The Jury of the 2022 'Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award for courage and excellence in the promotion of freedom, solidarity and equality' have chosen the shortlisted nominations selected by the Evaluation committee. Today 10 December 2022 marks Human Rights Day and the Jury considered that the shortlisted nominees should be distinguished and made known to the public.

Among the shortlisted candidates are 'The mayors of Ukraine' (represented by the Association of Ukrainian cities), nominated by the EPP-CoR Group. Mayors across Ukraine have shown extraordinary courage to defend freedom and European democratic values. They have gone out of their way to protect civilians, provide humanitarian aid, ensure functioning utilities and provide social services in a situation of armed aggression. Many Ukrainian mayors have paid a high price for their courage – they were abducted and tortured, some have been murdered, in an attempt to intimidate and frighten Ukrainian citizens.

The other shortlisted candidates include SOS Méditerranée, European NGO for saving lives of migrants in the Mediterranean; Michałowo, the commune in Poland near the Belarusian border helping thousands of migrants rejected by Polish authorities; Vadym Boichenko, Mayor of Mariupol and Oleksandr Babich, Mayor of Hola Prystan (in Russian prison).

The EPP-CoR Group through its Presidents of Regions and Mayors has supported Ukrainian Mayors from the very beginning of the war through tangible action, providing humanitarian aid, hosting refugees as well as organising summer camps for Children. The EPP-CoR Group has encouraged twinning between European cities and regions and Ukrainian counterparts to provide further support and also committed to use the expertise of its members to contribute in the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Paweł Adamowicz's legacy

Paweł Adamowicz paid the ultimate price for fighting hate speech and for working in favour of the integration of migrants. He was stabbed on 13 January 2019 while speaking at a charity event and died from his injuries the following day at the age of 53.

In 2021, the European Committee of the Regions launched the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award for courage and excellence in promotion of freedom, solidarity and equality.

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