Mr. Jan Høst Schmidt, the Head of the EU Representation in Denmark, introduced the celebration with his welcome speech, where he summed up the significance of the Europe Day and encouraged people to participate in the upcoming election to the European Parliament in June 2009. The Czech Ambassador, Mr. Zdeněk Lyčka, informed about the successful approval of the Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Senate and reminded of the Czech Presidency´s motto: “Europe without barriers”.

The celebration was arranged by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Copenhagen in cooperation with the European Commission Representation and the European Parliament Information Office in Denmark. The Czech Tourism Agency, Danish Brewers' Association and the Czech breweries of Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser Budvar and Staropramen also contributed to the arrangement of the event.

The main mission of the traditional event, that is arranged every year in celebration of the announcement of the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950, was a broader presentation of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council, the European Commission and European Parliament and to give the possibility to meet some of the Danish candidates to the upcoming elections to the European Parliament in June 2009. Therefore, the event aimed at the providing the broad public with the opportunity to get familiar with topics concerning the European Union as well as interesting facts about the Czech Republic. The participants acquired information about the Czech Presidency, tourism, business opportunities, etc. The possibility to taste Czech beer (Pilsner Urquell, Budvar and Staropramen) and compare it with a selection of Danish beers (Carlsberg, Jacobsen, Fuglsang Pilsner) was especially attractive.

The Danish and European flags were flapping on the flagpoles in front of the Town Hall and all the buses of the public transport in Copenhagen and its surroundings were also decorated with flags.

The pleasant atmosphere of the Europe Day Celebration was enhanced by the performance of the Czech punk band “Už jsme doma” that played at the City Hall Square and later on at the Café Švejk in Frederiksberg.