Marian Harkin, MEP (Independent, Ireland) was last night (29 November) presented with the "Outstanding Achievement award" in the MEP 2011 Awards organised by 'The Parliament Magazine' in recognition of her achievements in the area of volunteers and volunteering in the EU. 

Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE President praised Harkin's achievements  "Marian has been a committed campaigner in this field for many years and it was down to her hard work and determination that 2011 was declared the European Year of Volunteering.  Those unsung heroes who volunteer their time and energy to help others have a strong voice in Marian and on behalf of the ALDE Group I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to her on this well deserved award."

In receiving her award, Harkin paid tribute to all the inspiring individuals and groups she has met during EYV 2011 and indeed over the course of her career. "I often say that volunteers are our greatest renewable source of energy," she noted, "and I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the 100 Million EU citizens who regularly give up their free time to make a positive contribution to our society".
 
Harkin also paid tribute to her fellow MEPs who attended meetings of the European Parliament Volunteering Interest Group, which she chairs, and worked to ensure a successful legacy and concrete policy actions from EYV 2011.