The sun is shining, the sky is blue – ideal conditions to affirm and deepen the importance of Franco-German relations in a festive atmosphere. Because that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday in the casino of the Bundeswehr University in Neubiberg. President Merith Niehuss received the knighthood of the French National Order of Merit from the French Ambassador from Berlin, Anne-Marie Descôtes, for her commitment to this relationship. It is the fourth highest French order. It is rarely given to foreigners.
About 40 guests were invited to celebrate the special event. Among them was a representative of the Federal Ministry of Defense, the Vice Presidents of the University, several professors, the French Consul General in Munich, and Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, was invited as a guest of honor. Descôtes praised Niehuss for devoting herself to the “continuous deepening of Franco-German friendship”. Especially in the past few weeks and months, given the war in Ukraine, we have seen how important this cooperation is. Niehuss has headed the Bundeswehr University since 2005, now in her third term. The ambassador praised her for using her time at the helm of the university to help shape the future of research institutions, which are becoming increasingly important in Europe in the current context. She meant, for example, the field of aerospace. Niehuss has been on the supervisory board of Airbus Defense and Space GmbH since 2018 and on a committee at the Fraunhofer Institute since 2019.
Descôtes also emphasized the President’s sense of transnational education and highlighted the centers of excellence at the university, which are leaders in the strategically important areas of cybersecurity and aerospace, among others. All of this has helped the university to achieve an excellent reputation, which also enables international recognition of academic achievements. Among other things, she mentioned the Franco-German officer candidate program, thanks to which the French armed forces had management personnel with excellent academic training at their disposal. She also praised the cooperation between the Bundeswehr University and the French space agency Cnes, who jointly launched “Space Founders”, a Franco-German accelerator for European space tech start-ups. The aim is to promote and network young companies in the field of key space technologies. “The exchange of both countries is a very big gain,” said the ambassador. It is a pleasure and an honor for her to present Niehuss with the order.
After a little fiddling, the medal is stuck on the dress
After a bit of fiddling, the order, with a blue ribbon, derived from the shape of a Maltese cross, was pinned to the President’s dress. She also emphasized the importance of Franco-German relations. The two countries are the most important states in the EU, they have to be at the forefront when dictatorships turn against them. You have to make yourself independent of strong partners like the USA, also in space travel. Niehuss also emphasized the “new and strong” contact with the French space agency. Of course, it took many years to build up the skills in the field of space travel at the Bundeswehr University. The “Space Founders” program was driven forward with funds from the Center for Digitization and Technology Research, which is part of the federal government’s economic stimulus package. “We can be proud of our cooperation,” said the 68-year-old. She was visibly happy about the order. “It is not only a special honor for me, but also for our university,” she said. You can assure that “we want to continue walking this beautiful path together”. After the official part there was champagne. The French brought it with them. “That no one would think of mixing it up,” joked the president.