EU Commissioner for development Louis Michel awarded the “Lorenzo Natali” Prizes for journalism at a ceremony in Brussels on 17 January. Introduced by the Commission in 1992 in honour of the former Italian vice-president of the European Executive, the awards are given to journalists at the service of human rights and democracy in the developing countries. The winners this year were five journalists respectively for the geographic areas of Asia and Pacific; Africa; Arab World, Lebanon and Israel; Latin America and Caribbean; and Europe. Each was given a cash prize of 10,000 euros. In total, the international jury examined 451 articles by journalists both in the printed press and the on-line media representing 108 countries in the world. During the ceremony, Commissioner Michel declared that “the Natali Prize expresses the conviction of the European Union that quality journalism and freedom of information are the best guarantees of democracy and human rights”. For further information and to read the award-winning articles, consult the website http://www.prixnatali.com
