Greece’s Rio-Antirrio Bridge Lit up Ahead of European Elections

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    Rio–Antirrio bridge in Greece lit up for Europe Day ahead of European elections.
    Rio–Antirrio Bridge in Greece lit up for Europe Day ahead of European elections. Credit: marinas8. CC BY 2.0/flickr

    The Rio-Antirrio Bridge in Greece, along with several other European monuments, has been lit up in the colors of the European Union to remind citizens to vote in the upcoming European elections.

    Displayed on huge screens placed on the bridge was a bold message of the European Parliament campaign, “Use your vote – June 9.” The Rio-Antirrio Bridge was not the only landmark illuminated with the message. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Grand Place in Brussels were among several monuments across the EU lit up for Europe Day on May 9th. This occasion marks one month until the European elections.

    The selection of the bridge and implementation of the lighting and message was a collaboration between the Office of the European Parliament in Greece and the Office of the European Investment Bank Group (EIB), also in Greece, and Gefyra S.A.

    Other landmarks and monuments that participated in the scheme included Nicosia City Hall, Freedom Square in Cyprus, Samuel Beckett Bridge, the Irish Parliament Buildings in Dublin, Vilnius City Hall, Fort St. Angelo in Valletta, the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, Cibeles Square in Madrid, and the Romanian Parliament in Bucharest.

    Europe Day is marked every year on May 9th to promote and recognize unity on the continent. This date commemorates the anniversary of the historic “Schuman Declaration” in which, on May 9, 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman expressed his idea of a new form of political cooperation in Europe that would make war between nations unfathomable. Schuman’s proposal is considered the beginning of today’s European Union.

    Greece delegation’s comments on European elections and Europe Day

    “This year, Europe Day on May 9 takes on even greater significance, as it coincides exactly one month before the 2024 European Elections,” noted the head of the European Parliament Office in Greece, Konstantinos Tsoutsoplidis. He added: “with our vote on June 9, we are building the bridge that will unite the struggles of previous generations for democracy with the hopes of young people for a better, stronger, more inclusive Europe of tomorrow.”

    “The Bridge is one of the important infrastructure projects that have been built in Greece with the support of the European Investment Bank, projects that are changing the geography of our country,” noted Marianna Nathanael, legal representative of the EIB Group Office in Greece. “For this reason, it is a special honor for the EIB that the Rio Antirrio Bridge will participate in this important pan-European action of the European Parliament to celebrate Europe Day.”

    “It is our pleasure and honor to illuminate the Bridge for the celebration of Europe Day, sending strong messages and symbols to our country but also to Europe for a Greece that is progressing, creating and building bridges for Europe and for the future,” said Managing Director of Gefyra Panos Loukas.

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