French President Emmanuel Macron has received the International Charlemagne Prize for his contribution to European unity, German media reported.
The awards ceremony took place on Thursday in the German city of Aachen.
The Charlemagne Prize Directorate has reportedly recognized Macron's "powerful vision of a new Europe" and his struggle against nationalism and isolationism.
The French politician, an advocate of greater European integration and solidarity, has revived the so called "European project" amid challenges such as Brexit, Eurozone bailouts and nationalist tendencies. In particular, he was honored as a "brave mastermind for the renewal of the European dream," as stated in the explanatory statement.
In interviews with the ARD broadcaster and Deutsche Welle that took place ahead of the ceremony on Wednesday evening, Macron expressed hopes for greater engagement of the German government in EU reforms.
He also stressed that the claims about Germany bearing the main burden of the financial crisis within the bloc and "paying for everything" is absolutely wrong. Everyone in the EU, including France, has made contributions to helping countries in need, Macron argued.
Macron also pleaded for an extension of the nuclear agreement with Iran and called on the Europeans to stay in the deal because it was important for stability in the Middle East.
His statement came after US President Donald Trump declared on May 8, that Washington would withdraw from the international deal on Iran's nuclear program, which was reached in 2015 by Iran, the United States, Russia, France, China, Great Britain, Germany and the EU in order to secure the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program.
The Charlemagne Prize is given to people who make efforts to strengthen Europe and promote European values. It has been awarded since 1950 to individuals working in literary, scientific, economic or political fields.
