In the picture, King Felipe VI of Spain, Jürgen Linden, Charlemagne Prize Committee, SG António Guterres and Mayor of Aachen Marcel Philipp – Picture by Spanish Royal Household, Casa Real.
Thursday, 30 May 2019, Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Federal Republic of Germany: This year’s International Charlemagne Prize was bestowed upon the IX Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Portuguese national António Guterres for “his dedication in the revitalisation and consolidation of multilateral cooperation based on the values and objectives of the European Union and the United Nations” according to the awarding committee.
Awarded by the city of Aachen, the first city in western Germany to be liberated during the Second World War, the prize honours work performed in the service of the European community. It has been bestowed upon meritorious recipients since 1950.
It is named after Emperor Carolus Magnus, or Charlemagne, ruler of the Franks; who united large territories of modern-day France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany. He lies buried at Aachen.
Other personalities who have received the prize include incumbent European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Bishops of Rome, Franciscus and Ioannis Paulus II, former European Parliament president Martin Schulz, EU founding father Robert Schuman, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, former UK prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, the entire European Commission in 1969 and in 1986 the people of Luxembourg.
For further information:
International Charlemagne Prize: https://www.karlspreis.de/en/
Laureate HE António Guterres: https://www.karlspreis.de/en/news/charlemagne-prize-2019
