The Regional Under Secretary for European Affairs and External Cooperation stressed in Ponta Delgada “the great satisfaction of the Government, not only for the possibility to bring an initiative of the European Commission which covered more than 30 cities of the twenty-seven Member States to the “European Region of the Year 2010,” but also for the significant participation and interest motivated by the “Circus Campaign.”
“We have, thus, met the fundamental goal of the partnership between the Government of the Azores and the European Commission: promote in a different and interactive way the knowledge about the social dimension of the European project and, secondly, the work and relevance of the action developed by social solidarity institutions,” said the Regional Under Secretary at the closing session.
Rodrigo Oliveira also announced that with regard to the provision of posters and exhibition material by the European Commission, “the Government of the Azores will now work to bring this initiative to the other islands of the archipelago.”
The “Circus Campaign - Do you know what social Europe can do for you?,” a three-day event held in Ponta Delgada, received about 5,000 visitors, who participated in a wide variety of events including seminars, thematic workshops, games, films, music, dance, theatre and circus entertainment. These activities were promoted to raise public awareness for EU actions in the area of employment, social policy and equality of opportunities.
The closing session  was attended Paula Ramos, Regional Director for Solidarity and Social Security, and coordinator of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion in the Azores, Gemma Garcia, from the Representation of the European Commission in Portugal, and Joseph Jamar, from the Directorate-General for Employment of the European Commission. These speakers stressed that the success of the initiative, the significant participation and the diversity of interests and activities which are the result of the committed involvement of various partners, including European institutions and regional social solidarity institutions.
In turn, the closing session of the “Circus Campaign” included the performances of the Jazz Orchestra of the Rabo de Peixe Music School as well as of the participants of the hip-hop dance workshop under the direction of hip-hop teacher and choreographer, Rita Spider.