The European Parliament is to award its European Order of Merit for the first time on Tuesday.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former Polish President Lech Walesa are among the first laureates, though Zelenskyy will not be attending the presentation ceremony in Strasbourg in person.
The EU says the award is for contributions to European integration or for people who promote and defend the bloc’s core values.
<figure class="placeholder-
Figures from politics, sport, science and culture
Merkel, Zelenskyy and Walesa are to receive the highest of three levels of the honor.
Other notable personalities, such as the Vatican’s top diplomat, Pietro Parolin, Moldovan President Maia Sandu and former European Central Bank President Jena-Claude Trichet, will receive lower levels.
Former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel and members of the rock band U2 are also to be presented with the award.
According to the European Parliament, 13 of the some 20 laureates will accept the honor in person and hold short speeches.
A complete list of the laureates can be found here.
<figure class="placeholder-
Honoring those ‘who help build’ Europe
The order was introduced last year.
As the laureates were announced in March, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said; “With the European Order of Merit, we honor those who did not simply believe in Europe, but who helped build it.”
“Europe has always been built by people. Bridging divides, breaking barriers, overthrowing dictatorships and overcoming crises for a better future for our continent. This European commitment deserves to be celebrated,” she said.
The award ceremony at the European Parliament is to begin at 11.30 a.m. (0930 GMT).
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
