In his speech to the ceremony, Lantos said that August 20 represented “successful nation-building, confronting dangers with courage, wise foresight and faith in the future”. “The challenges haven’t gotten smaller and the struggles haven’t gotten easier,” the minister said. He said the centre of gravity in the global economy was shifting increasingly quickly, warning that Europe would fall behind if it did not do everything possible to boost its competitiveness. Lantos said the energy affairs ministry was “on the frontlines”, and its work had a direct effect on how Hungary would overcome the current difficulties and how successfully it would find its place in the changing global economy. The award recipients were presented with the Commander’s Cross with Star, Officer’s Cross and Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit as well as the Hungarian Golden Cross of Merit, the Hungarian Silver Cross of Merit and ministerial certificates of merit.