The two Poles are among 20 people selected for the inaugural European Order of Merit, a new civilian honor created by the European Parliament to recognize major contributions to European integration and the defense of European values.
The list of laureates was announced on Tuesday in Strasbourg and includes Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Maia Sandu, president of the Republic of Moldova; and members of the band U2.
Wałęsa, the former Solidarity leader whose trade union helped bring down communist rule in Poland, received the title of Distinguished Member of the European Order of Merit.
The same rank was awarded to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Buzek, a former Polish prime minister who later served as president of the European Parliament, was named an Honourable Member of the order, a category that included 10 people in total.
Another seven laureates were named Members of the European Order of Merit. They included Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, the organization that shared the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
Announcing the laureates, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said their achievements showed that any individual, regardless of social background, can shape Europe.
She commented: "Europe has always been built by people. Bridging divides, breaking barriers, overthrowing dictatorships and overcoming crises for a better future for our continent. This European commitment deserves to be celebrated. With the European Order of Merit, we honour those who did not simply believe in Europe, but who helped build it."
The formal award ceremony would take place during the parliament’s plenary session in May.
The selection was made by a committee made up of Metsola, European Parliament Vice-Presidents Sophie Wilmès and Ewa Kopacz, former European Commissioner Michel Barnier, former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, former European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta.
Candidates were nominated by heads of state and government, speakers of national parliaments, and the heads of European Union institutions.
The European Order of Merit was created to mark the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, the 1950 statement widely seen as the starting point of the European integration project that has since developed into today’s European Union.
The award is intended to honor people who made a significant contribution to European unity or to promoting and defending the values set out in the European Union treaties. It is also meant to encourage future generations to show civic courage and commitment to European ideals.
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Source: IAR, PAP