Embassy Press Release

U.S. Ambassador Nicholas F. Taubman Presents His Farewell Speech

Ambassador Taubman (L) presenting his Farewell speech in front of Romanian mass media. Bucharest, October 23, 2008 (Lucian Crusoveanu / Public Diplomacy Office).

American Cultural Center, Romania
October 23, 2008

First things first. From the moment my wife Jenny and I set foot in Romania, the people we have come to know so well have welcomed us and treated us warmly. We leave with so many good memories that they crowd in upon me at moments like this with emotional pleasure. We are both grateful.

While America has had a relationship with Romania for many years, the most meaningful and fruitful years came after 1989. Romania’s transition from communism did not happen overnight. It has been, so far, a journey lasting almost two decades. America set out to make Romania its partner these 19 years ago. We wanted this country, fresh out of a totalitarian government, to be a willing and strong friend and partner. We knew that years down the road, without a strong democracy and vibrant economy in Romania, we would not have the right relationship.

In the last three years, it’s been difficult to count the numerous occasions when Romania has been America’s good friend and partner. The historic NATO summit and two visits by President Bush underscored our growing strategic partnership. The signing of a Defense Cooperation Agreement allows the U.S. military to use Romanian military facilities and to work jointly to improve our ability to operate together. I can’t begin to count the number of times that I heard from ordinary Romanians that we should have been here earlier. We share many policy views and our partnership has brought us successfully together in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans. We agree on energy security, specifically the need to create new sources of energy and a free market energy policy - - not to mention parallel views on the Black Sea and the entire region.

In the course of the last three years I have seen many other positive achievements. Among the most important is the new Ford Motor plant in Craiova, a plant that will employ over 9,000 Romanians by the end of 2010. To draw more American companies to invest in Romania, I made a pleasant and successful road trip in the U.S. with your Ambassador Vierita and the American Chamber of Commerce. Much has been accomplished, and much remains to be done.

Ambassador Taubman presenting his Farewell speech in front of Romanian mass media. Bucharest, October 23, 2008 (Lucian Crusoveanu / Public Diplomacy Office).

Romania did the right thing at the right time when it welcomed over 400 Uzbek refugees to protect them from persecution. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees permanent facility in Timisoara will give hope to refugees from this hemisphere who are in danger of abuse or worse. For this humanitarian initiative I thank Romanians and their government again. It is evidence that Romania is no longer a consumer but rather a provider and exporter of assistance and stability around the world.

When so many Eastern European countries chose democracy after 1989, the United States stood ready to help. Our message at the time of our own revolution, at the time of yours and today is the same: democracy means a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Romania now has the financial wherewithal to address many of its remaining challenges. A view and understanding of future projects with clear priorities, plus a push from the government, will begin to solve these problems.

A government for the people invests in education and nurtures its youth. In my country we have learned that corporations and universities, working together, can best prepare young professionals to meet 21st-century challenges. Last summer, the START Internship Program helped hundreds Romanian university students to start their careers in paid intern jobs in businesses here in Romania. These students learned about career paths, gained insight into professionally run businesses and found good reasons to remain in Romania after graduation. I am hopeful this program will go Romania-wide in 2009 to recruit summer interns.

A government for the people makes access to higher education possible for as many youths as possible. The Romanian American Foundation will provide student loan guarantees throughout Romania beginning in 2010. They will guarantee bank loans for any Romanian high school graduate who wants to attend university and needs financial assistance. This program is funded from a private equity enterprise originally sponsored by the United States.

A government for the people provides the infrastructure in which the economy can flourish. A fellow ambassador to Romania said to me just before his mandate ended, that no major company from his country would locate in Romania due to the fact that raw materials and finished products cannot be transported efficiently on Romanian roads and transportation systems. Transportation should be your number one priority. Romania, you will not be competitive with either your neighbors or western European trading partners until the road to Europe is finished.

Ambassador Taubman presenting his Farewell speech in front of Romanian mass media. Bucharest, October 23, 2008 (Lucian Crusoveanu / Public Diplomacy Office).

In terms of infrastructure, in my view, Romania can get it right. Simply look at this country’s wireless cell phone communication network. It works as well as in any other country in the EU, and in many ways is far better than our network in the United States.

