EU commemorates Europe Day in Seoul, highlighting peace and security

EU Ambassador to Korea Maria Castillo Fernandez gives a speech during the Europe Day ceremony held in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Korea

The Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Korea, together with representatives from the 25 EU Member States present in Korea, hosted a special event recently to commemorate Europe Day, marking the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration — a historic milestone widely recognized as the foundation of European integration.

Held under the theme "Partnering for Peace and Security," this year’s event, which took place on Friday, emphasized the European Union’s commitment to global cooperation in maintaining peace, particularly in light of its strengthened partnership with Korea. The event follows the EU and Republic of Korea’s adoption of the Security and Defense Partnership last year, underscoring their shared dedication to addressing global and regional security challenges.

In her opening remarks, European Union Ambassador to Korea Maria Castillo Fernandez reflected on the legacy of Europe Day.

"On this day 75 years ago, then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman delivered a historic speech that led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community and, eventually, to the European Union. The idea was to bring European nations closer by pooling the coal and steel production in Europe in order to make war 'not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible.' For the past 75 years, the European Union has been committed to peace, partnership, and cooperation, within our borders and worldwide," she said.

"Even when faced with the greatest challenges, we stand for unity in diversity, working with our partners, such as the ROK, to promote open dialogue, shared stability and prosperity as well as universal values.

"As a partner for peace and security, the EU will continue — for as long as it takes — to support Ukraine in order to defend itself and to integrate the EU as a free, independent and democratic country. To show our strong support to Ukraine, we are pleased that the Ambassador of Ukraine has joined our Europe Day event."

The event brought together Korean government officials, foreign diplomats, scholars, civil society leaders and members of the business community to reaffirm the shared democratic values and commitment to multilateralism that underpin the Korea-EU relationship.

In conjunction with the event, the EU Delegation hosted a roundtable discussion titled "Peace in Europe, Peace in Asia: Partnering for Peace and Security." The dialogue explored the interconnectedness of security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and highlighted avenues for deepening cooperation between Korea and EU to promote global peace and stability.