The European Medal of Tolerance is a medal established by the

European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (also ''ECTR'') is a non-governmental organization that was established in Paris, France on 7 October 2008 to monitor Toleration, tolerance in Europe. The Chairman of the council is former Brit ...

(ECTR) in 2008. The purpose of the prize is to honour and reward extraordinary creative achievements in the promotion of tolerance. The ultimate aim is to draw attention to successful undertakings that can serve as models in the field of tolerance and peace-building. The prize thus recognizes effectiveness as well as vision; impact assessment is a part of the decision process. This prize is dedicated to effective implementation of the Principles of Tolerance in public and private spheres, in particular in the policy making process, legislative action on the national and regional level and law enforcement activities as well as in the arts, education, culture, science and communication. The prize is to be awarded to persons, groups of persons, non-governmental, governmental and intergovernmental organizations and institutions for exceptional contributions to and leadership in, the promotion of tolerance on the European continent and to the fight against intolerance such as xenophobia, anti-Semitism, aggressive nationalism, political extremism and racially motivated hate crime. The prize may be awarded to the families of outstanding individuals who have lost their lives in the struggle against intolerance. The prize is a gold 'European Medal of Tolerance' presented to the recipient as a concrete and lasting token of the award.

History

The first Medal of Tolerance was awarded on November 11, 2008 in the context of the Week of Tolerance in Europe international public initiative. “We need to unite our efforts to fight any manifestation of extreme nationalism, discrimination, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and racism throughout Europe,” said European Parliament President Martin Schulz. “Still today, in parts of Europe, we see the demons of the past raise their ugly heads. This is warning to all of us. As Edmund Burke said ‘All that’s necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.’" "We aim to send a strong message that despite the current difficulties in Europe, a strong and brave leadership can solve problems peacefully," said ECTR Co-Chairman

Viatcheslav Kantor Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (russian: link=no, Вячеслав Моше Кантор, born on September 8, 1953 in Moscow) is a Russian businessman and philanthropist who has close ties to the Vladimir Putin regime in Russia. Kantor heads the Acro ...

Recipients

The First European Medal of Tolerance was conferred on October 11, 2010 on the King of Spain

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

for his lifelong dedication and devotion to the issue of

tolerance Tolerance or toleration is the state of tolerating, or putting up with, conditionally. Economics, business, and politics * Toleration Party, a historic political party active in Connecticut * Tolerant Systems, the former name of Veritas Software ...

and political reconciliation. The second and the third European Medals of Tolerance were conferred on President of Croatia

Ivo Josipovic Ivo is a masculine given name, in use in various European languages. The name used in western European languages originates as a Normannic name recorded since the High Middle Ages, and the French name Yves is a variant of it. The unrelated So ...

and Ex-President of Serbia

Boris Tadic Boris may refer to: People * Boris (given name), a male given name *:''See'': List of people with given name Boris * Boris (surname) * Boris I of Bulgaria (died 907), the first Christian ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, canonized after his ...

at the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

in Brussels by

Chairman

Alexander Kwasniewski Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and ECTR Co-Chairman

, in recognition of the Balkan statesmens’ “significant contribution to promoting, seeking, safeguarding or maintaining tolerance on the European continent”. In 2015 Samuel Eto'o, a famous football-player, was awarded for his fight against racism in football. The European Medal of Tolerance for the 2016 was conferred on film director

Andrey Konchalovsky Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky (russian: link=no, Андрей Сергеевич Михалков-Кончаловский; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian filmmaker. He has worked in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian ...

"for his cultural achievements focused on preserving the tragic memory of the past including his film "

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

". The European Medal of Tolerance for the 2017 was awarded to Prince of Monaco Albert II for his exceptional personal leadership and inspiration to advance truth, tolerance and historical reconciliation. The European Medal of Tolerance for 2018 was awarded to HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco for his commitment to truth, tolerance and historical reconciliation.

References

{{Reflist Peace awards