Hugo’s thoughts document a time when the whole continent was in upheaval, when democracy was gaining ground in Europe. A "revolutionary spring", as Christopher Clark calls it in a new book. Hugo’s words reveal a profound inner conflict between progressive ideas and holding on to the familiar. But they also convey his despair at the status quo. To love is to act, that is one of the last entries in Hugo’s diary, just three days before his death.

To love is to act. Ladies and gentlemen, it will hardly come as a surprise that these words compel me to think of my friend Emmanuel Macron.

You, too, are someone who finds it difficult to simply accept the status quo. You are "en marche" – always on the move. In your office you display a wonderful aphorism that is well-suited to your path in politics and indeed, I would say, in life. It is this: Those who say it cannot be done are asked not to interrupt those who are trying.

There’s no question which group you belong to. You don’t allow your efforts to be interrupted. You are unwavering when it comes to a cause that you firmly believe in. You are not just a man of action, you encourage others to action. Where others speak of limits, you talk of horizons. Just as when you were elected president in 2017, when you proclaimed that the best lies ahead of us – something you already firmly believed back then. And so you aim to rouse people, you aim to shake others into action. Sometimes with downright dramatic words. With a tone of warning, but never of hopelessness, you have always made it clear that we are the masters of our own fate. Never will you allow fate to be the master of us.

To love is to act – I am sure that these words by Victor Hugo would be just as suitable a motto for your office. I am proud and very honoured to have the privilege today of presenting you with the International Award of the Peace of Westphalia in recognition of your efforts for the Franco-German friendship and for peace in Europe.

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 ended a terrible war that had raged for thirty years, in the heart of our continent. The negotiations on the peace treaty lasted five long years; here in Münster was the seat of the French envoys. And I believe that from a French perspective they negotiated well. But, above all, they did their part to make the peace.

And I say this because we, too, are once again struggling for peace in Europe. Yes, we all would rather live in a peaceful Europe, with an intact security order for the entire continent. And yes, France and Germany have done everything in their power to achieve precisely that: peace and secure coexistence for all, including with Russia. We tried to build a security architecture through political channels in order to prevent a war. But our joint efforts for peace in Europe foundered because of Moscow. Putin brutally destroyed these efforts. He brought war back to Europe, a terrible war of aggression such as we had hoped never again to witness on our continent.

Russia’s war against Ukraine is bringing unending suffering to the people there. It is destroying homes, whole cities. But it is destroying much more – many Ukrainians’ plans for the future. And it is also destroying our idea of a common European house, which Gorbachev so keenly championed. Putin is not only attacking the sovereignty of Ukraine, he is laying waste to the entire European security order. We had to react to this, and we did. We as Europeans and as allies gave a joint response to Putin. We are providing Ukraine with military, financial and humanitarian support. We will not allow ourselves to be divided. And we will not abandon the people of Ukraine in their fight for freedom.

24 February 2022 was the beginning of a new era. It brought home to us the need to become more robust and resilient. Outwardly, as well as inwardly. In this new era we must not only reduce dependencies, we must above all do more for our security and defence. It was you who systematically promoted the idea of strategic autonomy, with great foresight and spirit. It was you who invoked European sovereignty long before the Russian invasion. A Europe that stands up for its interests offensively and independently – in political, technological and military terms.

If our history has taught us one thing, then it is this: Europe is strongest when it stands together. What a wonderful, truly European message it sends that the Weimar Triangle is standing here together on the stage today, that the second winner of this year’s International Award of the Peace of Westphalia is the German-Polish Youth Office. My most heartfelt congratulations go to you, too!

Mr President, you are profoundly convinced that we need a common security policy, common European defence and common action on internal security. You have never been naive, but despite all of the differences between our two countries you have always believed that common policy is not only necessary, but also possible. On one side, France, the nuclear power, engaged in multifaceted international efforts, including militarily. And on the other side, Germany, at the heart of Europe, connected to the world through economic, political and social ties – yet also shaped by the experience of being responsible for two World Wars that wreaked death and destruction on our continent.

You firmly believe in the Franco-German balance, which must be restored time and again if Europe is to play a role, above all if it is to progress. In 2021 you said that it is through our ability to find a balance between our two countries, between different temperaments and histories, that we can appear credible.

