Covid obliges, it is with a year of delay that the House of Europe and the European press club awarded, yesterday in Paris, the 2,020 prizes for the European initiative. In place for 15 years, this distinction has already been recognized for the work of some sixty journalists. More than a job, it is an interest in European public affairs that has been rewarded, to the delight of Clément Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs who often deplores that the media do not talk enough about the subject. . “Talking about Europe is not a militant act, it is a democratic act!” he insisted during this ceremony. For Michel Derdevet, president of the Maison de l’Europe in Paris – whose mission is to promote meetings between Europeans – this prize rewards the work of journalists, press editors, “who have always spoken of Europe, in deciphering the debates and issues, placing them in a national context, far from fake news “. Whatever their medium, paper or web, their history, their location, the winners “are committed from Europe” summarized Clément Beaune.
Cooperation with Germany
First among the winners, the Groupe Dépêche foundation. Created in 2008, it is the first corporate foundation resulting from a regional daily press group. “Throughout our distribution area, it relays the values of our group and is particularly committed to strengthening solidarity. A solidarity that passes through Europe”, as President Marie-France Marchand recalled yesterday. -Baylet by receiving the prize. “Since 2017, we have been working with the German Embassy and we have set up a Franco-German group which works and exchanges on Europe and cooperation. We welcome a large German community, thanks to the presence of Airbus In Toulouse”.
After explaining the important work of the foundation, which notably awards scholarships to underprivileged high school graduates, Marie-France Marchand Baylet recalled that the Depeche group, which has just celebrated its 150th anniversary, had particular strength thanks to its “total independence. “. A group that has always welcomed the pen of those who defended humanist values beyond our borders, from Jean Jaurès to Clémenceau via Thomas Mann.
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