“Non c’è due senza tre”, or in other words: all good things come in threes. Today, we are awarding the German-Italian town-twinning prize for the third time. And on this occasion, we have come together here in Berlin once more for this event. I’m delighted to welcome you all today, to bid you a warm welcome to Schloss Bellevue!

The German-Italian town-twinning prize is very important to me. It stands for the friendship between our two countries, and it stands in particular for the many people in Italy and Germany who have brought to life, nurtured, strengthened and intensified this friendship over the past decades through their commitment to town twinning partnerships.

There are more than 400 twinning arrangements linking towns and cities from a wide range of regions in Germany and Italy. They promote encounters and exchanges between people from many different sectors of society, including between the younger generations.

Next year, we will be able to look back on 75 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries. During this time, we have grown ever closer together: politically, as democracies in a united Europe. And also culturally, with a rich and diverse exchange in art and science built on many centuries of mutual fascination and inspiration.

However, we have also grown together economically – not least due to the Agreement on the Recruitment and Placement of Italian Workers in the Federal Republic of Germany concluded by our countries 70 years ago on 20 December 1955. This was a landmark agreement which shaped the lives and family histories of hundreds of thousands of people who came from Italy to Germany to work and live. Just like you, Mr President, many of them came from southern Italy. Through their – in most cases hard – work, they all played a key role in the economic rise of our country, which has long since become home to many of them and their families. Today, of course, we want to remember this, to remember that it was often these immigrants who championed the partnerships between German and Italian cities!

Germany owes its Italian immigrants gratitude and respect, not least because they often faced prejudice and rejection at that time and had to overcome many difficulties in their daily lives. It took a long time for our country to recognise the remarkable achievements of those people who came to Germany back then. For that very reason, it is important to me to stress once again today that migration was part of our country’s success story! The immigrants who came to us have been good for our country, not least because they have helped us as a society to become a little more Italian.

When we remember the history of German-Italian friendship, we must not ignore the dark chapters. During the last few years, it has always been especially important to you, Sergio, and to me to remember together the crimes committed during the National Socialist period by Germans, their accomplices and collaborators. We must continue to keep alive the memory of the victims of war and tyranny, especially now! That’s why, Mr President, I’m very grateful that you will be addressing this tomorrow in the German Bundestag during the main ceremony of remembrance to mark the Day of National Mourning. Remembering together gives us an opportunity to learn from the past. Building bridges together gives us an opportunity to find better ways forward into the future. This is exemplified by the town twinning arrangements whose creativity and commitment we are honouring today!

The award-winning projects build bridges between our countries and strengthen our united Europe. They bring young people from Italy and Germany together to maintain and preserve monuments and cultural assets – and thus to engage in a dialogue about our shared history. They foster the exchange of experiences between Italian and German towns and cities, for instance when it comes to meeting the needs of people, both those with and those without disabilities. They allow citizens from both countries to experience and feel how the European Union benefits themselves and all of us. And they make us aware that we must actively engage in order to protect and defend peace and freedom.

The common foundation of all these bridges is friendship. True wealth lies therein. After all, as they say in Italian: “Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro” (who finds a friend, finds a treasure). How fortunate that our two countries can share this treasure – and that it is even growing as a result!

• https://www.bundespraesident.de/SharedDocs/Reden/EN/Frank-Walter-Steinmeier/Reden/2025/251115-Dt-It-Prize-Partnership.html