Klaus Iohannis

Klaus Werner Iohannis (Romanian: [ˈkla.us joˈhanis], German: [ˈklaʊs joˈhanɪs]; born 13 June 1959) is a Romanian politician, physicist, and former physics teacher who has been serving as the sixth president of Romania since 2014.

He became the president of the National Liberal Party (PNL) in 2014, after previously serving as the leader of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR) between 2002 and 2013. Prior to entering national politics, he was a physics teacher at the Samuel von Brukenthal National College in his native Sibiu.

He was first elected the mayor of the Romanian town of Sibiu, Transylvania in 2000, on behalf of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR). Although the German (more specifically Transylvanian Saxon) population of the once predominantly German/Transylvanian Saxon-speaking town of Sibiu had declined to a tiny minority by the early 2000s, he won a surprise victory and was re-elected by landslides in 2004, 2008, and 2012. He is credited with turning his home town into one of Romania's most popular tourist destinations, Sibiu subsequently obtaining the title of European Capital of Culture in 2007 alongside Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.

In October 2009, four of the five political groups in the Parliament, excluding the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) of then President Traian Băsescu, proposed him as a candidate for the office of Prime Minister of Romania; however, Băsescu refused to nominate him despite the Parliament's adoption of a declaration supporting his candidacy. He was again the candidate for Prime Minister of the PNL and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the elections in the same year. In February 2013, He became a member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), accepting an invitation from then liberal leader Crin Antonescu, and was immediately elected the party's first vice-president, eventually becoming the PNL president during the following year.

Ideologically a conservative, he is the first Romanian president belonging to an ethnic minority, as he is a Transylvanian Saxon, part of Romania's German minority, which settled in Transylvania beginning in the 12th century (as part of the Ostsiedlung process which took place during the High Middle Ages). He was initially elected in 2014 and then subsequently re-elected by a landslide in 2019.

His late presidency (his second term) has been marked by democratic backsliding as well as a slight shift towards illiberalism and a more authoritarian style of government, especially after the 2021 political crisis and the formation of the National Coalition for Romania (CNR). It has faced allegations of suppression of freedom of speech and also suppression of press freedom. Furthermore, his approval ratings have decreased since April 2021 onwards as his electorate's trust in him declined based on his political behaviour, favouring the PSD and rebuffing his former political allies (albeit several of them being solely conjunctural in the past) in the process. In 2023, The Economist ranked Romania the last country in the European Union (EU) in the world terms of democracy, even behind Viktor Orbán's Hungary. Moreover, as of 2022, Romania ranks 61st globally according to The Economist Democracy Index (on par with Montenegro), 5 positions behind Hungary and still lagging behind Botswana since at least 2021 onwards. A survey from June 2023 shows that over 90% of Romanians do not trust Iohannis, with only 8% having a positive opinion on him.

Various polls and political commentators have ranked Iohannis as the worst president of Romania since the 1989 Romanian revolution.

Early life and professional career

Born in the old city centre of Sibiu (German: Hermannstadt) to a Transylvanian Saxon family, Klaus Iohannis is the eldest child of Gustav Heinz and Susanne Johannis. He has a younger sister, Krista Johannis (born 1964). His father worked as a technician at a state-own company, while his mother was a nurse. Both his parents as well as his sister emigrated from their native Sibiu/Hermmanstadt to Würzburg, Bavaria in Germany in 1992, acquiring citizenship there under the right of return granted by the German nationality law, as most other Transylvanian Saxons after the fall of the Iron Curtain. However, he chose to live and work in Romania.

After graduating from the Faculty of Physics of the Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB) in Cluj-Napoca in 1983, Iohannis worked as a high school physics teacher at various schools and colleges in his native Sibiu, including, from 1989 to 1997, at the Samuel von Brukenthal National College, the oldest German-speaking school in Romania. From 1997 to 1999, he was Deputy General School Inspector of Sibiu County, and from 1999 until his election as mayor in 2000, he was the General School Inspector, head of public schools in the county.

Private life

Alongside his mother tongue, German, and the language of the majority, Romanian, Iohannis also is fluent in English and can speak French to a certain degree. The original German spelling of his name is Johannis, but the name was registered by a Romanian official as Iohannis on his birth certificate and he has used both spellings interchangeably ever since.

In 1989, he married ethnic Romanian Carmen Lăzurcă, an English teacher at the Gheorghe Lazăr National College in Sibiu. They have no children.

Iohannis is a member of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania, the German-speaking Lutheran church, mainly of the Transylvanian Saxons, with a lesser presence in other parts of Romania.

As of 2014, his parents, sister and a niece live in Würzburg.

Iohannis has stated that his family settled in Transylvania in present-day Romania 850 years ago, more specifically around 1500 in the small town of Cisnădie (German: Heltau), Sibiu County.

Political career

He joined the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR) in 1990, and served as a member of its board of education in Transylvania from 1997, and a member of the local party board in Sibiu from 1998. In 2001, he was elected President of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR), succeeding former president Eberhard Wolfgang Wittstock.

