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Mario Monti, the prime minister of Italy, has won the European Leadership Award 2012.  

The former European commissioner was presented with the award at the annual State of the European Union conference in Brussels on 31 May.  

European Voice launched the award early in May in a bid to encourage debate about the challenges of leadership in the European Union – an issue that has grown in importance throughout the eurozone's debt crisis. Also on the shortlist were Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, Radek Sikorski, the foreign minister of Poland, and Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council.  

Monti was scheduled to speak at the State of the European Union conference, but had to cancel his appearance because of the earthquake in Italy in which at least ten people lost their lives.

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