President Reuven Rivlin honored Europe Day in Israel with a speech in which he said that the slogan for 2019 Eurovision, “Dare to Dream,” could “equally easily be the motto on the EU’s flag."
Speaking about the close ties between Israel and the EU, Rivlin mention cooperation around cyber-security, Horizon 2020 and the Open Skies agreement.
“We in the Middle East need to learn from the experience of the European Union,” he said, noting how the European community was able to achieve a stable peace thanks to economic cooperation.
“We all dream of peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” Rivlin said, “if we want to realize this dream, we should take a similar approach.” Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo Ron Huldai also spoke at the event. He said he was delighted that "one of your celebrations made it over here from Europe."Ambassador of the EU to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret said, "The EU will remain an important partner for Israel as we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations and friendship."
Europe Day is marked twice in the EU, on the date the Council of Europe was founded (May 5) and the date of the Schumann declaration (May 9). Since 2000, the EU’s motto is "United in diversity." It was inspired by Italian writer Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, who coined a similar motto arguing for a united Italy despite regional differences.