Europe Day in the United Kingdom

Europe Day is not widely celebrated in the UK. In part, this might be because collective public sentiment is in general decline – the cause of some debate among sociologists and commentators – but mainly this must be because of the prevailing British attitude to Europe.

Most British people accept EU membership but are not enthusiastic about it. They reject suggestions that Britain should seek to leave the EU altogether, but the positive benefits of EU membership are not well-known or widespread and the idea that Europe Day should be a cause of celebration would strike most of them as absurd. Hardly anyone would think of 9 May in this regard.

Against such a background, it falls to the European Movement to seek to put the alternative point of view.This year, our dedicated campaigners and local branches organised the following range of activities:

• some local authorities flew a European flag to celebrate Europe Day. This is actually harder than it might seem, because there are careful regulations governing which flags may be flown from public buildings. Those regulations are too complicated to be explained here, but their main effect is to prohibit the removal of a royal or national flag in favour of any other flag, including the European one, even for only one day a year. The European flag may fly alongside a more traditional flag, but not instead of one. Many public buildings have only one flagpole, so it is the regulations themselves that forbid such a celebration.

• children in some schools took part in European quizzes and other competitions. Europe is also a cultural entity and not only a political one, and children can be addressed by making such issues fun. The national curriculum which schools in England are obliged to follow now includes an element on citizenship for teenagers – that might lead the way to a better education about Europe in schools in the future.

Lastly, let me mention a 50th anniversary party for the Treaty of Rome held in London. The Tower of London was the scene of the party; the Millennium Wheel opposite the House of Commons was lit blue and gold in recognition. This was a fine and glorious event, but organised by the European Commission and the German embassy and not by the British government or any other British institution. Enthusiasm for Europe in Britain remains sadly limited, despite all the good things it has to offer.

Richard Laming, European Movement UK