European flag flown from Strasbourg cathedral for first time to celebrate Europe Day

The European flag was flown on Saturday from the spire of Strasbourg Cathedral for the first time in history as part of the 30th annual Europe Day celebration and in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

City and international leaders gathered in Strasbourg's Gutenberg Square to mark the occasion, and to observe the raising of the flag, which also celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

"Peace is a precious commodity that we wanted to preserve following the war, and which is not something acquired," declared Nawel Rafik-Elmrini, deputy mayor of Strasbourg charged with European and international relations, in a speech made at the ceremony.

The deputy mayor took the opportunity to highlight the challenges currently facing Europe, including economic troubles, social tensions, and the influx of refugees from countries in crisis, in order to stress the importance of renewing European values.

"The European institutions are seen today as difficult to understand, lacking transparency, and, sometimes, barely legitimate, so it is imperative that we negotiate a turning point for Europe," she said. "There is still a desire for Europe on the part of citizens, and indeed we need to give a place back to the citizens in the European project.""We must find a new breath for the this European project."

Her message was echoed by the ambassador of the European Union (EU) to the Council of Europe (CoE) Jari Vilen, who declared: "It is important to remind ourselves of and defend European values."

CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland spoke of the need to maintain vigilance in the face of growing intolerance.

"It's important that all of us stand up when minorities are being attacked, when anti-Semitism is growing, when the Roma people are being attacked, when Muslims are attacked, that we stand up again and say we cannot allow this to happen again," the Secretary General said.

Shortly after the leaders spoke, a stonemason from the Strasbourg Cathedral restoration team climbed the cathedral's spire with the European flag while the University Orchestra of Strasbourg played "Ode to Joy," an adaptation of Beethoven's 9th symphony which is also the European Anthem.

The European flag is the only flag to be used by two different international organizations, the CoE and the EU, though it was the CoE which adopted the flag first in 1955.

Strasbourg Cathedral is currently celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of the laying of its foundations in 1015. Endit