Mayor of Sibiu

In 2000, the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania in Sibiu (FDGS), the local chapter of the Democratic Forum of Germans (FDGR/DFDR), decided to back him as a candidate for mayor. While initially not wanting anything else than to represent the forum through a local candidate and to obtain a certain degree of local political visibility at that time, the leadership of FDGR/DFDR was surprised for his subsequent victory.

Despite the fact that Sibiu's German minority (represented, more specifically, by Transylvanian Saxons) had shrunken to a mere 1.6%, Iohannis was elected with 69.18% of the votes and has won three re-elections in a row, getting some of the largest electoral scores in the country: 88.69% of the vote in 2004, and 83.26% in 2008. Consequently, he became the third ethnic German mayor of a Romanian city since Albert Dörr and Hans Jung (who briefly served in 1941 in Timișoara), the former who had also served in Sibiu from 1906/07 to 1918 (the first was Otto Helmut Mayerhoffer, who served as elected mayor of the town of Roman in Neamț County, between 1992 and 1996).

Throughout his tenure as mayor, he has worked to restore the town's infrastructure and to tighten the local administration. Iohannis is also widely credited with turning his hometown into one of Romania's most popular tourist destinations thanks to the extensive renovation of the old downtown. During his first term, Iohannis worked with a town council which was formed by PDSR/PSD, FDGR/DFDR, PD, CDR, and PRM. Since 2004, during his second and third terms, his own party, FDGR/DFDR, had the majority. Between 2008 and 2012, FDGR/DFDR had 14 out of 23 councillors, PDL 4, PSD 3, and PNL only 2.

Iohannis established contacts with foreign officials and investors. Sibiu was declared the European Capital of Culture of 2007, along with Luxembourg (the bearer of the distinction in 1995). Luxembourg chose to share this honourable status with Sibiu due to the fact that many of the Transylvanian Saxons emigrated in the 12th century to Transylvania from the area where Luxembourg is today. Sibiu which was mainly built by the Transylvanian Saxons as early as the Middle Ages, was for many centuries the cultural centre of the German ethnic group in Transylvania, and was a predominantly German-speaking town until the mid 20th century. Subsequently, many Germans left the town after World War II, and especially in 1990, within months of the fall of the Iron Curtain.

On 7 November 2005, Iohannis was nominated as the "Personality of the Year for a European Romania" (Romanian: Personalitatea anului pentru o Românie europeană) by the Eurolink – House of Europe organization.

Candidacy for Prime Minister, with PSD support

On 14 October 2009, the leaders of the opposition parliamentary groups (the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UMR), the Conservative Party (PC) led by Dan Voiculescu, and the group of smaller ethnic minorities), proposed Iohannis as a candidate for the post of Prime Minister, after the government of PM Emil Boc fell a day before as a result of a motion of no confidence in the Parliament. Coming from outside the national-level politics of Romania, Iohannis had an image of an independent politician, although his party (i.e. the FDGR/DFDR) consistently allied itself with, and Iohannis campaigned in the prior European Parliament elections for, the National Liberals (PNL).

Subsequently, the PNL, PSD, UDMR, and the small ethnic minorities group in the Parliament presented Iohannis as their common candidate for Prime Minister of an interim government. On 14 October, Iohannis confirmed acceptance of his candidacy. However, on 15 October, President Traian Băsescu nominated Lucian Croitoru, a top Romanian economist, as Prime Minister, and charged the latter with forming the country's next government.

After the second round of negotiations, a day before Croitoru's nomination, Băsescu noted: "Some parties have proposed Klaus Iohannis. I would like you to know that I have not rejected the possibility for him to become Prime Minister, while my options would rather envisage other [national unity government] solutions. But I have rejected such a proposal because it comes from PSD or another party [PNL]", referring to the alleged legal constraint of only considering a proposal presented by the largest parliamentary faction, at the time the Liberal Democratic Party (PDL), a constraint disputed by the other parties, along with insisting that given the financial and economic crisis at that time, a PM needs to have experience in that field. The opposition criticized the President for not designating Iohannis. Social Democrat leader Mircea Geoană accused Băsescu of trying to influence the upcoming presidential elections by having them organised by a sympathetic government. Crin Antonescu, the leader of the National Liberals, vowed his party would derail other nominations but Iohannis'. After the nomination of Croitoru, Antonescu, a candidate in the presidential election, stated that he would nominate Iohannis as prime minister if elected president. Three days later, on 18 October, Geoană suggested Antonescu was trying to use Iohannis as an "electoral agent" for Antonescu's bid for president. In response, Antonescu told the press that Iohannis "is not the type of person that would let himself be used". Geoană and PSD leadership has held a second meeting with Iohannis in Bucharest in the evening of 18 October. UDMR, which the previous day announced it would also attend, declared in the morning that all their leaders were not in the city. PNL was present at the meeting with lower level representatives, after Antonescu announced in the morning that he was campaigning in Cluj On 21 October the Parliament adopted with 252 votes in favor (PSD, PNL, UDMR, and minorities groups) and 2 against a declaration requesting the President to nominate Iohannis as Prime Minister.

In the National Liberal Party (PNL)

On 20 February 2013, Klaus Iohannis joined the PNL, announcing this during a press conference with Crin Antonescu. At a PNL extraordinary congress, he was elected First Vice President of the Party. In the meeting of 28 June 2014, he was elected President of the PNL with 95% of the votes.

