Franz Josef Strauss 2018 Award presented to President Klaus Iohannis

The Franz Josef Strauss 2018 Award was presented, on Satuday, in Munich, to President Klaus Iohannis by German foundation Hanns Seidel.

The ceremony presenting the award took place at the Munich Residenz. The President is joined at this event by First Lady Carmen Iohannis.

During the Munich ceremony, the laudatio was delivered by Barbara Stamm, the President of the Bavarian Landstag, in the presence of the Hanns Seidel Foundation chair Ursula Mannle, as well as the Minister-President of Bavaria, Markus Soder. The event was also attended by MEPs and numerous personalities of the political and social world.

This prize is awarded since 1996 to personalities that were noticeable in politics, business, society and culture, that promote peace, liberty, the respect of the law and democracy. Among the other laureates of the award are former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, former US President George H. W. Bush, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and former US Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger.

The Hanns Seidel Foundation and the leadership of the Christian-Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) have decided, unanimously, the awarding, in 2018, of the Franz Josef Strauss award to the President of Romania for the promotion, in a constructive and visionary manner, throughout his entire political career, of democratic values, a united society and trust in the European project.

The Franz Josef Strauss distinction is also accompanied by a 10,000 euro award, which President Klaus Iohannis decided to charitably donate to the "One child, one hope" Foundation which conducts projects in realms such as healthcare, education and social assistance, among them programs to support children diagnosed with autism and Down Syndrome.