EU Awards bestowed to groups promoting EU-UK bond in Scotland, Liverpool and among young people

A coalition promoting Scotland’s links with Europe, a Liverpool platform connecting groups of EU citizens, and the youth organisation championing the Erasmus programme are this year’s winners of the EU awards launched by the EU delegation in the UK.

At their second edition, the EmpowerEU Awards “celebrate outstanding initiatives that strengthen connections between EU citizens and communities across the UK”.

Opening the ceremony hosted at City Hall in London on Thursday 20 November, EU Ambassador Pedro Serrano said that the awards are part of the work to “rebuild” the relationship with the UK, “starting with citizens”.

“We place great pride in working with civil society and consider grassroots engagement as key to our relationship with the UK. People-to-people contacts are also recognised as one of the main pillars of the EU-UK relationship,” the Ambassador added.

“Citizens’ voices”

The awards recognised the work of community associations in three categories.

The winner in the Inspiring European Connections category was the Scottish Advisory Forum on Europe (SAFE), a civil society coalition “sustaining Scotland’s links with Europe and ensuring citizens’ voices are heard in the EU-UK relationship”. Its members include non-profits, academics, youth representatives, trade unions, and organisations supporting EU citizens.

“SAFE is being recognised for its significant contribution to strengthening EU-UK collaboration within civil society, fostering dialogue between Scottish communities and European institutions, and providing influential platforms where the concerns of EU citizens in Scotland can be heard and addressed as part of a wider conversation about Scotland’s European future,” were the motivations.

The runners up in this category were Centrala, an arts and community organisation in Birmingham connecting Central and Eastern European groups with UK audiences; and CONNECTS-UK, a network of EU nationals working in British universities to strengthen connections among researchers.

In the Youth Champions category, the Erasmus Student Network UK received the award for its “support to EU and international students in the UK” and for the Embrace Erasmus+ campaign, which called on the British government to restore the UK’s membership to the EU youth exchange programme.

The UCL European and International Social and Political Studies Society, a student hub promoting the understanding of European politics and culture, and Youth for Inclusive Europe, an organisation helping young Europeans to connect and engage in debates on identity, rights and inclusion, were the shortlisted organisations in this category.

The winner of the Community Champions award was Liverpool European Partnership, a group bringing together EU citizens and allies to “celebrate European identity and tackle challenges facing local communities”.

The runners up were Europia, a community organisation supporting EU nationals across Greater Manchester, and New Europeans UK, an organisation promoting a sense of belonging among EU citizens in the UK through community engagement and national advocacy.

The winners will receive a training package, together with a short film to reflect on their achievements, promote their work and support fundraising.

“Turning point”

Ambassador Serrano said at the event that the EU-UK summit in May was “a turning point in the EU-UK relationship” and work is ongoing to ensure the association of the UK to the Erasmus+ programme and a new youth mobility scheme.

“We look forward to these schemes to be operational quite soon, and more to come, as we have now a system of yearly summits and in May-June [2026] we will have another meeting at the summit level, with the Prime Minister, the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council. That will not only take stock of where we are” on past commitments but also “launch new projects,” the Ambassador added.

London Deputy Mayor for communities, Dr. Debbie Weekes-Bernard, said at the ceremony that “the work we are celebrating is even more important” in these challenging times of national and international divisions, and that the awards “send a strong message that we celebrate differences and those who choose to make the UK and London their home… those who champion others… who build communities… and build links across borders and across boundaries.”

Photo courtesy EU delegation in the UK