Germany's Commissioner for Franco-German Cooperation and Minister of State Michael Roth, and the French Ambassador to Luxembourg, Bruno Perdu, presented the Adenauer-de Gaulle Prize 2020 to Germany's DRF Luftrettung and Luxembourg Air Rescue (LAR) on the evening of Monday 21 June. Stephan Nusser, DRF paramedic/HEMS TC, and Peter Kennemann, DRF pilot, accepted the award on behalf of the two aeromedical organisations at a ceremony at Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg.

It was a moment of emotion and pride. Originally scheduled for January 2021, Monday's ceremony had been postponed by the coronavirus pandemic. Finally, Michael Roth, Member of the German Bundestag, Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office and Commissioner for Franco-German Cooperation, and Bruno Perdu, French Ambassador to Luxembourg, were able to present the Adenauer-De Gaulle Prize 2020 to DRF Luftrettung and Luxembourg Air Rescue for their cross-border deployment in helping patients during the pandemic. A welcome address was delivered by Jean Asselborn, who is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Asylum. In their speeches, Michael Roth and Bruno Perdu spoke about the two organisations' professionalism and extraordinary levels of commitment. Both showed solidarity and neighbourliness in the true European spirit during a very challenging time and made a major contribution to overcoming the health crisis.

“We're delighted to have received this award, which confirms our conviction that solidarity and friendship are indispensable, especially in difficult times such as the current pandemic,” says DRF chairman Krystian Pracz. “As an organisation we were very proud to have been able to reach out to our French neighbours. Our staff's enormous commitment made this possible, as did the no-nonsense support provided by our partners. We would like to thank them all most sincerely.”

The Adenauer-de Gaulle Prize was established on 22 January 1988 to mark the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty and is awarded to individuals, initiatives and institutions whose work has made an outstanding contribution to strengthening Franco-German friendship. Winners are chosen by a bi-national jury co-chaired by the Commissioners for Franco-German Cooperation. The jury is composed of an equal number of prominent French and German figures from areas such as politics, culture, media, science and business who represent the societies of both countries in their diversity.