Germany's Minority Policy in Romania

This book presents mainly the findings of Germany’s minority policy in Romania. In doing so, the research concentrates on the German minority and considers the extent to which this minority plays a role in German-Romanian relations. Regarding the German minority, the main aspect is on its bridge function between Germany and Romania. In addition, this book looks at which German companies, foundations and educational institutions are active. Furthermore, several concepts in the field of minority studies in international relations are used in this book as a theoretical basis and the concept of diaspora is discussed in detail in order to better understand the bridge function of the German minority in Romania. The outcome of this research shows that through its minority policy in Romania, Germany is able to establish close relations with the Romanian state. In this context, the activities of German foundations and institutions are important tools for Germany’s minority policy in order to build up a large network in Romania. Also, the preservation of German-Romanian culture is strongly supported by Germany from the post-communist period onwards. The political foundations play a particularly critical role in the education of potential politicians and academics who can take important positions in the Romanian politics in the long term.