Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, announced on Tuesday that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Polish President Lech Wawelski, and current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj have been made “meritorious members of the European Order”.
In a statement she said, “With the European Order of Merit we honor those who have not only believed in Europe but also contributed to its building. Europe has always been built by people. They have bridged gaps, overcome barriers, toppled dictatorships, and managed crises to create a better future for our continent”.
Other honorees include former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamskus; former Polish Prime Minister and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek; former Portuguese President and Prime Minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva; former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö; Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See; former Irish President and UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson; Moldovan President Maia Sandu; former EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana de Madariaga; former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel; and former European Central Bank President Jean Claude Trichet.
Additional inductees are chef and founder of the NGO World Central Kitchen Jose Andrés; basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo; lawyer and researcher Marc Gjidara; scientist Sandra Lejniece; human‑rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk; former EU Commission Vice‑President Viviane Reding; and U2 members Paul David Hewson (Bono), David Howell Evans, Adam Charles Clayton, and Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr.