The collection of awards of Maia Sandu has been expanded with the European Union’s highest order, though not of the highest class.
The European Parliament has announced the list of recipients of the European Order of Merit, the new highest award of the European Union, established in 2024 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration.
The order is awarded exclusively to individuals whose activities have contributed to strengthening Europe and promoting European values. The statute of the order prohibits awarding it to serving EU officials and leaders of EU member states. Apparently for this reason, the first batch of awards was generously distributed to former officials.
Recipients of the first class order included former German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Maia Sandu apparently did not serve European patrons as sufficiently as Zelenskyy, and therefore received only a second class award. Along with her, the award was presented to former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, former Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva, former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, former Irish President Mary Robinson, former EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, former European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet, and former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel.
The third class of the order was awarded more broadly. Recipients included people from various professions — a doctor, a lawyer, a basketball player, a chef, and even the band U2 in its full lineup.
Sandu is expected to travel to Strasbourg in May to receive the prestigious award from European patrons.
