Reverend Athinagoras Loukataris was awarded the 2014 Civil Society Prize of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). Since 2004, Reverend Loukataris has been serving his parish in Thessaloniki, in an area facing acute problems of poverty, crime and degradation. The voluntary structure created by him, the  "Lighthouse of the World," aims to develop and implement actions in support of the Roma children hosted in his shelter.

"It was a great honour for me. When they called me from Brussels, they told me that they had to make an exception for me because only NGOs are awarded. However, they insisted that the exception had to be made for me and so I became the second person (instead of an organisation) to receive the prize after...Jacques Delors," says Rev. Loukataris. The three recipients of the 2014 Civil Society Prize were selected among 183 candidates from across Europe.