Mario Draghi, the Italian economist and banker who led the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019, received the 2026 international Charlemagne Prize in recognition of his role in stabilizing the eurozone and promoting European unity. His decisive response to the euro crisis had already earned him the nickname “Super Mario” among journalists and on the financial markets.
At the ceremony, Friedrich Merz and Kyriakos Mitsotakis described Draghi as a key figure in protecting Europe during a period of severe economic turmoil. Merz used the event to call for a stronger and more integrated European Union, urging member states to increase their investments in competitiveness and defense in the face of pressure from Donald Trump’s United States and growing competition from China.
In his acceptance speech, Draghi warned that Europe risks being left behind by major world powers without deeper economic integration and massive investments in energy, digital infrastructure and the single market. He criticized the fragmentation of European markets and said new trade agreements alone would not be enough to resolve the bloc’s structural weaknesses. He also reiterated his calls for a common European debt, despite the resistance of the most orthodox countries on the budgetary level, including Germany.
His remarks come as EU member states negotiate the bloc’s 2028-2034 budgetary framework, amid growing debate over debt, industrial competitiveness and defense spending. Draghi’s position echoes the recommendations of his much-discussed 2024 report on European competitiveness, which recommended annual investments of up to 800 billion euros.
The Charlemagne Prize was established in Aachen after the Second World War to honor people and institutions that strengthen European cooperation and integration. Named after Charlemagne, who ruled much of Western Europe from Aachen, the distinction has previously been awarded to figures such as Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Angela Merkel and the European Union itself.
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