site.btaUPDATED Sofia Marks Europe Day

Europe Day was officially marked in Sofia on Friday with the raising of the European Union flag in front of the Presidency building in Sofia.

The ceremony was attended by President Rumen Radev, National Assembly Chair Natalia Kiselova, Vice President Iliana Iotova, Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil, Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev, political leaders, Members of the European Parliament, representatives of religious communities, and public figures.

President Radev took the salute of the guard of honour. The national anthems of Bulgaria and the European Union were performed.

Earlier in the day, President Radev, in his capacity as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, along with the Parliament Chair and the Vice President, laid flowers at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in memory of the Bulgarian soldiers who lost their lives during World War II. Also in attendance were Patriarch Daniil, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, government officials, and politicians.

A series of events are planned throughout Sofia to mark the occasion.

In Parliament, political groups read out Europe Day declarations. The highlight in the declaration of the ruling GERB-UDF was a call to "continue building a European Bulgaria". The opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria urged "standing up for the values of European democracy as we celebrate Europe Day". One takeaway from the separate declarations of Vazrazhdane and BSP - United Left was that there would have been no Europe Day without Victory Day. MRF - New Beginning said in a statement from its leader that "Bulgaria must stick to its Euro-Atlantic path by joining the eurozone while keeping its dignity and freedom".  Democracy, Rights and Freedoms said in their declaration that now Europe has "all chances to be one of the pillars of the new world order".

Europe Day has been celebrated since 1986, following a resolution adopted at the European Community summit in Milan, Italy, in June 1985. The date commemorates the historic 1950 speech by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in Paris, in which he proposed the integration of Western Europe’s coal and steel industries - a vision that laid the foundation for what would become the European Union. Known as the Schuman Declaration, it is considered the first concrete step toward European unification.

In Bulgaria, Europe Day is officially observed in accordance with Decree No. 54 of the Council of Ministers, adopted on March 29, 2005.