Romania’s Klaus Iohannis wins 2020 Charlemagne Prize

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis was named the recipient of the 2020 International Charlemagne Prize on Saturday.

The prize’s board of directors said the 60-year-old leader had successfully steered Romania down a path of European integration, demonstrating a commitment to “freedom and democracy, the protection of minorities and cultural diversity.”

The award is given out by the western German city of Aachen to honor those who defend European unity. The prize ceremony will take place in May.

In a statement, the board said Iohannis had taken steps to fight corruption while promoting the separation of powers, rule of law and the “common idea of a European future.”

Iohannis has been president of Romania since 2014. He was reelected with two-thirds of the vote in November on a pledge to fight corruption.

The International Charlemagne Prize was first given out in 1950. The 2019 recipient was UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, while French President Emmanuel Macron won the year before. Other prominent winners include Chancellor Angela Merkel (2008), Pope John Paul II (2004) and Bill Clinton (2000).

Via DW