• The keynote speakers at the current Charlemagne Prize ceremony are German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
• Chairman of the Board of Directors Armin Laschet emphasized in the press conference that the current Charlemagne Prize ceremony would send a "powerful signal for a common, self-sufficient and competitive Europe".

• Lord Mayor Dr. Michael Ziemons is particularly looking forward to the Citizens' Festival and Charlemagne Prize LIVE on the Katschhof: "The citizens of our city and the many guests who make up the special charm of our city are particularly important to me. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you once again to Charlemagne Prize LIVE - our citizens' festival."

Just a few days before the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen is awarded to the former President of the European Central Bank and former Italian Prime Minister Professor Mario Draghi, Aachen's Lord Mayor Dr. Michael Ziemons and Armin Lachet MdB, Chairman of the Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors, announced details of the award ceremony today, May 11. Accordingly, around 700 people will take part in the festivities in the Coronation Hall on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 14. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will give speeches in recognition of the prizewinner. Christine Lagarde will also be a guest in Aachen; the President of the European Central Bank will be the speaker at the pre-event dinner in the Aula Carolina. 

Europe's strong voice in the world

The Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors honours the former President of the European Central Bank and former Italian Prime Minister, Professor Mario Draghi, with the Charlemagne Prize 2026 for his outstanding life's work, his decisive contribution to the stabilization of the European Economic and Monetary Union and his impetus for Europe's competitiveness.

The Chairman of the Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors, Armin Laschet, also emphasized in the press conference that he is very convinced that the current Charlemagne Prize ceremony will send a "powerful signal for a common, self-sufficient and competitive Europe": "We are looking forward to prominent guests from all over Europe and to exciting discussions and impulses on the future of Europe in the speeches at the award ceremony, at the Charlemagne Prize Europe Forum and in the talks surrounding the Charlemagne Prize."

Guests of honor

Among the guests at the Charlemagne Prize ceremony are former Charlemagne Prize winners Veronica Tsepkalo, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Maria Kalesnikava as well as Martin Schulz. Christine Lagarde, Jean-Claude Trichet, Jean-Claude Juncker, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, His Royal Highness Grand Duke Guillaume V and the Charlemagne Prize Laureate of the Year 2025 Dr. Ursula von der Leyen will also attend the ceremony.

Also in attendance were Edi Rama (Prime Minister of Albania), Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman (Foreign Minister of Croatia), Gunther Krichbaum (Minister of State for European Affairs at the Federal Foreign Office), European Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera, European Parliament Vice-President Sabine Verheyen, Hendrik Wüst (Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia), Nathanael Liminski (NRW Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs, and Media), Mona Neubaur (NRW Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy), and Herbert Reul (NRW Minister of the Interior) are guests of honor at the Charlemagne Prize award ceremony. Numerous other elected officials, ambassadors, consuls general, representatives of churches and religious communities, as well as representatives from Aachen’s sister cities have confirmed their attendance.

Award of the European Charlemagne Youth Prize

The European Charlemagne Youth Prize will be awarded on the Tuesday before the Charlemagne Prize ceremony on May 12. Hundreds of young people from the Member States of the European Union have once again entered the competition with very different and diverse projects that contribute to European understanding, promote the development of a common identity and are exemplary of Europe in action. This year, young people from Europe submitted 531 projects. The representatives of the 27 national winning projects and around 50 other alumni from all over Europe are currently in Aachen for a four-day stay. They are meeting here for the first time today and are already rehearsing together in the afternoon for the award ceremony.

On the evening of the Youth Karlspreis award ceremony, the Aachener Zeitung and the Karlspreis Foundation invite young people from the region to an open exchange about Europe, media and ideas for the future. Together with the current Youth Karlspreis winners, young journalists and young founders from the border triangle, there will be space for discussion, networking and new perspectives. From 1 p.m., visitors to SPACEBUZZ ONE will be able to experience Europe from the perspective of ESA astronauts on an immersive VR flight into space and gain inspiration for further joint thinking.

Charlemagne Prize Europe Forum

On Wednesday, May 13, the Charlemagne Prize Europe Forum traditionally takes place, also in 2026 at "Das Liebig"; this time under the theme "Securing sovereignty. With new strength for Europe!". In the immediate run-up to the Charlemagne Prize ceremony, European leaders from politics, business, science, media, culture and society will come together for a conference on perspectives and discuss pressing challenges. The individual panels with Charlemagne Prize winner Mario Draghi and Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche are eagerly awaited. This year, the forum will focus on Europe's economic resilience, international competitiveness and the question of how sovereignty and the ability to act can be secured in a fragmented global order. 

