Santa Maria is hosting the regional celebrations for Europe Day on the 9th of this month, with various educational, cultural, and recreational initiatives.
The celebrations, organized by the Regional Government, are taking place this year under the theme of space.
According to the Regional Government, “the aim of this celebration is to raise awareness and stimulate the interest and participation of the whole community in activities related to the European Union, contributing to greater and better dissemination and knowledge of issues relating to the European Union in general and the Outermost Regions, such as the Azores”.
“This year’s celebrations pay special attention to space, thus framing this theme within the regional and national ambition to make the Azores an Atlantic hub for Europe in space, leveraging the privileged conditions that the Region offers for the consolidation and growth of its space ecosystem, contributing decisively to the implementation of the national and European space programs for space,” the Azorean executive said in a statement.
The program kicks off on the morning of the 8th of this month with the “Back to School” initiative at the Santa Maria Primary and Secondary School, with Vera Pinto Gomes from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Defence Industry and Space in attendance.
The opening conference “Europe and Space: the role of the Azores and Portugal in the European space program” is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at the Vila do Porto Municipal Library, and will feature Vera Pinto Gomes and Hugo Costa, director of the Portuguese Space Agency.


The Vila do Porto Municipal Library will also inaugurate the exhibition “We, Europe and Space,” created by students from the European Club of the Santa Maria Primary and Secondary School.
The exhibition will be on display at the Vila do Porto Municipal Library until the 10th of this month, after which it will go to the Santa Maria Primary and Secondary School, where it will be on display until the 13th.
On May 9, the solemn commemorative session will take place in Vila do Porto’s Municipal Garden, at 9.30 a.m., with the raising of flags and the playing of the Hymn of Europe by the Banda Recreio Espirituense.
This will be followed by speeches from representatives of the Regional Government, the Vila do Porto municipality, and the EuropeDirect Azores Information Center.
The Europe Day commemorative program is the result of a partnership with the Azores Mission Structure for Space (EMA-Espaço)/Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Vila do Porto City Council, and the EuropeDirect Azores Information Centre.

in Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.