European Parliament

09/22/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/22/2025 03:25

2025 Sakharov Prize: presentation of nominees on Tuesday

On Tuesday, Parliament's political groups will present their candidates for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2025.

The presentation will take place in a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Development committees and the Subcommittee on Human Rights. This is the first step in the process of awarding the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2025.

WHEN: Tuesday 23 September, from 14.30 p.m. to 15.30 p.m.

WHERE: Room 3C050, Paul-Henri Spaak Building, European Parliament, Brussels

The meeting will be broadcast live via the European Parliament's webstreaming. It will also be available afterwards as a recording.

Next steps

Following the presentation of candidates by the political groups, the responsible committees will vote on a shortlist of three candidates on 16 October.

The laureate will be chosen by the Conference of Presidents, composed of the President of Parliament, Roberta Metsola and the political groups leaders, at the end of October.

The award ceremony for the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will take place during Parliament's December plenary session in Strasbourg.

Background

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded annually by the European Parliament since 1988. It is the highest European award for commitment to and work on human rights.

Each year in September, MEPs and political groups nominate candidates for the Sakharov Prize. Each candidate must have the support of at least 40 MEPs, and each MEP can only support one candidate.


Contacts:

  • Elodie LABORIE

    Press officer (FR)
    Contact data:
  • Eoghan WALSH

    Press Officer (IE)
    Contact data:
European Parliament published this content on September 22, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 22, 2025 at 09:25 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]