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One day after the new parliament convened and Péter Magyar was elected prime minister, thousands have been celebrating Europe Day in Budapest, along with the 22nd anniversary of Hungary’s accession to the European Union.
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On 9 May 1950, the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Schuman Declaration was issued, laying the foundations for the community now known as the European Union. Seventy-six years later, on the same day, Hungary swore in a new prime minister, something that will no doubt reshape the often tense relationship between Brussels and Budapest. The change of government has also left its mark on this year’s Europe Day.
“We are all very happy. I’ve never come out for Europe Day before, so I can’t compare it, but you can really feel the good mood, especially after yesterday,” said a young woman on Szabadság tér, the main venue for the events.
“I’m really pleased about it, to be honest, and I feel there is a much more enthusiastic and motivated atmosphere. Not least because we now have a chance to set off again on a shared path with Europe,” is how another participant summed up their feelings about the change of government.
The organisers have lined up a host of programmes for Europe Day, including concerts. As tradition dictates, the event was launched with a running race: this time the runners took on a half marathon, but they could also compete in relay teams if they did not want to cover the full 21 kilometres.
The Europe Day programme continues into the evening. The detailed schedule can be browsed here (source in Hungarian), with the band hiperkarma headlining tonight’s programme.
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