Germany Charlemagne Prize for Mario Draghi - "A great achievement for Europe"
The former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize 2026 for his historic services to European unification. The Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors explained its decision by saying that the former Italian head of government was being honored as a personality "who has achieved great things for Europe with determination and unwavering resolve".
17.01.2026, 13:40
SDA
The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen is regarded as the most important award for services to European unification. It is traditionally awarded on Ascension Day, this year on May 14.
Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors assesses the situation as dramatic
Among other things, the Board of Directors highlighted the report on European competitiveness published by Draghi in 2024 and named after him. In it, Draghi warned that the European Union urgently needed to become more innovative if it did not want to fall behind competing economic powers such as the USA and China. The Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors agrees with this assessment: "The situation is dramatic," it wrote in its citation. "Europe threatens to become the pawn of other powers." Europe can only secure its ability to act if it becomes more competitive. Economic strength is the basis for everything else.
Draghi (78) himself recently expressed his disillusionment with the state of implementation of his recommendations to date. "The weaknesses are increasing", he stated in a speech in Brussels. Against this backdrop, the Board of Directors described the awarding of the Charlemagne Prize to Draghi at this point in time as a "deliberate" signal to the decision-makers in Brussels: "We call on the European Commission and European heads of state and government to implement the Draghi Report now," said the Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors.
Adenauer and Churchill among the first laureates
The Charlemagne Prize was founded by citizens of Aachen shortly after the Second World War. It is named after Emperor Charlemagne, whose Frankish empire extended over large parts of Western Europe in the early Middle Ages and who is therefore sometimes referred to as the "Father of Europe". Since last year, the Charlemagne Prize has been associated with prize money of one million euros, donated by a couple from Aachen. This money is intended to benefit pro-European projects.
The first winners included German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1954) and former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1955). Last year, the prize went to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The last Italian to receive the prize was the peace mediator and founder of the Catholic community Sant'Egidio, Andrea Riccardi, in 2009.
