Europeans of the Year
Several Institutions award a "European(s) of the Year" award.
The Award by Readers Digest Magazine
Since 1996 the editors in chief of the European editions of Readers Digest magazine award the "European of the Year award" to individuals who best embody the traditions and values of Europe.
- 1996: Pater Imre Kozma, chairman of the Hungarian Malteser Caritas-Service.
- 1997: Frederic Hauge, the Norwegian founder of the environmental group Bellona.
- 1998: Der British Solo-Skipper Pete Goss, who saved his French friend Raphael Dinelli during a competition.
- 1999: The Danish Inge Genefke, for her commitment to the treatment and rehabilitation of torture victims.
- 2000: Paul van Buitenen, who uncovered mismanagement within the European Commission.
- 2001: Linus Benedict Torvalds, the inventor of Linux.
- 2002: Eva Joly, former Adjudicator in France (among others in the Tapie corruption scandal regarding Elf Aquitaine).
- 2003: Šimon Pánek, founder of People in Need.
- 2004: Peter Eigen from Germany, founder Transparency International.
- 2005: The Russian doctor Leonid Roshal, who mediated in the Beslan school hostage crisis.
- 2006: Ayaan Hirsi Ali who supports Muslim Women who are confronted my regious fanatics.
- 2007: The Swiss Infectiology-Professor Ruedi Lüthy for his support of Aids-Viktims in Zimbabwe and elsewhere.
- 2008: Maria Nowak from France, for offering micro credits to people in need.
- 2009: The German athlete Joachim Franz for his enduring and global efforts against Aids.
- 2010: Iana Matei for her commitment against forced prostitution in her home country Romania.
- 2011: The doctor Monika Hauser for her global support for victims of sexual assaults in war-zones.[1]
- 2012: The Bulgarian sailor Petar Petrov for saving 500 people from Costa Concordia
- 2013:
- 2014: The Swiss entrepreneur und politician Thomas Minder.[2]
- 2015: Felix Finkbeiner (*1997) Founder of the international children and youth initiative Plant-for-the-Planet for his commitment to climate justice.[3]
The Award by European Voice
The Europeans of the Year award was established in 2001 by European Voice to honour influential European citizens who have mostly affected the European legislative and policy agenda. The annual award is officially supported by the Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. Every year, senior editors of European Voice and a panel of advisors from the European Community select 50 people who have had most influence on the European legislative and policy agenda in the past year. The list includes European Commissioners, MEPs, heads of state, politicians, EU functionaries, NGOs, campaigners and European citizens. Following a public poll, the results of which are announced at a gala dinner, the winners in different categories receive the "Europeans of the Year" awards.
| Year | Winner | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 |  Bono | U2 lead singer. |
| 2002 |  Marco Cappato | Italian MEP |
| 2003 |  Eddie Fenech Adami | prime minister of Malta |
| 2004 |  Recep Tayyip Erdogan | prime minister of Turkey |
| 2005 |  Jean-Claude Juncker | prime minister of Luxembourg |
| 2006 |  José Manuel Barroso | European commission president |
| 2007 |  Valdas Adamkus | president of Lithuania |
| 2008 |  Meglena Kuneva | European commissioner for consumer protection |
| 2009 | ||
| 2010 | Kristalina Georgieva | European Commissioner for international co-operation, humanitarian aid and crisis response |
| 2011 | ||
| 2012 | ||
| 2013 |
References
- ↑ Monika Hauser ist „Europäerin des Jahres 2011“. In: presseportal.de vom 13. Januar 2011
- ↑ Stimme des Volkes: Thomas Minder ist der Europäer des Jahres 2014. In: presseportal.de vom 21. Januar 2014
- ↑ 1000 Milliarden Bäume für unsere Zukunft: Das Magazin Reader's Digest zeichnet den 17-jährigen Zukunfts-Aktivisten Felix Finkbeiner als "Europäer des Jahres 2015" aus In: presseportal.de vom 20. Januar 2015