Toast by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins on the occasion of the State Dinner hosted by President Steinmeier and Mrs. Büdenbender
Schloss Bellevue, Berlin, Germany, Wednesday 3rd July 2019
Your Excellency President Steinmeier,
Mrs Büdenbender,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for your warm words of welcome and for the invitation to visit Germany this week. I am particularly pleased to be joined on the visit by the Tánaiste and Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland, Simon Coveney T.D.
I have greatly enjoyed this first day of the visit in Berlin. I appreciated the wide-ranging and important discussions we had as well as my dialogue with Chancellor Merkel and with the Governing Mayor of Berlin.
Ireland and Germany are bound together through long historical, cultural, and economic ties and through our shared membership of the European Union. These enduring ties are of importance to both of us.
There are many great names in our past and in our present stretching from well more than a thousand years ago down to the present day. All are part of the rich material through which we know one another as countries and as people, and today we are closer than at any time in our history.
A random selection from the many personalities that have been part of our relationship reveals a wonderful richness and variety:
I think of Kilian, Patron Saint of Franconia, who came from Co. Cavan in the seventh century; Georg Friedrich Händel, who premiered his Messiah in Dublin in 1742; the colourful and controversial Lola Montez, the Sligo woman, dancer and King’s mistress who caused mayhem in the Bavarian court in the 1840s; the writer, pacifist and ‘First Lady of Munich’, Annette Kolb, whose 1912 novel The Specimen was partly set in Ireland; sculptor Imogen Stuart, Berlin-born but based in Ireland since 1951, and whose work has become an integral part of our island’s built environment; Heinrich Böll whose “Irish Journal” of 1957 has had an unparalleled impact on German perspectives on Ireland; Elizabeth Shaw, the Irish woman whose children’s classic, The Small, Scared Hare, published in 1962, was beloved bedtime reading by children in the former East Germany; and not forgetting U2 who, inspired by German reunification, recorded the classic Achtung Baby album in Berlin in 1990.
Today we are reminded that, as before, it is through our people and our culture that we have come to understand, and will understand, one another best.
2019 is the 90th anniversary of Irish-German diplomatic relations. Over the decades we have forged a relationship which has grown stronger and deeper with each passing year.
While we speak a different language, we share values and principles which allow us to speak with a resonance and respect, not only on the fundamentals we agree, but on the nuanced differences we can equally discuss. We stand together as active and proud members of the European Union.
While I do not wish this evening to focus on the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, a decision with profound consequences for Ireland, it should not be either avoided or evaded. I would like to acknowledge the very strong EU solidarity which has been shown to Ireland at this difficult moment. It has been a very tangible reminder of the value of us being together and staying together in Europe to continue to defend, maintain, improve and promote the core values on which the Union is founded: democracy, cohesion, shared prospects, human rights and the rule of law.
Our shared commitment is present in our approach to the multilateral institutions. We are deeply committed to the United Nations and the values of multilateralism which we are determined to uphold in its institutions in what are challenging times.
I look forward to us working together to achieve cohesion within and between the members of our European Union and, if it will bolster efforts, having an exemplary role in responding to global issues, such as responding to climate change and achieving sustainability.
We share a belief in protecting the vulnerable, in the essential nature of human rights, in the peaceful resolution of conflicts, and in the need to build a better world.
The desire to be part of the effort for a better world is shared by the young people of both our countries. They seek to be part of the solution to the many conflicts and challenges in our crisis-stricken globe, to experience hope, a path forward.
Of these challenges and crises we face and which I have mentioned, perhaps the greatest in terms of its existential impact, relates to climate change. I know that Germany has taken steps to address anthropogenic climate change since the mid-1980s, starting with your participation in the international negotiations of the Montreal Protocol. Just two weeks ago, the Irish Government launched a comprehensive whole-of-Government Climate Action Plan to Tackle Climate Breakdown, demonstrating Ireland’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis.
