STRASBOURG — The leadership of the European Parliament has made the decision to eliminate an award that recognized the contributions of EU citizens as part of ongoing cost-saving initiatives. The European Citizens’ Prize, which was established in 2008, aimed to honor projects initiated by citizens that foster European cooperation and uphold EU values, with 50 projects receiving recognition each year.
Background and implications of the award’s cancellation
Following a hiatus in 2024 due to the upcoming EU elections, the prize was effectively suspended during a recent meeting of the bureau, which includes European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and her 14 vice presidents. An internal communication from the Parliament’s Secretary-General, Alessandro Chiochetti, highlighted the reasoning behind this move.
“Despite significant investment over the years and multiple changes of its rules, the Prize has proven to be a complex, resource-intensive process that has delivered minimal outreach results, including negligible measurable media impact,”
Chiochetti’s note indicated that the projects recognized by the award did not garner sufficient attention at local and regional levels, thereby limiting the Prize’s ability to enhance the Parliament’s visibility on a larger scale.
Financial considerations and future direction
The elimination of the European Citizens’ Prize is expected to yield savings of approximately €200,000 annually, primarily sourced from the communications budget. This funding will be redirected towards more economically efficient activities, although the specific initiatives that will benefit from this budget reallocation have not been disclosed.
Moreover, Chiochetti expressed concerns regarding the reputational risks associated with the Prize, citing issues such as perceived political biases in some nominations, ethical dilemmas, and allegations of wrongdoing involving certain award recipients. This decision reflects a larger restructuring effort aimed at cutting the total communications budget of €127 million, a measure that has been under consideration since June.