Speaker Martin Schulz on the laureate:

‘President Grybauskaitė has said [...] that one never accepts awards just for oneself, but always for other people too. So I am certain that she will agree with me when I say that [...] with this prize, originally instituted by the people of Aachen, we are at the same time honouring the people of Lithuania. A people which has undergone immeasurable suffering in its history, which had to fight for its independence and its rightful place in the European family. A people which has overcome an economic crisis, through many hardships but with its head held high. A people which, in its unshakeable trust in the European Union and its unwavering commitment to a Europe of solidarity, is an example to us all.’