The award is named after the Frankish ruler Charlemagne, who was the first to unite much of Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West. It is awarded by a 17-person committee, composed mainly of people associated with Aachen, the capital of Charlemagne.
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Mario Draghi with the Charlemagne Award
“Former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, has been awarded the annual Charlemagne Prize for promoting European unity” – said the organizers on Saturday, quoted by the French agency AFP.
Mario Draghi, who is widely credited saving the euro from collapsebecause in 2012 he promised to do “everything necessary” to strengthen the currency in the face of the debt crisis in the euro zone, and urged Europe to deepen economic integration so that it could compete more effectively with the United States and China.
See also: A test for Draghi's plan. EUR 350 billion of EU debt at stake
Mario Draghi, former Prime Minister of Italy, in his groundbreaking 2024 EU Competitiveness Report. made 383 recommendations, calling for joint regulation of capital markets and reduced red tape for businesses.
AFP notes that Europe is facing increasing pressure to boost its economy as anti-establishment parties claim electoral victories across the continent and Russia and the United States become increasingly hostile.
Mario Draghi: we must become stronger
“This decision came at a time when Europe has probably never had as many enemies, both internal and external, as it does today,” Mario Draghi said in a short speech.
See also: Former head of the most powerful bank in the world: “The euro zone is not working”
“We must become stronger, stronger militarily, stronger economically and stronger politically“- he added.
Previous winners of the award include Pope Francis, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky (and the Ukrainian people), as well as French President Emmanuel Macron and former Czech president and anti-communist dissident Vaclav Havel.
