Text of the Certificate of Honour
On Ascension Day, 24 May, in the Coronation Hall of Aachen City Hall, the former imperial palace, the International Charlemagne Prize for 1979 was awarded to the President of the European Parliament, Emilio Colombo, in recognition of his life's work dedicated to European integration, which, as a member of the Italian Parliament, as minister for various portfolios and as Prime Minister of his country, made him familiar at an early stage and in depth with all the problems of European unification. His commitment as President of the current European Parliament was to maintain and expand its rights and to ensure the first free and direct election of a European Parliament.
