United in Diversity: Georgia to celebrate first Europe Day as EU membership candidate

The Delegation of the European Union to Georgia on Friday shared plans for the annual upcoming Europe Day celebrations in the capital city of Tbilisi, while noting the country would mark the date for the first time as a European Union membership candidate, Azernews reports, citing Agenda.

While the date is usually celebrated on May 9, this year all public events will be hosted on May 11 to “allow as many people as possible” to attend, the Delegation said, adding this year’s theme would be ‘United in Diversity’.

This year the celebration in Tbilisi will underline that the doors to EU membership for Georgia – an EU candidate country – have finally been opened wide. Now it is up to the Georgians to walk through those doors by swiftly implementing necessary reforms”, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawe? Herczy?ski, said.

The EU Delegation said thousands of people were expected to come together to celebrate “peace, diversity and the values uniting the EU and Georgia”.

The celebration will be hosted at the Expo Georgia fairgrounds, offering a chance to visitors to “travel virtually to countries of the EU and learn more about the EU’s three decades-long” support to Georgia, organisers also said, adding six different spaces would be organised in five pavilions and courtyards to enable visitors to “experience what the EU is all about”.

Pavilion three will host entrepreneurs who have benefited from EU support to start up or expand their businesses.

Pavilion four and five will offer entertaining and educational activities, give out souvenirs, and organise cultural performances and concerts within a Team Europe event, where embassies of EU member states will introduce visitors to the culture and history of their countries.

Pavilion six will host panel talks with celebrities on “values, culture and environment” as well as opportunities for businesses and youth, with the discussions moderated by the popular journalist David Gorgiladze.

In Pavilion 11, projects funded by the bloc will present their activities.

A market of agriculture products will invite visitors to sample products and dishes offered by farmers from various regions of Georgia, while a puppet show will be performed in a specially opened marquee.