Ladies and Gentlemen,

The multiple crises that took place during the past year have shaped dpa’s reporting. It was an immense challenge for the editorial team to cover the events at home and abroad day after day in a reliable, fact-based and fast-paced manner. Not only the epoch-making shifts in the United States, but also the ongoing war in Ukraine, the conflicts in the Middle East and the eventful political landscape in Europe and Germany kept our editors and the entire team on their toes. On behalf of all our customers, the supervisory board would like to express its gratitude for this extraordinary achievement and the outstanding quality of the work.

In the field of artificial intelligence, dpa achieved significant milestones last year. For instance, the supervisory board approved an AI pricing model that governs the use of dpa content for training language models. An unbroken chain of rights is essential to the agency’s success. Furthermore, the AI Research assistant has made a promising market debut. This answer machine, which is based exclusively on dpa reporting, is already in use in many newsrooms. The application makes it easier to find the right information and greatly increases the efficiency of workflows. The supervisory board warmly welcomes this development and encourages the editorial board and executive board to continue on this path.

dpa GmbH’s turnover increased to 107.4 million euros (2024: 105.5 million euros). The net annual profit was 1.6 million euros (2024: 1.4 million euros), slightly higher than the previous year. dpa’s subsidiaries performed well in their respective markets. Their results once again underpin the group’s financial stability. The group’s consolidated operating performance amounted to 169.8 million euros in 2025. In the previous year, the figure was 168.2 million euros.

At the shareholders’ meeting in Hamburg on July 1, 2025, 82.94 per cent of the share capital was represented. The previously co-opted members Julia Becker (FUNKE Mediengruppe), Renate Dempfle (Main-Post) and Marco Maier (Radio / Tele FFH Mediengruppe) were newly elected to the supervisory board. In addition, the deputy chairman Valdo Lehari jr. (Reutlinger General-Anzeiger) as well as Herbert Dachs (Medienholding Süd), Frank Mahlberg (Axel Springer) and Holger Martens (RHEINPFALZ) were re-elected to the board after the expiry of their regular three-year terms of office. The executive committee of the supervisory board comprises Valdo Lehari jr. (deputy chairman, Reutlinger General-Anzeiger), Dr. Stephan Kolschen (secretary, Ernst Brune) and Daniel Schöningh (chairman, Münchener Zeitungs-Verlag). The committee has closely monitored the work of the dpa’s executive board and editorial board on an ongoing basis.

The reporting year also saw the departure of two members of the supervisory board who have had a major impact on dpa and the board over many years. Firstly, Deputy Chairman Dr. Laurent Fischer (Nordbayerischer Kurier Zeitungsverlag) stepped down from the board at his own request. Fischer has served on the dpa supervisory board since 1995, including many years as chairman of the Product & Marketing Committee. He has always been a strong advocate for the interests of both the big and small publishers. We will miss his in-depth expertise and his constructive approach in the interests of the agency. Secondly, Joachim Knuth (NDR) has left the supervisory board. As chairman of the Editorial Committee, Knuth supported the journalistic work of dpa closely and energetically. He had been a member of the board since 2007. The supervisory board extends its sincere thanks to Dr. Laurent Fischer and Joachim Knuth for their outstanding commitment and pioneering work.

The management reports of dpa GmbH and its subsidiaries were examined in detail by the supervisory board. The report prepared by the auditor appointed by the shareholders’ meeting was discussed in detail. No objections were raised. The supervisory board agrees with the statements and endorses the executive board’s proposal for the resolution on the 2025 financial year.

The supervisory board would like to thank the executive board and the editorial board for their consistently constructive and transparent cooperation, which ensures the joint success of dpa. At the same time, we recognise that the employees are the foundation of a successful agency. Day after day, they tackle the journalistic and economic challenges of our time with passion and reliability. We thank all the managers, the works council committees and the employees of the group around the world for their dedicated work. They all make a contribution to supporting and strengthening the foundation of our democratic and free society.

On behalf of the supervisory board

Daniel Schöningh

April 2026