As the "merry month", May symbolises the peak of spring and is associated with many positive attributes. For the people of Europe, however, May also has two important commemorative days to celebrate European unification: 5 May, which commemorates the founding of the Council of Europe in 1949, and 9 May, which is considered the birth of Europe thanks to the Schuman Declaration of 1950. Since its introduction in 1985, the EU member states have celebrated Europe Day on 9 May, focusing on the theme of Europe in connection with unity and peace. Nowadays, there is even talk of "Europe Weeks" throughout Germany, which extend over the month of May and which have also been organised in the Saarpfalz district in recent days.
For District Administrator Frank John, there is no alternative to a united, peaceful Europe:
"Europe is much more than just a form of organisation. Above all, Europe is a vision that has emerged from the experiences of the catastrophes of two world wars in the 20th century and the resulting misery. In Europe today, emerging conflicts are resolved through friendly co-operation and economic interdependence, thus guaranteeing lasting peaceful coexistence in a common Europe. The idea of Europe has been so successful in recent decades within the borders of the European Union that the EU can be described as a true peacemaker and peacekeeper!"
says John.
As a district located directly on the Franco-German border, which has been heavily contested in recent centuries, the Saarpfalz district embraced the ideas of European unification through reconciliation and friendship very early on.
"The Saarpfalz district has maintained intensive international contacts with France, Poland and even the USA since the 1990s and has continuously expanded its partnership network in recent years, particularly towards Poland and Ukraine!"
reports Dr Violetta Frys, the Saarpfalz district's European Affairs Officer and Head of the European Office, who has been responsible for the European partnerships with Poland and Ukraine for 15 years and also for the organisation and implementation of this year's Europe Week in the Saarpfalz district.
In mid-May, 19 delegates from the various partner regions came to the Saarpfalz district to engage in intensive dialogue during Europe Week. County councillors and district council chairmen, as well as a member of parliament and mayors from Poland and Ukraine, travelled over 1000 km to Homburg.
In a four-day programme, topics such as the cross-border cooperation of biosphere reserves, the future of care for the elderly, the situation of the economy and also the prevention of security risks in facilities of general interest were discussed together. Various companies and organisations in the Saarpfalz district were also visited for this purpose. In addition to the thematic debates at the Mandelbachtal retirement home and the Hunackerhof farm in Ormesheim, as well as at the town hall there with Mayor Maria Vermeulen, the Alte Schmelz in St. Ingbert, as an industrial heritage site for former iron smelting, impressed with its special urban-rural relationship in the biosphere with the integrated STEM campus.
An important stop for the international delegations was the Homburg-based company Dr Theiss Naturwaren GmbH. It was particularly important to the representatives from the Ukrainian partner regions of the Saarpfalz district to visit the company, which has been supporting their regions with numerous aid shipments since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Managing Partner Giuseppe Nardi welcomed the delegates personally and they expressed their heartfelt thanks for the solidarity and help for Ukraine.
In St. Ingbert, the delegates visited the CISPA Helmholtz Centre for Information Security and its multi-million euro investment there and discussed the security topics researched by the institute, which are becoming increasingly topical internationally, with Dr Mario Daniels. The delegates were welcomed by Lord Mayor Prof Dr Ulli Meyer at St. Ingbert Town Hall for an exchange of ideas.
The workshop "Emergency protocol system for the Saarpfalz district and local authorities" by Dr Mirosław Łukasiewicz and Julia Metalnikova from the Polish security company JP Weber, which was organised in the district administration of the Saarpfalz district, also brought direct benefits to all participants and other representatives of the district present, for example on procedures for the rapid recording and management of crisis situations, including recent experiences from the war in Ukraine. A system was presented that could also be of interest to the Saarpfalz district in future crises.
The Polish district partnerships with Przemyśl, which have been in existence for 15 years this year, and with Łańcut for five years, have now given rise to further partnerships at municipal and civil society level.
"A delegation trip to which I invited in September 2025 has now developed into a municipal partnership between the municipality of Mandelbachtal in the Saarpfalz district and the municipality of Markowa in the district of Łańcut, which was sealed on 21 March this year," said District Administrator Frank John happily. "This educational trip has also resulted in a partnership between the scouts of St. Ingbert and Łańcut. The first binational project of the scouts, which brings together young people from the two countries, will take place in the Saarpfalz district in a few days' time."
However, the history of Poland and Germany, which was burdened by the Second World War, was not ignored as part of Europe Week. Two wreaths were laid at the memorial in honour of the Blessed Ulma family in Gräfinthal. Together with Fathers Peter and Wilhelm of the Benedictine priory, they attended a prayer service in the monastery chapel, which was organised by Father Hieronim Jopek in German and Polish and accompanied by music from Christian von Blohn.
At the end of Europe Week, a large celebratory event was held in Homburg with all delegates and numerous high-ranking guests. Among them were the Head of the State Chancellery David Lindemann, the Polish Consul General Marek Głuszko, the Ukrainian Consul Taras Zholubak and Vice President Gilbert Schuh from the Moselle Departmental Council in France. While Consul General Marek Głuszko referred in his speech to the ideas of the great Frenchmen Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet in the European unification process, Vice-President Gilbert Schuh recalled the 60-year anniversary of the Élysée Treaty and its role in Franco-German friendship and the Weimar Triangle. Taras Zholubak, Consul of Ukraine, also spoke about the importance of the Weimar Triangle, which promotes cooperation between France, Germany and Poland:
"The past few years in particular have shown how important this European axis is for Europe's stability, security and ability to act. It is encouraging for Ukraine to see that this cooperation is increasingly also thinking about the European future of our country.
David Lindemann, the Plenipotentiary for European Affairs, speaking on behalf of Minister-President Anke Rehlinger, honoured the Saar-Palatinate's partnership work in his key statement:
"Europe is created where people reach out to each other - across borders, languages and crises. At the ceremony for the Saarpfalz district's European partnerships, it became clear how much strength there is in long-standing friendships and mutual trust. The partnerships with regions in Poland, France and Ukraine stand for cohesion, solidarity and the firm will to shape Europe's future together."
Between the moving speeches, accompanied by Andy Pink on the grand piano, an important ceremony took place: the renewal of the partnership agreement between the Saarpfalz district and the Lviv district as an expression of lasting solidarity with the struggling Ukraine.
"In a constantly changing world, our district partnerships are a strong anchor. Together, we want to ensure that our inhabitants can live together without borders in Europe in the long term and, as vibrant regions, form the foundation for a strong, united and sustainable Europe"
says District Administrator Frank John.
The Europe Week was financially supported by Engagement Global with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Saarland State Chancellery.
At the signing of the partnership agreement: Andrij Sulym, Chairman of the Lviv District Council, and Frank John, District Administrator of the Saarpfalz district. Photo: Anika Bäcker