Candidacy for the President of Romania

In 2009, Iohannis had stated that he might possibly run for the office of President of Romania, although not in that year. In addition, former Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu also stated on 27 October 2009 and again on 23 April 2010 that he would like to see Iohannis become either Prime Minister or President of Romania sometime in the future.

PNL and PDL started in the summer of 2014 procedures to strengthen the political right. The two parties will eventually merge under the name PNL, but went for elections in an alliance: the Christian Liberal Alliance (Romanian: Alianța Creștin-Liberală). On 11 August the alliance chose Iohannis as its candidate for the presidential election in November and so he was registered as an official presidential candidate. In a late August 2014 interview, Iohannis described himself as a politruk who candidates for the presidency of Romania. He subsequently received 30.37% of the votes in the first round, finishing second and consequently qualifying for the second round. In the second round on 16 November he was elected President of Romania with 54.43% of the cast ballots.

Presidency (2014–present)

Iohannis took office on 21 December 2014, when Traian Băsescu's term ended. His presidential campaign focused on fighting corruption and on improving the justice system. Iohannis is also a supporter of a strongly pro-Western foreign policy. Regarding the unification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania, much discussed in the electoral campaign, Iohannis stated that "is something that only Bucharest can offer and only Chișinău can accept", and this "special relationship must be cultivated and enhanced especially by us [the Romanian state]". Upon taking office, Iohannis suspended his membership within the National Liberal Party (PNL); the Romanian constitution does not allow the president to be a formal member of a political party during his tenure.

A heavily disputed draft law proposed by Nicolae Păun, leader of the Party of the Roma, regarding the amnesty of some misdemeanors and the pardoning of certain penalties was rejected by the Chamber of Deputies at the initiative of Klaus Iohannis and the party he led, after PNL asked the Judiciary Committee 17 times to reject the draft law.

The collaboration with socialist Prime Minister Victor Ponta was praised by both sides at the start of the mandate, but deteriorated thereafter once with foreign visits of the Head of the Executive, without informing the President, but especially with the criminal prosecution of Victor Ponta for 22 alleged corruption charges, prompting Iohannis to demand his resignation from the head of the Government. Relations with Parliament went similarly. Iohannis criticized the Parliament for defending MPs by rejecting the requests of the National Anticorruption Directorate for lifting their immunity, as in the case of PSD senator Dan Șova or Prime Minister Victor Ponta. Regarding the judicial system, Klaus Iohannis pleads for a sustained fight against corruption. Likewise, Iohannis expressed dissatisfaction with attempted amendments to the Penal Code. In the context of foreign policy, Iohannis and Andrzej Duda, the President of Poland, created Bucharest Nine during a meeting between both in Bucharest on 4 November 2015. The Russian annexation of Ukrainian Crimea and the country's intervention in the east of Ukraine are the main reason for the creation of the organization. It has nine members, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Since coming into office, President Klaus Iohannis has made a habit to hold consultations with parliamentary parties. The first round of consultations took place on 12 January, the purpose of these discussions being a political agreement that would ensure, by 2017, a minimum threshold of 2% of GDP for the Ministry of Defence, agreement signed by all parties. The second round of consultations focused on the legislative priorities of the parliamentary session: voting in diaspora, financing electoral campaigns and parties and lifting parliamentary immunity. Because the Parliament has not implemented the commitments made on 28 January, Iohannis has organised another series of consultations on the state of electoral laws, but also on rejection of Justice requests for approval of arrest or prosecution of MPs. The topics of other meetings between the president and parties focused on the Big Brother law package and the national defense strategy.

In February 2016, the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) sent a notice of evacuation of the headquarters of two TV stations owned by Dan Voiculescu, sentenced in August 2014 to 10 years imprisonment in a corruption case with 60 million euros worth of prejudice. In this context, Klaus Iohannis stated that ANAF approach in Antena TV Group case is "hasty", "inappropriate" and that "freedom of expression in media can not be suppressed for trivial administrative reasons". His position was met with a wave of criticism from supporters and public figures. On the same note, Iohannis stated that union with Moldova is "a less serious approach" in the context of the Transnistria conflict, of differences between Romania and Moldova regarding economic stability and fighting corruption, and can be discussed when things are stable in both countries. The statement sparked indignation among unionists who accused him of demagogy, considering that during the electoral campaign of 2014 he expressed a favorable position on the issue. In March 2018, at the 100th anniversary of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, he was absent from a plenary vote regarding the issue.

President Iohannis is considered the primary responsible for the 2021 Romanian political crisis, to the point that when asked in a CURS opinion poll from November 2021, 35% of respondents said that he is the main culprit for the said crisis. Critics consider him responsible for excluding the USR from the government during late 2021, and thereby allowing the PSD to be brought back to power. This happened on 25 November 2021, when the National Coalition for Romania was founded and the Ciucă Cabinet was sworn in. Two months later, he praised the new coalition, stating that "the Romanian political class has shown democratic maturity". Iohannis has also been criticized given the fact that during the two ruling years of the PSD-ALDE coalition (more specifically between 2017 and 2019), he sharply criticized the PSD. At the 2020 legislative elections, he called the electorate to vote, promising to get rid of the PSD. Some public figures in Romania, who in the past expressed their support for Klaus Iohannis, have criticized him for his double standard and lack of proper governance. These critics include Vladimir Tismăneanu, Tudor Chirilă, Radu Paraschivescu, Mircea Cărtărescu, Andrei Oișteanu, Ada Solomon, Marius Manole, Cristian Tudor Popescu, and Gabriel Liiceanu. The coalition's rule has been described as being authoritarian, illiberal, kleptocratic and corrupt.

