bear witness to a strong social democratic policy in today’s Romania.

Thank you, Marcel, for this and for hosting us here today!

Germany and Romania are linked by a close friendship. This becomes particularly obvious when facing the challenges of our times jointly:

The largest country in Europe attacked the second largest country on our continent – for purely imperialistic motifs. Where we are standing right now, we are merely 200 km away from the Ukrainian border.

And let us be very clear: Borders must not be changed through violence.

This is the main pillar the European peace order, a principle established by leading social democrats like Olof Palme or Willy Brandt.

It is our legacy today to uphold it!

Security is not everything, but without security, everything is nothing.

I am therefore deeply grateful for the key role Romania is playing for security in Europe, 75 years after the founding of NATO. Your country’s contribution as the main troop contributor in the multinational brigade in which we cooperate closely strengthens security on the south-eastern flank of NATO, it strengthens security for Europe as a whole.

In the last 17 years, Romania has also been a proud, important, and respected member of the European Union.

Therefore, the decision that we have now finally taken – to welcome Romania into our common Schengen Area – was long overdue and highly deserved.

My party, the SPD, always supported Romania's accession to the Schengen Area. There are no “first” or “second” class EU Member states.

We are one united Europe!

A month ago during our last party gathering in Rome, I stated that the war in Ukraine ends the moment that President Putin decides to withdraw his troops.

However, he will only take that decision if he realizes that he cannot win this war on the battlefield, that he cannot dictate an unjust peace, that time doesn’t play in his favour.

Therefore, our support for Ukraine is key to restoring peace in Europe. We will uphold it for as long as it takes!

Germany is Ukraine’s second largest supporter after the United States. So far, we have allocated 28 bln. Euro in military support alone.

And I am grateful to partners like Romania for doing what they can to help.

At the recent European Council, we have decided to ramp up our support in weapons and ammunition and to purchase those goods globally.

We will also use the „windfall profits“ from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s defense.

At the same time, one thing was clear to us from the very beginning: we do not want a war between Russia and NATO.

The best way to prevent any escalation is effective deterrence. Therefore, we are investing more in our own security and defence – jointly, as Europeans – so that no one dares to attack us.

This also means putting narrow self-interests aside and building a strong and truly European defence industry. This will be one of the major tasks for the EU after the upcoming elections.

Strengthening Europe as a geopolitical actor also means making better use of one of the strongest instruments of our foreign policy: our enlargement policy. Enlargement always was and still is a driving force for democracy, peace, and prosperity on our continent. Romania is one of the best examples for this.

We have achieved new momentum in the accession process with the countries of the Western Balkan.

Ukraine, Moldova are accession candidates, Georgia also wants to join the EU. Those countries share our common values and they have every right to live in peace and freedom just like us.

Therefore, it is good to have Romania on our side when it comes to resolutely pushing ahead with the accession process over the next few years.

Of course, this will need to go hand in hand with internal reforms of the EU. A European Union with 32 or 35 members cannot work with the rules crafted for a much smaller union.

I am glad that we agreed on the need for such reforms, including a reform of our voting mechanisms, as well as on a clear schedule to have first proposals by June.

A growing European Union working closely together will also be able to respond better to the challenges of a world that will soon have 10 billion citizens.

Economies in Asia, Latin America and Africa are rising. They demand more political influence and economic development – and have every right to do so.

Projections show that by the middle of this century, countries of the Global South could reach the levels of economic development that European and North American countries enjoyed in the 1950s.

If they do so using the same fossil energies and technologies we used, our world will no longer be a good place to live in.

It is therefore in our best interest to establish true partnerships with countries of the global south.

We have what it takes – the technologies, the knowledge, and the political will – to help them prosper and grow their economies, but in a more sustainable way than we did.

Of course, we also need to advance the economic transformation in our own countries.

One crucial aspect in this regards will be the banking and capital markets union. This may sound technical, but in the end, it is about whether we can mobilize enough private capital to finance the transformation of our economies. Public funding alone won’t be enough!

The move towards climate-neutral industries and societies is the biggest change since the industrial revolution in the 19th century.

And of course, a change like this also creates uncertainties among our citizens. Many are asking themselves: Will all of this end well for me and my family?

In times like these, it is crucial that we protect our European social market economy as a unique model in the world.

We need a social Europe able to protect its citizens in times of crisis and when they are in need.

That is what Nicolas Schmit, our common Spitzenkandidat, stands for. He has proven that European policy can achieve more than just shaping a common domestic market.

• Thanks to him, we have a directive on fair minimum wages in Europe.
• Thanks to him, we have implemented an action plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights.
• Thanks to him, we have a European Child guarantee that gives every child in Europe access to basic social services.

These are our values cast in politics. They aim for respect towards the people and their lives.

Respect for the people who go to work every day.

Respect for the people who rely on a functioning and secure welfare state in times of need.

Respect for different lifestyles, beliefs, origins, and cultures that make up the diversity that characterizes our continent.

Romania is leading the way in protecting minority rights in Europe. Since the founding of modern Romania, more than 100 years ago, your country embraced its ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic diversity. One could even say that today’s Romania is something like a small Europe itself.

And I know for sure that the German minority in Romania has played an important role in building strong bridges between Bucharest and Berlin.

This is a treasure we must defend.

Right-wing populists are running election campaigns against our united Europe and its values.

They are ready to destroy what we have built for decades. They stir up sentiment against refugees and minorities. They jeopardize our prosperity that is built on a joint European market.

Just look at both our countries: Germany is Romania‘s most important trading partner since more than 17 years and Romania has become one of the 17 most important sales markets for German goods. There are thousands of companies with german equity investing in Romania. And for many Romanians, Germany became an attractive country to work and live in. After Poland, the vast majority of immigrated workers from the EU come from Romania to Germany.

The European elections are just around the corner. A European Union that stands for prosperity, a European Union capable of getting things done is the best response to populists and autocrats.

A truly great European, Jacques Delors, once said: “No one will fall in love with a domestic market.” Yes, that is true.

But we can certainly fall in love a little more with the European Union. We can be proud to have the largest domestic market in the world, with leading research institutions, innovative companies and a social welfare system that is globally unparalleled.

We – as Socialists and Democrats – are committed to our European values of freedom, the rule-of-law and democracy. And I have come to know Marcel as one of the strongest voices in our ranks – with a clear pro-democratic and pro-European agenda, contributing every day to our work of building a better and just Europe.

Dear friends,
We are the ones protecting what we achieved in Europe and building what we want to achieve next:

A sovereign, a solidary and a united Europe that stands strong against autocrats and injustice, promoting peace and democracy in the word and for the people.

That is what we fight for.

Together.

Shoulder to shoulder.

Thank you!