The GLOBSEC European Award recognizes significant contributions made by European personalities to keep Europe strong and united. Established in 2016, the GLOBSEC European Award follows the tradition of the Czech and Slovak Transatlantic Award, which is presented twice a year to those whose contribution to transatlantic integration and a secure future deserves recognition and honest appreciation by Central Europeans. The Czech and Slovak Transatlantic Award has previously been accepted by renowned personalities, including Madeleine Albright, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Bronisław Komorowski and Carl Bildt. Over the past years, the GLOBSEC European Award has been bestowed upon several exceptional personalities such as Wolfgang Schäuble, Kristalina Georgieva, Ángel Gurría and Bruno Le Maire.
It is a great honour to receive this award. For me, it endorses the work that I am doing at the European Commission to make our economy more resilient and competitive at a time of great challenge for Europe. As a brutal war continues to rage on our continent, on our very borders, it also reinforces the importance of shared European values, especially solidarity and partnership between countries. Both are themes running through my recent few years of work. The EU, its Member States and institutions, are supporting Ukraine and its people at a time when they need it the most. This solidarity is very clear in the countries of central and eastern Europe: they have many years of experience dealing with Russia as an aggressive force. In the EU, from east to west, from north to south, we must never lose sight of what binds us together as Europeans.
