The Pope has already received it, as has Merkel, but now an entire nation is being honored: Ukraine and its President Selenskyj are receiving the renowned Charlemagne Prize from the city of Aachen. The country is not only defending its homeland, but also Europe, it says in justification.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine receive the 2023 Charlemagne Prize for services to Europe. This was announced by the Charlemagne Prize Directorate and the city of Aachen in the afternoon. The reason given was that the Ukrainian people under Zelenskyy's leadership not only defended the sovereignty of their country and the lives of its citizens, "but also Europe and European values". The award emphasizes that Ukraine is part of Europe. The people and government officials deserve "the encouragement" to "rapidly conduct accession negotiations with the European Union."
The prize has been awarded since 1950 for services to Europe and European unification. It is named after Charlemagne (747/748-814). His empire extended over a large part of Western Europe, he often resided in Aachen. The award comes with a medal and a certificate. there is no money. Previous winners have included ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Emmanuel Macron. Pope Francis has also received it. In 2022, the Belarusian civil rights activist Svetlana Tichanovskaya and two fellow campaigners received it.
The Ukrainian people were only awarded the prestigious Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday. Three Ukrainians who are committed to civil society accepted the award there on behalf of their compatriots. Since February 24, Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, which is fighting for its existence with Western weapons.
How exactly the Charlemagne Prize will be presented in 2023 was initially unclear. Already at the Charlemagne Prize 2022 there was a discussion about whether Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people should get a "special Charlemagne Prize". A group of MEPs suggested that at the time. The EU states officially named Ukraine as a candidate for EU membership in June. However, accession negotiations are only to begin once the reform requirements have been met.
