Catalonia International suports this prize, which has also recognised the work of Verificat

Belgian journalist Béatrice Delvaux, chief editorial writer of the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, received the 2025 Ernest Udina Pro-European Career Award at a ceremony held at the headquarters of the European institutions in Barcelona. During the same event, an Honorary Mention was awarded to Verificat, a pioneering fact-checking platform in Catalonia, for its work during last year's European election campaign. Alba Tobella, the organisation's director and co-founder, accepted the distinction.

The event, presided over by Jaume Duch, the Catalan Government's Minister for the European Union and Foreign Action, also featured contributions from Laura Foraster i Lloret, Director-General of Catalonia International; Pierre Brusselmans, Consul of Belgium in Barcelona; Mar Jiménez, Commissioner for European Affairs at Barcelona's City Council; Manuel Szapiro, Head of the European Commission Representation in Barcelona; MEP Diana Riba; Christophe Berti, Editorial Director of Le Soir; Marc Vidal, President of APEC; and Carme Colomina, CIDOB researcher specialising in the European Union, disinformation and global politics. Catalonia International has long collaborated with APEC in organising the awards ceremony.

In her acceptance speech, Béatrice Delvaux described journalism as a firewall against totalitarianism and stressed the need to build bridges both among journalists and between communities, referring specifically to the case of Belgium. She emphasised the importance of reaching out to others and recalled the relevance of quality journalism despite the discouraging times we live in, "characterised by polarisation, manipulation and the lies spread by politicians, backed by the owners of major tech corporations, who mock all the rules".

Alba Tobella, for her part, highlighted the value of Verificat's work, an organisation committed to bringing quality journalism closer to citizens. "We hope the award helps put on the table that we have a problem with disinformation and credibility; information is the basis of all our decisions and our relationships," she said.