Oxford University historian Timothy Garton Ash, an outspoken opponent of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, is to receive the 2017 Charlemagne Prize conferred annually by the German city of Aachen.
Pope Francis was last year’s winner of the prize, awarded annually to those who have contributed most to the ideals of post-war Europe, reports Reuters.
The prize organizers described Garton Ash as “an extraordinary British academic, who has commented on and accompanied the journey of the European Union with passion and precision, providing the community with thoughtful depth”.
It singled the historian out for his engagement and commitment to a unified Europe, and his call to press forward towards an EU with “practical construction that is strong enough to weather the storm”..
The price is named for Charlemagne, the eighth to ninth century Frankish ruler who carved out a European empire.