The visiting program of the Charlemagne Prize Lecture

Mario Draghi will also take part briefly in the Charlemagne Prize Europe Forum on Wednesday afternoon. Beforehand, he will visit RWTH Aachen University at 2.15 p.m. to speak to students and seek dialog in the auditorium of the main building. Prepared by students from the "Leonardo" project at RWTH Aachen University and the European University Alliance ENHANCE, the visit promises to be a special encounter with the former President of the European Central Bank and former Italian Prime Minister.

Karlpreis LIVE at the Katschhof

"The citizens of our city and the many guests who make up the special charm of our city are particularly important to me. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you once again to Charlemagne Prize LIVE - our citizens' festival," says Lord Mayor Dr. Michael Ziemons. On Wednesday at around 7 p.m., the designated Charlemagne Prize winner will be a guest at "Charlemagne Prize LIVE" on the Katschhof. On the stage there, Medienhaus editor-in-chief Thomas Thelen will conduct an interview with Mario Draghi and introduce him and the Youth Charlemagne Prize winners present to the people of Aachen. The cultural program at the Katschhof begins at 4 pm. Michael Schulte will be performing from 8 pm. The German singer-songwriter, who achieved an internationally acclaimed fourth place at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon in 2018 with "You Let Me Walk Alone", stands for emotional songs, a powerful voice and great stage presence. Beforehand, DJ Adelaid from Rome will transform the Katschhof into an after-work dance floor at 6 pm.

Charlemagne Prize Live: The celebration

On Ascension Day, the activities at Katschhof start at 11 am. From 11.15 a.m. there will be a TV broadcast of the ceremony on a large video screen on the market square. The former President of the European Central Bank and former Italian Prime Minister, Professor Mario Draghi, the Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors and the guests of honor of the award ceremony are expected to make short statements on the Katschhof stage shortly after 1 pm. As things stand at present, various guests of honor will also be speaking alongside the Charlemagne Prize winner.

This will be followed by a top-class program including the internationally renowned Italian guitar quartet "40 Fingers", which will play at the award ceremony beforehand. The "WDR-Maus" and Aachen's well-known a cappella formation "fünflinge.

Great media interest

There is great media interest in this year's award ceremony. Three days before the Charlemagne Prize ceremony, the city's Department of Communications and City Marketing has received over 80 accreditation requests - including teams from ARD, ZDF and WDR, El Periódico, Reuters, Süddeutsche Zeitung, DPA, Deutsche Welle, Neue Züricher Zeitung, Börsen-Zeitung, AFP, as well as numerous regional media from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Charlemagne Prize ceremony will be broadcast live on WDR television from 11.15 a.m. on Ascension Day.

Vehicle fleet

For many years, the Mercedes-Benz Aachen branch has provided part of the vehicle fleet for the guests of honor at the Charlemagne Prize ceremony. Johannes Kunsmann, Branch Manager of Mercedes-Benz AG in Aachen, symbolically handed over a key for the vehicle fleet to the Lord Mayor in the run-up to the award ceremony.

Dinner before dinner

Guests at the pre-dinner in the Aula Carolina can look forward to a selection of Eifel smoked char, burrata, lemongrass, buttermilk and herb oil, pasture-fed beef "cooked for 48 hours" with potato mousseline, spring vegetables and a fine jus, as well as a "Karlsschmarrn" made from plum, poppy seeds and vanilla foam. This menu also includes a vegetarian option. DORN - Catering and Events will once again be responsible for the catering. The dinner will be accompanied musically by Maya Alexandra Kasprzak (violin)

Julia Raphaela Kasprzak (violin), prizewinners and scholarship holders of the German Foundation for Musical Life.

Safety zones

On May 13 and 14, there will be various temporary road closures and no-stopping zones, particularly in the city center. Residents and business owners will face short-term and unavoidable restrictions during this time. This also means that some restaurants and bars will have to remain closed. The City of Aachen and the Aachen Police are working to minimize these impacts and ensure access to residences. To keep access checks as brief as possible, it is recommended that you carry a valid photo ID. Detailed information and a map showing road closures and access points can be found on the police website at https://aachen.polizei.nrw/artikel/karlspreisverleihung-2026.

The City of Aachen and the Aachen Police ask cyclists to park their bicycles outside the security zone during this time. Bicycles located in the restricted area (protection zone 1) around the town hall on Ascension Day will not be accessible. Anyone wishing to collect their bike from protection zone 2 must be checked at the access points.

The police have currently been notified of four gatherings with several hundred participants on Ascension Day. This may result in traffic disruptions in the city center.