European Order of Merit: first laureates honoured today, including Merkel, Wałęsa and Zelenskyy
Strasbourg – A solemn ceremony took place today, Tuesday 19 May 2026, in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Strasbourg to honour the first laureates of the European Order of Merit. The award, initiated by the Parliament in 2025, recognises individuals and institutions that have made significant contributions to European integration or to the promotion of European values.
Among the 20 first laureates announced in March 2026 by President Roberta Metsola, three names stand out as the centerpiece of the inaugural class: Angela Merkel, former German Chancellor (2005-2021); Lech Wałęsa, former Solidarność leader and President of Poland (1990-1995); and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine since 2019. All three were elevated to the rank of Distinguished Members of the European Order of Merit.
Three figures, three eras of European history
The selection reflects an explicit narrative arc. Lech Wałęsa embodies the Eastern European struggle against communist rule and the broader 1989 transformation that reshaped the continent. Angela Merkel represents the consolidation of an enlarged Europe through two decades of economic and migration crises — eurozone bailouts, refugee influx, COVID-19 recovery. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands for the contemporary defence of European values under Russian military aggression.
The award has been criticised in some circles for political selectivity, with critics arguing that the choice of laureates is contested in their home contexts (Wałęsa remains polarising in Polish politics, Merkel’s record is openly debated in Germany on energy and Russia policy). Defenders argue that the award explicitly recognises pan-European contribution, not domestic consensus.
Other laureates in the inaugural class
Beyond the three Distinguished Members, the inaugural class includes:
- Former Italian Prime Minister and ECB President Mario Draghi
- Estonian-born former European Commissioner Andrus Ansip for his role on the Digital Single Market
- Former Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski
- French diplomat and former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
- The team of the European Court of Justice for the rule of law jurisprudence
- Several civil society figures from Belarus, Ukraine, and Georgia
A symbolic moment in a difficult week
The ceremony took place during the same plenary week in which High Representative Kaja Kallas faces MEPs in Question Time on the EU’s Middle East strategy, and during which the Parliament debates the Fertilisers Action Plan, the EU-US Turnberry trade legislation, and asylum and migration reforms. The contrast between the celebratory ceremony and the difficult policy files on the agenda underscores the complex tasks facing the EU at a moment of acute geopolitical uncertainty.
President Roberta Metsola, in her opening remarks, called the laureates “the embodiment of a Europe that refuses to capitulate to those who would deny its values — at home or abroad.”