While the EU has imposed binding emissions’ targets for 2020 and 2030 on all its Member States, I suggest we must now go further in Europe and plan for full decarbonisation of our economies by 2050, encouraging the rest of the world to follow suit, and urging in the strongest possible terms those who have not signed the Paris Accord on Climate Change, or indeed those, such as the USA, who have decided to exit from the agreement, to re-consider their decision.
A radical shift to a new economic paradigm in a decarbonised world, an eco-social political economy perspective, is required to achieve what we have agreed as principles.
In dealing with socio-economic consequences of climate change, we must be conscious of the need for a ‘just transition’ for workers and communities to ensure that we are all part of a sustainable, low-carbon economy and benefit from decent and green jobs.
In Ireland and Germany, this will mean that those impacted by the closure of unsustainable electricity generation stations, for example, must be offered re-skilling opportunities to enable them to find suitable jobs in other areas, such as the green economy, or opportunities with sustainable incomes in other parts of society.
I know that you recently celebrated the seventieth anniversary of your Basic Law. It is a Constitution grounded in respect for human dignity and the inviolability and inalienability of human rights. I salute your continued adherence to and celebration of a constitution, which, to quote its preamble, takes its inspiration from, “the determination to promote world peace as an equal partner in a united Europe”.
President Steinmeier, I want to acknowledge the crucial role you have played in fostering a continuing commitment to multilateralism and the peaceful resolution of conflict. As Foreign Minister you worked actively towards a vision of a better world. And as President, I know you have placed a high priority on understanding and highlighting our values as Europeans. I want to acknowledge your contribution – as both a philosophical thinker and as a politician – to the ongoing debate on the changing world order, and to the importance of values in international relations and cohesion in society.
At a time when core values are under threat, Ireland and Germany stand together, side by side, in defence of our shared values and our way of life.
I am pleased that during this visit I will have engagements in four different German states. I know that in Berlin I am only seeing a sliver of the true diversity of this country. It is a particular honour that tomorrow I will travel to Saxony, the first Irish President to do so in an official capacity – indeed the first Irish President to officially visit any part of the former East Germany outside of Berlin.
This visit will be an opportunity for me to reflect on the Leipzig protests some thirty
years ago and on the enormous achievement that is the process of German
reunification. We in Ireland understand the removal of borders and the challenges
and complexity of overcoming old divisions; this is a task which does not end, and
there is much we can continue to learn from one another.
This evening we celebrate our existing links, but I hope that this visit will be the start of an ever-more diverse, ever stronger and ever-growing Irish-German relationship.
Toast
Celebrating all that we have been sharing and will share in friendship and ever closer relations assisted by this visit may I now invite you all, distinguished guests, to stand and join me in a toast:
To the good health of President Steinmeier and Mrs Büdenbender,
To the happiness and prosperity of the people of Germany;
To the continuing friendship and affection between our two peoples.
Sláinte mhaith – Prost!
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.
Speech by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a state banquet in honour of the President of Ireland English
Schloss Bellevue, 3 July 2019
Very few presidents can boast such an enthusiastic online fanbase as you, President Higgins. As a fellow holder of the office, I must confess to a slight degree of envy. Particularly given the heading on this fan site: "Tired Of Your President? Then Take A Look At 24 Photos Of Ireland’s President Being The Best President".
The photos show you in various situations – waiting your turn at an ATM, arm in arm with your wife Sabina, alongside the giants of the Irish rugby team, or – in miniature – as a crocheted tea cosy.
We are delighted that you are paying a state visit to Germany. Allow me to bid you a very warm welcome to Schloss Bellevue.
The tremendous affection felt for you both at home and abroad is down to your kind and empathetic personality and your determination not to lose touch with Ireland’s people, as well as your widely respected erudition.
The story goes that you managed to outshine a former Mayor of London and subsequent British Foreign Secretary when reciting Ancient Greek poetry.
In the preface to one of your collections of poetry, the publisher describes you as a political poet and poetic politician. While you may not have had as much time to write during your term of office, your political work has been all the more fruitful. You have, for example, succeeded in further normalising Ireland’s relations with the United Kingdom and in continuing the reconciliation process in Northern Ireland.
