Europe Day, but make it meaningful?

Every year on May 9th, the European Union celebrates Europe Day. But beyond the Brussels bubble, who actually marks the occasion? While national holidays across the continent stir collective emotion, Europe Day remains oddly invisible. This article explores why shared political rituals matter — and what the EU could do to make May 9th a truly meaningful day for its citizens.

A day of celebration without emotion

Got anything planned for May 9th? Commute, work, home? Just another ordinary day. And yet, it’s Europe Day — but who really cares?

In Germany, October 3rd, the Day of Reunification, is sacred. In Poland, November 11th, Independence Day, is celebrated in the streets nationwide. In France, July 14th means fireworks, family, and public festivities. These are known, anticipated, lived days.

So why does Europe Day feel so insignificant, despite its ambition as a day of collective celebration? Is it a sign of widespread indifference — or a deeper symptom of the lack of shared rituals at the European level.

The origin of a symbol… and its fading relevance

Why is may 9th supposed to matter? Because it marks a historical turning point: in 1950, Robert Schuman gave a speech that laid the foundation for what we now call the European Union.

“Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.”

He proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, where former enemies would pool their resources. A bold political act after the devastation of World War II.

Like other national holidays born of independence, revolution, or unification, Europe Day was meant to become the symbolic birthday of a united Europe.

But in practice? It’s barely known, rarely celebrated, and almost completely absent from the everyday lives of EU citizens.

Why rituals matter in politics

If we want to strengthen European belonging — even a basic sense of citizenship — then we need to embody it in traditions.

Rituals in politics are never trivial. They help:

create symbolic ties between people
give substance to abstract institutions
transmit a shared narrative

Communities don’t emerge from laws alone, but through symbols, gestures, and shared moments.

The European Union does have a few such elements:

a flag
an anthem
a celebration day
common values

But these remain insufficient. What’s missing are emotional, recurring moments where people feel connected — not by understanding the EU, but by living it together.

Europe Day 2.0: what if we reinvented the celebration?

Europe Day, as it stands, simply doesn’t work.

Several formats have been tested:

Open days at EU institutions: nice but limited to major cities.
Concerts and festivals: top-down, with limited reach beyond europhile circles
Hackathons and idea contests: well-intentioned, but often too abstract to spark real engagement

All of these share one thing in common: they come from above.

They’re not bad ideas, but they fail to create a sense of ownership. The EU presents itself as a model but leaves little space for citizens to shape it themselves.

What if we flipped the logic? What if we gave citizens the room to create their own version of Europe Day?

What if citizens invented their Europe Day?

What if the real issue with Europe Day wasn’t the idea — but how it’s managed? Each year, the same pattern: Brussels hosts events, Strasbourg delivers speeches, and a few local celebrations follow — more out of duty than excitement.

Not one big celebration for all, but thousands of small, locally rooted, horizontally shared initiatives:

A map in every town hall showing EU-funded projects
A storytelling workshop in a local high school
Two municipalities connecting via video call for a cross-border exchange
A participatory budget where residents decide how to mark May 9th together

None of this is flashy — but it’s doable. It’s not official, but it’s alive. Maybe that’s what a true European ritual looks like: something you can do yourself, with others, and want to share. But for that to work, it must circulate. The EU has rarely managed to produce images, stories, or gestures that go viral — not in the sense of “buzz”, but in the sense of collective appropriation.

A fireworks show won’t do it. But a photo of a shared meal, a school-to-school message, a short video posted on Instagram — that might. Europe won’t become a community just by adding more commemorations. But it could become one if it creates the conditions for modest, sincere, and diffuse attachment. Europe Day may never be flamboyant. But it could be real — if it’s felt and lived by each of us, wherever we are.