At lunchtime today I attended a special prize-giving ceremony. Seppo Kallio, Vice-President of the European Economic and Social Committee, was given the ‘Delegate of the Year Award’ by the Finnish language interpreters of the European Commission. The description about the prize is as follows. ‘Speaking one’s own language and cooperating with interpreters are cornerstones of successful multilingual communication. With this award we want to honour a person who: speaks Finnish with clarity and versatility; defends the status of the Finnish language; works together with interpreters (delivers written speeches and possible background material in advance and clarifies the issues and terms dealt with in the meetings); and speaks naturally and as freely as possible even when using a ready made speech. We chose Mr Seppo Kallio because he has not only distinguished himself in the Committee (since 1995) as an advocate for the Finnish agriculture and forestry sectors. He also consistently demands interpretation for meetings, speaks Finnish clearly and colourfully and listens to Finnish interpretation whenever possible. By doing so he strengthens multilingualism and the status of the Finnish language in the EU. His positive attitude towards interpretation encourages us to strive for perfection.’ Europe, endless!