And you paid a memorable state visit to London, the first Irish President to do so. That trip garnered much approval and appreciation, not least here in Germany. I am quite certain that this gesture will take its place in the history books.
And yet the scars of the past have not yet fully healed. On no account must the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union be allowed to reopen these old wounds. Politically and economically, Ireland is more directly affected by Brexit than any other EU Member State. For this reason, too, your country has our full solidarity. We have reiterated this pledge in recent months: Germany stands firmly by Ireland’s side.
The European Union’s value and internal cohesion have rarely been so plain as during the withdrawal negotiations. Ireland is part of this Union. And Ireland’s core interests are and will remain the EU’s core interests.
This applies particularly to the Northern Ireland peace process. We are aware of the great achievements there have been in building reconciliation since the Good Friday Agreement. We want to strengthen you in your endeavours to find a solution for the border which will underpin, rather than undermine, the peace process. Obviously this will involve the free movement of goods and persons. What it will not involve is barriers, customs duties and trade barriers. Here, Ireland’s concerns are also our concerns.
The withdrawal agreement negotiated with the United Kingdom protects the achievements of the Good Friday Agreement. All EU Member States have clearly stated that renegotiation is not an option. We just have to hope that the new Government in London realises that too.
Germany has much reason to be grateful to Ireland. After the Second World War, Irish families took in hundreds of children from Germany, thus saving them from starvation and hardship. And in 1990, as the country then holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Communities, Ireland played a key role in bringing the process of German unification to completion.
For all that we Germans are and will remain grateful.
These ties, President Higgins, also found expression in our joint appeal to encourage EU citizens to vote in the European elections. Certainly we were both very pleased at the increased turnout.
Our close bond is also reflected by your visit now – a visit to friends. In Ireland you would say a friend’s eye is a good mirror. I am keen to know what you see in the mirror of our eyes, and what experiences you will take back home with you to Dublin.
We in Germany can in turn take inspiration from Ireland – for example, when it comes to strengthening our democracy for the future, for instance with new forms of civic participation.
I have followed the work of the Irish Citizens’ Assembly with great interest, for example during the preparations for the abortion referendum.
Ninety-nine Irish citizens, who had never previously met – students, lorry drivers, teachers, engineers and nurses, people from all walks of life – gathered in a Dublin hotel, supporters and opponents of the constitutional amendment. They talked to each other, swapped arguments, weighed up the pros and cons. "Not exactly the stuff of political revolution," as one daily paper put it.
Maybe not. And yet this group of citizens did manage to turn one of the most difficult issues in politics and ethics from one of confrontation towards consensus. In my view, this example can give us hope that our democracies can make things happen. Or, as that newspaper article said: "They showed the world what democrats can do with a little imagination."
I am convinced that democracy needs such impetus for renewal. This is something we are sensing throughout Europe, including here in Germany. Democracy is changing. But that does not mean it is about to fall. Far from it. On the contrary: there is huge interest in politics, in shaping the future, especially among young people. Expectations, too, are high. I very much hope that our democracy can respond to and make use of this engagement. And so I wish those in positions of responsibility today – in political parties, parliaments, governments – the necessary confidence and openness not to regard what is new as a threat, but to dare to introduce new forms of participation and to chart new courses in politics and political institutions. To put it simply: I wish everyone, including us here in Germany, a touch of the Irish courage.
President Higgins, You personally give your compatriots courage – courage in the democratic capabilities of each and every individual and of society as a whole. Or, as you said in your inaugural speech last year: "It is important that we seek to reach always for the best of ourselves, and the best of what we might become, and that we allow that to guide our collective ambition for our country."
"The best of what we might become" – that is my wish not only for your wonderful country, but also for the friendship between us, between Ireland and Germany.
May I ask you now to join me in a toast to President Higgins, Mrs Higgins and the Irish German friendship!
Thank you.
