Virgil Popescu responds to Alice Weidel: “519,200 Romanians work legally and pay contributions in Germany”

PNL MEP Virgil Popescu responded to AfD leader Alice Weidel after she claimed that Romanian immigrants are “plundering” Germany’s social welfare system. Popescu says that 519,200 Romanians work legally in Germany and pay contributions, while 4,668 of them are doctors.

The liberal politician accused Weidel of using the situation in Magdeburg to generalize about the entire Romanian community. He said that the unemployment rate among Romanians is 7%, while 8.9% receive basic social assistance, compared with the 8.1% average across Germany. According to the cited data, 421 cases of organized social benefits fraud involving all nationalities were identified in 2024.

Popescu also criticized her for living with her family in Switzerland while opposing free movement, and accused the AfD of taking positions favorable to Russia’s interests and against the Deveselu shield. He also criticized Romanian sovereigntists who did not react to Weidel’s statements.

The AfD leader had claimed that, in Magdeburg, social spending associated with Romanians had increased twentyfold over a decade, reaching three million euros annually.