The award ceremony was presided over by Pat Cox, chairman of the European Liberal Democrats (a party caucus in the European Parliament). In a taped address played during the ceremony, President Chen Shui-bian said that the honor being bestowed upon him belonged equally to the 23 million people of Taiwan, who love peace, freedom, and democracy.
頒獎儀式由歐洲議會自由民主改革黨黨團主席寇克斯主持，陳總統在典禮中以錄影帶方式發表演說表示，這項榮譽同時也屬於愛好和平、自由、民主的二千三百萬台灣人民。