Mr. Pierre Lévy will be honored with the Alois Rašín medal by the University of Economics, Prague

On Friday, 6 September 2013, the Alois Rašín medal will be granted to the Ambassador of France by the University of Economics, Prague. The ceremony will take place in the Vencovsky Aula auditorium from 3 p.m. The Alois Rašín medal is granted to personalities that have significantly contributed to the development of the University of Economics, Prague or to the development of economic science and education.

Mr. Pierre Lévy was appointed as the Ambassador of the French Republic to the Czech Republic in January 2010. He graduated from one of the University of Economics, Prague’s partner universities, i.e. ESPC Europe. He also studied at the Institute of Political Science in Paris and obtained his PhD in Economics from the University Paris IX Dauphine. He is also a graduate from ENA, the most prestigious school for civil servants in France.

In his professional life, Mr. Lévy held the position of Director of the Forecasting Department of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, formerly known as the Department for Analysis and Planning (CAP), where he worked from 2005. From October 2007 to July 2008, he worked as the General Secretary of the Commission for White Papers on European Foreign Policy of France. Until February 2005, he was Department Head of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the Ministry. From June 1997 to May 2002, he was the Deputy Director of the Office of the Minister for European Affairs. He also held various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economics and Finance. As a diplomat, he worked in Germany and Singapore. He also taught lectures at ENA and at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris.

From the beginning of his mission in the Czech Republic, Mr. Pierre Lévy collaborated with the Faculty of International Relations not only via his function as ambassador, but he was also involved in professional activities, which drew on his knowledge and experience of European economic integration. He regularly lectured in the subject 2SM404 (Creation and Analysis of Foreign Policy and Diplomacy) at the Center for International Studies of Jan Masaryk and he actively participated in discussion seminars for doctoral students of the Faculty of International Relations, e.g. in a seminar on the common European currency, “What is the future of the Euro?”. Thanks to his initiative, students had the opportunity to hear lectures from leading French experts, in particular the Managing Director of the European Affairs Section and Macroeconomic Policies, Philippe Gudin de Vallery, or a professor of economics at the Université Paris-Dauphine and a member of the Advisory Board of the French Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr. Jean Pisani-Ferry. In these lectures, he always participated through the form of co-presentation.

Mr. Lévy also actively cooperated with the French-Czech Institute of Management (IFTG). He introduced the tradition of an annual gathering of graduates and teachers from the university on the grounds of the French Embassy in Buquoy Palace in Prague; in addition, he regularly attended graduation ceremonies at the University of Economics and showed maximum support for all of the activities that lead to the development of bilateral cooperation in the exchange of teachers and students.

France represents a key strategic partner for the University of Economics, Prague’s international relations. In addition to exchange programs (in 2012, 60 students were sent to France and 86 students from France were received), French schools are the most common partners in the joint degree programs (CEMS – HEC Paris; EGEI – Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, IDS – SciencesPo), double degree programs (International Business – IAE Lyon), MBA-MAE program (Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3) and they are also the most active partners in exchange of visiting professors.

The Alois Rašín medal for Pierre Lévy is therefore both an expression of appreciation of his professional qualities and a symbol of appreciation of successful inter-university cooperation of the University of Economics, Prague.