This year Europe Day is very different in the conditions of an unprecedented in its scale health and economic crisis, the result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is also different because of two anniversaries of events of historic significance for the European project – 75 years since the end of World War II and 70 years since the declaration by France’s foreign minister Robert Schuman which laid the foundations of a united Europe.

“Over the past 75 years, we in Europe, together, have proved that peace, cooperation and friendship outside national boundaries form the best foundation for prosperity and growth,” said Nikola Miladinov, press and media officer at the European Commission's Representation in Bulgaria in an interview for Radio Bulgaria.

The Covid-19 crisis put the limelight on some important achievements of the community which seem to have, of late, been taken for granted. Europe Day offers one more opportunity to rediscover peace, freedom, supremacy of law and democracy as core values of society. To work for an economy for all that would enable people to live a risk-free life together and to avail themselves of all opportunities the economy and technologies have to offer.

All of these topics are incorporated in this year’s events marking Europe Day, entirely online:

“In the capital city, and throughout Bulgaria, we launched celebrations with online initiatives,” Nikola Miladinov says. “We joined efforts with colleagues from other information networks in Bulgaria in a solidarity campaign – (#ОставамЕСолидарни). For one week we have posted special content online to bring the public information about a multitude of partner organizations that make available information connected with the EU’s policies. The culmination is at 11 AM on 9 May when the Bulgarian Commissioner Mariya Gabriel will hold a dialogue with people from all over Bulgaria. The topic of the event is: Europe Day 2020: even stronger together.

European solidarity in times of crisis. An initiativedemonstrating, in practice, what the words solidarity and unity mean in times of crisis. At the initiative of the EC and its President Ursula von der Leyen, a fund-raising campaign was launched on a world scale to help the development of a vaccine and effective methods of coronavirus diagnostics and treatment. More than EUR 7 billion was raised on the campaign’s very first day.

Good news came from the online EU-Western Balkans meeting, hosted on 6 May by Croatia, the country which currently holds the EU Council Presidency. As it was made clear, the EU is allocating EUR 3.3 billion worth of financial aid to benefit the citizens of the Western Balkans and for overcoming the humanitarian and health consequences in the region caused by Covid-19.”

“The Western Balkans belong in the EU. There is no question for us about this. And this is why I firmly believe that the European Union has a special responsibility in assisting its partners in the region”, EC President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized.

Photos: ec.europa.eu