Europe Day or Schuman Day is marked annually by the European community and partner countries on May 9. The holiday was established in 1985 in memory of French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, who is considered to be the initiator of the founding of the European Union. The Republic of Moldova has been marking it since 2006, and in 2017 it became an official holiday.
In 2006, a first official reception was organized in Chisinau. In 2008, Europe Day was celebrated for the first time in Balti and Cahul. In Chisinau, the activities were organized on 8 May so as not to clash with the events dedicated to the victory over fascism in the Second World War. The following year, Europe Day in Moldova was celebrated on May 10. For the first time, the Delegation of the European Commission invited the general public to join the celebration in a large-scale event. A “European Iarmaroc” was organized with information stands to raise awareness of the cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union.
On 15 May 2010, large-scale celebrations were organized in the Great National Assembly Square, in cooperation with the Chisinau City Hall. The EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, Štefan Füle, visited Chisinau to attend the event. The “European Village” was set up, where EU Member States’ embassies welcomed Moldovan citizens to present tourist and business opportunities and distribute information material on EU projects in the country. The EU embassies demonstrated the “Unity in Diversity” of European cuisine, inviting visitors to taste European dishes.
In 2011, the EU Delegation to Moldova, in cooperation with the Chisinau and Balti Mayoralties, organized two large-scale Europe Day celebrations – on 7 May in Chisinau and on 14 May in Balti. In the same year, for the first time as part of the Europe Day celebrations, the European Film Festival was organized in Chisinau on 10-13 May.
A year later, “Europe Days” in Moldova were celebrated in Chisinau and Comrat from May 12-19.
Europe Day activities have been organized in the following years. And in 2017, by a vote of the Parliament, Europe Day is officially declared a public holiday on May 9.
Under the slogan: “Peace, prosperity, dignity – Europe is you!”, this year’s Europe Day will be marked throughout the month of May with activities and events planned in several regions of the Republic of Moldova. The traditional European Little Town is being organized in Chisinau on 9 May and in Causeni on 17 May, offering educational, creative and interactive activities and surprises for all generations.
Europe Day events will also be organized in Cahul, Ungheni and other localities, in cooperation with EU-funded projects, local public authorities, the network of Euroclubs and European Information Centres across the country.
The message from the authorities is that “May 9 is ALSO about remembering a victory in a bloody war, which happened against a regime that the whole of Europe and its allies fought against, but ALSO about the values that unite us on the European continent, the values of freedom”.
