"Our Country is Proud of You!"
Federal President Steinmeier invited 4,000 volunteers to the citizens' festival to say thank you
September 14th, 2025
Around 30 million people volunteer in this country. Federal President Steinmeier invited more than 4,000 of them to the citizens' festival to say thank you. "'An honour to volunteer – count me in', the motto of our citizens’ festival, is also your motto," said the Federal President as he welcomed the guests. "As Federal President, I speak for our entire country when I thank you for your hard work."
Translation of advance text.
“An honour to volunteer – count me in!” is the motto of this year’s citizens’ festival, and I am delighted that so many people in our country regularly say “count me in!” It’s great to be able to “count you in” here in the park of Schloss Bellevue this evening, too!
Welcome to the 2025 citizens’ festival!
I am particularly happy to welcome today’s guest of honour, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. My dear President Rebelo de Sousa, it is wonderful to have you here with us today. Land Rhineland-Palatinate is our partner region this year, so a warm welcome to State Secretary Raab and all our guests from Rhineland-Palatinate. Esteemed guests, it is no exaggeration to say that you will be able to enjoy some very special cultural and culinary highlights from Portugal and Rhineland-Palatinate this evening.
Mr President, dear Marcelo,
Our two countries share a close friendship, as do you and I personally, if I may say so – a rarity in politics! Just last week, you and your country were struck by a terrible tragedy, the funicular accident in Lisbon in which 16 people were killed and many others injured. On behalf of our entire country, allow me to convey my deepest sympathy to you once again. I would also like to express my gratitude for the Portuguese people’s tremendous willingness to help, including in particular to those who helped a German family from Berlin involved in the accident, and to thank the emergency services for their work.
Mr President, this is your farewell visit to Germany, as your long term in office will end soon. I am glad to be able to say that our working relations have always been defined by frank discussions, political reliability and an unwavering commitment to Europe – things that we cannot value too highly, especially in difficult times. I am very grateful indeed to you for this, too.
You and we know that peace in Europe and the European idea are being contested more now than they have been in a long time. Russia’s war of aggression, as well as populist forces in Europe, pose a threat to our freedom. This makes it all the more important that we Europeans act as one today. Now in particular, we need a strong Europe – one that supports Ukraine in the fight for democracy and freedom. My wife is on her way back from Kyiv at the moment. She saw the destruction caused by the war and the courage of the people resisting it. And she met many children, who have the most to lose. It is good that she could at least tell them that Europe stands shoulder to shoulder with their country. My dear President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Ukraine can also count on Portugal. Thank you for your country’s support! Let us make Europe stronger together – and let us celebrate together today!
You, our guests from Portugal, have brought something very precious with you – the UEFA Nations League trophy! We are slightly envious, but we congratulate you again on winning the championship. However, if I may say so, dear President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, we have something even more precious here at the citizens’ festival this evening – and that is you, dear guests! You, the many citizens whom we have invited here to the park of Schloss Bellevue to thank for your great personal commitment. What you do for our society, our cohesion and our country is more precious than gold – or indeed silver! It is priceless.
And that is why I want to thank you today. As Federal President, I speak for our entire country when I thank you for your hard work – for the many, many hours you spend in sports halls and schools, in children’s homes or on help hotlines. Thank you for getting up early at the weekend, for helping people before or after work, for your ideas and perseverance, and above all for the human warmth that you show others, for the hope and support that you share. And I would also like to thank your loved ones here with you this evening, without whose support voluntary work would not be possible in the first place. “An honour to volunteer – count me in”, the motto of our citizens’ festival, is also your motto and I’m sure it’s the motto in many of your families. Our country is proud of you!
I am really looking forward to seeing a lot of exciting projects in a moment when I tour the grounds. And let me tell you this much now, with 26 partners, including many renowned companies and large foundations whose support makes this festival possible, as well as over 50 initiatives and organisations, we have broken the records of all previous citizens’ festivals. This huge support is not a matter of course. We are extremely grateful to you all!
People do voluntary work all over Germany and I firmly believe that each and every person has something to contribute. Millions of people volunteer. And that is a good thing! However, we also see that volunteers are now older on average and that the work is being done by ever fewer people. That is why I have launched an initiative as Federal President. We will dedicate 23 May 2026 to highlighting voluntary work. The idea is to turn the whole country into an arena where people can get involved, be this in cleaning their local park or organising a children’s choir to sing at a senior citizens’ centre. We want everyone to get on board, to give a few hours of their time for other people, for our country. All ideas are welcome, including from you, dear guests!
We expressly chose 23 May for this special day, as it is the anniversary of our Basic Law. It is very important to me to make our Constitution Day an active and vibrant occasion that brings people together and encourages them to get involved. The Basic Law is the foundation of our democracy.
And we defend this democracy – especially now when it is under attack, when extremism is rampant, when people who want to divide and incite us are bombarding social media with their messages. Now in particular, we stand united, encourage one another and are the best people we can be. We are a country of people who see what needs to be done and do it, who make things better, who are there for one another and share our ideas. Let us bring our Basic Law to life! That is my wish for 23 May 2026 and beyond.
It feels good to get involved. Most people here know this at first hand. Getting involved helps us to overcome feelings of powerlessness. We can make an impact and change things for the better – and to do so, we need every helping hand we can get. I hope that many people will join us next year – people for whom voluntary work has always been a matter of course and people who want to try it out.
But this evening, it is the other way around for once. There is no need for you to help out – instead, you can allow yourselves to be spoiled for a change. Our 40 catering partners – and this, too, is a new record – have given their all to provide you with culinary delights. Our partner country and region are particularly renowned for their good food and wine. The winemakers from Rhineland-Palatinate have set up a huge wine case. They say it’s the biggest one in the world! I am already keen to find out more, not least because I will move my seat of office to this beautiful state for three days next month, when I will be based in Andernach. This will be the seventeenth time that my office will be temporarily based outside Berlin, and I am already looking forward to hearing and learning more. The Mayor of Andernach is also here with us this evening. A warm welcome to you!
Have a great time and please do stay until the end if you can. Before The BossHoss followed by the Bundeswehr Big Band invite us all onto the dance floor, we will have a very special surprise for you. That’s all I can say and I can’t wait to see for myself how it turns out.
On behalf of my wife, too, I wish you a wonderful evening. It is an honour for us to “count you in” here today!
