Hungary charity head, archeologist awarded European Citizens’ Prize

Budapest, June 2 (MTI) – Imre Kozma, leader and co-founder of the Hungarian Maltese Charity, and Balázs Major, archeologist and historian, have been selected to be among the 50 recipients of the European Parliament’s European Citizens’ Prize this year, the EP’s Budapest information office said on Thursday.

The EP has awarded the annual prize since 2008 to individuals and organisations for their outstanding achievement in contributing to promoting European values and mutual understanding within the EU and to strengthening integration among member states, the office said in a statement.

Imre Kozma, a Roman Catholic priest, helped establish the Maltese Charity in 1989 which is today one of Hungary’s largest such organisations working with 8,000 volunteers in 150 local groups.

Balázs Major, an expert in Arabic studies, is faculty head at Budapest Pázmány Péter University. He established the Syrian-Hungarian Archeologist Mission, which still has a team working on an excavation project in war-torn Syria.

The laureates were selected by a jury headed by EP Vice President Sylvie Guillaume on June 1 and will receive the honour at a ceremony in their home countries.

Photo: katolikus.sk

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters