Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure and an honor to welcome you all in Germany in 2015. For us, this is a special year. We are commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. We are still grateful that our neighbors reached out to lead us back into the circle of democratic countries. 60 years ago Germany established its new armed forces: the Bundeswehr. We did so because our Western Allies embraced us with trust and confidence – and welcomed Germany into NATO. And finally: We celebrate 25 years of reunification.

The wall in Berlin was torn down in November, 1989 by peaceful crowds that showed tremendous courage. I remember this cold and rainy November very well – it was incredibly emotional for all sides. People from both parts of Berlin cheered and embraced one another. And I remember very well, too, that the world looked at Germany with a mixture of joy, pleasure and admiration but also with concern. What is going to happen with this reunited nation at the heart of Europe? With a population of 80 million people at the time? Will it be a threat once more? Today, a quarter of a century later, we are a stable democracy, politically and economically one of the strongest countries in Europe.

Ladies and gentlemen, We have come a long way. Today, we are deep-rooted in an open-minded, democratic society. Let’s reflect on that for a minute: We enjoy a world with dynamic networks between countries, economies and people. We rely on an unprecedented degree of mobility. Goods are available anytime and anywhere, distributed by sea, land and air. We enjoy an unbelievable availability and speed of information. We encourage open and controversial discussions. We expect diversity and freedom of press. We benefit tremendously from the free movement of services, capital and ideas.

In sum: We all know that this is both a consequence as well as a root cause of the global reach and increase of freedom and democracy, the rule of law and tolerance. It is our openness that enables societies to develop and grow. And we built our open society on core values. The first one is written down in article one of our constitution: Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority. And later on it says mainly in light of our dark history in world war II: Persons persecuted on political grounds shall have the right of asylum.

To be honest: The hard part about principles is living up to them in times of crisis. You have all seen the pictures in the latest news. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are once more seeking asylum in Europe. Despite all the difficulties this entails for us: As Europeans we can be proud of that! Because this is a unique vote of confidence in Europe and its respect for human dignity. But again: In real life it is hard to live up to these principles. You are witnessing how much European leaders struggle to find a common policy. In all our countries - even in Germany - it’s tough to achieve compromises and fair burden-sharing.

Local authorities gradually reach their limits. But there is no doubt that - if it would slam the door in the face of people who obviously need help - Europe would lose its soul. Yes, at present we are improvising. and we are not too bad at it. This is a task for the armed forces, too. We make room in barracks and buildings. We have organized accommodation for more than 30.000 people so far.

We provide tents, busses + bus drivers mobile X-ray units + medical staff etc. I am convinced - if Europe does this right, - if we give shelter to those who flee from war, terror and torture; - if we send back those who come from secure countries; - if we immediately and smartly invest in education, language training, and access to the labor market and - if we insist that refugees abide by our rules as like as any European citizen – if we get all of that right, this situation will change our Union for the better. And these days will be a living proof what open societies are capable of.

A few moments ago I mentioned how much open societies depend on access to and speed of information. Let’s look at it from another angle: They show pictures like this A crowd cheering to refugees arriving at Munich central station. Or this It was page 2 in Germany’s biggest tabloid newspaper, BILD, on October 15th. “That’s what refugees get: 450 Euros a month in Denmark, only 10 Euros in Lithuania.”

It takes minutes till this information is not only spread through the refugee camps but also re-directing refugee streams and smugglers operations. Another example: social media. Smartphones have become the main communications medium for refugees, more than just an connection to home. There are special groups on facebook in which refugees exchange information about the best routes to flee; about the cheapest smugglers or accommodations. about locations where fences are open or railroad bridges can be crossed. They exchange coordinates via Twitter or Whats App and Google Maps shows the way. One could almost call this a digitally guided migration.

Let me give you another example of how information works in this extraordinary situation. In July our chancellor Angela Merkel met with some schoolchildren. And one of them, a refugee girl from Palestine told her that her family was afraid they would be denied residence in Germany. Merkel told the girl that she was sorry, but Germany could not take everybody in. The girl started to cry. In the blink of an eye the story went viral, and the chancellor was pilloried as an ice-cold person. Then, three months later, Merkel let a Syrian refugee take a selfie with her in a camp. This photo went viral, too. All of a sudden she was not only the warm-hearted mother Angela but critics suddenly claimed that with this friendly gesture she was opening all doors to refugees to come to Germany.

But politics are neither a picture nor the one and only simple solution. Politics are concrete, mostly slow, needs a long breath and independence of headlines. The refugee crisis begins in Syria and Iraq as well as in Afghanistan and Africa. Afghanistan will need support for a long time till it is capable to care for security and prosperity. It is necessary that we stay longer with our training mission. In Syria no acting party will be able to solve the conflict on her own. Be it the Syrian themselves, Europe, the USA or Russia Saudi Arabia or Iran, Iraq or Turkey. We need at least a minimal consensus whom to fight and whom to protect. In the end, our enemy number one is IS.

There is a small glimpse of hope that on Friday the crucial actors meet in Wienna and start a dialogue on that. The refugee crisis continues in the camps in Turkey as well as Jordan, Kurdistan or Lebanon. We need to provide financial assistance to the UNHCR as well as WFP and other NGOs to care for the refugees. Otherwise plain despair will continue to drive people into the arms of smugglers.

Europe has to accept that solidarity is not a one way street and develop a concept for a coherent refugee policy. It is a painful process but it is good that we started it. And finally every European member state has to convince its people and to show leadership when it comes to our core values. This takes me back to the question of staying faithful to principles – especially in times of challenge.

If I would have to describe our German way of doing politics these days and weeks, that might be it: Be it our engagement in Afghanistan, in Mali or in the Northern Iraq, be it our resolve to strengthen NATO and to keep the Euro-Zone together, and most important these days our conviction to treat refugees with dignity: All this is inspired by the core principles that - facing challenges as we currently do, - indifference can not be an option, and: that our understanding of leadership is to do the utmost possible to constantly convince our partners that we can find a common way to go together – be it by big visible steps or by small ones.