"Angela Merkel awarded the Charlemagne Prize"

"This one's even more sick-making" was Denis Cooper's comment on this article.

Just to give you a flavour ...

The annual Charlemagne Prize was awarded in Aachen on 30 April to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her work to unite Europe. Speaking at the prize ceremony, José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, described Merkel as a "woman of conviction" and said that working alongside her during Germany's presidency of the EU in the first half of 2007 had been an experience of "extraordinary intensity ... The agreement among all 27 heads of state and governments on this declaration ... marked a crucial step towards creating a new momentum for Europe and the new EU treaty...".