Overview
- The Karlspreis-Direktorium announced the selection on January 17, with the award ceremony set for May 14 in Aachen.
- Chair Armin Laschet invoked Draghi’s 2012 “whatever it takes” pledge and said the mantra now applies to Europe’s competitiveness and capacity to act.
- The panel urged the European Commission and national leaders to implement the Draghi Report, warning that Europe risks becoming a plaything of other powers.
- Draghi’s 2024 blueprint calls for policies to spur innovation and growth to keep pace with the United States and China.
- The prize carries a €1 million endowment for pro‑European projects, and Draghi has recently cautioned that Europe’s weaknesses are increasing.