A government for the people cares about their health and longevity. Sadly, Romania has a low life expectancy and high rates of disease compared to much of the EU, and in large part this is caused by a national health system which fails to deliver the quality of care Romanians need and deserve. Every single Romanian has money deducted for health care from his or her salary every month. I recognize there is no one perfect solution to this problem. But part of the answer must be to move away from a system in which the Government is virtually the sole provider of care, to one which creates incentives and opportunities for private doctors and clinics to offer better quality care at reasonable rates. There are many good examples around Europe and elsewhere of how this can be done. Of course the state will always have a role to play, especially in watching out for those Romanians who can’t afford insurance or care on their own. But a government that is truly responsive to the needs of the Romanian people will recognize that the current monopoly on health care doesn’t serve those needs, and will have the political courage to reform the system.

Even more devastating than a stunted life expectancy is the demographic impact that occurs when a country’s future—its young people—choose to go abroad in large numbers in search of better opportunities. By 2025 to 2030, Romania is predicted to have a population of 15 or 16 million souls, down from over 21 million presently. One third of physicians and many other medical professionals go abroad to practice their profession immediately after graduation. Graduate engineers can go almost anywhere else for what they consider better futures. A particular talent of Romanian students is information technology. They are snapped up in every developed country in the world. In short, Romania is giving away its human capital to the rest of the developed world. Both educational institutions and government need to do a better job at retaining their young professionals, through programs such as loans to finance private medical practice, and tax incentives for critical professions in Romania. Treat your young professionals right, and they will remain where they really wish to be in the first place –Romania.

A government for, by and of the people cannot exist without the rule of law. To paraphrase United States President Theodore Roosevelt: no one above the law, no one below the law. Rule of law is the mortar that holds together the bricks in the house of freedom. Without that bonding, there is no trust, there is no credibility.

All three branches of your government, the executive, the parliament and the judiciary, must have counter-balancing powers to deny the ability of any one branch to dominate without the advice and consent of the other two. We have found the rule of law and balance of powers to be the right recipe in the United States. I believe it would work for Romania, too.

The heart of a democracy and the core of justice is its constitution. Romanians from all parties and all walks of life have spoken of the need for constitutional reform. This process needs to begin with a desire to hear and consider all opinions; an agreement to meld all of these opinions together and finally to mold them into a living document which, with the express consent of Romanians, can change over the years to meet the needs of the country and its people. This will make it easier to marshal the political will to implement necessary reforms, to prioritize what needs to be done, and to channel the resources required to make things happen. It will be – to borrow a well-known American political phrase – government of the people, by the people, and for the people, not merely for a privileged few.

One cannot survey a country which has the potential to be one of the best places to live in the world without mentioning the issue of corruption. Corruption is the antithesis of democracy and rule of law. Corruption unpunished corrodes belief and credibility in a democracy and stifles economic growth and investment. Only an independent, non-politicized judiciary in a rule of law society can break the back of corruption. The only solution is equal and swift justice for all under the law. Make no mistake, the fight against corruption was not the personal crusade of Nick Taubman, it’s the priority of my President and of the United States Government as well, and of the European Union and the United Nations, through the UN Convention Against Corruption. From my talks with ordinary Romanians, I know it is a priority for them as well. The point is that I’m in good company when I speak out against corruption and the need to assert the rule of law.

What I have said here today might lead one to believe I have only criticism for Romania. There were times when I expressed frank opinions which some said were not proper to come from the diplomatic corps. My words were from the heart -- friend to friend. While they were criticisms, they were all constructive and made from a good friend to this country. Good friends don’t tell you what to do, but they will tell you what they think.

I began this speech by noting the many positive achievements that I saw your country make over the past three years. The rising tide of democracy has elevated this country to a level undreamed of in its modern history. A free market economy has introduced the powerful force of optimism—one which says “Yes, we can” and “Yes, I can.” Romanians have proved to the world that a country can throw off the legacy of its communist past.

All Romanians should take great pride in this accomplishment: for what the United States and others helped you to achieve would never have come to reality without your determination and hard work. Yet, as you know well, the work of ensuring and perfecting a strong democracy is never finished.

If I did not believe this country had a bright future and its best years before it, I would have held my peace and said nothing.

My three short years here have given me unshakeable optimism for this country. I look forward to watching your success but only Romanians can make it happen.

Thank you all for your good wishes to my wife and me, and I wish you Godspeed.

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