European Village, CJEU Guided Tours Announced for Europe Day

During a press conference held at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Luxembourg-Kirchberg on Wednesday 3 May 2023, representatives of the CJEU, the Representation of the European Commission in Luxembourg and the Liaison Bureau of the European Parliament in Luxembourg presented the programme for this year’s Europe Day celebrations.

Every year, Europe Day commemorates the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 by highlighting the European values of peace, unity, solidarity, democracy and freedom. In 2019, Luxembourg (whose capital is one of the official seats - together with Brussels and Strasbourg - of the European institutions) became the first country to declare Europe Day a public holiday.

As Juan Carlos González Álvarez, Head of Press and Information at the CJEU, Anne Calteux, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Luxembourg, and Christoph Schroeder, Head of the Liaison Bureau of the European Parliament in Luxembourg, confirmed, this year will see the return of the Europe Day festival and "European Village" to Luxembourg City- to Place de l’Europe in Luxembourg-Kirchberg- after last year’s main celebrations took place in Esch-sur-Alzette as part of Esch2022 - European Capital of Culture.

About 70 information stands will be present at the European Village on Tuesday 9 May 2023, with exhibitors representing various EU member states as well as Ukraine, which is returning as a special guest again this year, the European institutions and national authorities in Luxembourg with a link to European projects, among others. First-time participants this year include the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). Regarding the return of Ukraine this year, Anne Calteux stressed the continued importance of solidarity with the war-torn country: "Our solidarity remains more important than ever." 

The public can also discover a new "Skills Corner", set up as part of the European Year of Skills. In addition, there will be a dedicated "Kids' Corner" and food trucks, as well as a varied cultural and musical programme throughout the day. The traditional European cake is also set to make a comeback.

The programme kicks off at midday with various European folk dances. The official ceremony will take place at 14:00, in the presence of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, as well as the President of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg's parliament), Fernand Etgen, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Betttel, the Vice-President of the European Parliament (and Luxembourg MEP), Marc Angel, European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit and the Mayor of Luxembourg City, Lydie Polfer.

Later in the afternoon and evening, visitors can listen to Ukrainian songs by Belle Bandura, a DJ set by Nico Beiler (winner of the DJ-LOA competition) and the closing concert by local indie-rock/pop band TUYS. The festival programme is set to conclude at 18:00.

In parallel, the CJEU, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, will open its doors to the public for its traditional Open Day on Tuesday 9 May 2023, from 14:00 to 18:00. Guided tours are on the agenda, with the aim of showing the public some "symbolic sites" and allowing them to see how the CJEU works concretely, noted Juan Carlos González Álvarez. The CJEU's 118-metre-high Rocca Tower, the tallest building in Luxembourg (with views over the Grand Duchy, Belgium, France and Germany), will also be open to the public, although capacity is a bit more limited. Virtual guided tours in English, French and German are also on the agenda and there will be a "Kids' Corner" as well.

Europe Day will also be the occasion to inaugurate the "Jardin du Multilingualisme" (multilingualism garden), a new public garden at the CJEU which celebrates the diversity of the EU. The garden will be open to the public from 14:00 on Tuesday 9 May 2023.

Juan Carlos González Álvarez, Anne Calteux and Christoph Schroeder noted that Europe Day was an opportunity for members of the public to celebrate Europe and to inform themselves and reflect on what Europe is and what it does and means for them. The last edition, in Esch-sur-Alzette, attracted about 5,000 visitors and the organisers were hopeful for similar numbers this year, not least due to the accessibility of the Kirchberg plateau (e.g. tram connections). Anne Calteux described Place de l'Europe as a "symbolic" location, at the heart of Luxembourg's European district. She presented Europe Day as an opportunity to see what Europe represents concretely and noted that everyone can be an active part of it. Christoph Schroeder agreed that this was a good opportunity for the public to see the role of the EU in their daily lives, not least in the runup to the European Elections in 2024.

Concerning how Europe Day has grown since becoming a public holiday in Luxembourg in 2019, Anne Calteux told Chronicle.lu that the event has "grown from a little European village into something really big", not least due to people being off and the organisers becoming more active on social media and in spreading the word. Christoph Schroeder noted that the event is also growing across the country, with activities being organised by municipalities and local clubs. He stressed that it was important that people understood that "Europe can be a part of our future and the solutions we need" for issues such as climate change and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Juan Carlos González Álvarez added that the CJEU has been opening its doors to the public for years to show that Europe is "not far away" and to show them what happens in "their" court.

Wednesday's press conference was followed by a guided tour of the CJEU for members of the press.