The Czech Republic celebrates 20 years in the European Union. Celebrations are held all over the country

On Wednesday, the Czech Republic commemorates 20 years since joining the European Union. Several cultural events are held across the country to mark the occasion. For example, the capital city of Prague has prepared an exhibition on Mariánské náměstí in front of the New Town Hall building, there will also be parades of 28 flag bearers accompanied by music, trams will be decorated with flags and the New Town Hall and Petřín Tower will be ceremonially lit.

May 1 as the Day of the Czech Republic’s accession to the European Union was quickly approved by the Chamber in April already in the initial round. This day will be a newly significant day, similar to how March 12 is the commemoration of the Czech Republic’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO).

As part of the celebration of joining the EU, on Tuesday, Prague opened a panel exhibition called 20 years in the EU on Mariánské náměstí. It presents important milestones of the Czech Republic over the last two decades and also explains what EU membership brings to Prague.

Part of the exhibition is also dedicated to interesting projects that were created in the metropolis with significant support from the EU. The outdoor exhibition will be in front of the New Town Hall building until May 31. As part of the accompanying program for the anniversary celebrations, the New Town Hall building and the Petřín lookout tower were ceremonially illuminated during the night hours of April 30 and May 1.

“The cultural-historical tradition of Prague is firmly connected with Europe. The membership of the Czech Republic in the European Union is therefore only a logical confirmation of these bonds. And in this context, the anniversary of joining the EU is a welcome opportunity to remember what this bond really consists of,” said Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS) in a press release.

The Prague Islands will also be part of the celebration of Europe on Wednesday, as part of the “Experience Europe” event. But other Czech cities will also join the celebrations. Brno symbolically illuminated some buildings in blue-yellow, on Wednesday the event Concerts for You or 20 years of the Czech Republic in the EU will take place on Masaryk Square in Jihlava. The Central European Jazz Bridge festival is then held in Hradec Králové.

The Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák (STAN) already announced at the beginning of the year that events to mark the anniversary of the Czech Republic’s twenty years in the European Union will take place throughout the year. “These are key historical moments that made the Czech Republic an integral part of the democratic West,” he said.

“Our membership in the European Union brings us demonstrable advantages, European financial support for investments in infrastructure, education, innovation, digitization and regional development. We grow economically thanks to access to the common internal market, we promote common interests and values, and our citizens can work, travel and study freely in all countries of the European Union. In the future, hopefully, we will also join the countries of the eurozone,” added the minister.

Czech journey to the EU

The Czech Republic joined the EU on May 1, 2004, along with Estonia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. It was the largest expansion of the European Union to date, the total number of member states increased to 25 and the number of official languages ​​increased to twenty.

The Czech government submitted an official application to join the EU at the beginning of 1996. The accession treaty was signed in April 2003 in Athens. In the same year, a referendum was held, in which over 77 percent of people voted for the approval of the contract.

As a member state, the Czech Republic closely cooperates with EU institutions and other member states. This multilateral cooperation takes place for the most part through the Czech government. Apart from certain specifics that are typical for the historical development of the Czech Republic, the government accepts the direction of the EU abroad as its own, and at the same time participates in it through all EU institutions.