Despite the fact that, officially, the President of Romania is not affiliated with any political party, Iohannis is also regarded as the de facto current leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL).

On 12 June 2023, according to the protocol of the CNR, Nicolae Ciucă resigned. The next day, President Iohannis designated Marcel Ciolacu to be the next prime-minister. Ciucă became the President of the Romanian Senate on 13 June 2023. UDMR also withdrew from the coalition, after the National Liberals decided to take the Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration, which was held by UDMR in the Ciucă Cabinet. On 15 June 2023, the Parliament of Romania voted through the Ciolacu Cabinet. Iohannis praised the PSD-PNL coalition again, saying that this new model implemented in Romanian politics, the government rotation, "has worked very well so far". He also declared that "the fact that today we are here to formalize the rotation of the prime ministers shows a new level of seriousness of the coalition". During the late part of Iohannis' presidency, especially during Ciucă's premiership, the freedom of the press in Romania declined, according to World Press Freedom Index (from 75.09 in 2021 to 69.04 in 2023). Under Ciucă's premiership, Romania experienced democratic backsliding, with The Economist ranking it last in the European Union in the world terms of democracy, even behind Viktor Orbán's Hungary.

On 12 March 2024, Iohannis announced his candidacy for the post of Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), promising a "renewal of perspective" for the alliance and citing Romania's "deep understanding" of the situation created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was expected to compete against outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte. Iohannis withdrew his candidacy on 20 June 2024.

International travels as President of Romania (2015–present)

