Those who fight for freedom and democracy never fight alone. They always fight for all of us.

It is, therefore, a particular honour for me to welcome you to Potsdam for the 20th M100 Media Award ceremony here at the Orangery Palace Sanssouci!
First and foremost, I extend a special welcome to this year’s laureates: the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, and the Polish Minister of Justice, Prof. Adam Bodnar – standing in for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Donald Tusk.
Madam President, Minister, welcome!

I would also like to extend my warm greetings to Federal President Joachim Gauck and Federal Minister of Defence Rudolf Scharping, as well as His Excellency, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr Faruk Ajeti, and Her Excellency, the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania, Ms Adia Sakiqi, along with the Ambassador of North Macedonia, Mr Ilber Sela.

Unfortunately, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is unable to join us in Potsdam this evening. However, he sends his best wishes and congratulations to the award winners.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Board of Trustees,
This is a celebration of our 20th anniversary! Allow me to take you on a brief journey back to 2005:
YouTube had just been founded, Facebook was still a niche platform for students, and Instagram and TikTok likely weren’t even concepts at that time.
No one had a smartphone – the first one wouldn’t hit the market for another two years.
The European Union had just expanded by ten countries, many of them former Eastern Bloc nations, embarking on their paths to freedom after decades of oppression – Poland among them.
Germany was days away from a parliamentary election that would see the country’s first female chancellor take office.
And here in Potsdam, the inaugural M100 Sanssouci Colloquium was being held.

Since then, each September, around 100 journalists, media entrepreneurs, and prominent figures from politics and academia have gathered here in Sanssouci Park to discuss socio-political developments and the media’s role within them.
I would like to once again express my deep thanks to the M100 advisory board and the production team. Jann Jakobs, Sabine Sasse, and Moritz van Dülmen – thank you!
My thanks also go to the media representatives who have contributed to the event year after year, including Dr Leonard Novy, Christoph Lanz, Kai Diekmann, Stephan-Andreas Castorff, Prof. Alexandra Borchardt, Mathias Müller von Blumencron, Sabine Schicketanz, Klaus Rost, Dagmar Rosenfeld, Dr Uwe Vorkötter, and, of course, you, dear Astrid Frohloff!
Special thanks also to the supporters, partners, and sponsors who have made this event possible, particularly the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the Federal Foreign Office, who have been with M100 from the start.
The highlight and culmination of each colloquium is the presentation of the M100 Media Award, given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to democracy and freedom – some risking their lives, all displaying tremendous passion, courage, and determination.

This year’s laureates – President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu and Prime Minister Donald Tusk – were both here as guests two years ago.
Madam President, you engaged in a discussion with Wolfgang Ischinger on the role the Western Balkans can play in ensuring a stable European community.
Donald Tusk gave the laudatory speech for Dr Wladimir Klitschko, who accepted the M100 Media Award on behalf of the Ukrainian people.

Both Dr Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu and Donald Tusk are indispensable voices for a modern, stable Europe. At this critical moment, their voices are invaluable – for their nations and for our entire continent.
We are living in a time of ongoing crisis: for almost three years now, war has raged in Europe. We’ve endured a pandemic, and its repercussions are still with us. Climate change continues to bring ever more frequent and severe natural disasters.
Digitalisation, while making many things easier, is also making the world more complex and fast-paced – fertile ground for populists and false promises.
Our democracies are under siege!

“Democracy under Attack” was also the theme of this year’s colloquium. How do we handle disinformation campaigns in this super election year of 2024? How do we confront the opportunities and threats posed by artificial intelligence?
This year, 3.6 billion people were, or will be, called upon to cast their vote – more than ever before.
Yet, those of us in fledgling democracies know that not every election is free. Our countries have overcome dictatorships. This makes it all the more painful when we look to Russia.
Alexei Navalny, who bravely stood against Putin’s authoritarian regime, paid for this battle with his life. Three years ago, we honoured him with the M100 Media Award. After 1,126 days in a Russian prison, he passed away this February – one month before the presidential election. Tonight, we also honour him. His legacy, and that of all the Russian politicians and journalists who have been murdered, will endure.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
In just ten days, we’ll be electing our state parliament here in Brandenburg. For some in Potsdam, this will already be the fourth election in this super election year. And we need not look far, not even to Saxony or Thuringia, to see the growing influence of anti-democratic forces. We must recognise the threat they pose. But this should not paralyse us; it should motivate us.
Just as it did in January this year, when it was revealed that far-right extremists had gathered in our city to discuss subversive, anti-democratic ideas for a possible takeover. Ten thousand people took to the streets of Potsdam to demonstrate what the city truly stands for: diversity and tolerance. This rally was followed by many more across Germany. Hundreds of thousands stood up for democracy. I am proud of our city and our country.

However, to safeguard democracy in the long term, actions and gestures are not enough. That’s why I’d like to share a brief story from this year’s local elections. Immediately after the vote, a video circulated on social media, falsely accusing the election workers of tampering with the election results – an attack on trust in our free elections. The video threatened to go viral.
Our election manager acted swiftly and wisely: instead of defending himself against these clearly fabricated allegations, he used the legal means available to us and filed a complaint. We, along with local media, also took to social media to inform and warn the public. The perpetrator has since admitted to his wrongdoing. He has apologised to our election manager for his lies. And now, he may even be helping with the upcoming state election.
This isn’t exactly a “happy ending”, but it does present an opportunity. The chance to show a sceptic how democracy works. The chance to demonstrate that it is citizens like him who organise free elections, not “those in power”.
Because democracy is made up of the people – all of us. It depends on our participation. The more of us who get involved, the stronger it becomes. I firmly believe that we must seize every opportunity to strengthen our democracy, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.
The stories of the M100 Media Award laureates remind us just how valuable and essential freedom truly is.
With that in mind, I wish you all a thought-provoking and inspiring evening!
Thank you.