Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), accused Romanian migrants of exploiting the country's social system, prompting Romania's foreign ministry to reject any political instrumentalization of its citizens abroad.
In a post on X on October 28, Weidel wrote that "more and more migrants from Romania are plundering our social system." She cited child allowances, basic income support and healthcare. She said costs in Magdeburg had risen 20-fold to 3 million euros annually. She shared a report by the conservative daily Die Welt on how European social protection rules can be exploited.
Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Wednesday, stating it rejects "any political instrumentalization of the presence of Romanian citizens in EU countries." The ministry said it monitors all relevant public positions targeting the Romanian community abroad, including in Germany. It said the community makes a "major economic and social contribution" and is appreciated by German authorities and employers. It added that it uses permanent diplomatic dialogue to transmit reactions to discriminatory statements.
Sorin Grindeanu, president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), demanded that Weidel retract her statements and apologize to the Romanian community in Germany. He said collective guilt based on origin contradicts the values on which the EU was built, adding that Romanians deserve the same respect Germans receive across Europe. Former Timișoara mayor Dominic Fritz responded in a German-language video, noting that hundreds of thousands of Romanians work normally with social insurance and pay taxes. He said thousands of Romanian doctors work in German clinics, trained at the expense of the Romanian taxpayer.
Former prime minister Ilie Bolojan called the statement "unacceptable," saying xenophobic rhetoric has no connection to true patriotism. Virgil Popescu, a National Liberal Party (PNL) MEP, noted that 519,200 Romanians work under contract in Germany and pay monthly contributions. He added that Romania is the second country of origin for foreign doctors in German hospitals.
