Even in Corona times, the European institutions hold on to the annual Europe Day on May 9th. This day commemorates May 9, 1950, when the then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman gave a speech in Paris on his vision of a new kind of political cooperation in Europe. The first steps in cooperation were the creation of a common coal and steel union.
71 years later it’s about other topics. The European Parliament uses Europe Day 2021 to promote the conference on the future of Europe, among other things. As is known, the opening event of the public participation process will take place on this day. The launch begins with a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron at 2 p.m. and can be followed on the EP stream (Conference on the Future of Europe – Inaugural event).
In addition, the EP offers online events and debates on weekends, which will be posted on the dedicated “Europe Day 2021 website”. An online interactive space allows visitors to play games, watch videos and test their general knowledge of the EU.
A joint portal of the EU institutions enables interested parties to access the diverse activities of other institutions, such as the European Commission, the Council of the EU, the Committee of the Regions, the European Investment Bank, etc.
The Council’s homepage offers a virtual tour of the EU Council building and a game about European inventions. In addition, the 27 EU ambassadors in 24 EU languages wish the citizens a happy Europe Day.
This day is not only celebrated in Brussels or Strasbourg, the federal states are also organizing a wide variety of activities as part of their European Week 2021.