Data	Country	City	Notes
11 January 2015	France	Paris	Solidarity March, in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris
15–16 January 2015	Belgium	Brussels	Official visit to Brussels Meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg
10 February 2015	France	Paris	Official visit to France Talks with President François Hollande on French–Romanian relations, combating terrorism and Ukraine
12 February 2015	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit
25 February 2015	Moldova	Chișinău	Official visit to the Republic of Moldova Meeting with President Nicolae Timofti. Talks with pro-European parties on bilateral relations and the process of European integration of Moldova
26 February 2015	Germany	Berlin	Official visit to Germany Talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the situation in Ukraine, investments, European projects and strengthening the rule of law Meeting with the German President
12–13 March 2015	Poland	Warsaw	Official visit to Poland Talks with President Bronisław Komorowski on Ukraine, NATO and Moldova Meeting with the Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz
17 March 2015	Ukraine	Kyiv	Official visit to Ukraine
19–20 March 2015	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit
23 April 2015	Belgium	Brussels	Special meeting of the European Council
27–28 April 2015	Italy	Rome	Official visit to Italy
7 May 2015	Poland	Gdansk	Events to comemorate 70 years since the end of the Second World War
14–15 May 2015	Italy	Milan, Rome	Meeting with Romanian community in Milan and Pope Francis Official visit to the Holy See Visit to the Romanian Pavilion at the World Expo in Milano
21–22 May 2015	Latvia	Riga	Eastern Partnership Summit
11 June 2015	Belgium	Brussels	UE-CELAC Summit
15–16 June 2015	Croatia	Zagreb	Official visit to Croatia Meeting with President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Prime Minister Zoran Milanović and President of the Sabor Josip Leko
25–26 June 2015	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
12–13 July 2015	Spain	Madrid	Official visit to Spain Meeting with King Felipe VI, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Romanian community representatives
16 July 2015	Serbia	Belgrade	Official visit to Serbia
26 July 2015	Austria	Salzburg	Work meeting with the President of Austria, Heinz Fischer
24–30 September 2015	United States	New York City, Washington, D.C.	Represented Romania at the United Nations General Assembly Met with the United States President Barack Obama and Vice-president Joe Biden
23–24 September 2015	Belgium	Brussels	Special informal meeting of the European Council
15–16 October 2015	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
25 October 2015	Belgium	Brussels	Meeting organised by the European Commission on migration in the Western Balkans
11–12 November 2015	Belgium	Brussels	Informal meeting of the European Council EU-Africa Summit
18–19 November 2015	Slovakia	Bratislava	Official visit to Slovakia
29 November 2015	Belgium	Brussels	European Union – Türkiye Summit
30 November 2015	France	Paris	United Nations Conference on Climate Change – COP21
11–13 February 2016	Germany	Munich	Munich Security Conference Meetings with the authorities of the Land of Bavaria
18–20 February 2016	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit
7–9 March 2016	Israel	Jerusalem	State visit to the State of Israel
10 March 2016	Palestine	Ramallah	State visit to the State of Palestine
17–18 March 2016	Belgium	Brussels	European Council Working meeting between the EU leaders and the Prime Minister of Türkiye
23–24 March 2016	Turkey	Ankara	State visit to Türkiye
31 March–1 April 2016	United States	Washington D.C.	Nuclear Security Summit Meeting with the Romanian Community Visit to the Holocaust Museum Working Dinner at the White House hosted by US President Barack Obama
1 May 2016	Afghanistan	Military base	Visiting the Romanian Troops deployed to Afghanistan
18 May 2016	Lithuania	Vilnius	State visit to Lithuania
6–7 June 2016	Luxembourg	Luxembourg City	Official visit to Luxembourg
15–16 June 2016	Bulgaria	Sofia, Pordim, Giurgiu-Ruse, Grivița, Pleven	Official visit to Bulgaria
28 June 2016	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
8–9 July 2016	Poland	Warsaw	NATO Summit
10 July 2016	Poland	Warsaw	Official visit to Poland
9 September 2016	Germany	Berlin	Work meeting with Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Prime-Minister of Belgium, Charles Michel, and the Prime-Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel
16 September 2016	Slovakia	Bratislava	Informal meeting of the European Council
28 September 2016	Germany	Kiel	Receiving the Hermann Ehlers award, Hermann Ehlers Foundation
30 September 2016	Israel	Jerusalem	International funerals of the former of the President of Israel, Shimon Peres
20–21 October 2016	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
15 December 2016	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
24–25 January 2017	France	Strasbourg	Official visit to the Council of Europe, as well as the European Court of Human Rights
3 February 2017	Malta	Valetta	Informal meeting of the European Council
9–10 March 2017	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
24–25 March 2017	Italy	Rome	Informal meeting of the European Council Celebration of 60 years since the Rome Treaties
30 March 2017	Malta	Valetta	EPP Summit
29 April 2017	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
25 May 2017	Belgium	Brussels	NATO Leaders Reunion
5–9 June 2017	United States	Washington D.C.	Visit to the United States Meeting at the White House with the President of the United States Joint press conference with United States President Donald Trump Meeting with the Romanian community Meetings with the American authorities
19–20 June 2017	Germany	Berlin	Visit to Germany Meetings with the President of Germany and the Federal Chancellor Receiving the Semper Opera Ball Dresden Medal of St. George
22–23 June 2017	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
6 July 2017	Poland	Warsaw	The Three Seas Initiative Summit
19–22 September 2017	United States	New York CityPhiladelphia	Represented Romania at the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations Meeting with the Romanian Community
28–29 September 2017	Estonia	Tallinn	Informal meeting of the European Council – Digital Summit
19–20 October 2017	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit
17 November 2017	Sweden	Göteborg	Social Summit
24 November 2017	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
14–15 December 2017	Belgium	Brussels	Eastern Partnership Summit
31 January 2018	Belgium	Brussels	Visit to Brussels Meetings with the leaders of the European institutions
23 February 2018	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
22–23 March 2018	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit
4 May 2018	Bulgaria	Ruse	Informal meeting of the Presidents of Romania, Bulgaria and Austria
16 May 2018	Bulgaria	Sofia	Informal meeting of the European Council
17 May 2018	Bulgaria	Sofia	European Union – Western Balkans Summit
1–2 June 2018	Germany	Munich	Visit to the Land of Bavaria Receiving the Franz Josef Strauss award, Hanns Seidel Foundation
7 June 2018	Poland	Warsaw	Bilateral visit to Poland
8 June 2018	Poland	Warsaw	Bucharest Nine Format Summit
28–29 June 2018	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
11–12 July 2018	Belgium	Brussels	NATO Summit
19–20 September 2018	Austria	Salzburg	Informal meeting of the European Council
24–27 September 2018	United States	New York City	Represented Romania at the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations
14–17 October 2018	Italy	Rome, Napoli	State visit in Italy
18 October 2018	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
18–19 October 2018	Belgium	Brussels	ASEM 12 Summit
23 October 2018	France	Strasbourg	Debate regarding the Future of Europe in the European Parliament
10–11 November 2018	France	Paris	Paris Peace Forum
14 November 2018	United Kingdom	London	Event dedicated to his Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales, on the occasion of his 70th birthday
25 November 2018	Belgium	Brussels	Special meeting of the European Council
26–27 November 2018	France	Paris	Official visit to France Official opening of the Romania-France Cultural Season
13–14 December 2018	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
