Europe Day celebrated under the slogan 'Unity through sport'

May 9th is celebrated as Europe Day and marks the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration. Namely, back in 1950, the then French Foreign Minister presented his idea of a new form of political cooperation in Europe that would make war between European countries unthinkable. It was the beginning of today's European Union, and its birthday in Zagreb was celebrated this year on the central Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb, which has become a large sports arena because the message is that, despite the many challenges, sport is the best way to connect us.

Instead of the usual Saturday coffee, this morning on the main square, the people of Zagreb could choose - Gaelic football, basketball, gymnastics or rugby. The theme of this year's Europe Day is "Unity through Sport". Sports fields and music on the central city square attracted many people. The program was intended for all age groups, said the Head of the European Commission Representation in Croatia, Zrinka Ujević.

“We are now the anchor of stability in a very instable world around us, and I think it is very nice, in this manner, to bring what Europe is closer to citizens. It is our unity through sports, culture, and all other activities we have,” she said.

In addition to sports skills, Europe Day is also an opportunity for political messages. The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, recalled that Europe is built on togetherness, which makes it easier to face the challenges of today.

“Today it is necessary to talk about competitiveness, defense, and protection. We can only talk about this if we are together and that is why I am glad that we here understand that in Croatia,” said Šuica.

The values of the European Union, such as the rule of law and fundamental freedoms, were emphasized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman.

“I recall that in Croatia, 13 years after membership in the European Union, we can only see results, we can see success, and we can see the true reason,” said the minister.

Some of the Croatian citizens who were at the Ban Jelačić Square told Croatian Radio what Europe Day means to them and what they expect from the European Union.

“It means freedom and unity in certain values and freedoms. For me Europe Day means that equality and community of people, where we are all in fact equal, we all respect each other and we have common human rights,” said one woman.

“A unified monetary policy and financial system, a stronger foreign policy stance, quicker action and a quicker response to an actual situation,” said one young man.

Sports presentations lasted the entire day, in the morning there was a rich musical program also for all generations by Sanja Doležal, Vladimir Kočiš Zec and Hiljson Mandela.

Source: HRT