VIDEO The German MEP who said that Romania is the “Wild West of Europe” asks Romanians for forgiveness

The German MEP Guido Reil, from the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, who argued that Romania should not be accepted in Schengen, calling it the “Wild West of Europe”, returns and apologizes to the Romanians: “I want to tell you with all my heart that I want to apologize to the Romanian people”.

In October, in the plenary session of the European Parliament, the German MEP Guido Reil launched a virulent attack on Romania and Bulgaria, arguing that the two states should not be accepted in Schengen and that their accession to the EU was a mistake.

• “In the last year I have been to Romania many times and I want to be friendly when I say that Romania is the Wild West of Europe.
• In Ukraine I saw a much better infrastructure than in Romania. We don’t need Romania and Bulgaria neither in the European Union nor in Schengen,” said Reil, a member of the nationalist-authoritarian party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Now, the German MEP, who was on a visit to Hunedoara county, returns to those statements and apologizes to the Romanians, in a video message posted on the Facebook page of deputy Natalia Intotero, the one who called him to Romania.

• “In October, in the European Parliament, I gave a speech regarding the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. This speech hurt many Romanians.
• At that time I justified my opinion based on my personal experience with Romanians from my hometown in Germany, the Ruhrgebiet. Romanians who mostly belong to the Roma population.
• As I said, I hurt a lot of Romanians with my statement and I am grateful because I was invited to Romania by the Romanian parliamentarian Natalia Intotero, who gave me the opportunity to create my own image.
• I have to say that I met incredibly kind and welcoming people. People who are poor, poorer than those in Germany.
• But people who are still rich, because they are proud. A pride that many Germans have lost. People who are proud of their story. Proud of their culture, proud of their country.
• A country that is one with its church. A country that builds new churches. People who love their family – the classic family. These are all things that I also love and have great respect for. That’s why I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart that I want to apologize to the Romanian people, the proud Romanian people,” Guido Reil said.