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Steinmeier: Address before the California State Senate on August 29, 2007 Thank you very much for welcoming me today here in Sacramento in the California State Senate. California has always been the dream destination of many Germans. Some of them became a synonym for America: like Levi Strauss and his jeans, or movie directors like Ernst Lubitsch or Roland Emmerich. Others found refuge here, like Bertold Brecht, Thomas Mann, Marlene Dietrich. You know better than I do: other stars came from our neighbor Austria to Hollywood and made it to the very top… like Marlene’s director in the “Blue Angel”, Joseph von Sternberg… for example. Today over 50.000 jobs in California have been created by German companies. And it is easy to understand why. The vitality, diversity and the creativity of the “Golden State” and its people are on display everywhere. Here in the California State Senate you represent the state with the most people and the strongest economy. California is also at the forefront of cutting edge research and technical innovation. Geographically, there is a bit of a distance between Germany, Europe and California. But I believe that we have many things in common – we share the same values and similar interests, we face identical challenges at home and abroad. Whether it’s health care, pensions or migration, it makes sense to exchange best practices. We both know that the protection of the environment, energy security and climate change are amongst the great challenges of the 21st century and that we need to address them now and together. No country can tackle these challenges alone. I believe that two of the largest economies in the world - Germany as No. 3 and California as No. 6 – have an enormous potential to succeed – if we join forces in industry and research. I was in Silicon Valley yesterday and I will visit Berkeley later today. I know that there is already a great deal of exchange and cooperation between companies, between scholars and researchers. The European Union as a whole – including Germany as its largest member - is the biggest investor in California and the largest market for Californian products. But I believe that we can do even better, that we can further increase our cooperation – also on the political level. I hope my visit to California will contribute further to an increased exchange and dialogue between us. Every child in Germany knows the lyrics of a traditional sea shanty song. It says that “there’s plenty of gold, so I’ve been told, on the banks of Sacramento”. Well - there is the “Rhinegold” too, and, let me just add: the “gold” that can be found on the banks of the Danube and the Elbe and Oder rivers. Come to Germany and see for yourself – you are most welcome! Thank you!
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