Wałęsa awarded inaugural European Order of Merit alongside Merkel and Zelensky

Mar 11, 2026 | History, Politics

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Lech Wałęsa, who led the Solidarity movement that brought down Poland’s communist regime, has been named as one of the first three distinguished members of the European Order of Merit, a new initiative launched by the European Parliament.

The other two recipients announced by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Tuesday are current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The European Order of Merit was established last year to mark the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration that led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. That in turn launched the process of European integration that eventually led to the formation of the European Union.

The new award is intended to “honour those who did not simply believe in Europe, but who helped build it”, said Metsola.

The laureates were chosen by a committee composed of Metsola; her two vice presidents, Sophie Wilmès and Ewa Kopacz; former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso; former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell; and Michel Barnier and Enrico Letta, the former prime ministers of France and Italy.

 

The order’s highest level, distinguished member, was granted to Wałęsa, who co-founded and led the Solidarity trade union that opposed Poland’s communist government throughout the 1980s. In 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1990, after the fall of communism, Wałęsa was elected president of Poland, serving one five-year term. However, he has also faced accusations, mainly from right-wing figures, that he served as an informant to the communist security services. He strenuously denies the claims.

Meanwhile, among the ten figures to receive the European Order of Merit’s second level, of honourable member, one is Jerzy Buzek, who served as president of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2012, making him the first Pole (and first person from the former Soviet Bloc) to hold such a senior EU position.

The decision to name Merkel a distinguished member of the order has caused some controversy, given how she made Germany more reliant on Russian energy, pushed for tough austerity measures for Greece during its financial crisis, and welcomed refugees during the 2015 migration crisis.

When her name was announced in the European Parliament by Metsola on Tuesday, there were was “a loud chorus of boos” from some parts of the chamber, reports Politico Europe.

“Rewarding the hand that imposed social cuts, deepened inequality, and exported austerity from Germany to Greece is not really the best choice for an award,” said German left-wing MEP Martin Schirdewan.

The decision was also criticised by Polish MEP Piotr Müller of the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party.

“The author of energy agreements with Russia, the author of open doors for illegal immigration. Today she receives an award,” he wrote. “To say that Europe draws no conclusions is an understatement.”

The full list of recipients of the new European Order of Merit, who will be officially awarded the distinction in May, are:

Distinguished Members

  • Angela Merkel
  • Lech Wałęsa
  • Volodymyr Zelensky

Honourable Members

  • Valdas Adamkus
  • Jerzy Buzek
  • Aníbal Cavaco Silva
  • Sauli Niinistö
  • Pietro Parolin
  • Mary Robinson
  • Maia Sandu
  • Javier Solana y de Madariaga
  • Wolfgang Schüssel
  • Jean Claude Trichet

Members

  • José Andrés
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo
  • Marc Gjidara
  • Sandra Lejniece
  • Oleksandra Matviichuk
  • Viviane Reding
  • Members of the band U2: Paul David Hewson (known as Bono), David Howell Evans (known as The Edge), Adam Charles Clayton and Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr


Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

 

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