May 1 to be Marked as Day of Czech Accession to European Union

Twenty years after the Czech Republic joined the European Union, 1 May will now be a significant day on the national calendar.

President Petr Pavel signed the relevant amendment into law on Friday.

According to the proponents of the proposal, such as Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák, 12 March is already a significant day, marking the Czech Republic’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Membership in both NATO and the EU symbolizes the Czech Republic’s shift towards a pro-Western orientation after the post-Soviet era. “This is undeniably one of the most important days in modern Czech history. It deserves recognition as a significant day,” Kupka stated.

The idea to celebrate 1 May as the Day of the Czech Republic’s Accession to the European Union, alongside Labour Day, was previously submitted by STAN MPs in the last parliamentary term but did not pass.

Currently, the calendar commemorates 17 important days.

Recent additions include renaming 17 November as the Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy and International Student Day.

History

The largest enlargement of the European Union (EU), in terms of number of states and population, took place on 1 May 2004.

The simultaneous accessions concerned the following countries (sometimes referred to as the “A10” countries: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Seven of these were part of the former Eastern Bloc (of which three were from the former Soviet Union and four were and still are member states of the Central European alliance Visegrád Group).

Slovenia was a non-aligned country prior to the independence, and it was one of the former republics of Yugoslavia (together sometimes referred to as the “A8” countries), and the remaining two were Mediterranean island countries, both member states of Commonwealth of Nations.

October 8 is now the Memorial Day of Sokol, and August 21 is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Invasion and subsequent occupation by the Warsaw Pact Forces.

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