10.08.24

Anne Applebaum and Radosław Sikorski awarded the “European Prize for Political Culture 2024”

The Hans Ringier Foundation's "European Prize for Political Culture" for 2024 will be awarded to Anne Applebaum and Radosław Sikorski. They are being honored for their journalistic and political commitment to the free democratic West. Their commitment as journalists and as foreign ministers combine to form an impressive life's work for an open society. The 50,000 euro European Prize is being awarded for the eighteenth time and has previously gone to Jean-Claude Juncker, Boris Tadić, Jürgen Habermas, Pascal Lamy, Jean-Claude Trichet, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Donald Tusk, Wolfgang Schäuble, Heinrich August Winkler, Mario Draghi, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Margrethe Vestager, Sir Christopher Munro Clark, Zuzana Caputová, Peter Sloterdijk, Kaja Kallas and Alexei Navalny.

Anne Applebaum and Radosław Sikorski received today the Hans Ringier Foundation’s “European Prize for Political Culture” in Ascona. “The life’s work of this extraordinary couple encompasses Western thought from the USA to Israel to Poland – the space of freedom from West to East. Anne Applebaum and Radosław Sikorski embody democracy and an open society, as well as the will to defend and promote these values. The two personalities deserve the gratitude of all freedom-loving citizens for their journalistic and political work,” commented Frank A. Meyer, President of the Hans Ringier Foundation, on the choice of this year’s prizewinners.
In his laudatory speech, Christian Lindner, Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance, paid tribute to the two winners: “Anne Applebaum and Radosław Sikorski are shaping the debates of our time and thus also the political culture in Europe. Authoritarian forces are currently trying to undermine the liberal order with lies and even open violence. Applebaum and Sikorski draw on their deep understanding of Soviet oppression at home and imperialism abroad to find ways to assert freedom. They are standard-bearers of the free world. For this they deserve the European Prize for Political Culture 2024, our thanks and our great respect”.
The award ceremony took place during the traditional “Dîner Républicain”, which is held annually at the invitation of Frank A. Meyer at the Hotel “Castello del Sole” in Ascona.

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Award ceremony “European Prize for Political Culture 2024”

Bild: Philippe Rossier fuer SoBli/Blick, 10.8.2024, Ascona TI, Dîner Républicain, Preisübergabe, mit Gastgeber Frank A. Meyer, Preisträgerin Anne Applebaum und Preisträger Radoslaw Sikorski (polnischer Aussenminister), Laudator Christian Lindner (deutscher Bundesminister der Finanzen).

From left to right: Laudator Christian Lindner, German Federal Minister of Finance, host Frank A. Meyer, prizewinner Anne Applebaum and prizewinner Radosław Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister (portrait by artist Tania Jacobi).

Group picture Dîner Républicain 2024 Hotel Castello del Sole, Ascona, Switzerland

Bild: Philippe Rossier fuer SoBli/Blick, 10.8.2024, Ascona TI, Dîner Républicain, Gruppenfoto, vl, sitzend: Gastgeber Frank A. Meyer, Preisträgerin Anne Applebaum, Preisträger Radoslaw Sikorski (polnischer Aussenminister), Gastgeberin Lilith Frey, Laudator Christian Lindner (deutscher Bundesminister der Finanzen). Vl, stehend: Eric Nussbaumer, Nationalratspräsident der Schweiz, Maja Hoffmann, Präsidentin Locarno Film Festival, Viola Amherd, Schweizer Bundesratspräsidentin, Mircea Geoana, stellvertretende NATO-Generalsekretär.

Seated from left to right: host Frank A. Meyer, award winner Anne Applebaum, award winner Radosław Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister, host Lilith Frey, laudator Christian Lindner, German Federal Minister of Finance
Standing from left to right: Eric Nussbaumer, President of the Swiss National Council, Maja Hoffmann, President of the Locarno Film Festival, Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Federal Council, Mircea Geoanã, Deputy Secretary General of NATO

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