An interesting Open Day

Saturday 12 May was a sunny day in Brussels, and some 5400 visitors attended the Open Day of the European Council and the Council. People came from Belgium and beyond to learn more about these two institutions.

© European Union, 2012

The focus was on showing how the European Council and the Council actually work.  Some information was given by means of a short film shot before, during and after the last European summit, and more details were added during guided tours of the Justus Lipsius building.

Information was also available on other EU institutions and agencies. There were stands explaining the work of the European External Action Service, the European Central Bank, the European Investment Bank and many EU agencies that play an important role in the implementation of EU policies.

Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, welcomed some very special guests: ordinary Belgian citizens, all born on 9 May 1950 - the very same day Robert Schuman made the declaration considered to be the birth certificate of the European Union.

The Danish presidency stand focused on the environment, and visitors had an opportunity to taste a fruit smoothie made using a pedal-powered generator.

A glimpse of state-of-the-art technology in the space sector was offered at a joint stand providing information on the multiple services to be offered by the forthcoming Galileo satellite system, where a model of one of the satellites currently in orbit was displayed.

At the Cyprus stand visitors gleaned information on the country that will preside over the Council of the EU in the second half of this year, and got a glimpse of this beautiful Mediterranean island.

Late afternoon, a public debate on "Governance of the euro area" attracted some 200 visitors who gained valuable insights into both technical and political aspects of the current situation.

Although the Open Day itself is over, the European Council and the Council of the EU remain open to citizens: the general public can always find out more about the two institutions via their websites, publications, visits and social media.

More information:

Open Day page