Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the entire German Government – most especially the Foreign Minister – I would like to wish you all a happy and healthy 2012 and a very warm welcome to our New Year reception. We have voted in the German Bundestag to extend the Afghanistan mandate for another year. In that respect, it was almost symbolic that we had to postpone this reception. Be that as it may – you are all extremely welcome here today.

I would like to touch on just a few things which will be staying on our agenda in the coming year. Firstly, it has already become clear that what happens in the European Union, and what happens to the euro, is of interest not only to ourselves but to everyone around the globe. The major financial and economic crisis in particular has shown us how interdependent we are, how close the multitude of ties between us have become. Nowadays, growth on our continent means growth on another. And I’ll say this to you today: yes, there is a sovereign debt crisis in some countries – but we all know that the changes we make will need to be built on a number of different pillars. One of those pillars is sound, sustainable budget policy. Another is policy which boosts growth, for greater competitiveness and, above all, for more jobs. That’s what the people in our countries are interested in.

We are also tasked with making things in the EU more binding and more cohesive. We won’t be able to do that if we are not prepared to transfer the odd national power to the EU level. That’s not always an easy process – but we need to be able to rely on each other, and we need European institutions which make sure we can. Otherwise, our efforts, especially as regards our common currency, cannot succeed.

Allow me to make one thing absolutely clear, though: the German Government and I personally know that the EU is what we call home. The unified German state and European integration are two sides of the same coin. Former Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl used to say the same thing, and it is in that spirit that we want to carry on. When we had the privilege of celebrating 50 years of the Rome Treaties at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, we said in our Declaration that “We have united for the better.” As I have reiterated several times over the last few days, we were right to put it like that. That phrase expresses exactly the way we see things – and that is why we will work to help resolve the problems that exist.

This is a country which has human dignity and respect for human rights established as fundamental elements in the preamble of our Basic Law. We were therefore all the more shocked to have to discover that it had been possible for right-wing extremists to commit a series of horrific murders in Germany over the course of ten years. You may be assured that we will do everything, and I mean everything, to uncover the full facts of that phenomenon and ensure that nothing like that can ever happen again.

We all know that the EU needs to be made an even stronger union. At the same time, we also say to the states of the Western Balkans in particular that their prospects of joining the EU still stand. We welcome the referendum that was just held in Croatia. Given how important accession prospects are for these countries, we are working to overcome a large number of problems. However, it goes without saying that the states in question also need to maintain good relations with one another.

We traditionally enjoy close relations with our neighbours – an obvious example is Ukraine, but Russia of course also stands out most prominently. We hope that the elections there run smoothly, and democratically. I can tell you that collaboration with Russia, on the part of the EU as well as Germany in particular, will remain a major priority.

A year ago – this time last year it was Egypt, more than a year ago now it was Tunisia – we became witness to what has become known as the Arab Spring, a call for greater freedom. We are also aware, though, that there are sure to be complicated processes ahead. The people there may be assured of Germany’s support. No matter which country you should care to name, we will do our bit to advance its development. It is our hope that human rights will be respected in Syria, and we are right behind the Arab League in everything it is doing in that regard.

I now turn to something I have said in past years and must, with regret, repeat this year. We are concerned at the Iranian nuclear programme. We are again calling on Iran to come to the negotiating table and create transparency. Sanctions are the result of not negotiating, of not making progress, of not ensuring transparency on the nuclear programme.

I also wish to say explicitly how saddened we are that little to no progress seems possible, or at least has been possible, on the Middle East conflict. Germany will be continuing to campaign for a two-state solution with Israel as a Jewish state and another state for the Palestinians. We will keep working hard on that. Whenever our assistance is required, we will play our part.

We are glad to see that there have been various favourable developments in Africa, our neighbouring continent. At the same time, we are also hearing some saddening news. The partnership between the EU and the African Union is very important to us. I can promise the AU that we will carry on at its side this coming year. In 2011 alone, around 20 countries held elections in Africa. People in Europe often think that it’s only here that there’s always an election on – but it’s just the same in Africa. It’s election time in the United States, too. It goes without saying that we hope this year’s elections in Africa go as peacefully as possible, that they are transparent, and that any transfer of power is then accepted so that countries can have new presidents. It is certainly a difficult process sometimes, but democracy is the best solution.

We are pleased to see Myanmar showing some more openness and sending new signals. We are of course following developments, and we are keen to lend solid support on this path of reform. As in all things, we are pursuing this not only bilaterally but also within the context of European foreign policy. It is our intention to strengthen and support that European foreign policy.

Germany is again standing for membership of the UN Human Rights Council. What we offer is help for states on the way to establishing greater respect for human rights. We will of course also be remaining determined in pushing forwards with this task at the UN Security Council this year.

I am very grateful for the great progress we have been able to make with many countries, albeit sometimes very slowly, to improve protection for children in armed conflict and enhance understanding of the need to protect our climate and resources. This year, it will be 20 years since the UN Earth Summit in Rio, an anniversary we will be marking in Brazil. Looking back over those two decades, we will discover that we have made progress. We will also discover, however, that progress on many issues is still only crawling. Things are moving slowly. If we consider biodiversity, climate change, endangered species or the many areas at risk of desertification, there is no escaping the worry that things are moving too slowly. I believe that we need to make sure together that our economies are sustainable and that our natural resources can always regenerate.

This is an extremely important task, given that the seven billionth member of the global population was born last year. We are acutely aware of the fact that we are now seven billion people on this planet. When Konrad Adenauer was Chancellor, the first of the Federal Republic of Germany, there were 2.5 billion human beings in the whole world. Between then and now, the population in Europe has stayed more or less the same, while many other parts of the world are now home to many, many more people. That is what makes it so vital that we work together to consider our shared future. That’s what makes it so important to strengthen UN organizations – such as the UNEP – which address that fact and to develop a green economy combining growth with sustainability.

Ladies and gentlemen, this year we will be holding the NATO Summit in Chicago. We will use it to bolster our transatlantic cooperation, send out new signals and confirm that we – the United States, Canada and the European countries – are fulfilling our NATO obligations together.

The particular focus of our work is Afghanistan. The Conference in Bonn at the end of last year was an important step. I would like to reiterate my thanks to the Foreign Office for all the work that went into that. At the same time, allow me also to thank the Government of Afghanistan. It is our intention to complete the transfer of responsibility for security in the near future. We stand by that plan. We are training the Afghan forces in order to make it possible. I believe that Afghanistan does harbour the desire to stand on its own two feet. We will also support the reconciliation process wherever we can.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first month of this new year has already demonstrated that it will be another year full of challenges to undertake. I myself am travelling to China next week, where we will discuss German-Chinese cooperation. We have also launched intergovernmental consultations with India. As you can see, we keep putting one foot in front of the other. Naturally, we also want to support Mexico as it holds the Presidency of the G20 and work on a world in which as many people as possible can do well.

You are ambassadors for your countries in the truest sense of the word. Our message to you from Germany is that we want to collaborate in peace and friendship with all the other countries of the world. In all our interests, we will gear our policy to human rights, to more prosperity and to advancement for us all. On that note, let me reiterate how very welcome you all are here today. And now, I will hand you over to the Apostolic Nuncio.