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French minister Xavier Darcos met a group of Spring Day schools in Paris
On 16 June 2008, Mr Xavier Darcos, the French minister of education, met a group of teachers and students that organised Spring Day for Europe events and activities. The purpose of the meeting was to acknowledge the work of the students and teachers in the context of the forthcoming French presidency of the European Union.

Euripidis Stilianidis, Greek minister of education, joins Spring Day
Mr Euripidis Stilianidis, the Greek minister of education, recently visited the Intercultural Lyceum of Sapes to join a Spring Day event organised by students and teachers. The event was an artistic performance that featured songs from different countries as a way to unite people and raise awareness about cultural diversity and similarities.

Portuguese President Cavaco Silva went back to school
Mr. Cavaco Silva, the President of the Portuguese Republic, recently visited the Agrupamento de Escolas da Apelação, in Loures, Portugal.

Commissioner Figel’ teaches online about intercultural dialogue and understanding
Commissioner Figel’, responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, hosted an online debate on the Spring Day website on 16 June 2008. The debate has been the fourth event of this kind since 2005, when the guest decided to interact with Spring Day schools on a yearly basis. The debate theme focused on intercultural dialogue and understanding, as topics that are introduced and learnt at school. Students and teachers from 14 schools representing 12 countries came online to interact with Commissioner Figel’ and his team of experts.

Commissioner Figel‘ pays a visit to the Základná škola s materskou school in Slovakia
Commissioner Ján Figel', responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, recently met the students and teachers of the Základná škola s materskou school in Slovakia. The event was part of a visit to the western region of the Slovak Republic with the purpose of meeting people and discussing the latest developments of the country and the European Union.

Slovenian president, Dr Danilo Türk, welcomes students to the National Parliament
By tradition, Spring Day campaign in Slovenia includes, among other events, a national gathering of students and teachers at the national parliament. This year, the participants were welcomed by Dr Danilo Türk, Slovenian president.

Margot Wallström encourages young people to make their voices heard
“You are the real VIPs!” said Mrs. Margot Wallström to students at the Katedralskolan in Uppsala, Sweden, on 13 May 2008. Mrs. Wallström, Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Institutional Relations and Communication, visited the school to meet more than 400 students to debate on the future of Europe.

Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus went back to school
Mr. Valdas Adamkus, President of the Republic of Lithuania, recently visited his childhoold school, Kaunas Jonas Jablonskis Gymnasium. The visit took place on 6 May 2008 and included a meeting with teachers and students as well as an artistic performance.

MEP Katerina Batzeli encourages young people to open school doors to intercultural dialogue
Mrs Katerina Batzeli, MEP, Chairwoman of the Committee on Culture and Education at the European Parliament, hosted a Spring Day online debate at European Schoolnet on 14 May 2008. The debate theme was about opening doors through intercultural dialogue and how to benefit from cultural exchange opportunities.

Spring Day schools celebrate Europe Day!
Most of the Spring Day schools have produced reports on their special events which were dedicated to Europe Day. The reports consist of pictures, texts and drawings. The purpose of the events was to raise awareness about our common cultural values and how young Europeans celebrate similarities and embrace diversity.

European Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström visits the Katedralskolan in Uppsala, Sweden
On 13 May 2008, Mrs. Margot Wallström, European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for institutional relations and communication strategy will visit the Katedralskolan in Uppsala, Sweden.

It’s Europe Day
Together with the EU flag, the anthem, the motto and the euro, Europe Day has become a symbol of the European Union. Europe Day is celebrated on 9 May and the event is in the calendar of most of the schools throughout the continent. In this European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, teachers and students will in particular celebrate cultures, as an asset of European integration.

Guess who is going to back to school
"Guess who is going back to school" is an operation in which public figures such as local, national and European politicians and experts pay a visit to their former schools or to any other school. The purpose of the operation is to strengthen contacts between young Europeans and decision-makers in an attempt to bring Europe closer to its citizens.

European Economic and Social Committee President, Dimitris Dimitriadis, hosts an online debate
The first online debate, which was organised in the framework of Spring Day for Europe 2008, took place at the European Schoolnet Office, in Brussels, on 15 April 2008. Mr Dimitris Dimitriadis, the president of the European Economic and Social Committee hosted the online debate. The debate theme was “Entrepreneurship and cultures through dialogue”.