17–18 December 2018	Austria	Vienna	Europa-Africa High-Level Forum
22 January 2019	Germany	Aachen	The signing of the Treaty of Aachen on Franco-German Cooperation and Integration
16 February 2019	Germany	Munich	The 55th Munich Security Conference Bilateral meeting with the Vicepresident of the United States of America, Mike Pence
23–25 February 2019	Egypt	Sharm El-Sheikh	EU – League of Arab States Summit
28 February 2019	Slovakia	Košice	Bucharest Nine Format Summit
21–22 March 2019	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit Anual Trans-Atlantic Conference (AmCham EU)
10 April 2019	Belgium	Brussels	Special meeting of the European Council
3–4 May 2019	Italy	Florence	The State of the Union Conference
13 May 2019	Belgium	Brussels	Meeting of the representatives of the Eastern Partnership
28 May 2019	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit
5–6 June 2019	Slovenia	Brdo	The Three Seas Initiative Summit
20–21 June 2019	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit
30 June–2 July 2019	Belgium	Brussels	Special meeting of the European Council EPP Summit
20 August 2019	United States	Washington, D.C.	Visit to the White House (Washington, D.C.)
24–26 September 2019	United States	New York City	Represented Romania at the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations
1 October 2019	Belgium	Brussels	Official opening of the Europalia International Art Festival
17–18 October 2019	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
21–22 October 2019	Japan	Tokyo	The enthronement festivities of Emperor Naruhito
20 November 2019	Croatia	Zagreb	EPP Summit
3–4 December 2019	United Kingdom	Watford	NATO Summit
12–13 December 2019	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
7 January 2020	Germany	Bavaria	Working visit to the Land of Bavaria
21–23 January 2020	Israel	Jerusalem	The Fifth World Holocaust Forum
20–21 February 2020	Belgium	Brussels	Special meeting of the European Council
17–20 July 2020	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
1–2 October 2020	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
14 October 2020	Germany	Magdeburg	Receiving the Emperor Otto Prize, awarded by the City of Magdeburg
15–16 October 2020	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
10 December 2020	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
29 December 2020	Moldova	Chișinău	Official visit to the Republic of Moldova
7–8 May 2021	Portugal	Porto	Informal meeting of the European Council (Social Summit) Work meeting of the EU-India Format
24–25 May 2021	Belgium	Brussels	Special meeting of the European Council
14 June 2021	Belgium	Brussels	NATO Summit
16–17 June 2021	Estonia	Tallinn	State visit in Estonia
24–25 June 2021	Belgium	Brussels	European Council EPP Summit
8–9 July 2021	Bulgaria	Sofia	The Three Seas Initiative Summit
27 August 2021	Moldova	Chișinău	Took part in Independence Day Celebrations Meeting with the Presidents of the Republic of Moldova, Poland and Ukraine
9 September 2021	Switzerland	Bern	Official visit to Switzerland
21–22 September 2021	United States	New York City	Represented Romania at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
1–2 October 2021	Germany	Aachen	Receiving the Charlemagne Prize, awarded by the City of Aachen
5–6 October 2021	Slovenia	Bled	Informal meeting of the European Council European Union – Western Balkans Summit
13 October 2021	Sweden	Malmö	Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism
21–22 October 2021	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
27 October 2021	Egypt	Cairo	State visit in Egypt Meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
1–2 November 2021	United Kingdom	Glasgow	2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP26
15 December 2021	Belgium	Brussels	Eastern Partnership Summit
16 December 2021	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
16 February 2022	France	Versailles	Attended the informal meeting of European Council regarding security situation in Sahel at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron
17 February 2022	Belgium	Brussels	Informal meeting of the European Council
17–18 February 2022	Belgium	Brussels	European Union – African Union Summit
10 March 2022	France	Versailles	Informal meeting of European Council
16 March 2022	Moldova	Chișinău	Meeting with President Maia Sandu in the context of war in Ukraine
24 March 2022	Belgium	Brussels	Extraordinary NATO Summit
24–25 March 2022	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
30–31 May 2022	Belgium	Brussels	Special meeting of the European Council
4 June 2022	Germany	Hof	Receiving the European Charles IV Prize of the Sudeten German Homeland Association
14 June 2022	Netherlands	The Hague	Informal meeting of leaders before the NATO Summit in Madrid
16 June 2022	Ukraine	Kyiv	Visit with the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, and the Prime Minister of Italy
20 June 2022	Latvia	Riga	The Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum
23 June 2022	Belgium	Brussels	European Union – Western Balkans Summit
23–24 June 2022	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
28–30 June 2022	Spain	Madrid	NATO Summit
18–19 September 2022	United Kingdom	London	State funerals of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
20–23 September 2022	United States	New York CitySan Francisco	Represented Romania at the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations Visit to San Francisco, meetings with the Romanian Community from the West Coast of the US
6–7 October 2022	Czech Republic	Prague	Informal Summit of the European Council
20–21 October 2022	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
7–8 November 2022	Egypt	Sharm El-Sheikh	2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP27
11–12 November 2022	France	Paris	Paris Peace Forum
23 November 2022	Latvia	Riga	Official visit to Latvia
24 November 2022	Lithuania	Vilnius Kaunas	Official visit to Lithuania Meeting of the Presidents of Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Romania
2 December 2022	Greece	Athens	Working visit to Greece
3 December 2022	Greece	Athens	EPP Leaders Summit
6 December 2022	Albania	Tirana	European Union – Western Balkans Summit
14 December 2022	Belgium	Brussels	EU-ASEAN Summit
15 December 2022	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
2–3 February 2023	Azerbaijan	Baku	Official visit to Azerbaijan
9 February 2023	Belgium	Brussels	Extraordinary European Council
22 February 2023	Poland	Warsaw	Bucharest Nine Format Summit
27 February 2023	Luxembourg	Luxembourg City	European Investment Bank Group Forum
6–8 March 2023	Japan	Tokyo and Kyoto	Official visit to Japan
9–10 March 2023	Singapore	Singapore	State visit to Singapore
15 March 2023	Bulgaria	Sofia	Official visit to Bulgaria
March 2023	United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi and Dubai	Official visit to the United Arab Emirates
23–24 March 2023	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
April 2023	Argentina,  Chile,  Brazil	Buenos Aires Santiago de Chile Brasília, Rio de Janeiro	Official visits to Argentina, Chile and Brazil
5–6 May 2023	United Kingdom	London	The coronation of his Majesty King Charles III
16–17 May 2023	Iceland	Reykjavík	Council of Europe Summit
1 June 2023	Moldova	Chișinău	European Political Community Summit, in Bulboaca
3–4 June 2023	Germany	Düsseldorf and Frankfurt	Receiving the German Civic Award, conferred by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation Receiving the Franz Werfel Human Rights Award, granted by the Centre Against Expulsions in Bonn
6 June 2023	Slovakia	Bratislava	Bucharest Nine Format Summit
27 June 2023	Netherlands	The Hague	Informal meeting of leaders before the NATO Summit in Lithuania
29–30 June 2023	Belgium	Brussels	European Council
11–12 July 2023	Lithuania	Vilnius	2023 NATO Summit
17–18 July 2023	Belgium	Brussels	EU-CELAC Summit
19–21 September 2023	United States	New York	Represented Romania at the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations
5 October 2023	Spain	Granada	European Political Community Summit
6 October 2023	Spain	Granada	Informal summit of the European Council
7–9 October 2023	Portugal	Porto and Lisbon	State visit in the Republic of Portugal
11 October 2023	Hungary	Budapest	Official visit to Hungary
26–27 October 2023	Belgium	Brussels	European Council

