IDM at the Charlemagne Prize Ceremony
Photos credit: Karlspreis / Christian van’t Hoen
Sebastian Schäffer and Sophia Beiter had the unique opportunity to represent the IDM at this year’s Charlemagne Prize ceremony and Karlspreis Forum in Aachen, held from 26 to 29 May. The prestigious Charlemagne Prize, awarded annually to individuals or institutions in recognition of their contributions to European unity, was in 2025 given to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. She was honoured for “her services to the unity of the member states, in the containment of the pandemic, for the unity of the Union’s determination to defend itself against Russia – and for the impetus towards the Green Deal”.
The ceremony was attended by several heads of state and previous Charlemagne Prize laureates, including Spain’s King Felipe VI, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
The celebrations began with a moving mass in the historic Aachen Cathedral and culminated in the official award ceremony in the coronation hall of Aachen City Hall. In her keynote speech, von der Leyen outlined four key priorities for the independence of the EU in the future: strengthening Europe’s defence, boosting competitiveness and innovation, advancing EU enlargement, and safeguarding European democracy. She emphasized both Europe’s legacy and the urgency of today’s challenges.
Beiter and Schäffer also attended the Karlspreis Forum, where high-ranking EU representatives – among them two members of the European Commission (Maria Luís Albuquerque, Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, as well as Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space) – were discussing the question of how the current transatlantic relationship is affecting European security and defence policy, and how competitive the EU remains in the global economy.
A special highlight was the 40th edition of Zeitenwende on tour, which made a timely stop in Aachen to explore critical questions of security and democracy in Europe. Armin Laschet, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, Walther Pelzer, Member of the Executive Board, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Bonn, as well as Benedikt Franke, Deputy Chairman & CEO, Munich Security Conference, discussed with each other but also answered the questions of the audience in this townhall debate.
The program also included a Q&A with Commission President von der Leyen. The short but well-formulated inquiries by moderator Roger de Weck were met with concise and thoughtful replies, offering a unique perspective on how leadership responds to challenging times.
Besides that, the Charlemagne Youth Prize was awarded. 27 national winners – one from each EU country – gathered and presented their projects promoting European exchange and unity. The first prize was awarded to Forum Europaeumfrom Hungary, a pan-European media outlet, reporting on EU-relevant topics and promoting European values and unity. The second place went to Díky, že můžem volit (Thanks That We Can Vote) from Czechia, which engaged young people in Czechia to vote in the EU elections in 2024 through a targeted campaign. The third prize was awarded to Feminist Law Clinic from Germany, a project providing legal support for victims of gender-based violence.
We are especially proud of Sophia Beiter, 2025 Charlemagne Prize Fellow, whose work made this experience possible. We look forward to returning to Aachen for her research presentation in November.
