(Hina) - The European Union is a home to all of us, all its member countries, and there are several more 'tenants' we hope will join the bloc in the coming years, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić said at the celebration of Europe Day in Zagreb on Saturday.
The theme of this year's celebration, held in the European Square, was the Sounds and Tastes of Europe.
A total of 17 European countries, including Croatia, presented their traditional meals and many had cultural and art performances.
"Two years ago, Croatia was not a full member of the European Union and today we feel like we have always been in Europe," Pusić told those who gathered at the event.
She underscored that all of us together need to enjoy the fact that by defeating fascism Europe has provided peace for its citizens and by working on its societies and institutions it has provided stability, while different cultures within Europe have provided diversity and wealth.
Pusić extended her best wishes to Europeans on Europe Day and the 70th anniversary of victory over fascism, calling it "a common European value and guarantee of permanent peace."
The event was also addressed by the head of the European Commission's Representation in Croatia, Branko Baričević.
Each year, EU member states commemorate Europe Day (May 9th) which has become a symbol for unity and strength of European states and people. Europe Day has been marked since 1985 in memory of the declaration made by the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950. This proposal, known as the "Schuman declaration", is considered to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union.
Celebration photographs: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mvep_rh