"Back to the land of the brave. In Kyiv for Europe Day", Roberta Metsola wrote in a short post on social media X. Roberta Metsola was received upon her arrival in the Ukrainian capital by her counterpart, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk. Ukraine, which was militarily invaded by Russia in February 2022, is one of 10 countries with candidate status for the European Union (EU). Kyiv has counted on military and financial support from the EU, such as the recently approved €50 billion mechanism for Ukraine until 2027. Today is Europe Day, but it also marks one month before the elections for the European Parliament, scheduled for 6 to 9 June (in Portugal, the vote is on the latter date). Europe Day is celebrated in more than 60 European cities, including in Portugal, with several initiatives and with several monuments illuminated with messages alluding to the EU and appealing to vote in the European elections. This year's edition of Europe Day takes place 45 years after the first European elections in 1979. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome and the Grand Place in Brussels are among the many landmarks that will be illuminated as part of the event, which in Portugal will include more than 30 monuments or buildings, including the Belém Tower, Cristo Rei, the São Bento Palace, the Bragança Castle, the "Anemone" sculpture in Matosinhos or the buildings of the Paços do Concelho de Coimbra and Tomar. In these places, the colours of the EU flag - blue and yellow - or the slogan of the European campaign: "Use your vote. Or others will decide for you" will be displayed. Europe Day refers to the date in 1950 when the then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman delivered the "Schuman Declaration", in which he proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, the founding basis of what is now the EU. The date was first celebrated in 1986 and has come to represent peace and unity on the European continent. Read Also: Borrell celebrates Europe Day by calling for "an end to the suffering in Gaza" (Portuguese version)