Speaker Karl Carstens on the laureate:

‘Already in the 20’s of this century Luxembourg began to play an esteemed role in European politics. […] The people of Luxembourg were confident Europeans from the very beginning. […] The role that Luxembourg played in the negotiations precipitated those of the European institutions. It became the seat of the European Tribunal, the European Court of Auditors, the Investment Bank of the European Community and the Secretariat of the European Parliament.’