Political positions

Regarding the unification of Moldova and Romania, Klaus Iohannis declared during the 2014 presidential campaign that the unification is something that only Bucharest can provide and only Chișinău can accept. "If Moldovan citizens want the unification with Romania, then nobody can stop them", stated Klaus Iohannis. After election, his position mitigated, stressing that, at the moment, Romania should support Moldova to consolidate its pro-European path. President Klaus Iohannis said that a possible unification of Romania and Moldova could be discussed at the moment things are going well and stable in the two countries.

In March 2017, a sub-group of the ethnically Hungarian Székely community in southeastern Transylvania launched a petition demanding autonomy for their region, arguing for political and administrative self-rule, their own elected president and flag, as well as the recognition of Hungarian as an official language next to Romanian. Iohannis, on a visit to the region in July, cautioned against decentralization and the creation of regions based on the ethnic origin of residents. He argued for more and improved cooperation between Romanians and Hungarians "as the only solution for us" instead, stressing local administrative reforms and developing the region.

On 28 April 2020, a draft legislation favouring the autonomy of Székely Land, submitted by two deputies of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) in December 2019, was tacitly adopted by the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Parliament of Romania, in which the Social Democratic Party (PSD) held a plurality of seats and all whilst the National Liberal Party (PNL) led a minority government. The draft bill was automatically adopted after it exceeded the 45-day deadline for debate. On 29 April, Klaus Iohannis criticised the draft's adoption in a television speech, stating "as we ... fight the coronavirus pandemic, ... the PSD ... fights in the secret offices of the parliament to give Transylvania to the Hungarians". In his speech, he used Hungarian language in a mocking manner: Bună ziua ['good day' in Romanian], dear Romanians; jó napot kívánok ['good day' in Hungarian], PSD." On the same day, the draft was rejected in the Senate, with both PNL's and PSD's senators voting in favour of the rejection.

The president's speech was met with widespread criticism. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó described the statements of Iohannis as "particularly uncivilized and suitable for inciting hatred" and asked the Romanian president to show "more respect to Hungarians". In turn, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu called Szijjártó's statements "provocative and inadequate". In a radio interview, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also reacted to the speech, saying "we have never heard such remarks from Romania, not even in the worst, most antidemocratic, tumultuous times". The president's comments were also criticised by members of the Romanian opposition parties PSD and ALDE, but also by the confidence and supply USR (which has been supporting the PNL minority government since 2019). Iohannis was fined RON 5,000 by the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) for discrimination and ethnicity/nationality-based violation of the right to dignity.

Iohannis criticized Ukraine's 2017 education law, which makes Ukrainian the only language of education in state schools, and cancelled his visit to Kyiv in October 2017. Iohannis said that Ukraine's new education law "will drastically limit the access of minorities to education in their native language. We are deeply hurt by this. We have many Romanians in Ukraine."

President Klaus Iohannis is a supporter of the fight against corruption in Romania. Since coming to power in November 2014, has sent several messages of support to prosecutors investigating sensitive cases against politicians accused of corruption. Making one of its important position was on 25 February 2016 at the annual meeting of the National Anticorruption Directorate: "From year to year the work of the National Anticorruption Directorate has become more effective as the number of cases investigated and complexity, as well as final decisions on confiscation and recovery of property from crime. You are a model of functional institution and created a performance standard. Through the work and achievements, you've earned the appreciation of the Romanian citizens who want to live in a just society, in a country without corruption, the institutions, elect to represent them and those who perform public functions are actually serving the people. The results obtained by you in fighting corruption, appreciated and beyond Romania's borders are a guarantee that the process of strengthening democracy and the rule of law in Romania are on track. I am convinced that we will be increasingly more powerful in applying the constitutional principle that nobody is above the law and to align our established practice in countries with democracies that put the citizen at the center of any policy", stated Klaus Iohannis.

