06/06/2025 Prizes | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Mayors from across Europe, leading officials from the Council of Europe and parliamentarians gathered in Donostia/San Sebastián in Spain today to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Europe Prize during a series of commemorative events.
The Prize, created by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in 1955, honours towns and cities across the continent for their commitment to the European ideal. It has been awarded to 86 different municipalities in that time. Donostia/San Sebastián won the Prize in 2019.
Beginning the day at an opening conference on how cities carry hope for European values, PACE Secretary General Despina Chatzivassiliou, representing the President of the Assembly, recalled that democracy itself was born in the city of Athens 25 centuries ago – and had been tested “at local level, in streets and neighbourhoods, in town halls and public squares”.
Looking back over the history of the Prize, she noted that the early awards had gone to Western European cities, as the continent healed from the wounds of the Second World War, later “travelling eastward” to become a bridge to new democracies and former peripheries.
The next generation of Europe Prize winners, she suggested, could be “cities that resist alienation, that choose dialogue over detachment, and that see democracy not only as a system – but as a shared rhythm of life.”
Other speakers were the Mayor of Donostia/San Sebastián Eneko Goia, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge and the Vice-President of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Koukas Konstantinos.
Speaking later at the official ceremony to mark the anniversary, the Chair of the Assembly’s Sub-committee on the Europe Prize Christian Petry (Germany, SOC) said the Prize represented “the living heart of Europe – a Europe built not only in Brussels or Strasbourg, but in our towns, villages and neighbourhoods”. It recognised “communities that bring Europe to life through dialogue, co-operation and solidarity between citizens”.
The official ceremony to mark the anniversary took place later in the afternoon, with the screening of a video on the history of the prize, musical performances, the planting of a “Tree of Europe” and the presentation of honorary diplomas to the Mayors of many of the 86 towns to have been awarded the Prize so far.
Three other awards - the European Diploma, the Flag of Honour and the Plaque of Honour - form part of the Europe Prize system, allowing towns to progress through various levels of recognition before applying for the top award, the Europe Prize itself.
