Unlike last year’s celebration, which took place in Kirchberg at the heart of the EU institutions, this year’s event was held in Echternach. The choice of this historic border town was deliberate: according to Anne Calteux, the European Commission’s representative in Luxembourg and a native of Echternach, it’s a place where Europe is lived every day. Speaking to RTL, she explained that the abbey provided a symbolic and fitting location for the event. Even during her childhood – before the Schengen Agreement – crossing into Germany was commonplace, and the shared dialect helped foster a sense of community across borders, according to Calteux.
This year marks 40 years since the signing of the Schengen Agreement. Several speeches during the event criticised current moves by member states – particularly Germany and France – to reintroduce border controls. Luxembourg MEP Marc Angel of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) warned that such measures would be “disastrous”, especially on a day intended to celebrate European unity and freedom of movement. Claude Wiseler, President of the Chamber of Deputies, reaffirmed Luxembourg’s strong support for the Schengen values and promised to continue defending them in the years to come.
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European integration and its advantages are now taken for granted by many, especially younger generations who have never known anything else. Both European Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel highlighted this in their speeches, stressing that the freedoms achieved through European cooperation should no longer be questioned.
This year’s Europe Day festivities also marked other major milestones: 75 years since the Schuman Declaration, 40 years of Schengen, and 30 years since Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the EU.
On Saturday, all EU member states, along with several European institutions, government services, and public bodies, were represented with information stands in the courtyard of Echternach’s secondary school. The Grand Duke took time to visit every stand at the event, highlighting his commitment to the occasion.
Video report in Luxembourgish:
