Wednesday, November 24, 2010

What the Hell is the "Collier du mérite européen" ?

I hope is it big and covered in silver gilt with great enamel knobs. I ask because I have never heard of it before, and it is obviously rather an important award.

It is being handed out by President Van Rompuy,
Luxembourg
17:00 Award of the "Collier du mérite européen" followed by dinner hosted by Prime Minister Jean-Claude Junker
To President Buzek,
Thursday 25-11-2010 - 12:30 - 18:00 Strasbourg -Luxembourg
...
17:00 Receving the award "Le Collier du mérite européen" - Luxembourg
At a dinner organised by Mr Jean Claude Juncker, PM of Luxembourg.


This is an award that has never existed before as far as I can tell. Currently its web existence seems to be solely the multilingual versions of the above links.

So can anybody help? What is the collar for?

3 comments:

Edward Spalton said...

It obviously allows them to put van Rompuy on his lead.

Queen Elizabeth I did not allow her courtiers to accept foreign decorations.
When one turned up, wearing a foreign order, she was distinctly miffed and Said
"MY DOGS WEAR MY COLLARS"
So that is what Rumpy-Pumpy will be doing. We are seeing the emergence of a court which claims, like Elizabeth I, to be sovereign.

Hodja said...

This is for http://www.meriteeuropeen.lu/remise/index.html

Strangely enough one Ali Bozer, a turk, is also a recipient.

In Wiki he is mentioned as 'Primeminister for the EU "Zwischen 1986 und 1989 war er Staatsminister für die Europäische Gemeinschaft."

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Bozer

This I never heard of?????

Anonymous said...

for Hodja:

The Turkish government includes the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and also Deputy Minister for EU Affairs.

Ali Bozer appears to have held both these positions

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