Eighty years ago today, Victory in Europe (VE Day) was declared by the Allied forces on 8 May 1945. It marks the official end of the Second World War after the capitulation of Nazi Germany.
With the Allies closing in on a surrounded Berlin at the end of April 1945, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler committed suicide on the last day of that month, and the German forces’ unconditional surrender followed on 7 May.
A newsflash was broadcast to the public announcing the end of the war in Europe and that the next day was declared Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
Belgium was occupied between 1940 and 1944, but Brussels was finally liberated in September 1944 and the rest of the country was free by February 1945. While VE Day brought street parties across the country, the celebrations were not as joyous as the liberation in the autumn before.
How is the country marking VE Day in 2025?
80 Years
On Thursday, Belgian officials will gather at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Representatives of the Allied forces as well as Germany will also be present.
During this annual ceremony, the King's representative will lay a wreath of flowers in the name of the monarchs, after which a minute's silence is observed. An F-16 and a Spitfire will fly over the site, according to Belga.
Several foreign ambassadors, a representative of the king and political representatives will be present at the ceremony. Allied forces are not organising anything in particular in Brussels, but will be joining Belgian-led events.
The commemoration ceremony of the 79th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels, is held on Wednesday 08 May 2024. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Elsewhere, the 8 May Coalition is organising their flagship protest at Brussels-Central station. It is part of their campaign to ensure that the day is celebrated as a bank holiday. The rally begins at 17:00 and ends at 19:30 at Carrefour de l’Europe.
In the evening, there is a reading of texts by members of the Belgian Resistance at Le Boson in Ixelles between 19:30 and 20:30.
At Fort Breendonk, Belgian non-profit Heroes of Resistance are ending a 48-hour reading marathon at 14:00. It began on Tuesday, with the tribute seeing different Belgian figures read out the names and actions of the Belgian Resistance fighters killed during the Second World War.
Battle of Bulge veteran
A debate among Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will also take place in the morning. On Wednesday, European Parliament marked 80 years since the end of the war by inviting a Belgian veteran to address MEPs in Strasbourg.
In the presence of three veterans, including Belgian Robert Chot, the European Parliament marked the 80th anniversary of the end of Second World War on Wednesday in Strasbourg, upon whose ashes the European project was founded.
"If today we still live in peace, it is thanks to you and the countries you represent," said the 102-year-old veteran of the Battle of the Bulge to MEPs.
War veteran and member of the Royal National Federation of War Volunteers, 102-years-old Robert Chot from Belgium (L) speaks at the European Parliament during the Commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of Second World War in Europe on May 7, 2025 in Strasbourg, eastern France. Credit: Belga / AFP
"Peace is always uncertain," warned Robert Chot. "There are always clouds above us. Let's do what is necessary to ensure peace endures in Europe," he added, receiving a standing ovation from the chamber.
Slightly younger at 96 and 95, Polish veterans Janusz Maksymowicz and Janusz Komorowski also addressed the room, and delivered similar messages.
"We remember not only the end of a war but also the birth of our Union," highlighted the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
"The most powerful tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in this war lies not only in remembrance but in determination. In our determination to unite and to say clearly and firmly: never again!" she declared.
Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, hit by German fighter plane, 13 October 1944.
However, "the Russian war in Ukraine, raging at the doors of the European Union, does not allow us to celebrate peace in peace," lamented the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
He urged Member States and their partners to remain united against the Russian aggressor and reminded European citizens that "peace is a heritage, but also a responsibility."
In his view, the project of an integrated European defence should no longer be a distant dream or signify a return to militarism but instead become a deterrent to future aggression.
The EU also celebrates Europe Day on Friday, which marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, presented on 9 May 1950. After years of war, the declaration was a proposal to place French and West German production of coal and steel under a single authority – which later became the European Coal and Steel Community.
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