Germany: Mr Adrian Langan, the 26-year-old organiser of the non-government Yes to Nice campaign was awarded the "Young European of the Year" award by a leading German foundation in Berlin yesterday, writes Derek Scally in Berlin
The award is presented annually by the Heinz Schwarzkopf Foundation for young people who "engage themselves for furthering European integration".
Mayo-born Mr Langan, a PR executive and former director of the Irish Alliance for Europe, said he was concerned the lessons of the two Nice referenda had not been learned in Ireland or elsewhere in the EU. "If people don't feel ownership of something they don't feel the need to support it," he said, saying the "Brussels-speak" spoken by a small group of "grey old men in grey suits" alienated ordinary people and endangered the constitutional treaty.
He urged EU officials not just to translate between official languages of the EU, but also to translate "Brussels-speak" into ordinary language.