Teresa Freixes wins the 18th Otto von Habsburg Award for her commitment to European values
The jury of the Otto Habsburg Award, chaired by Florentino Portero Rodríguez, composed of the members of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Committee for the Pan-European Union, with Carlos Uriarte Sánchez acting as secretary, unanimously decided to award the 18th Otto Habsburg Award for the year 2021 to Teresa Freixes, Jean Monnet Professor of Constitutional Law ad personam and Vice-President of the Royal European Academy of Doctors.
The Otto von Habsburg Prize has been awarded since 2004 to personalities committed to the process of European integration and with strong links to our country: Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, Hermann Tertsch, José Antonio Jáuregui, Rosario Silva Lapuerta, Fernando Álvarez de Miranda, José María Gil-Robles, Simeón de Bulgaria, Lord Garel-Jones, Gerardo Fernández Albor, Raimundo Bassols, Emilio Lamo de Espinosa, Francisco Pinto Balsemao, Darío Valcárcel, Nick Clegg, Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, Eugenio Nasarre and Margaritis Schinás.
The laureate holds a PhD in Law from the University of Barcelona, was a Professor of Constitutional Law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and is a Jean Monnet Professor ad personam (Succes Stories distinction). She is vice-president of the Royal European Academy of Doctors, expert of the European Commission and the Council of Europe, president of the Free Culture Foundation and the international organisation Citizens pro Europe. As a legal expert, she has participated in the drafting of the Treaties of Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon, the European Constitution and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.
In this year 2021, Paneuropa España wanted to highlight with the Otto of Habsburg Award the commitment to democracy, freedom and the rule of law of a convinced pro-European, recognising her academic and activist career in civil society in the service of the construction of a United Europe.
Teresa Freixes has consistently embodied in her life the defence of a constitutionalism that integrates Spain, which this year celebrates 35 years of membership of the European Union, being a Catalan and a Spaniard, who has made Europe the homeland of her choice. In very difficult circumstances, in which the European Union must face major challenges, Freixes' example, from academia and civil society, is as commendable as it is encouraging.
