The invention relates to a process for the preparation of bipyridyls by converting at least one pyridine of the formula (III) in which S′, S″, S′″, S″″ and S′″″, independently of one another, are identical or different and are hydrogen, (C1-C18)-alkyl, alkoxy-(C1-C18), acyloxy-(C1-C18), aryloxy-(C1-C18), perfluoroacyloxy-(C1-C8), NO2, (C1-C18)-aryl, (C1-C18)-heteroaryl, halogen, hydroxyl, nitro, nitroso, CN, COOH, CHO, PO3H2, SO3H, SO2R, SOR, NH2, NH-alkyl-(C1-C18), N-alkyl2-(C1-C18), protected amine, CF3, NHCO-alkyl-(C1-C4), N-alkyl-(C1-C4)-CO-alkyl-(C1-C4), COO-alkyl-(C1-C18), CONH2, CO-alkyl-(C1-C18), NHCOH, NHCOO-alkyl-(C1-C4), CO-(C1-C18)-aryl, COO-(C1-C18)-aryl, CHCH-CO2-alkyl-(C1-C18), CHCHCO2H, PO-phenyl2, PO-alkyl2-(C1-C4), (COO?)n(cation)n+, (PO32?)n(cation)2n+, (SO3?)n(cation)n+and/or (O?)n(cation)n+, where optionally S′, S″, S′″, S″″ and/or S′″″ among one another together form one or more aliphatic and/or aromatic rings and/or in which optionally S′, S″, S′″, S″″and/or S′″″forms a bridge to at least one further pyridine of the formula (III) and/or in which optionally the radicals S′, S″, S′″, S″″, and/or S′″″ have the meanings given above and are substituted by at least one radical which has the meaning given above for S′, S″, S′″, S″″ and/or S′″″ in water in the presence of an alcohol, a base, a palladium catalyst and optionally one or more further solvents at a temperature of 0-200° C.