Bart Somers awarded 2016 World Mayor Prize
ALDE Group President in the European Committee of the Regions and Mayor of Mechelen Bart Somers received the Prize as recognition for his outstanding achievements in welcoming refugees during recent years and for the long-term integration of immigrants from different cultures, religions and social backgrounds.
Tann vom Hove, Senior Fellow at the City Mayors Foundation, said that under the leadership of Mayor Bart Somers, the City of Mechelen has shown Europe that people from many different countries and cultures can come together and be proud citizens:
In awarding the Prize, the World Mayor jury highlighted Mayor Somers’ approach of demanding from all citizens, and in equal measure, a full respect of the rule of law and a total rejection of any kind of discrimination. The World Mayor jury noted that long before the flow of refugees from the Middle East and Africa became officially a ‘crisis’ in the summer of 2015, Bart Somers recognised the utmost importance of integration:
At the same time, noted the jury, safety and security are essential for people to strive for success and happiness, and they highlighted Mayor Somers’ tough approach on crime, providing more resources to the police force, and installing more CCTV cameras than any other town in Belgium.
Somers doesn’t see this title as a personal achievement, but credits all citizens of Mechelen:
Somers has been ALDE Group President since October 2016 and was most recently the rapporteur of the opinion on “Combatting Radicalisation and Violent Extremism: Prevention mechanisms at local and regional level’. He is Mayor of Mechelen since 2001, and leader of the Flemish liberals in the Flemish Parliament.
The World Mayor Prize is awarded every two years by the philanthropic City Mayors Foundation to a mayor who has made exceptional contributions to his or her community and whose vision for urban living is relevant to towns and cities across the world.

ALDE Group President in the European Committee of the Regions and Mayor of Mechelen Bart Somers received The Prize as recognition for his outstanding achievements in welcoming refugees.
Press
15 February
13-14 February
Belga Press release
Het Laatste Nieuws
VRT TV
VTM TV
De Morgen
De Tijd
Het Nieuwsblad
De Standaard
Metro
Gazet Van Antwerpen
Het Belang van Limburg
NewsMonkey
Knack
Humo
La Libre
7sur7
Le Soir
RTBF
RTL TVI
Le Vif l’Express
SudInfo
La Meuse
La Dernière Heure
Metro
BX1 – Brussels TV
German
Grenz Echo
Ost Belgiën
VRT
23-27 February
Germany
ZDF Heute
Die Welt
Slovakia
Euractiv
Arabic International newspaper
Asharq Al-Awsat
20 February
United Kingdom
Asharq Al-Awsat – Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London
19 February
Portugal
Diario de Noticias
15 February
Germany
KNA – Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur
France
La Voix du Nord
1001 Info
Italia
ANSA
L’Espresso
Il Giornale dei Comuni
Poland
TVN24 Bis – Polish 24-hour hybrid business and world news channel
22-27 February
14 February
Cities Today
European Committee of the Regions
ALDE Party
Open VLD
City of Mechelen
Binnenlands Bestuur (NL)