28/01/2022 (Agence Europe) – The European Committee of the Regions, in cooperation with the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) and the Polish city of Gdańsk, awarded the Paweł Adamowicz prize for the very first time on Thursday 27 January to Henriette Reker, the mayor of Cologne, for her work on behalf of migrants and for her fight against hate speech and xenophobia since 2015, and indeed for the past 20 years as deputy mayor. In 2015, Ms Reker was the victim of a knife attack motivated by her commitment to migrant communities and their integration. The award, presented for the first time this year, was created to continue the legacy of the late Paweł Adamowicz, who was murdered in 2019 because of his stance on migrants and the LGBTI community (see EUROPE 12684/36, EUROPE 12172/4). (PH)