16/01/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 13 January, Michałowo, a Polish town on the border with Belarus, won the Paweł Adamowicz Award for its reception of migrants stuck between Poland and Belarus at the end of 2021 (see EUROPE 12848/11, 12844/11). The jury also awarded a special mention to the mayor of Hola Prystan (Ukraine), Oleksandr Babich, who has been detained since March 2022, on behalf of all Ukrainian mayors abducted since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Awarded by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in partnership with the city of Gdańsk and the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), the prize recognises local leaders who assist people in need while fighting intolerance and xenophobia. It also commemorates Paweł Adamowicz, a former mayor of Gdańsk, who was stabbed in 2019. The award will be presented to Marek Nazarko, Mayor of Michałowo, during the CoR plenary session on Wednesday 8 February. (HS)