European Commission Head comes to Kyiv to mark Europe Day
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, arrived in Kyiv on 9 May to mark Europe Day.
Source: Ursula von der Leyen on Twitter, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The President of the European Commission noted that she was pleased to come back to Kyiv, where the values that Europeans hold dear are defended daily.
Quote: "So it is such a fitting place to celebrate the day of Europe. I welcome President Zelenskyy’s decision to make 9 May Europe Day also here in Ukraine," said von der Leyen.
Good to be back in Kyiv.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 9, 2023
Where the values we hold dear are defended everyday.
So it is such a fitting place to celebrate the day of Europe.
I welcome President @ZelenskyyUa's decision to make 9 May Europe Day also here in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/MEGOEfgyIq
Details: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on 8 May to establish Europe Day as an annual event on 9 May in Ukraine.
For reference: Europe Day is a European Union holiday which was chosen to commemorate the day of the so-called Schuman Declaration, namely a speech made by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950. This speech is considered to be the starting point for the unification of European countries into a supranational community that eventually became the European Union.
This holiday has been celebrated in Ukraine on the third Saturday of May up until now. Exactly two decades ago, in the spring of 2003, this decision was made by former President Leonid Kuchma, who feared angering the pro-Russian fifth column if the "European" 9 May became the date of the celebration.
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