Parliament awards the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for outstanding journalism work based on the principles and values of the EU. Roberta METSOLA, EP President, opens the ceremony and statement by Carol VALADE, journalist and co-author with Clement DI ROMA of "Centrafrique : le soft power russe", laureates. Extracts from the ceremony.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

ceremony

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

freedom of press and media (T)

PICIERNO, Pina (S&D, IT)

Daphne Caruana Galizia prize for journalism (T)

president's agenda

CARUANA GALIZIA, Matthew (MT)

Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism 2022: extracts from the ceremony in presence of Roberta METSOLA, EP President

Arrival of Roberta METSOLA, EP President and ambiance shots of the award ceremony (7 shots)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pina PICIERNO (S&amp;D, IT), Speaking the truth is vital. Speaking the truth and tell the truth. Even if your voice is shaking, that perhaps expresses best who Daphne was. And you need to be brave even when you are afraid. You need to be strong despite your weaknesses in this new Europe that is coming into being day in and day out. The name of Daphne Caruana Galizia is one of the key foundations of this new Europe and this award ceremony and this prize a symbolic and emblematic of this Parliament's commitment.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, To honour Daphne and all that she stood for, we are gathered here today to award the prise bearing her name for outstanding journalistic work, guided by the very same values that she stood and fought for.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Today, we reaffirm this commitment not only to journalists present in this press room, but to all media professionals who are facing threats designed to influence their work. Because we know that the freedom of journalists to be able to do their jobs cannot be uncoupled from the protection of our democracy. We are talking about two sides of the same coin protecting journalists. Protecting the truth means protecting our way of life, and especially in these dangerous and uncertain times, supporting the free media means supporting democracy itself.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists - 200 candidates from 27 countries across the European Union. With my colleagues who are here in this room who sit on the European jury with me. For us, it was very difficult to make a choice out of so many submissions, very difficult because they were of a very high standard. And the topics that they covered were really essential topics. But doing journalism, as I said last year in Brussels, is also to make choices. And our votes eventually went to a remarkable work, not just for its content, but also this breadth of its scope.

Anthony BELLANGER announces Carol VALADE and Cl&eacute;ment DI ROMA as the 2022 laureates of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize.

SOUNDBITE (French), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 laureate - First of all, thank you to the jury. Thank you to the European Parliament for this prize. Thank you to those in authority who also trusted us to make this first format.

SOUNDBITE (French), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 laureate - Thank you to our colleagues from the Central African Republic and to the correspondents in Central Africa. who worked with us. And thank you to the family of Daphne Caruana, glitzier as well. Five years after her assassination, her name is as inspiring as ever, if not indeed more inspiring. Hundreds of us, day in and day out are doing our best to live up to her memory and to pay tribute to her honour.

SOUNDBITE (French), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 laureate - War is raging in Europe. All eyes are on Ukraine, but you have decided to turn your eyes to Africa to another very important front that is not so much in the limelight where another battle is unfolding in the military sphere, but also in terms disinformation.

SOUNDBITE (French), Carol VALADE, journalist and 2022 laureate - On the continent currently, democracy and respect for human rights, these fundamental universal values of Europe are being pushed back. Totalitarianism is taking hold. Russia is beginning to represent an alternative model for some. And I think that should give everybody pause for thought because that really represents failure at the global level.

Applause, atmosphere shots and family photo (5 shots)