Residents celebrate EU-Pakistan Dosti at EuroVillage 2025
EuroVillage—a brand name of Pakistan, Europe friendship—is picking up pace on an annual basis and much credit for its increasing popularity goes to the dynamic leadership of the EU Ambassador Dr Riina Kionka who played an instrumental role in popularizing the European culture and heritage among the Pakistani citizens.
Saturday was such a day as had attracted thousands of visitors who enjoyed the vibrant “EuroVillage” festival (6th Edition) at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) organized by the Delegation of the European Union in collaboration with the EU member states.
According to a rough estimate, around 20,000 men, women and children (twice as compared to the last year) turned up at the venue showing keen interest in Italian’s pizza, Belgian waffles, France’s croissants and the Austrian cookies and culinary delights of other EU states.
The stalls where one could see the multitudes till last hour belonged to Italy, Romania, Finland, Poland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece.
The highlights of the event this year—apart from cuisine, games and information—were the brief introduction and songs of some member states preceded by the introductory remarks of its ambassador.
Although the event was the ‘Europe’ specific but you could see Ambassador of Japan Akamatsu Shuichi, Charge d’Affaires of India Geetika Srivastav and others visiting various stalls and exchanging pleasantries with the staff there. Ambassador Nicolas Galey of France was at the French stall along with his team responding to the queries of the visitors so was Alfred Grannas of Germany and Maciej Pisarski of Poland. Austrian Ambassador Mrs Andrea Wicke and Bulgarian envoy Irena Gancheva also remained busy along with their teams briefing the visitors, particularly the youngsters about cooperation between their countries and Pakistan and how they (the youth) could find opportunity to get educational scholarships (Erasmus).
Likewise, Spain’s ambassador Jose A. de Ory, Czechia’s Ladislav Steinhubel, Denmark’s Jakob Linulf and Hungary’s Béla Fazekas were among the sought-after envoys the Pakistani aspirant youths were turning to for queries.
This year, however, some visitors complained of much noise, a little mismanagement (due to overwhelming number of crowd), dust and noise but who would mind when there is plenty of food, music, and interactive experiences.
In her welcome remarks, Dr Riina noted, “We celebrate the diverse cultures and identities that enrich Europe, forming the foundation of our shared values and our relations with the world, including Pakistan. Together, we are stronger, and our partnership in development, trade, and political engagement reflects this commitment.”
In its sixth edition, EuroVillage festival featured a variety of engaging activities, including information displays from the EU and Member States, live performances, fun games, and an array of food options. Visitors had the chance to connect with the Team Europe, learn about the diverse areas of collaboration between the European Union and Pakistan.
The event also featured live performances by both European and Pakistani artists and performers, including Farhan Saeed.