Speech by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a state banquet in honour of the President of Ireland German
Schloss Bellevue, 3 July 2019
Wohl nur wenige Staatspräsidenten haben eine so begeisterte Online-Fangemeinde wie Sie, lieber Präsident Higgins. Als Amtskollege muss ich gestehen: Da kann man schon etwas neidisch werden. Insbesondere bei der Überschrift dieser Fanseite: "Tired Of Your President? Then Take A Look At 24 Photos Of Ireland’s President Being The Best President."
Auf diesen Fotos sieht man Sie wahlweise in einer Schlange vor einem Geldautomaten warten oder Arm in Arm mit Ihrer Frau Sabina; zusammen mit den großen Männern des irischen Rugbyteams oder – in Miniaturausgabe – als gehäkelten Teekannenwärmer.
Wir freuen uns sehr, dass Sie zu einem Staatsbesuch nach Deutschland gekommen sind. Herzlich willkommen in Schloss Bellevue!
Die große Wertschätzung, die Ihnen im In- und Ausland entgegengebracht wird, begründet sich in Ihrer sympathischen Persönlichkeit und Ihrer Bürgernähe, gepaart mit Ihrer weithin bekannten Gelehrsamkeit.
So ist überliefert, dass Sie einen ehemaligen Londoner Bürgermeister und späteren britischen Außenminister beim spielerischen Wettstreit im Rezitieren altgriechischer Dichtung überflügelt haben sollen.
Im Vorwort einer Ihrer eigenen Gedichtsammlungen beschreibt Sie der Herausgeber als politischen Poeten und poetischen Politiker. Während Ihrer Amtszeit sind Sie zwar seltener zum Schreiben gekommen, dafür trägt Ihre politische Arbeit umso mehr Früchte. So haben Sie sich erfolgreich für eine weitere Normalisierung der Beziehungen Irlands zum Vereinigten Königreich und für die Fortsetzung des Versöhnungsprozesses in Nordirland eingesetzt.
Als erster Staatspräsident Ihres Landes waren Sie zu einem denkwürdigen Staatsbesuch in London zu Gast. Das hat Ihnen auch bei uns viel Zustimmung und Sympathie eingetragen. Ich bin sicher: Diese Geste wird einen Platz in den Geschichtsbüchern finden!
Und doch sind die Narben der Vergangenheit noch nicht ganz verheilt. Der Austritt des Vereinigten Königreichs aus der Europäischen Union darf diese alten Wunden unter keinen Umständen wieder aufreißen. Irland ist politisch und wirtschaftlich vom Brexit so unmittelbar betroffen wie kein anderer Mitgliedstaat der EU. Auch deshalb gilt Ihrem Land unsere volle Solidarität. Dieses Versprechen haben wir in den letzten Monaten erneuert: Deutschland steht fest an der Seite Irlands!
In den Austrittsverhandlungen haben sich der Wert und der innere Zusammenhalt der Europäischen Union so deutlich gezeigt wie selten. Irland ist Teil dieser Union. Und die Kerninteressen Irlands sind und bleiben die Kerninteressen der Union.
Das gilt insbesondere für den nordirischen Friedensprozess. Wir wissen um die große Versöhnungsleistung seit dem Karfreitagsabkommen. Wir wollen Sie in Ihrem Bemühen bestärken, für die innerirische Grenze eine Lösung zu finden, die den Friedensprozess unterstützt und nicht untergräbt. Dazu gehören natürlich freier Personen- und Warenverkehr. Und dazu gehören keine Schlagbäume, Zölle und Handelshemmnisse. Diese Anliegen Irlands sind auch unsere Anliegen.
Das verhandelte Austrittsabkommen mit dem Vereinigten Königreich bewahrt die Errungenschaften des Karfreitagsabkommens. Alle Mitgliedstaaten der EU haben einhellig erklärt, dass es hier keine Nachverhandlungen geben kann. Uns bleibt, zu hoffen, dass sich diese Erkenntnis auch in der neuen Regierung in London durchsetzen wird.
