Five Reasons Why Europe Day Is Ukraine’s Day

We talk constantly about European integration, sometimes forgetting that we are already an integral part of that community. The Maidan slogan “Ukraine is Europe” — a wish in 2013 — is today an undisputed fact.

 When French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman unveiled his plan on May 9, 1950 to pool French and German coal and steel production, the aim was to make another war between European states impossible. Five years after the end of World War II, that mission was vital. And it worked: Schuman’s plan became the European Coal and Steel Community, which later evolved into today’s European Union.

No surprise, then, that the day Schuman unveiled the economic plan that secured lasting peace for the continent became Europe Day. 

Looking back, it’s clear that Europe Day is less about European institutions than about the values and the rule of law that lead to a durable peace. And that is precisely why this day is also about Ukraine — a country now fighting on the front line for those values and rights, and actively defending them. 

Here are five arguments to make the case.

1. We are genuinely changing on our path toward the rule of law and democracy. 

Despite some pauses and setbacks, our country has only one possible direction: structural change that will safeguard citizens’ rights and freedoms. Because Europe is not just a territory where civic rights are defended — it is, fundamentally, a human-centered space.

2. Ukraine today defends the very peace that we, together with Europe, secured 80 years ago. 

In 1950, European countries took their first decisive steps to come together and avoid strife on the continent. At the dawn of the Cold War, that move strengthened their position against a potential external threat. After the Soviet collapse, the threat seemed to retreat — but as we now see, not for long. 

3. Ukraine is securing peace for Europe, and European unity should help us do that. 

Our fight for European values and our role in European security are giving today’s EU new qualities. Above all — courage, a need that had somewhat faded over recent decades. Effective support for Ukraine can define today’s Europe as a brave community ready for decisive action.

4. Ukraine’s resilience reminds Europeans of the real price of peace.

For however important peace may be, we must remember that hard-won freedoms are paid for in blood. As during World War II — and as is the case again now, though only on Ukraine’s steppes — thanks to the courage of Ukrainian men and women.

 5. Today’s Ukraine has become the glue that holds Europe together. 

Such is human nature: in happy times we are often willing, even eager, to live apart — but challenges can only be overcome together. Now, the threat from a common enemy is uniting European countries to stand against it. And Ukraine is becoming the anchor of that unity. 

That is precisely why Europe Day is Ukraine’s Day.