Europe Minister Edtstadler Awards Outstanding Projects and Initiatives with the 2023 Europe State Prize
Austrian Europe Minister Karoline Edtsdadler awarded the winners of the 2023 Europe State Prize at the Sofiensäle in Vienna. More than 200 guestes were present at the Europe gala.
Europe Minister Karoline Edtsdadler Awarded the Winners of the 2023 Europe State Prize / Picture: © Flickr / Dimitar Nikolov / [CC BY-SA 2.0(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)]
The Vienna Sofiensäle served as a stage for the presentation of this year's Europe State Prizes at the Europa Gala, which was held on May 9th, 2023, as part of the celebrations for Europe Day. The aim of the Europe State Prize is to make innovative Europe projects visible in Austria and to highlight the commitment of numerous individuals and organizations. In her opening remarks, Minister of Europe Karoline Edtstadler thanked not only the award winners but also all those who submitted initiatives and projects for the five categories of the Europe State Prize with great dedication.
More than 200 high-ranking guests from politics, business, diplomacy, art and culture, media, administration, and civil society were welcomed to the festive Europa Gala. The former head of the ORF correspondent's office in Brussels, Roland Adrowitzer, moderated the event, and a string quartet from the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) provided the musical accompaniment.
In her opening words, Minister of Europe Edtstadler emphasized the three tasks ('3 Ws') that the vision of European integration and peaceful cooperation gives us: first, defending our European values globally and within the EU; second, securing our prosperity, particularly through the completion of the internal market and the strengthening of competitiveness; and third, shaping positive change and using the opportunities brought by the ecological and digital transformations.
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen delivered a speech on Europe Day, reminding the audience not to take European unity for granted, particularly in the face of the current trend towards isolationism, xenophobia, and nationalism. He applauded the prize winners for their creative energy and congratulated them on their achievements. The Europa Gala was a celebration of the diverse and impressive initiatives and projects submitted for the Europe State Prize, and a reminder of the importance of continued commitment to European values and unity.