He has rejected demands for the suspension of the head of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Laura Codruța Kövesi.

In terms of LGBT rights and recognition of same-sex unions in Romania, Iohannis has not stated clearly his opinion:

Romanian society is not yet ready for a definite answer. I won't give an answer but as a president I am willing to open up the issue for discussion. We have to accept that any minority has rights and that a majority is strong when they protect the minority.

— Iohannis in a 2014 debate with bloggers

However, he is pleading for the acceptance of differences and diversity: "nobody should be persecuted because they belong to a different group or they are different".

Regarding the initiative to amend Article 48 of the Constitution (prohibition of gay marriage) started by the Coalition for Family (Romanian: Coaliția pentru Familie), Iohannis reiterated the concepts of tolerance and accepting one another. "It is wrong to give obedience or walk the path of religious fanaticism and ultimatum solicitations. I do not believe in them and do not support them. I believe in tolerance, trust and openness to other", said Iohannis in a press conference. Thus, Iohannis is the first top official in the country to open the discussion about same-sex marriages. His reaction was praised by international media, including The Washington Post, while religious and conservative organizations in Romania have criticized his position on LGBT rights.

Iohannis has said that migration "has to be controlled" and "it affects Romanian habits" and has supported stronger external European borders. Iohannis accepted the migration quota set for his country by the EU, but said he is still opposed to mandatory quotas being set by the Commission.

Honours

• 2023 – German Civic Award, conferred by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation
• 2023 – Franz Werfel Award for Human Rights, granted by the Center against Expulsions in Bonn, the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2020 – European Charles IV Prize of the Sudeten German Homeland Association, the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2020/2021 – Charlemagne Prize, awarded by the City of Aachen, the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2020 – The Emperor Otto Prize, awarded by the City of Magdeburg, the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2020 – European Prize Coudenhove-Kalergi, European Society Coudenhove-Kalergi
• 2019 – Medal of Honour (Goldene Ehrennadel), the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania, Sibiu
• 2018 – Franz Josef Strauss award, Hanns Seidel Foundation, Munich, the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2017 – Light Unto the Nations award, American Jewish Committee, Washington, D.C., United States of America
• 2017 – Semper Opera Ball Dresden Medal of St. George, the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2016 – Hermann Ehlers award, Hermann Ehlers Foundation, Kiel, the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2016 – Martin Buber-Plaque, EURIADE Foundation, Kerkrade, the Kingdom of the Netherlands
• 2010 – Friend of the Jewish Communities in Romania Medal of Honor, Sibiu, Romania
• 2010 – The German Expatriates Association Plaque of Honor

• 2023 – Grand Collar of the Order of Liberty of the Portuguese Republic
• 2022 – Grand Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania
• 2022 – Order of the Three Stars – Commander Grand Cross (1st class) – Republic of Latvia
• 2022 – Grand Collar of the State of Palestine
• 2021 – Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana of the Republic of Estonia
• 2019 – Emblem of Honour of Romanian Army
• 2017 – Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Grand Star of the Republic of Croatia
• 2016 – Order (First Class) of the White Double Cross of the Slovak Republic
• 2016 – Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic
• 2016 – Order of the White Eagle of the Republic of Poland
• 2016 – Grand Cross (Special Class) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2016 – Order Stara Planina with Ribbon of the Republic of Bulgaria
• 2016 – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• 2016 – Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
• 2016 – Collar (First Class) of the Order of Vytautas the Great, the Republic of Lithuania
• 2016 – Order of the Holy Sepulchre of the Patriarchate of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine and Israel
• 2016 – Order of the Republic of Moldova
• 2015 – Grand Collar of the Order of the Infante D. Henrique of the Portuguese Republic
• 2014 – Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2011 – Knight of the National Order for Merit of Romania
• 2009 – Officer of the Order of the Crown of the Kingdom of Belgium
• 2009 – Grand Cross Order of Merit, the Republic of Austria
• 2009 – Officer of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
• 2008 – Commander of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity of the Italian Republic
• 2007 – Knight of the National Order of the Star of Romania
• 2006 – Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Books

Klaus Johannis published three books with a main focus on politics as follows:

• 2014 – Step by step (Romanian: Pas cu pas, German: Schritt für Schritt, ISBN 978-606-588-756-5), autobiographical volume and bestseller in the history of Gaudeamus International Book and Education Fair, detailing his political career as mayor of his native Sibiu (German: Hermannstadt).
• 2015 – First step (Romanian: Primul pas, German: Erster Schritt, ISBN 978-606-588-831-9), a continuation of the volume "Step by step" which was published in 2014. The volume describes his future plans as president.
• 2019 – EU.RO – un dialog deschis despre Europa (EU.RO – an open dialog on Europe, German: Ein offener Dialog über Europa), an introductory and statistical volume on the European Union (EU)

Electoral history