Greetings for Christmas 2022

Dear friends of Eurojumelages,

During the Christmas period and the coming of the new year 2023, the longing for security and peace is growing among us.

The year 2022 will, unfortunately, go down in history as a year of crises.

The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine ended the longest period of peace in Europe, a period that lasted for 77 years.

Furthermore, the Corona pandemic with its consequences for health systems is also not over, climate change is far from being overcome and energy shortages and inflation are causing many people great concern and even suffering.

Nevertheless, let us, Eurojumeleurs, also look back at this year with gratitude. We were able to organise more activities than in the previous years which were overshadowed by the pandemic. We were fortunate to experience many beautiful moments together in the Eurojumelages community.

These memorable experiences demonstrate the colourful and diverse offerings of "our" Eurojumelages: Spanish language course in Girona, French language course in Lyon, Friendship Week in Bucharest, meeting in Fintel/Northern Germany, river cruise in the Douro Valley, Boule tournament in Strasbourg, OSCAR in Val Joly/Ardennes, to name just a few events.

I would like to most sincerely thank all the organisers of events, whether at country or section level, for their commitment and work. I would also like to thank the numerous authors who have brought us closer to the traditions and customs of their city/region with interesting reports on the homepage. 
A cordial thank you also goes to our "reporters" who always write detailed reports on Eurojumelages activities.

All the joint activities of the Eurojumelages create solidarity. In Eurojumelages, the feeling of European solidarity has been alive for more than 60 years. Let us strengthen this feeling of solidarity in the new year 2023. 

Our common goal must be to inspire as many people as possible within Europe to embrace the ideals of Eurojumelages: European understanding among nations. 

The war in Ukraine shows us every day how important international understanding and cohesion are. A strong Eurojumelages makes its small but nevertheless important contribution towards this. 

Finally, I would like draw your attention towards the Eurojumelages programme of events for the coming year. May I suggest to you to always keep an eye on the homepage of the Eurojumelages website!

I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and, hopefully, peaceful 2023.

With European Christmas greetings
Peter Backes