European institutions, Spanish Government and Madrid City Council organise the first "Europe Week"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, European Parliament and European Commission and Madrid City Council, together with Casa Árabe and the European Movement, the took part in a whole range of participated activities on the occasion of the "Europe Week", to make the celebration of 9 May, "Europe Day", more visible.
"Europe Freedom Festival", carried out different activities from 3 to 9 May all over Spain: concerts, films, exhibitions and debates to commemorate Europe Week, which objective is to give greater projection to the celebration of Europe Day.
Among the most outstanding events were the Award Ceremony of the Carlos V European Prize of the Yuste Foundation; the solemn act (which this year celebrates its 40th Anniversary) of the raising of the European flag in the Plaza de la Villa in Madrid and the concert on 8 May, organized by the Office of the European Parliament in Spain and Radio 3, in collaboration with the City of Madrid. The groups Cupido, Los Punsetes, Macaco, Ketama, Viva Suecia and Dorian performed at the Conde Duque Cultural Center.
This year, the celebration of Europe Day became more important due to the proximity of the European elections on 26 May. The Office of the European Parliament in Spain wanted to put music to a date so marked in the European calendar, with the aim of publicizing the day of the European elections among young Spaniards. In 2014, in Spain, 73% of young people did not go to vote in the European elections.
9 May marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, a speech delivered in Paris in 1950 by the then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, with his idea of fostering a European political cooperation initiative that would make a new war impossible. The European Parliament has voted in favour of turning the day a public holiday throughout the EU.
Europe Day is not only celebrated in Madrid. All over Spain, a large number of activities have been held from 3 May to commemorate Europe Day in a festive way, such as a “charangas” in Valencia, a photographic Instagram competition in Granada, or informative talks in Ciudad Real.
For more information on the events that have been scheduled for the celebration of the "Europe Week", visit the website:
https://ec.europa.eu/spain/events/europe-day_en