Alumni meeting of the Diplomatenkolleg in Romania
At the beginning of the trip the diplomats met with Titus Corlăţean, Romania’s minister of foreign affairs, who outlined the guiding principles of his policy and explained current priorities. The Bucharest portion of the program also included a meeting with Vice Prime Minister Nicolae Dragnea and discussions in the parliament and the ministry of the interior. Central topics were the Romanian economic situation, the country’s planned entry into the Schengen Area, and developments connected to the constitutional crisis and the parliamentary elections that took place in the previous year. The German ambassador in Bucharest, Andreas von Mettenheim, briefed the participants on German-Romanian bilateral relations.
Rounding out the program was a two-day excursion to the Transylvanian city of Sibiu (known in German as Hermannstadt and long a home to thriving German and Hungarian minorities). A conversation with Ion Cindrea, council president for Sibiu county, shed light in particular on the region’s characteristics and the way in which central and local governments work together. The trip was initiated and hosted by former participants in the Diplomatenkolleg from Romania.
In addition to the alumni meeting in Romania, the current (eighth) Diplomatenkolleg continues its activities. On May 23 the day’s program in Berlin was dedicated to the topics of demographic change, integration, and civic engagement.
The Diplomatenkolleg is a unique advanced training program organized by the Federal Foreign Office and the Robert Bosch Stiftung for young diplomats who are accredited in Germany. The program is implemented with support from the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). Designed to give young diplomats the opportunity to learn more about Germany from a variety of perspectives, the program annually invites 12 young diplomats from Central and Eastern Europe, the southern Caucuses, Central Asia, and China are invited to take part in the year-long program.
For more information, please contact Senta Höfer, senta.hoefer@diplo.de, 030 1817 4838 or Sarah Wohlfeld, sarah.wohlfeld@diplo.de, 030 1817 1914.