No 59/2014
17 October 2014
REWARDING EXCELLENCE IN CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVES
Slovakian Centre for Sustainable Development (ETP) wins 1st prize
in the European Economic and Social Committee 2014 Civil Society
Prize for Roma inclusion projects
The Reverend Archimandrite Athinagoras Loukataris from Greece and IQ Roma servis
from the Czech Republic share 2nd prize.
"We hope that our self-empowering initiative will be a role model for European policy-makers", said
the director of the Centre Slávka Mačáková after collecting the first prize of EUR 15 000 from EESC
President Henri Malosse.
Vice-president Jane Morrice awarded the two second prizes worth EUR 7 500 each to the Reverend
Archimandrite Athinagoras Loukataris from Greece and IQ Roma servis from the Czech Republic.
"The appreciation of our work through the Civil Society Prize provides us with the necessary energy
to carry on", said the Director of IQ Roma servis Katarína Klamková. "Human kind needs more
people to be specialists in making the impossible happen," commented Archimandrite Loukataris.
All the winning organisations were accompanied to the Award Ceremony by Roma representatives
from their communities who benefit from their programmes focused on housing, education and
social support.
The Civil Society Prize jury, composed of the EESC president, the two vice-presidents, the
presidents of the three groups and the secretary-general, had the difficult task of choosing three
winners from a wide range of excellent projects. The EESC received 81 applications from across the
European Union. Four external expert assessors shortlisted eight entries. The shortlist included
Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) from Spain, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, the European
Grassroots Antiracist Movement from France, the Autonomous Centre (ACT) from Croatia and the
Hirundo Drop-In Centre at the Helsinki Deaconess Institute from Finland. To find out more about
the Civil Society Prize and the winners, including video and photo material, go to the EESC webpage here. To watch or download the recorded Civil Society Prize ceremony go here.
For more information, please contact:
Siana Glouharova - EESC Press Unit
E-mail: press@eesc.europa.eu
Tel: +32 2 546 92 76/ Mob: + 32 (0) 473 53 40 02
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Tel. +32 2 546 9779 – Fax +32 25469764
E-mail: press@eesc.europa.eu – Internet: www.eesc.europa.eu
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The European Economic and Social Committee represents the various economic and social components of organised civil
society. It is an institutional consultative body established by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Its consultative role enables its
members, and hence the organisations they represent, to participate in the EU decision-making process. The Committee has
353 members from across Europe, who are appointed by the Council of the European Union.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 99 – 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel – BELGIQUE/BELGIË
Tel. +32 2 546 9779 – Fax +32 25469764
E-mail: press@eesc.europa.eu – Internet: www.eesc.europa.eu
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