13 of the inaugural 20 European Order of Merit laureates attended the ceremony in Parliament’s hemicycle in Strasbourg and addressed the Chamber, following their receipt of the distinction from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Members of the Order’s selection committee were present, as was the deputy minister for European affairs of Cyprus, Marilena Raouna, on behalf of the EU Council Presidency.
“Europe was not handed to us. It was built treaty by treaty, crisis by crisis and by people who chose solidarity over division and cooperation over self-interest. With the European Order of Merit, we honour those who, across every walk of life, choose to build Europe – those who led when it was difficult and kept our Union moving forward. Because Europe endures only as long as each generation chooses to defend it”, President Metsola said at the opening of the ceremony.
Angela Merkel, former Federal Chancellor of Germany, and Lech Wałęsa, former leader of Solidarność and former President of Poland, admitted as distinguished members of the Order, were present in Strasbourg.
Honourable members present in Strasbourg:
- Jerzy Buzek, former Prime Minister of Poland and former President of the European Parliament
- Aníbal Cavaco Silva, former President and Prime Minister of Portugal
- Pietro Parolin, Cardinal and Secretary of State of the Holy See
- Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova
- Wolfgang Schüssel, former Federal Chancellor of Austria
- Javier Solana, former EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy
- Jean-Claude Trichet, former President of the European Central Bank.
Members of the Order present in Strasbourg:
- Marc Gjidara, professor of law emeritus
- Sandra Lejniece, physician, scientist and academic leader
- Oleksandra Matviichuk, human rights lawyer
- Viviane Reding, former Vice-President of the European Commission, former Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg and former Member of the European Parliament.
Also admitted into the Order was Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as a distinguished member. Other honourable members of the Order include Valdas Adamkus, former President of Lithuania; Sauli Niinistö, former President of Finland and former Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland. José Andrés, chef and founder of the NGO “World Central Kitchen”; Giánnis Antetokoúnmpo, basketball champion, and Bono, together with The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr, known collectively as U2, were appointed to the Order as members.
The full conferral ceremony is available online, including the speeches of the laureates, along with additional audiovisual material on the European Order of Merit at Parliament’s Multimedia Centre.
Background
Last year, ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, the European Parliament’s Bureau decided to establish the first European distinction of its kind granted by an EU institution, to honour the achievements of individuals who are considered to have made significant contributions to European integration and to the promotion and defence of European values.
Panel discussion with laureates
Later today, from 16:00 to 17:00, Sandra Lejniece, Oleksandra Matviichuk and Viviane Reding will participate in a panel discussion at La Rotonde, in Parliament’s Churchill building, which will be open to media representatives.
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