ALDE-CoR 2013 LeaDeR prijswinnaars bekend (en)

The results of the third edition of the ALDE-CoR LeaDeR awards were announced Wednesday 4 December in Brussels at a ceremony held in the Jacques Delors i Building of the EU's Committee of the Regions. With these awards the ALDE Group in the Committee of the Regions aim to recognise the work of outstanding local and regional liberal democrat politicians and by doing so strengthening the ties between communities of Europe.

The awards were presented in five categories by Sir Graham Watson i, President of the ALDE Party and Member of the European Parliament, Mr Bas Verkerk and Ms Agnès Durdu, President and First Vice-President respectively of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the EU's Committee of the Regions.

The results were as follows:

The 2013 LeaDeR in the Category of Most Effective EU Ambassador: Mr Antonio Marco D'Acri, Torino Provincial Councillor of the Italia dei Valori, for having promoted awareness about the European Union to the general public but especially to secondary school students through interdisciplinary activities and trainings for both students and teachers.

The 2013 LeaDeR in the Category of Engagement with Citizens: Ms Anna-Liisa Käri, Chair of the town council of Säkylä of the Finnish Centre Party, for her long-term dedication and hard work for the party, for having supported and encouraged young people and women and for having constantly developed direct contact with citizens over the past couple of decades.

The 2013 LeaDeR in the Category of Achievement in Opposition: Mr László Horváth, the opposition leader in the city of Zirc of the SZDSZ of Hungary. For having been well ahead of his time and having successfully developed a strategy of low carbon economy 10 years ago as mayor of his town, and for ensuring that the strategy is still followed by the political parties currently in power.

The 2013 LeaDeR in the Category of Achievement in Government: Mrs Gudrun Wilhelm, Kirchberg town councillor of the German Free Democratic Party, for her tireless and targeted action to encourage women to enter into politics through the work of cross-party non-denominational association which mentors women and encourages them to stand for office.

The 2013 LeaDeR in the Category of Lifetime Achievement: Mr Harald Schöne, Group Leader in Lemwerder Town Council of the German Free Democratic Party, for his dedicated work for the German Free Democratic Party for almost three decades, and for having significantly improved the municipal election results throughout those years.

For the full list of winners and finalists and more information please visit the ALDE-CoR Group website.