We are very glad to inform you that PICUM, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants, has received this year's Theodor-Heuss-Medal.

The Theodor-Heuss-Foundation was founded in order to honour examples of democratic commitment, the courage to stand up for one's beliefs, and the commitment to the strengthening and development of democracy.

Press release - Theodor Heuss Foundation, 20 January 2004

Decision on awarding the 2004 Theodor-Heuss Prize 

The board and the curatorship of the Theodor-Heuss-Foundation have awarded the prize in the framework of the theme of the year, "Impetuses for a Europe of Citizens", to the founder and director of the "Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen" (Institute for Human Sciences), Kriysztof Michalski.

The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 3^rd 2004, in the White Room of the Neues Schloss in Stuttgart. The laudatory speech will be given by Kurt Biedenkopf. The Theodor-Heuss-Prize is not monetary.

Reasons

2004 has been characterized by decisions on the European level which are most important and which will influence the long-term development. After the failure of the European Constitution, this is enough of a reason for the Theodor-Heuss-Foundation to once again make Europe the subject of the prize's theme of the year by honoring people and organizations that fight for the direct involvement of the citizens of Europe, for the strengthening of a democratic European consciousness, and the promotion of elements of the civil society, and through this for the process of European integration. Without this foundation in society, without the participation of the citizens in the fashioning of the European Union, there will only be an institutional Europe, not a living and lived one.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, the Polish philosopher Krysztof Michalski has played an important role in deepening the political and cultural dialogue between East and West. Through this, he contributed to the liberation from Communism in the 1980s, and in the 1990s, he promoted the development of a democratic civil society in countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Mr. Michalski and his Viennese institute combine the highest of intellectual standards with questions of political feasibility and special sponsoring of the young generation. After the enlargement of the EU, this work will be more important than ever. Europe can only thrive if East and West are prepared to rethink their positions and face their future challenges together. At the same time, Krysztof Michalski is an important mediator in transatlantic dialogue: he is a professor at Boston University, at which the Institute of Human Sciences has an office which is mainly dedicated to the relations between the United States and Europe.

This year's Theodor-Heuss-Medals – which equal the prize in importance – go to three outstanding organizations, which are committed in a selfless and concrete way to the involvement of young Europeans with Europe, to inter-cultural exchange, and to the right of any person, no matter what their legal status is, to humane treatment.  

(1) Young European Federalists (YEF)

(2) MitOst e.V.

(3) PICUM – Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants

More Information

2004 Prize Recipient: Prof. Dr. Krysztof Michalski

Born in 1948 in Warsaw, of Polish and Austrian nationalities, Mr. Michalski completed his Ph.D. studies in 1974 in Heidegger and Contemporary Philosophy, and did a habilitation thesis (1986, Attempt on phenomenological analysis) at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Warsaw. He was a recipient of the 1977 Alexander von Humboldt grant and the 1982 Thyssen grant in Cologne and Heidelberg. In 1982, he founded the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna together with Cornelia Klinger and Klaus Nellen, and with the support of Józef Tischner. He has been its rector since 1983. Since 1978, Michalski has taught at the University of Warsaw, where he is a professor. He has held the Erasmus chair of philosophy at the University of Warsaw since 1994. He has also taught at Boston University since 1986, where he has been a professor since 1990. Together with Hans-Georg Gadamer and Gottfried Boehm, he taught courses at the Interuniversity Center for Post-Graduate Studies in Dubrovnik (Hermeneutics and the Arts), and he has also taught at the Cortona Summer School, Italy, since 1990. Mr. Michalski has published a number of articles and books. He is the editor of the biannual magazine "Transit" of the "Europäische Revue" (Verlag Neue Kritik, Frankfurt), and of the series "Castelgandolfo Colloquia" (Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart). His awards include the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (April 2003), the European Cultural Award, Cracow (October 1998) and the "1994 Man of the Year" Award of the Polish daily Zycie Warszawy (December 1994) (http://www.iwm.at).

Theodor-Heuss-Medals were awarded this year to:  

1. Young European Federalists

The Young European Federalists' commitment has been to a Europe of democracy, closeness to citizens, sustainability, solidarity, federalism and peace. "We live in Europe; and we want to have our say and help shape it. The new, unified Europe shall be our Europe!" The Jungen Europäischen Föderalisten Deutschland e.V. is the German section of the international Jungen Europäischen Föderalisten/Young European Federalists/Jeunes Européens Fédéralistes (JEF), which is active in nearly 30 European countries. The JEF is an independent youth association with an interest in European politics, but not party politics, and has approximately 3,500 members in Germany and around 150,000 members in the whole of Europe. JEF does not see Europe as just the European Union, but as a place of meeting and getting to know each other. At the JEF, young people meet who want to discover Europe's wealth of countries and cultures. JEF motivates young people to take part in shaping the future of Europe. To achieve that, they organise – often cooperating with European partner sections – basic seminars about the EU, seminars for editors of school papers, simulation games, study trips and seminars about different European topics (http://www.jef.de).

2. MitOst e.V.

MitOst e.V. is an association for the exchange of language and culture in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, which was founded in 1996 by recipients of grants awarded by the Robert Bosch Foundation. In 2003, the association had 701 members across Europe. The aim of MitOst is to overcome boundaries – on maps and in minds. MitOst members do not only aim to collect information and experiences about the people’s ways of living in countries in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and discover their perceptions of each other and of the West, but also stimulate enthusiasm about languages and cultures in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, thereby helping with the understanding amongst the people and peoples of these lively and multifaceted cultural places. The focus of the association's work lies in the organisation of meetings and cultural projects on a non-profit basis. These activities range from the organisation of cultural trips or meetings, to organising international seminars on current or historical matters, and cultural projects in the areas of film, theatre and literature (http://www.mitost.de).

3.          PICUM (Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants)

PICUM is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that supports undocumented migrants throughout Europe and promotes the respect of their human rights. PICUM works as an umbrella organisation which supports its members – mostly other NGOs or other interested groups – with its know-how and advice, and strengthens their networking amongst each other. Another important task is the formulation of proposals and demands in order to improve the legal and social positions of these immigrants according to national constitutions and international contracts. In many European countries, “illegal” migrants live at the margins of society. Because they do not have any residence permit, they are often excluded from basic services, such as health care, shelter, food and clothing, but also legal advice and legal protection, education and training. The marginalisation of these people causes social problems, which have to be solved by civil society. (http://www.picum.org).

Theodor-Heuss-Foundation

The Theodor-Heuss-Foundation was founded in 1964 after the death of the first president of Germany by Hildegard Hamm-Brücher, his son Ernst Ludwig Heuss, and a circle of friends of the first president, including Adolf Butenandt, Otto Hahn, Werner Heisenberg, Golo Mann, Carl Zuckmayer, in order to honour examples of democratic commitment, the courage to stand up for one's beliefs, and the commitment to the strengthening and development of democracy in his memory, and thereby "to point out something that has to be done and fashioned in our democracy, without it being completed yet" (Carl Friedrich v. Weizsäcker, 1965). The Theodor-Heuss-Prize was awarded for the first time in 1965.

Contact information:

Theodor-Heuss-Stiftung zur Förderung der politischen Bildung und Kultur e.V.
Antoinette Cherbuliez, Geschäftsführerin
Im Himmelsberg 16
70192 Stuttgart
Germany
Tel.: +49 711 55 91 98
Fax: +49 711 55 92 07
info@theodor-heuss-stiftung.de
www.theodor-heuss-stiftung.de