Małgorzata Gersdorf awarded inaugural Fritz Stern Award for Democratic Engagement

On January 28, 2026, the European Democracy Institute at Bard College Berlin and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities honored Małgorzata Gersdorf with the Fritz Stern Award for Democratic Engagement. The evening also marked the official opening of the European Democracy Institute. In his welcome remarks, Christoph Markschies, President of the Academy, reflected on the centrality of democratic commitment in times of institutional stress. Florian Becker, Managing Director of Bard College Berlin, emphasized the role of universities as democratic infrastructures—spaces that safeguard academic freedom, critical inquiry, and civic responsibility amid mounting political pressure.

Introducing the Institute, its directors Berit Ebert and Boris Vormann situated its mission within a context of global geopolitical instability and accelerating democratic backsliding. As part of the European Democracy Institute, the Award for Democratic Engagement honors the intellectual legacy of Fritz Stern. His daughter, Katherine Stern Brennan spoke about her father’s lifelong commitment to liberal democracy and Professor Gersdorf’s giving voice to his “dreams of brave women and men who engage with a reluctant public to persuade them to understand the demands of democracy.” She stated that “Dr. Gersdorf’s work as First President of the Supreme Court of Poland from 2014-2020 and her courageous defiance of the ruling party’s attempts to undermine judicial independence resonates deeply with us in the United States today.” Die Zeit affirmed that the award recipient could not have been chosen better.

An archival video clip from Sternstunden der Philosophie on 3sat further underscored Stern’s legacy, showing his insistence that liberal democracies cannot be passive but must actively defend themselves against illiberal threats—a theme that resonated throughout the evening. 
In his laudation, Andreas Voßkuhle highlighted Gersdorf’s defense of judicial independence, stressing that judges are not incarnations of the law but custodians of democracy who must actively resist the political instrumentalization of the justice system. 

Małgorzata Gersdorf addressed the structural obstacles to countering de-democratization in Poland, where entrenched institutional arrangements have repeatedly blocked reform, while nevertheless expressing optimism that Europe—through deeper political consolidation and sustained democratic resolve—can withstand illiberal pressures: „[…] Menschen lassen sich nicht in Deutsche, Polen, Italiener, Iren und so weiter unterteilen. Sie sind immer und überall gleich, haben die gleichen Bedürfnisse, Wünsche und Bestrebungen, und das bedeutet, dass ihnen gleiche Garantien auf Rechte und Freiheiten seitens jedes nationalen Rechts in Übereinstimmung mit dem Völkerrecht zustehen: also auf das Recht auf Leben, persönliche Sicherheit, Freiheit und, last but not least, auf ein unabhängiges und unparteiisches Gericht, das auf der Grundlage des Gesetzes handelt.“ 

Photo credit: Ralph Penno

Post Date: 02-06-2026