Mario Draghi, the Italian economist and banker who led the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019, received the 2026 International Charlemagne Prize in recognition of his role in stabilising the eurozone and promoting European unity. His decisive response to the euro crisis had already earned him the nickname “Super Mario” among journalists and financial markets.

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At the ceremony, Friedrich Merz and Kyriakos Mitsotakis described Draghi as a key figure in protecting Europe during a period of economic turmoil. Merz used the event to call for a stronger and more integrated European Union, urging member states to increase investment in competitiveness and defence in response to pressure from the United States under Donald Trump and growing competition from China.

In his acceptance speech, Draghi warned that Europe risked falling behind global powers without deeper economic integration and major investment in energy, digital infrastructure and the single market. He criticised the fragmentation of European markets and argued that new trade agreements alone would not solve the bloc’s structural weaknesses. He also renewed calls for joint European borrowing, despite resistance from fiscally conservative countries including Germany.

His remarks come as EU member states negotiate the bloc’s 2028-2034 budget framework amid growing debate over debt, industrial competitiveness and defence spending. Draghi’s position echoes the recommendations of his widely discussed 2024 report on European competitiveness, which called for annual investments of up to €800 billion.

The Charlemagne Prize was created in Aachen after the Second World War to honour people and institutions that strengthen European cooperation and integration. Named after Charlemagne, who ruled much of Western Europe from Aachen, the award has previously been given to figures including Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Angela Merkel and the European Union itself.