St George’s Square, Valletta, was yesterday transformed into an interactive area to mark Europe Day, an annual celebration of peace and unity on the continent.

The event commemorates the anniversary of the Robert Schuman declaration in 1950, the first official step towards the creation of the EU, and the square bustled with 300 students.

The celebration kicked off with a parliamentary debate between secondary school students and MPs.

Anthony D’Amato, from St Margaret College Boys’ Secondary School, Verdala, spoke about the importance of introducing flexibility to encourage students to pursue tertiary education studies.

With his colleagues, he carried out a survey of form four and five students to establish why some leave education at secondary level. His team concluded that financial pressures and a more independent lifestyle lead many students into labour market, rather than post-secondary education.

Martin Bugelli, newly-appointed head of the European Commission representation office, said the three main themes tackled during the day’s activities were global warming and climate change, social participation including voluntary work, and education.

The Malta-EU Steering & Action Committee, Europe Direct Relays, the Commissioner for Children, the office for voluntary organisations and the European Parliament information office set up several information points around the square.