It is the second time that we are united here today in this Rotunda, brought together by the spirit of Theophano, a Byzantine princess and empress of the later Germany who embodied reconciliation between the East and West of our continent, a thousand years ago. The Rotunda itself is two thousand years old and gave a temporary home to the various cultures and religions that make up Europe. We are also near where Alexander and Aristotle lived, who left an indelible mark on our history and civilisation. This city is at the crossroads of so many ways! What a privilege to be here! The presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic adds lustre to this ceremony.
It is also a great privilege to be here to present the winners of the Theophano Prize 2021. The jury I had the honour of chairing, which is made up of former heads of state, former ministers, top diplomats, top magistrates, academics and eminent cultural leaders, unanimously recommended to the Governing Council of the Theophano Foundation that this year’s prize be awarded to the vaccine pioneers who helped to turn around the COVID tragedy, Dr Uğur Şahin and Dr Özlem Türeci. Both have done what many of us societally aspire to do: they have turned fear into hope. Fear is the distinctive feature of our times and the pandemic has intensified this negative feeling par excellence. Tens of millions of people owe their health and their lives to our laureates and their team, to all the scientists who have used their knowledge and talent to turn the tide, to prevent us from reliving the tragedy of a hundred years ago. Yes, progress is possible. History is not an eternal return. The world can also be made. We are not a mere plaything of Fate.
Our lauded couple are not only scientists and entrepreneurs. They are people with a great moral sense. At the very beginning of the pandemic, they turned their agenda around and put everything into developing the vaccine. They acted out of conviction. That made a big impression on the international jury. It was inspired by this humanism. I was even more impressed by the simplicity and authenticity of our laureates when I had the chance to explain them our decision and when I saw and heard interviews with them later. Coincidence gave even more meaning to the awarding of this prize. The roots of the prize winners lie here in this region so that the combination of East and West takes on an even more personal meaning. Coincidence also meant that Albert Bourla, the Pfizer business partner co-responsible for the success of the vaccine, was born in this city and studied at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki. Some will claim that we knew all this when we awarded the prize but we did not. That myself and my wife were administered the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine is another coincidence that we were not unhappy about! The fact that one of our two prize winners is a woman is another aspect that the Theophano Foundation is delighted about. We are spoiled by fate today.
Our two laureates illustrate how important science was and is for human progress. The latter is expressed not only in terms of economic competitiveness. Of course, medical innovation needs an economic and financial basis. That is, by the way, why our laureates have set up their own company and why they want to invest the new means they have in innovation. The EU has put a strong emphasis on scientific research and innovation in its own budget and in the Next Generation EU programme. But the role of science and technology has become even more important in this pandemic period as digital has now entered our daily lives for good, including for the older generation. Can you imagine the even bigger loneliness if we had not been able to stay in touch with our friends, relatives, parents and grandparents digitally? I am not even talking about how teleworking saved our economy. Once again, imagine this corona crisis without the vaccine and without the digital revolution. In any case, we would not have been here together today. I hope we will draw the necessary policy conclusions from this. We cannot return to so-called normality, to business as usual. After all, a pandemic can occur again. We must not act with our backs to the wall and the abyss in front of us. We must anticipate.
I also hope that what we experienced this summer in terms of climate is a definitive reminder for all in society. The world was on fire or under water to some extent, from Belgium to California, to China. We are all in the same storm but unfortunately not in the same boat. That is why we need solidarity. We must help each other. That is why the European recovery programme provides €400 billion in grants, non-refundable subsidies aimed at those regions hardest hit by the pandemic. 60% of the new funds go to climate, health and digital. It is precisely for the sake of solidarity that the EU has decided to purchase vaccines jointly so that all Europeans have access to the vaccine under the same conditions. It enables us to get out of the economic difficulties as far as possible at the same time. But it does not stop there.
We must do all we can to help the rest of the world. The EU is doing more than other global players ,with better vaccines by the way, but we are not yet doing enough. We are not safe in the world until all are safe. The problem is global but the policy is not global. More than ever we need global cooperation instead of global confrontation. This is not a naive wish but simply a necessity. Surely we will not let nostalgic nationalism dictate the fight against problems that threaten mankind. There is a general human interest and well-being. There is a new common good.
Behind the Theophano Prize is this humanistic ideal to which Greek civilisation has contributed so much. The history of Western Europe is unthinkable without this place on earth and without the civilisations of the Near East. Building bridges between these two worlds is therefore a task with a strong historical background. Working together is so much more important than working against each other. Dialogue and solidarity are values in themselves. They are about the irreducible value of every human person, wherever they come from and whoever they are.
The Theophano Prize wants to be different from other European prizes. Europe is more than a political ideal, important though that is. Politics is in everything but not everything is politics. The Union belongs to the young. That is why we lauded the Erasmus programme last year. After education, today it was science, the fruit of education, that had to be considered. In the future, we should think about how to honour the arts as well, especially when we stand here in the Rotunda and realise what a heritage we have, that is followed by great talent in our countries today.
I am extremely pleased and proud that the international jury and the Theophano Foundation itself have given us the opportunity to honour two eminent scientists who have rendered such a service to that half billion people on our continent and so many more far beyond. Once again, I extend to you our congratulations and wish you a successful continuation of your great mission.