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It is truly a great honour for me standing here tonight in Potsdam,
meeting a lot of old friends, most of whom I know for many years.
All of you, who participate in this gathering of the big media family,
are working in the media, with considerable success. All of you
added something to the spirit the branch
has preserved over the years. A spirit, one
could immediately feel during the work
sessions this afternoon. Although a tradition,
it is this spirit that drives us to put new talent and energy in our
daily work, which causes the European Media being one of the most
acclaimed in the world. Keeping up to this high standards, the city of
Potsdam is the perfect venue and host city for this meeting. Not only
the lovely surroundings, houses and gardens of the historic part of
town give us a comfortable feeling; Potsdam is now situated in the
core of the growing house of Europe, which marks it as a centrepiece
and cradle of European virtues and values.
This afternoon, we have discussed chances and perspectives for the
media in Europe. We discussed the media pattern and structure,
growth strategies and future markets. I am sure there was valuable
information to everybody attending the sessions. It is absolutely
clear that the goals of the Lisbon Strategy can only be achieved with
the help of the media. European media can set the agenda and is
able to make the progress visible.What we learned in the afternoon
sessions is the important role of the media and the process of cultural
landscapes in Europe: Gutenberg - movable letters, Encyclopedy of
Diderot, Big success of publication in the 18th century, Potsdam,
Voltaire, Les siècle de Lumière . to the incredible quality of newspapers
and magazines in Europe.
But in all my discussions, commissioner Verheugen, I know your
influence in Brussels is strong, so for whenever you think back of
these wonderful days in Potsdam, remember that you cannot ensure
the quality of the press when the newspapers have only 12 pages,
magazines not more than 50 pages. Good editors cost money and a
publisher needs it from both sides: from distribution and advertising.
So remember when you talk to your colleague Cipriano, that the
consumer is often much more advanced than Brussels is believing.
Think how blogging has had its strong impact on the French election
on the European Constitution, and think how the search engines
(Google, for instance) deliver often more substance and content
(health, for instance). There is a tendency for regulation and domi nating the consumer habits, but with these new skills the consumer
has even more possibilities.
But thinking of the media in Europe, we have to be aware that
besides newspapers and magazines,with satellite and digital receivers
an average European can get more than a 100 different TV channels,
not speaking of millions of websites. Along with the semantic came
the iconic turn as both sides of the same medal: text and image
-Wort und Bild. And we have to use the power of images, symbols
and events. Here, commissioner, we can help to produce new ideas.
One of the only real new media products is the European Champions
League, which has created an enormous European identity of the
European cities like Manchester, Liverpool, Milan, Valencia, Porto or
Munich in the heads of our children.This is good, but it is not enough
to enhance the wonderful idea of Europe into the minds of citizens.
I spoke of the power of the images and symbols and where else
than in architecture can we find this through all the centuries from
Vitruv to Paladio, from Fischer von Erlach to Christoph Wren, from
the Weimarer Bauhaus to Norman Foster. It is a great honour for me,
that at this Potsdam conference, we bestow this first Sanssouci
Award to a man who is one of the greatest minds of our time:
Lord Norman Foster. Can I ask Lord Foster to come to the podium,
while Prof. Vossenkuhl reads his citation. I know confer the M100
Sanssouci Award on you, Lord Foster. Ladies and gentleman, I wish
you a pleasant evening and fruitful discussions. Thank you.
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