2013 - On 6th February, on his visit to Luxembourg, the then Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (now President of the European Council since 1 December 2014) was awarded the “Mérite Européen” by Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker for his achievements as a “great European.”

“The Polish Premier is one of the few statesmen who can reconcile national patriotism with European patriotism,” Juncker said in his speech of honour on Wednesday. He added that it was due to Tusk's efforts that Poland's voice in the EU was being heard today.

President of the “Mérite Européen” foundation, Jacques Santer, also praised Tusk. He also pointed out the fact that Germany had nominated Tusk for the award, saying that this was a clear sign of the success of the politics of reconciliation.

In his acceptance speech, Tusk frequently spoke about Europe's values, which were all the more important to Poland as its population was deprived of democracy under communist rule. He added that the road to becoming a member of the European Union had been long, but that all efforts had been worth it as Europe had always been a “Land of Dreams” for the Polish people.