The tradition of celebrating the Days of Europe in Ukraine became richer this year. Under the support of the European Program of the International Renaissance Foundation and the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, All-Ukrainian Youth NGO “European Youth of Ukraine” organized and ran an unusual event so far in the center of the capital - the European Parade.
Thousands of the city residents and guests became the participants of the European Parade in Kyiv on May 15. The official procession started on Bessarabska Square and passed through Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Volodymyrska, Prorizna, Tryokhsvyatytelska and Khreschatyk Streets. Various theatrical activities took place in the process – theater on stilts, female drummers’ performances that included sports elements.
The procession with banners culminated the celebration of the Day of Europe and the official ceremonies, which were conducted by local authorities and the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine in a traditional format of presentations in tents-pavilions of different European countries.
Since the purpose of the European Parade was to emphasize the attention on Ukraine’s European integration priorities and the importance to deepen and develop Ukraine – EU relations, one of its important tasks was to encourage Ukrainians’ and, in particular, young people’s active civil position and comprehensive awareness of these issues. More than one hundred young people, primarily socially active students from Kyiv, participated in the organization of the event.
The Days of Europe and, in particular, the European Parade received encouraging responses from the Head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, Ambassador José Manuel Pinto Teixeira. He expressed a firm conviction that youth is the one who currently plays an important role in the process of Ukraine’s integration into the EU since the youth will reap the fruits of it.
Also Yevhen Bystrytsky, International Renaissance Foundation Executive Director, expressed his hopes that Ukrainians would definitely live according to the European standards, as participants of the European Parade demanded in their slogans.
Greeting Kyiv residents with the Day of Europe, the chief organizer of the European Parade and the Head of the All-Ukrainian Youth NGO “European Youth of Ukraine” Vitaliy Ilyashenko promised in front of the public that from now on such an event would take place every year and not only in Kyiv, but around the entire Ukraine too.
Conducting of the event was supported by the following people and organizations: Vice Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Serhiy Tihipko; Public Expert Council, affiliated with the Ukrainian part of the Ukraine-EU Cooperation Committee; Coordination Bureau on European Integration, affiliated with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine; Ministry of Ukraine for Family, Youth and Sports; Kyiv City State Administration; European Youth Parliament – Ukraine; NGO “Kyyany Peredusim” (Kyivites are Above All); and also embassies of the countries-EU members.
Contact information: e-mail: euro_youth@ukr.net, www.euroyouth.org.ua
