15 December 2009

Winner of ‘Jean Monnet’ 2009 Journalist Award Competition announced

The winner of the ‘Jean Monnet’ 2009 Journalist Award Competition, launched by the Delegation of European Union is Josif KJURCHIEV, formerly a journalist of Deutsche Velle and columnist in Utrinski Vesnik. He won the prize for best journalistic story on this year’s topic "From the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 to the 2004 Enlargement" for a serial of articles published in Utrinski Vesnik.

The Delegation of European Union organised a traditional event on 15 December, at which Ambassador Erwan FOUÉRÉ handed over the prize to Mr. KJURCHIEV.

The media play a very important democratic role in public life: you are responsible for bringing out the truth. Therefore, I strongly urge you all to reinforce your efforts in advancing the level of professionalism in the journalistic work, said Ambassador FOUÉRÉ and added that the Delegation of European Union consider the media key partners in communicating the European Union values and standards to the viewing and reading public.

The winner expressed gratitude for the prize and emphasised that the serial was not written for competition but with an intention to explain the crucial processes in Europe started 20 years ago in the Eastern European countries.

The 2009 topic for the competition was chosen in order to mark the 5th anniversary of the biggest EU enlargement and the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This year, the members of the jury evaluated about 70 printed articles and TV and radio shows. The members of the jury were: Mr. Jordan PLEVNESH, writer, publicist and former ambassador, Ms. Gonca STOJANOVSKA, from the Secretariat for European Affairs, Ms. Sonja BOHNET, from the German Embassy, Mr. Gazment AJDINI, from the Association of Journalists, as well as representatives from the Delegation of European Union.

The prize itself consists of a small statuette and an award amounting to €1,000.

This year’s event was enriched with two additional elements: promotion of the revised edition of the book “Europe from A to Z”, by Werner Weidenfeld and Wolfgang Wessels, published by the Conrad Adenauer Foundation in cooperation with the Delegation of European Union, SEA and GTZ, and the opening of the photo exhibition “Europe without borders” by two amateur photographers, Elena Georgieva and Kristina Georgieva.

+ Photo gallery of the event