From John Kampfner
Not many Britons have won the Charlemagne Prize (Karlspreis) for services to Europe. Indeed, in the prize’s 75 years of existence, only five have, and of those only one was not a politician. That person is Timothy Garton Ash who in 2017 joined Sir Winston Churchill, Edward Heath, Roy Jenkins, and Tony Blair in being awarded the accolade.
Eight years later, last autumn, the Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft was delighted when Tim agreed to give the keynote lecture to mark our own 75th anniversary. His address was an impassioned and erudite call for the continent to rediscover its founding principles and to show greater determination in the face of authoritarianism and populism.
While not shying away from the damage caused by Brexit, Tim called on the UK and its partners to find a new way of working closely together – and we are pleased to note that Britain, France and Germany are now doing just that with important visits in the last few weeks alone Indeed, the Friendship Treaty signed in London by Sir Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz is an extremely important step.
For me it is a particular pleasure to wish Tim well. As a young correspondent in East Berlin, Moscow and across central Europe, I met him as Europe’s embrace of democracy was reaching its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In many ways, Tim’s journey – his books, speeches, lectures, documentaries and articles – symbolises that continent’s shifting sands.
Less than a week before the latest step in the German and British rapprochement, Tim celebrated his 70th birthday. The DBG and the wider community congratulate him on that, yet another, milestone.
From John Kampfner
Not many Britons have won the Charlemagne Prize (Karlspreis) for services to Europe. Indeed, in the prize’s 75 years of existence, only five have, and of those only one was not a politician. That person is Timothy Garton Ash who in 2017 joined Sir Winston Churchill, Edward Heath, Roy Jenkins, and Tony Blair in being awarded the accolade.
Eight years later, last autumn, the Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft was delighted when Tim agreed to give the keynote lecture to mark our own 75th anniversary. His address was an impassioned and erudite call for the continent to rediscover its founding principles and to show greater determination in the face of authoritarianism and populism.
While not shying away from the damage caused by Brexit, Tim called on the UK and its partners to find a new way of working closely together – and we are pleased to note that Britain, France and Germany are now doing just that with important visits in the last few weeks alone Indeed, the Friendship Treaty signed in London by Sir Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz is an extremely important step.
For me it is a particular pleasure to wish Tim well. As a young correspondent in East Berlin, Moscow and across central Europe, I met him as Europe’s embrace of democracy was reaching its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In many ways, Tim’s journey – his books, speeches, lectures, documentaries and articles – symbolises that continent’s shifting sands.
Less than a week before the latest step in the German and British rapprochement, Tim celebrated his 70th birthday. The DBG and the wider community congratulate him on that, yet another, milestone.