Deutschland hat Irland viel zu verdanken. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg nahmen irische Familien hunderte Kinder aus Deutschland auf, um sie vor Hunger und Not zu bewahren. Und im Jahr 1990 spielte Irland mit seinem damaligen Vorsitz im Rat der Europäischen Gemeinschaften eine wichtige Rolle bei der Vollendung der Deutschen Einheit.
Für all das sind wir Deutsche Ihnen dankbar, und wir bleiben es.
Diese Verbundenheit, lieber Präsident Higgins, ist auch in unserem gemeinsamen Wahlaufruf zur Europawahl zum Ausdruck gekommen. Über die höhere Wahlbeteiligung haben wir uns jedenfalls beide sehr gefreut!
Unsere besondere Verbundenheit zeigt sich auch in Ihrem Besuch – einem Besuch bei Freunden. Bei Ihnen in Irland würde man sagen: "Das Auge eines Freundes ist ein guter Spiegel." Ich bin gespannt, was Sie im Spiegel unserer Augen sehen, welche Erfahrungen Sie mit nach Dublin nehmen werden.
Auch wir in Deutschland können uns von Irland inspirieren lassen – zum Beispiel wenn es darum geht, unsere Demokratie für die Zukunft zu stärken, etwa mit neuen Formen der Bürgerbeteiligung.
Mit großem Interesse habe ich die Arbeit der irischen Citizens‘ Assembly verfolgt, zum Beispiel in Vorbereitung des Referendums über das Recht auf den Schwangerschaftsabbruch. Neunundneunzig Irinnen und Iren, die sich vorher überhaupt nicht kannten – Studierende, LKW-Fahrer, Lehrer, Ingenieurinnen und Krankenpfleger, ein Querschnitt der Gesellschaft – haben sich dafür in einem Dubliner Hotel versammelt. Befürworter und Gegner der Verfassungsänderung. Sie haben miteinander geredet, Argumente ausgetauscht, das Für und Wider abgewogen. "Not exactly the stuff of political revolution", wie eine Tageszeitung kommentierte. Und doch gelang es diesen Bürgerinnen und Bürgern, eine der politisch und ethisch schwierigsten Fragen von Konfrontation in Richtung Konsens zu drehen. Ich finde, dieses Beispiel kann uns Mut in die Gestaltungskraft unserer Demokratien machen. Oder, wie eine Zeitung titelte: "Sie haben der Welt gezeigt, was Demokraten mit etwas Einfallskraft erreichen können."
Ich bin überzeugt: Die Demokratie braucht solche Impulse der Erneuerung. Wir spüren doch in ganz Europa, auch hier in diesem Land: Die Demokratie verändert sich. Aber sie steht deshalb nicht kurz vor dem Untergang – im Gegenteil: Das politische Interesse, der Gestaltungswille, die Erwartungen, gerade unter jungen Menschen, sind riesengroß. Ich wünsche mir, dass es unserer Demokratie gelingt, dieses Engagement nicht wegzustoßen, sondern aufzugreifen und einzubinden. Dafür wünsche ich denen, die heute Verantwortung tragen – in Parteien, Parlamenten, Regierungen –, die nötige Zuversicht und die Offenheit, das Neue nicht als Bedrohung zu empfinden, sondern neue Formen der Beteiligung zu wagen und neue Wege in Politik und politische Institutionen zu ebnen. Kurzum, auch uns in Deutschland wünsche ich ein Stückchen "irischen Mut"!
Lieber Präsident Higgins, auch Sie ganz persönlich machen Ihren Landsleuten Mut – Mut in die demokratische Gestaltungskraft jedes Einzelnen und der Gesellschaft als Ganzer. Oder wie Sie es in Ihrer Antrittsrede vergangenes Jahr formulierten: "It is important that we seek to reach always for the best of ourselves, and the best of what we might become, and that we allow that to guide our collective ambition for our country."
"The best of what we might become" – das wünsche ich nicht nur Ihrem wunderbaren Land, sondern das wünsche ich der Freundschaft zwischen uns, zwischen Irland und Deutschland!
Erheben wir das Glas auf Präsident Higgins, Frau Higgins und die irisch-deutsche Freundschaft.
Vielen Dank!
