Published on
19/05/2026 - 19:07 GMT+2
A palpable sense of embarrassment was noticeable when the Anthem of Europe resounded in the Strasbourg European Parliament on Tuesday, with a clutch of grey heads at the centre of the stage symbolised the Old Continent getting older.
The conferral ceremony of the European Order of Merit was meant to celebrate the European Union with an assortment of heavyweights who helped build it and fresh faces who can shape its future.
But of the 20 laureates chosen this year, almost all the 13 laureates who actually attended the ceremony belong to the emeritus cohort, leaving the event to serve as a snapshot of a world that no longer exists.
