The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen (Der Internationale Karlspreis zu Aachen) is the oldest and best-known prize awarded for work done in the service of European unification. The prize is named for Charlemagne, the Frankish king revered by his contemporaries as the “Father of Europe”. Recent winners of the Charlemagne Prize include the Belarusian opposition leaders (2022), Klaus Iohannis (2020/21), António Guterres (2019), Emmanuel Macron (2018), Timothy Garton Ash (2017) and Pope Francis (2016).
The Board of Directors of the Society for the Conferring of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen is awarding the Charlemagne Prize 2023 to the Ukrainian people and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for their fight for freedom and democracy against the unjustified Russian war of aggression. This award underscores the fact that Ukraine is part of Europe and that its people and its government – headed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – support and defend European values, and therefore deserve encouragement to enter swiftly into accession negotiations with the European Union.
Watch the livestream of the Charlemagne Prize ceremony
Related news:
- EIB President Werner Hoyer congratulates 2023 Charlemagne Prize winners: “The brave people of Ukraine are fighting for Europe's freedom and unity”
- President Hoyer at Rheinscher Post: "Ukraine is often underestimated" (available in German)
