Europe Day is a day celebrating peace and unity in Europe. The main celebrations are annually marked by the Council of Europe (on May 5) and by the European Union (on May 9). Often, the celebrations are joined as Europe Week all around Europe. EUSA is actively celebrating Europe Day and Week as well.

The Council of Europe (COE) set May 5 as the Europe Day commemorating its founding in London on that day in 1949 by ten European countries. The organisation now comprises 46 member states, representing over 700 million European citizens. This year, Council of Europe is celebrating its 75th anniversary. COE is Europe's leading human rights institution with the main mission to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law across Europe and beyond.

COE sets standards, monitor compliance and work with states to fight violence against women, child sexual abuse, corruption, cybercrime, discrimination, racism, human trafficking, money laundering, organ trafficking, terrorism and torture; protect freedom of speech, media freedom, free elections, privacy, personal data, social rights, national minorities and minority languages; promote democratic citizenship, human rights education, youth participation, integrity in sport, culture and Europe’s cultural and natural heritage; support civil society; as well as tackle future challenges, such as artificial intelligence, bioethics and the environment.

The European Union (EU) set May 9 as the Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration, accepted on that day in 1950. The declaration proposed the pooling of coal and steel industries from 3 countries in Europe, and was the base of the creation of the first European Community - European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and later to the foundation of the European Union in 1993. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Ode to Joy; composed in 1824. The excerpt from the prelude to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was officially adopted as the anthem for the European Union. This year also marks 20th anniversary of the largest EU expansion so far, when 10 new countries joined the European Union.

EU represents a political and economic union of 27 member states located in Europe, covering over 450 million citizens. Peace was one of the aims that led to the creation of the European Union. Under the motto United in Diversity, the main EU values are Human dignity, Freedom, Democracy, Equality, Rule of law and Human rights.

2024 also marks the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the Erasmus+ Sport Programme. Since 2014, Erasmus+ Sport has been promoting sport and physical activities by supporting grassroot sport organisations across Europe. As sport is an essential part of European identity, the EU offers a wide range of funding opportunities in the field, mainly through the Erasmus+ programme.

European University Sports Association (EUSA), together with the EUSA Institute, join the celebrations of Europe Day and Europe Week, having strong links with the Council of Europe and the European Union. Linked to the Council of Europe, EUSA is a member of two COE bodies: the Consultative Committee of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) and Conference of International Non-governmental Organisations (INGO). Linked to the European Union and the European Commission, EUSA is a strategic partner of several EU initiatives, including the European Week of Sport and the #BeActive campaign, SHARE 2.0 initiative, and several others. EUSA and its Institute are also reliable coordinators and partners in sport, youth and social responsibility projects and initiatives, supported by the EU, including the fields of Anti-Doping, Dual Career, Education through Sport, Equal Opportunities, Health Enhancing Physical Activity, Good Governance, Mobility, Safeguarding, Sustainability and Volunteering.

2024 is also important to EUSA – we are celebrating our 25th anniversary. Some of the key events this year will be celebrations of the European Universities Games in Debrecen-Miskolc (HUN) in July as the biggest event in terms of participants, European Universities Rowing Championship in Ankara (TUR) in August, EUSA Convention in Salerno (ITA) in October and the main closing anniversary event - EUSA Conference and Gala in Vienna (AUT) in November. Keep an eye on the activities and join us in the celebrations!

For more information, please see https://www.coe.int, https://european-union.europa.eu, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu and https://www.eusa.eu/projects/