The fact that France and Germany are today so close is thanks not least to people like you. You are always ready to make overtures to Germany, you open the conversation, and you try to occasionally draw us out of our natural reserve. You do this not only out of a conviction that we can only preserve peace, prosperity and security together. You do so out of a genuine interest in Germany, which, as you yourself once said, you discovered through literature.

But your interest in Germany is by no means limited to culture and history. When we first met twelve, thirteen years ago, I had just left government and you had not yet entered it. That meant we had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time together talking about our countries – a conversation that has never fallen silent in all the years since, and in which you have continually surprised me with questions about Germany and driven me to refine my answers. In our conversations I have learnt a great deal about France, but also a certain amount about Germany.

And your interest in Germany did not arise only when you took political office. During your school days, you came to Dortmund on two exchanges and you learned German. You have spoken German in the German Bundestag and again yesterday in Dresden. There is no other way to say it. What an honour, what a joy it is for us Germans – to see a French President speaking German in Germany. The people of our country are very appreciative of your affinity for Germany and for German culture. You have seen this in Berlin and Dresden, and you will see it here in Münster as soon as we step out onto the balcony.

You have done so much for our friendship, for us to move forward together. Many breakthroughs in Europe would not have been at all possible otherwise. And that goes for a range of areas, from joint efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to European industrial and armaments projects. The fact that Germany and France work well together on a great many issues shows how valuable and powerful the European Union is. And how valuable we both are, Germany and France, for the European Union. We are not the same. We have our different traditions, histories, customs and mentalities. No, we are not the same, and I would not at all like us to be. I am firmly convinced that we love one another, the Germans and the French, not least because of these differences. And Europe does not expect us to iron out our differences. That is a common misconception, when critics say that the Europeans can’t agree. The founding mothers and fathers of the EU knew this very well. The civilisational progress achieved by the European Union consists in the framework that it gives us, within which we can create and continually restore a peaceful balance despite our different histories and interests. This is often hard work, but it remains worthwhile, and in these times it is more necessary than ever!

Your love, your passion, Emmanuel, are for this united Europe. And it is in order to ensure this Europe remains strong and united that you act. The best example of the continuation of the European idea was the Next Generation EU recovery plan – an economic stimulus package created by the European Union to mitigate the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. You made, France made a crucial contribution to realising this forward-looking project.

I am grateful to have such a passionate European as you at the head of one of the most important industrialised nations in Europe, at the head of our neighbouring country. You always have your eyes on the shared goal and you always fight for this goal – strengthening and increasing Europe’s sovereignty, as well as its competitiveness. This was once again palpable just recently at the Sorbonne, when you presented your ideas for Europe for the second time. Emmanuel, you inspire people, you motivate them and you open their eyes to the bigger picture. In doing so, you sometimes call established wisdom into question. You never treat any issue as taboo. And that is a good thing.

Allow me to return once more to the great Victor Hugo. He wrote – about himself, mind you – that it is poor praise to say of a man that his political opinion has not changed in forty years; this is to say that he has gained no experience from day to day, has indulged in no reflection, nor reconsidered his thoughts in light of facts.

Nothing of the sort can be said of you, Emmanuel, that much is certain. You are someone who continually tests limits, intellectually and otherwise. It’s accurate to say that you see only horizons, never red lines, as I have mentioned. But there is something else that distinguishes you. Your deep interest in the person standing opposite you. You are ready and willing to listen – and to champion your goals. Your passion for debate is famed, sometimes feared – you can speak for hours with farmers in the Auvergne, with intellectuals in Paris, yesterday evening with artists in Dresden, or with national leaders around the world. Your curiosity, your intellectual appetite are downright insatiable. And so you continually expand horizons, too, both your own and those of others.

That has been the common theme throughout your life. Not simply accepting what is presented as fact. Expanding the political space. You stride boldly forward – into an uncertain future, without a safety net or the guarantee of success. You accept risks head-on – including the risk of failure. You take action – even when the history books have not yet passed judgement.

Later critics, with the benefit of future knowledge, might ask what became of this or that bold claim, of this or that vision. I say that only the future will know. But there is something I do know now. If we did not endeavour to leave the beaten path, to find new ways of thinking, we would not measure up to the tasks that fall to us. If we did not have courage, our Europe would be lost. If we did not have the courage to aspire to greatness, our united Europe would never have been born.

Loving Europe – that is easy, and plenty of people do it. But for you, loving Europe always also means acting for Europe.

My heartfelt congratulations on winning the International Award of the Peace of Westphalia!

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