In an inspiring ceremony, designed and brought to life by SYMVOLI, the 2025 ‘Empress Theophano’ Prize was awarded to EUROPA NOSTRA, in recognition of six decades of tireless dedication to safeguarding and celebrating Europe’s cultural heritage.
This year’s Prize underscores heritage as a living, dynamic force, a wellspring of identity, connection, and shared responsibility, vital in an era when Europe faces unprecedented challenges and the power of dialogue and collaboration has never been more essential.
SYMVOLI is proud to continue designing and coordinating the Theophano Foundation’s events since its founding in 2019, particularly when they illuminate the values that unite societies and breathe life into our common European culture.
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EUROPA NOSTRA, the leading pan-European organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of European cultural heritage,was awarded yesterday the 6th “Empress Theophano” Prize, in a magnificent ceremony held at the emblematic Rotunda Monument, in the presence of leading personalities from around the world. The award was presented by H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Constantine An. Tassoulas, to the Executive President of EUROPA NOSTRA, Professor Dr. Hermann Parzinger, and the Secretary General of the Organization, Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović.
Speeches were delivered by the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Constantine An. Tassoulas, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Theophano Foundation Stavros Andreadis, the Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Foundation and President Emeritus of the European Council Herman Count Van Rompuy, the President of EUROPA NOSTRA Cecilia Bartoli, the Executive President of EUROPA NOSTRA Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger and the Secretary General of EUROPA NOSTRA Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, all converging on a common message: Europe needs bridges of dialogue, cooperation, sustainability and hope.
The event, presented by the ERT journalist Apostolos Mangiriadis, ended with a musical tribute to seven composers from an equal number of countries, performed by fifteen musicians from nine European countries, under the artistic supervision of the Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Marshall Marcus. The music program, framed by images and symbols that highlighted the Rotunda and elements of different European cultures, honored the diversity of European cultural heritage and the long course of EUROPA NOSTRA, and was proof that the musical and cultural palette of the European continent is inexhaustible.
The Award Ceremony was honoured with the presence of: fr. President of Finland Tarja Halonen, fr. Minister of Trade of Spain Maria Luisa Poncela, the Deputy Minister of Interior, Sector of Macedonia-Thrace, Konstantinos Gioulekas, the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia, Athina Aidona, the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, the Deputy Minister of Development, Stavros Kalafatis, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security, Anna Efthymiou, the President of the Network for Reform in Greece and Europe and fr. Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs of the European Union, Anna Diamantopoulou, and many others.
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