More than half a million EU citizens have now lost their lives in connection with a corona infection. I would very much hope that we will remember the deceased together in a European ceremony.

Such a ceremony would be a visible signal not just that we are fighting the pandemic together but also that we are united in mourning the victims. In Europe, we have tackled the challenge posed by COVID‑19 together – whether by providing economic assistance or taking in intensive care patients from each other’s countries and procuring vaccines. We should also remember our dead together.

By remembering together, we can engrave the many victims of this pandemic in Europe’s collective memory. That is important not least so that we as Europeans together draw the right conclusions from this pandemic and set the right course for the future.