On Wednesday evening, 4 November 2026, Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) officially responded to a statement by Alice Weidel, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The politician claimed that Romanian immigrants were “plundering” Germany’s social welfare system.
On 28 October, Weidel posted on X: “Child benefits, basic social security, medical care: more and more migrants from Romania are plundering our social system. In Magdeburg alone, expenditures have increased twentyfold to €3 million a year. Only with the AfD will there be a migration turnaround!” The post included a link to a Die Welt article about a documentary by the regional public broadcaster MDR.
The film and related German media coverage reported on families from Romania (including large families) living in Magdeburg and other cities who receive benefits, as well as the rise in social spending on Romanian citizens in Magdeburg — from roughly €140,000 in 2013 to more than €3 million in 2025. It was also noted that the size of the Romanian community in the city had grown roughly twentyfold over the same period.
In its official statement, the MAE said it “monitors all relevant public positions concerning the Romanian community abroad, including in Germany.” The ministry stressed that “this community makes a major economic and social contribution and is valued both in the communities where our compatriots live and by German authorities and employers.” The MAE “rejects any political instrumentalisation of the presence of Romanian citizens in European Union countries” and stated that it uses ongoing diplomatic dialogue with public authorities, including to convey its reaction to discriminatory statements.
Weidel’s remarks also drew responses from Romanian politicians. MEP Virgil Popescu (PNL) cited figures showing that around 519,000 Romanians work under contracts in Germany and pay social contributions, that the unemployment rate among them is about 7%, and that the share receiving basic benefits is 8.9% (close to the German average of 8.1%). USR leader Dominic Fritz, in a video message in German, demanded an apology and highlighted the contribution of Romanian workers, including doctors and those employed in care work.
As of the end of 2025, more than 900,000 Romanian citizens were registered in Germany. Most of those of working age are employed in industry, agriculture, construction and the services sector.
