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The European Award for Citizenship, Security and Defence
The European Award for Citizenship, Security and Defence is intended to reward outstanding efforts towards promoting European citizenship and European security and defence awareness. The prize was first awarded in 2011, under the High Patronage of the President of the European Council. It is organised annually by the association “Civisme Défense Armée Nation” (CiDAN), together with the Interparliamentary European Security and Defence Association (ESDA).
The jury, which met on Monday, October 12, 2026, at the André Maginot National Federation in Paris, gave out the following awards.
Prize « Citizenship, Security and Défense » to lieutenant-colonel (ret) Jean-Paul Monet :
International expert in civil protection, for his extraordinary commitment, rooted in care and protection of others, throughout his career as a professional firefighter officer in the Bouches du Rhône département, in fighting all major risks, especially forest fires, in France and Europe.
He is also recognised for his contributions to the European Commission in strengthening cooperation and interoperability of rescue services between EU member countries, participating in 20 EU-funded projects.
He is a role model for all firefighters, especially for his caution as a leader.
Prize for « Remembrance » to AEROCHERCHE :
for the practice of aeronautical archaeology in order to recover, preserve, and display the remains of historic French and Foreign airplanes (including the French Breguet 14, the British Lancaster ME685, and the German Focke-Wulf 200).
The Association turns these artefacts into concrete educational tools that promote European citizenship, intergenerational memory, and international reconciliation.
In particular, it highlighted the Breguet 14 pilot Georges Payan, the RAF’s Lancaster ME685 to the students of the Marie Dissard School, and the aid provided by French villagers to the crew of the Focke-Wulf CONDOR.
Prize for”Key European Security Interests”, to the Instituto Universitario General Gutiérrez Mellado (IUGM) » :
Created in 1997 at the initiative of the Ministry of Defense and the Distance Learning University, for its high-level teaching, both official and informal, for its research, publications, and conferences in support of strengthening European defense, as well as for its advices to the Spanish Minister of Defense, thanks to its Observatory for Peace, Security, and Defense.
By the end of 2025, with around 1,000 students in various formats on campus, online, or mixed, IUGM has supported 128 doctoral theses, 17 of which have received outstanding doctoral distinctions since 2008.
A Special Mention to the Forum of Young Diplomats ;
for their commitment to the defense and security of Europe, in all their activities, particularly through the organisation of the ‘Europe Month’ in 2025, including 5 conferences, expert panels, social media campaigns, and podcasts.
The Forum organised around a hundred events in 2025 and has more than 12,000 followers on Facebook and over 3,400 on Instagram. Founded in 2002, with 500 active members, its flagship annual event since 2017 has been the national diplomatic week.
A Special Mention to the Collège Lamartine at Cambrai :
for taking into account the European dimension, in its multidisciplinary project (French, library, science, biology, English, visual arts, and mathematics) “info or fake,” focused on media education, aimed at developing the critical thinking of 130 eighth-grade students through visits, meetings, study trips, and articles.
The project led to several student creations: 6 themed slideshows and 1 summary slideshow, 2 newspaper articles (including 1 published in La Voix du Nord), an exhibition on the history of war photography, as well as skits reenacting Milgram and Asch’s experiments.
