"Germany will be a Passionate Advocate for Europe in the Future, Too"
At the New Year reception for the Diplomatic Corps, Federal President Steinmeier emphasized the continuity of German foreign policy
January 16th, 2025At the New Year reception for the Diplomatic Corps, Federal President Steinmeier emphasized the continuity of German foreign policy: “Particularly in times when we find ourselves confronted by huge geopolitical changes, we must maintain a dialogue with all countries with which we have, or can find, things in common.”
All of you, responsible as you are for explaining Germany in your home countries, have long known this: we Germans love rules. So we have guidelines for just about everything that is not a matter of certainty in our country. Take, for example, the question that plagues us anew every year: how long is it acceptable to wish each other "Happy New Year"? To be on the safe side, we have, as you will have guessed, rules on this. The 18th-century book of etiquette called the "Knigge", which to this day provides the necessary guidance with all sorts of rules on manners and behaviour, says that it is acceptable to exchange New Year greetings until around the middle of January. We are just about on schedule. I am delighted that this year again so many of you have accepted my invitation. A warm welcome to Schloss Bellevue and, in line with the "Knigge", Happy New Year to you all!
Talking of schedules, you, too, will have noticed that this year is getting off to a quicker start than usual. A few days before the turn of the year, I dissolved the Bundestag, paving the way for new parliamentary elections on 23 February. Dissolving parliament before the end of the legislative period and holding early elections is very unusual in our country. And keenly interested as we all are to see the results, there is one thing that will remain comfortingly without surprises, and that is our foreign policy compass.
The pillars of our foreign policy will be the same even after the forthcoming Bundestag election. They include, fundamentally, our commitment to Europe. When we celebrate the 35th anniversary of German unity in October, we will do so in the awareness that this finest hour in history was a European one. It would have been inconceivable without the courageous people in Central and Eastern Europe who cast off the Soviet yoke and fought for their freedom. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that freedom is once again in jeopardy. Putin has brought war back to Europe. He has attacked not just one country, but peace all across Europe. Our European response to this illegal war of aggression must be clear and unambiguous – and, above all, it must be a united response. We will stand up for the rule of law and for international law, for peace and good neighbourliness. Ukraine can continue to rely on this: we Germans stand by its side – as it defends its freedom and independence, on the path to a just peace and a future in the European Union.
I am well aware that the democracies in Europe, too, are changing. There is an increasing diversity of voices, political directions, parties and alliances – and, as a result, there are increasing contradictions and differences in the chorus of European voices. This may make it more challenging to pursue a common European policy. But this European Union, and the values and principles on which it is based, are worth every effort! A future German Federal Government, no matter its composition, will have to continue to view its central task as being to respect and promote all that we have in common in Europe. I can assure you that Germany will be a passionate advocate for Europe in the future, too.
The second solid pillar of German foreign policy is and will remain the transatlantic partnership – and the transatlantic security alliance. For decades people have been standing up for this bond, working for it, keeping the friendship alive through all the highs and lows. I am pleased and grateful that, in the past three years since the start of the Russian war of aggression – probably the most dangerous moment on this continent since the Cold War – we have stood shoulder to shoulder in the transatlantic Alliance, close, strong and unwavering.
The Federal Republic of Germany has been a member of NATO for 70 years, seven decades that have shown us how important strong alliances are – for both Germany and the United States – and what strength can be drawn from remaining side by side even in difficult times. Such a close bond requires mutual trust, and appreciation. Throughout the 30 years or more that I have spent in politics, there have been periods of more or less closeness and distance between Americans and Germans, periods of agreement and periods of dispute. However, there has been one constant: we treat each other with respect. I hope and expect that the same will hold true in the coming four years. We will need each other in the future, too – because NATO is much more than a security alliance. It is also an alliance of values that was founded on and defends common values: peace, freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law. My country is aware that it owes a debt of gratitude to NATO. And it knows what else it owes NATO: more own investment in our common security. We are committed to the transatlantic Alliance, because we are convinced that only those who are united internally can present a strong united front externally.
Last year we celebrated 75 years of the Basic Law and this year we will mark the 35th anniversary of German unity. The fact that we are celebrating these important anniversaries is closely linked to the third event we will be remembering this year: the end of the Second World War 80 years ago, on 8 May 1945, which will be commemorated not only here in Germany. On that day, the Allies finally freed Europe from the Nazi terror, from the Nazi dictatorship. Its murderous ideology, its barbarity, was revealed to the whole world when the Allies advanced across Europe, liberating concentration camp after concentration camp. In two weeks’ time, we will be commemorating the liberation 80 years ago of Auschwitz concentration camp, that darkest place in Germany’s history.
The United Nations was founded 80 years ago in response to two World Wars that brought devastation and claimed 80 million lives, and in the firm belief that states can encounter each other not only as enemies but also as friends on the basis of equal rights for all. We assume responsibility within the framework of the international order, which was conceived in response to the disasters of our history; that is why we are committed to multilateral solutions and to the United Nations, and that is why we are again applying for a seat on the Security Council for the 2027/2028 term. We know that the lessons to be learned from our history always include both – responsibility for Israel and also the universal lessons of human dignity, human rights and international law that must be the standard for every member of the international community. We know who we are, because we know where we come from. With this awareness of our history, we assume responsibility – for our country and in the world. This, too, is an indelible part of German foreign policy.
Particularly in times when we find ourselves confronted by huge geopolitical changes, we must maintain a dialogue with all countries with which we have, or can find, things in common. Last year we showed that Germany is keenly interested in building partnerships across the world. Just in December, for instance, I was in Nigeria, South Africa and Lesotho; before that, I visited Egypt, Oman, Qatar and Turkey. And this year again, literally every continent is on my travel schedule, and many of your heads of state and government have already announced visits to our country. I am looking forward to these visits, and I am grateful for the reliably good and close cooperation with you, Ambassadors, and with your teams. Germany is a globally minded country with a good network of ties. We thrive on this, and that is how it should remain, after the election, too, of course.
Notwithstanding all the challenges facing us in this new year, it was important to me today to reassure you of a few continuities. Let me close with another, perhaps the most pleasant one: this year again, we wish to invite you to "Diplomats on tour". Once again, we will be visiting one of the five Länder that have been part of the Federal Republic for 35 years – Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. So we will be going to the Baltic Sea, which Berlin folk have for centuries fondly referred to as their bathtub. I can already divulge one highlight: together we will be boarding the Gorch Fock. This training ship is a legend and the pride of the German Navy. I am looking forward to having as many of you as possible on board.
New Year receptions are traditional not only here in Germany, but also in many other places around the world. And even if they do not all follow exactly the same rules, they do have one thing in common: the wish for a good new year. In this spirit, it is wonderful that you are all here today. And now I am looking forward to talking to you.