European Commission - Speech Speech by President von der Leyen on the occasion of the award of the Lower Saxony Land Medal Hannover, 7 April 2026 “Speech as prepared“ Dear Minister-President, Mr Lies, many thanks for those wonderful words. Dear family, dear friends and companions, Ladies and Gentlemen, This award is a great honour for me. I am deeply moved to receive it. It means so much, no doubt because, as I was p...
European Commission - Speech Speech by President von der Leyen on the occasion of the award of the Lower Saxony Land Medal Hannover, 7 April 2026 “Speech as prepared“ Dear Minister-President, Mr Lies, many thanks for those wonderful words. Dear family, dear friends and companions, Ladies and Gentlemen, This award is a great honour for me. I am deeply moved to receive it. It means so much, no doubt because, as I was preparing for today, I also thought about my father, who was awarded this medal more than 26 years ago. I accompanied him to the Landesmuseum on that day and stood there, filled with pride and also heavily pregnant. Two days later, our youngest child was born. Back then I could never have imagined that one day, I would be standing here too. So it is also because of the memory of that moment-shared by three generations-that this award moves me so much. And I am so grateful that many of my family are here with me. For me, today is also an opportunity to pay tribute to Lower Saxony, on behalf of us all. I have lived and worked in many places. I was born in Brussels, studied in London, lived in Stanford as a ‘trailing spouse', worked in Berlin as a minister and am now back in Brussels. But Lower Saxony is the place I always come back to. My home – the Bundesland with which I associate so many memories. School and study, in Lehrte, in Göttingen, and here in Hanover. My early years as a young doctor, here at the Hanover Medical School. My first forays into politics. On Ilten local council, on Sehnde town council, and in Hanover regional authority. My strongest memories are of the many wonderful people who helped and supported me. People who, through their criticism and encouragement, pointed me in new directions. People who still have my back. Even today, whether I'm returning from Brussels or Australia, what strikes me here are the wide-open spaces. The meadows and fields. The heathland. The strange beauty of the Wattenmeer tidal mudflats, the densely forested Harz mountains, the enchanted Wendland. The beet fields with their fertile, nourishing soils. Lower Saxony is perhaps a bit like a long and happy marriage: the better you get to know it, the deeper the love. I imagine many of you know what I mean – it's a real Lower Saxony feeling. And I would like to touch on three symbols that really encapsulate that for me. The first is located just a few hundred metres from here: our Municipal Hall with the White Room, in which the first State Parliament met. A symbol of new beginnings. Because, in the first place, Lower Saxony had to invent itself as a Bundesland and build a sense of unity. It was created in 1946 from very different regions, with different histories and traditions. So soon after the Second World War, 30 percent of the population of some of those regions were refugees. What a challenge that must have been, amidst the ruins of dictatorship and war. But Lower Saxony – and I mean the people here – rose to the challenge, with their resilience and dedication. They found common ground, and the Bundesland grew into a cohesive whole, forming the Lower Saxony we know today. And that history of coming together can still be found today in every city and town, every village, every family. Many of you may have heard of the ship's bell that hangs by my father's grave and commemorates the Vietnamese boat people. It is also part of this history. Lower Saxony has always had this tremendous ability to manage change and reinvent itself. From being predominantly rural, it has become a successful industrial region with listed companies and strong SMEs. A leader in wind power generation. A hub for science. And in that regard, Lower Saxony taught me something which has been my guiding principle ever since: shared identity grows not only from traditions, but also from the new challenges we set ourselves. Ladies and Gentlemen, The second symbol is depicted on the medal I have just been awarded. The heraldic motif on one side is our Saxon Steed. Most of you know that I have a certain affinity with horses. Our Hanoverian and Oldenburger breeds are world-famous. Horses radiate an incredible calm and resilience, and I believe they are an ideal symbol for our tempestuous times. When we are buffeted by the wind, when old certainties crumble, we need stability and endurance. How often have I been told over the past six years that Europe would not be able to do this or that? From overcoming the pandemic to ensuring our independence from Russian energy supplies. From supporting Ukraine to backing Greenland. From our competitiveness to free trade with like-minded partners. We can do it! That lesson has applied all the more in recent days. Once again, we have experienced how quickly geopolitical shocks can be felt in Europe. Not in abstract terms, but in a very tangible way. At petrol stations on the way to work, on the supermarket shelves when we buy our groceries, at our airports. And when we experience these global crises in our day-to-day lives, our response is to pull together – not to splinter. Our Union has already overcome one energy crisis – through unity and determination. Europe's energy security is our common priority and responsibility. No Member State can protect itself alone. But as a Union we can do it together – using the strengths that see us through every crisis: stability, resilience and willpower. That is what the Saxon Steed and this medal stand for. Lower Saxony has always been something of a launchpad, a springboard for so many people, from Werner von Siemens via Hannah Arendt to Per Mertesacker. And that brings me to my third symbol – the stars. Caroline Herschel was one of those who launched her career from here. She grew up in the old city of Hanover. In the 18 th century, she became the first paid female astronomer at the British Royal Court. She followed her thirst for knowledge and discovery. Together with her brother, she explored the heavens, discovering comets and bequeathing her knowledge of astronomy to posterity. Caroline Herschel was a pioneer – as a woman and as an astronomer. Her father showed her the sky, and she reached for the stars. I will tell you what really inspires me about that today. We are living at a time when many people fear for the future. When many people's confidence that things will be better for their children is wavering. That pessimism is corrosive – not only to individuals but to democracy. We must be able to imagine a tomorrow that is better than today. And work for it. However challenging the crises, however strained the hope. My aim is always to strive to ensure that we leave our children and grandchildren something better. For me, that means an independent Europe that protects peace, freedom and prosperity. A Union that, in the global system, stands up for its values and interests. A Union where permanent peace prevails. 450 million people speaking 24 different languages in 27 countries. Where people can move freely, to study or to work, across borders which no longer exist. Where you can build something that lasts. Where the rule of law prevails, not the law of the jungle. A Europe that is our home – rich in nature, rich in diversity. That is something worth passing on, whatever the struggles ahead. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear companions and family, The child I spoke about earlier, who was born shortly after my father was awarded this prize, is now all grown up and is with us today. Some of my children now have children of their own. This sense of the generations going forward fills me with humility, and also a sense of obligation: what we do is not for ourselves. We do it for those who come after us. At the end of the day, that is what drives me forward – the desire to bequeath the good that we inherited to future generations. To improve what must be made better, so that those coming after us can build their own future. My links to Lower Saxony remind me of this again and again. Lower Saxony both grounds us and lifts us up. It is a lovely place to come back to. It is also a wonderful place that those of us who have left can carry in our hearts, wherever in the world we are. I thank all those who have accompanied me on my journey. Thank you, Lower Saxony. And long live Europe. SPEECH/26/777 Press contacts: Paula PINHO (+32 2 29 20815) Arianna PODESTA (+32 2 298 70 24) Olof GILL (+32 2 29 65966) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email
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