Not a single year in my life went faster by than the one since the Foundation P&V awarded its Citizenship Award 2016 to judge Michel Claise and myself. This evening, we enjoyed again the presentation by Hanne Decoutere, I was seated again next to Bert Kruismans and met my predecessors. We all had a thought for Stéphane Hessel.

So, it seemed as yesterday when I had the honour to meet Sir Paul Collier as the 2017 laureate.

Professor Paul Collier - informed about my position on the matter (in my book) - quipped about his knighthood: ‘you can hardly refuse it, but you can choose not to use it’. And we pooked fun about the Lloyds tie I wore nevertheless as a sign of respect - the tie I only wear at funerals, by the way.

You can not be an internationally respected economic expert and Oxford professor and not be extremely intelligent but Paul Collier striked me as an warm-hearted and caring man.

It was a privilege and a joy to discuss with him this evening about structural reforms, solidarity for the fleeing and the ‘left behind’ and ‘practical justice’ in failing states. His meetings in Africa and his opinion about Catalonia. And explaining things in ‘plain language’ (as prof. Joe Kimble) so that you can ‘read the book on the beach’.

I invite you to read about Paul Collier, the laudatio of prof. em. Mark Elchardus, the Knack-interview of Han Renard by this link to the P&V page here.

And admire the sculpture of that fine man and artist, Philip Aguirre.

This was another grand evening of hope for the future.