The Diplomat
The former European Commissioner and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abel Matutes, has been awarded the 19th Otto von Habsburg Prize, corresponding to the year 2022, which is awarded by the Pan-European Union.
The award was granted by the Spanish Committee for the Pan-European Union, which met in a Board of Directors meeting on 25 October, under the presidency of Florentino Portero and with Carlos Uriarte as Secretary General.
The jury awarded him the distinction “for the role played by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Commissioner for the regional integration of Spain into the European Union, as well as for his work on the draft European Constitution”, according to a note from the Pan-European Union.
The Paneuropean Union’s Board of Directors considers ‘that his fundamental work in the European Commission for the achievement of Monetary Union, in addition to the work carried out in the field of European foreign policy for the fraternity and friendship of Europe with Latin America and the countries of the southern region have laid a fundamental foundation for the Union’s current relations with these areas’.
Abel Matutes Juan, Spanish politician, businessman and banker, was a senator of the Kingdom of Spain (1977-1982), member of the Spanish Parliament (1982-1986), member of the European Commission (1986-1994) under the presidency of Jacques Delors, Member of the European Parliament (1994-1996), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1996-2000), in the first government of José María Aznar. He is currently Chairman and owner of Palladium Hotel Group and the Matutes Group of companies.
Matutes will thus join the list of personalities who have received the Otto of Habsburg Award, which includes, among others: the former Minister of Education, Iñigo Méndez de Vigo; the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinás; the Jean Monnet Professor ‘ad personam’, Teresa Freixes; the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former European Commissioner Marcelino Oreja Aguirre; and the former President of the European Parliament, José María Gil Robles.
In the near future, the Board of Directors will make official the date and place where the commemorative event will take place, as well as the award ceremony.
