Ali Tuncay and Takis Hadjidemetriou receive the European Citizen’s Prize 2015

Takis Hadjidemetriou and Ali Tuncay are among the 47 winners of the European Citizen`s Prize 2015 of the European Parliament, the European Parliament Office in Cyprus says in an announcement issued yesterday.

Since 2008, the prize has been awarded to citizens or organisations having contributed to promoting better mutual understanding and closer integration between citizens or to facilitating cross-border or transnational cooperation within the EU. The winners will receive a medal of honour at an award ceremony in Cyprus and will be invited to a joint event in Brussels in October.

`Takis Hadgidemetriou and Ali Tuncay were proposed by MEPS Takis Hadjigeorgiou (GUE) and Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE) who underlined that the two nominees for the Prize have contributed enormously in the recording, preservation and restoration of the cultural heritage (Christian and Muslim) of all communities in Cyprus. In addition their actions promote the concept of peaceful cooperation and partnership and they can be an example for young people of both Communities on the island.

The winners were selected on Wednesday 3 June by a Chancellery in Brussels, chaired by Vice-President Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, FR). The Members of the Chancellery are: Vice-Presidents Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz (EPP, HU), Olli Rehn (ALDE, FI), Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL, EL) and Ryszard Czarnecki (ECR, PL), former EP Presidents Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP, DE) and Enrique Barón Crespo (S&D, ES) and eminent personalities Hannes Swoboda (S&D, AT) and Jose Manuel Barroso (EPP, PT).