Europe Day: EU Festival 2026 held in Tashkent

“Europe Day reflects a simple yet powerful idea - that cooperation brings peace, opportunity, and progress. Today, we celebrate the shared values that connect Europe and Uzbekistan — not only through words, but through experience. This festival is our way of bringing Europe closer to you.”, - H.E. Toivo Klaar, EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan.

2 May 2026, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Today, the Youth Creativity Palace in the capital hosted the EU Festival - Europe Day 2026, transforming a familiar venue into an open space for encounters, ideas, and cultures.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Toivo Klaar, EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan, stated: 

“Europe Day reflects a simple yet powerful idea - that cooperation brings peace, opportunity, and progress. Today, we celebrate the shared values that connect Europe and Uzbekistan — not only through words, but through experience. This festival is our way of bringing Europe closer to you.”

This celebration is more than just a date. Its origins lie in the Declaration in which, 76 years ago on 9 May 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman set out his vision of a united Europe. Today, Europe Day symbolises peace, cooperation, and a shared future. In Tashkent, these values were expressed through a vibrant and engaging multicultural festival.

Visitors had the opportunity to “travel across Europe” without leaving Tashkent. National pavilions, languages, music, gastronomy, and traditions were presented through interaction, hands-on experiences, and personal exchanges. Embassies of EU Member States - Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Finland - came together in the spirit of Team Europe, sharing their cultures in an open and informal way through people, stories, and emotions.

The Festival also served as a platform of opportunities. Through presentations by the Cultural Centres of Greece, and Germany, DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service, the Goethe-Institut, the Alliance Française, and the EU’s National Erasmus Office, visitors not only experienced the richness and diversity of European cultural life, but also learned about opportunities for education, scholarships, internships, exchanges, and professional development. Guests explored EU-funded projects covering Uzbekistan and Central Asia, spanning education, environmental sustainability, digitalisation, connectivity, and civil society support. A dedicated stand showcased the work of the European Investment Bank, which recently opened its office in Tashkent, providing a tangible example of how international cooperation delivers in practice.