The early federal election in February 2025 has reshaped the political landscape in Germany: the CDU/CSU emerged as the strongest force and now forms a governing coalition with the SPD. At the same time, the election results reveal a decline in confidence in the established centrist parties. The significant gains made by the AfD are a worrying sign for our democratic society; for our work as a foundation, especially in a year in which we celebrated 70 years of political education, this is also a confirmation of our mission to empower citizens to take on an active role in an informed and self-reliant society as responsible members of a liberal democracy and to be able to recognise and classify anti-democratic tendencies appropriately.
In addition, we in Germany and Europe are experiencing a double ‘turning point’: three years after Russia's attack on Ukraine, the rules-based world order is being called into question by the President of the United States, of all people, while Ukraine continues to fight for our freedom. For Europe, this means that establishing our own defence capabilities is an acute and urgent matter. With an even greater response from partner organisations and participants, this year's ‘Cafe Kyiv’ once again sent a clear signal that we Europeans must do everything in our power to prevent Ukraine – and with it the European peace order – from being sacrificed on the battlefield or at the negotiating table.
The escalation in the Middle East has also put further pressure on the global order this year. The ceasefire agreed between Hamas and Israel in October was an important first step and finally led to the release of the last surviving hostages of the brutal terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists after more than two years. Despite this cautious progress, we must not slacken our efforts to combat anti-Semitism in our own country. For this reason, we have resolutely committed ourselves to combating anti-Semitism with over 100 events in 2025. Just as Israel's security is a matter of national interest, it is our responsibility and duty to ensure that Jews never again feel persecuted and discriminated against. This year, in which we celebrated the 60th anniversary of German-Israeli relations, should also give us reason to hope that, after the incredible past that stands between Germany and Israel, it was possible to achieve not only reconciliation but also friendship between these two countries.
We celebrated this anniversary of German-Israeli friendship with the exhibition ‘The Impossible Friendship – Konrad Adenauer and David Ben-Gurion’ in Tel Aviv and a ceremony organised by our foreign office in Israel together with the German Embassy, as well as with the Junge Union at an event in Berlin in October.
The end of the Second World War, which marks its 80th anniversary this year, and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the CDU in Germany also provided an opportunity to look back on what has been achieved over the past decades – and to focus on the challenges we face today. In view of the many conflicts and crises in Germany and around the world, our three key themes – freedom needs security, democracy needs participation, sustainability needs innovation – have once again proven to be reliable guidelines for our work, sharpening our positions and communicating them to the public in a targeted manner. In the coming year, we will also include the promotion of economic growth in our key issues.
Last but not least, our KAS Fellow 2025, Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Christoph Schmidt, President of the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, made clear to us the necessity of this broadening of focus. In a year marked by budget debates, discussions about the welfare state and industrial support plans, he has helped us explore how we in Germany can renew our economic strength and competitiveness.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to all our employees for their commitment and outstanding work in challenging times. We would also like to thank the members of our committees for their trusting and constructive cooperation, as well as all the supporters of the Friends' Association, donors and sponsors for their valuable moral and financial support. Our thanks also go to our numerous partners at home and abroad for their excellent and reliable cooperation. We will continue to do everything in our power to live up to the trust you place in us and our work in Germany, Europe and the world. We hope and look forward to your support, which will enable us to tackle the tasks ahead with confidence and determination.
Please send any questions or comments regarding the annual report to publikationen@kas.de.
