This year’s Europe Day was celebrated with a “techno” twist, inspired by the Copernicus Program. Copernicus is a cornerstone of European Union efforts to monitor the earth and its many ecosystems from integrated space and ground-based data.

In line with this theme, there were two futuristic mimes, an usher-scientist and a hologram photo booth, with the constellations and night sky as a backdrop, at the Dusit Thani Ballroom.

Europe Day was also an occasion for EU Ambassador Franz Jessen to look back on his four years in the Philippines. He shared with guests the milestones of the embassy in his term, such as the ratification of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the renewed development assistance initiatives, the collaboration with the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines that has led to enhanced relationships between the Philippine business community and EU member nations, and the establishment of three new EU missions.

In his toast, he expressed the gratitude he felt for the opportunity to work in the Philippines. “Working with my 14 national colleagues and their staff here in Manila has been a privilege,” he said. “It is an incredible time to be in Manila, seeing the country up close, when it is going through a rapid transformation, questioning conventional wisdom, and facing its history in new ways.”

Joining him during the toast were Foreign Assistant Secretary Amelita Aquino and ambassadors and honorary consuls from the member states of the European Union. —CONTRIBUTED