60 stands were set up in Esch-sur-Alzette in the context of Monday’s festivities, with people getting different opportunities to learn more about how the EU functions. At Place du Brill, organisers also set up a ‘Youth Area’ for kids, which had 30 different stands.
The war in Ukraine was also a central topic at this year’s celebrations, with people commemorating the bravery of the people fighting the Russian invaders.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel made use of the opportunity to talk about how the course of history was changed with the help of a European dream: “Remember that France and Germany fought against one another during the Second World War. It was thanks to people like Robert Schuman that we managed to sit down and build a joint future.”
Events like the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have shown the importance of solidarity in Europe, argued some visitors at the Europe Day festivities: “Many people no longer know that we once had borders, different currencies, and that it was not as easy to just go from one country to the next.”
Young people also suffer under the ongoing crises. The Ministry of Education thus launched the ‘European Year of Youth’ to give them a voice, explained Minister Claude Meisch: “Young people in particular have to think ahead about how the EU can function in the future.”
