Speaker Richard Graf Coudenhove-Kalergi on the laureate:

‘After the fall of the Third Reich it became clear in Germany and France that the German–French opposition would lead to a double suicide on both sides. In this historic moment it was France […] who offered Germany their hand in reconciliation, offering to rebuild Europe together. However France’s generous and noble initiative would have failed had a great European not become Federal Chancellor of Germany […]: Konrad Adenauer.’