2026-01-17 20:34
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2026-01-17 20:34
Mario Draghi, former head of the European Central Bank (ECB) and former Prime Minister of Italy, is this year's winner of the Charlemagne Prize. As the award jury announced on Saturday, he was honored for “achieving great things for Europe” and “saving the euro in a dramatic situation.”
Former ECB president awarded
“Mario Draghi, as president of the European Central Bank, saved the euro – almost single-handedly when the common currency was on the brink of collapse,” said the chairman of the Charlemagne Prize chapter, Armin Laschet, a politician from the Christian Democrat CDU, told the dpa agency.
He recalled Draghi's famous words from 2012, spoken at the height of the euro zone crisis. The then head of the ECB declared that the bank will do “whatever necessary” to secure the single currency.
“His words are more relevant today than ever,” Laschet emphasized.
Draghi's strong report was recalled
The Chapter noted that Draghi “saved the euro in a dramatic situation” and thus saved the European internal market and the monetary union from a serious crisis. The justification for the decision stated that the former head of the ECB “deliberately and with unwavering determination achieved great things for Europe.”
Attention was drawn to the so-called published in 2024. Draghi report on European competitiveness. Draghi warned that the European Union must urgently increase its innovation and economic potential if it does not want to lose its position against global powers such as the United States and China.
“If Europe does not want to become a toy in the hands of other powers, it must be economically strong – everything else depends on it,” Laschet noted.
Draghi expressed “tremendous gratitude” for the awards on Saturday.
“This decision comes at a time when Europe has many enemies – perhaps more than ever, both internal and external,” the 78-year-old laureate said in a video played during the ceremony. As he emphasized, To preserve the European Union, Europeans must stick together stronger than ever before. “We must overcome our own weaknesses and become stronger – militarily, economically and politically,” he added.
What is it? Charlemagne's Award
The Charlemagne Prize has been awarded since 1950 to people who have made outstanding contributions to promoting peace and unity in Europe. The award winners included: Winston Churchill, Jean Monnet, Robert Schumann, Konrad Adenauer and Bill Clinton.
The award winners are also three Poles: Saint. John Paul II, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1997-2000, Bronisław Geremek.
In previous years, the award was received by: the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (2025), the chairman of the Conference of European Rabbis Pinchas Goldschmidt (2024), the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (2023), the leaders of the Belarusian democratic opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maryja Kalesnikava and Veranika Tsepkala (2022).
Charlemagne, the Frankish ruler, is sometimes considered the father of a united Europe. His country covered the areas of today's France, the Benelux countries, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy, and his influence reached the Slavic region and the Iberian Peninsula. Charlemagne's most important seat was Aachen, where he was buried after his death in 814.
The award is traditionally presented on the day of the Ascension of the Lord, which is this year on May 14.
From Berlin Iwona Weidmann (PAP)
ipa/ap/
