Press release | The 2025 European Authors Day ends with a record number of 6573 events in 34 Creative Europe countries

From Sweden and Finland to Tunisia and Turkey, from Ukraine and Latvia to Portugal and Italy – an amazingly international celebration of human creativity and reading, live and for real, gathered over 300 000 participants during the last 4 weeks.

Post offices, bookstore chains, schools, libraries, nurseries, publishers, cultural centres, local authorities, companies, NGOs, authors, illustrators and translators from all over Europe joined under the slogan #ReadForReal: to strengthen our creativity and connection, economy, innovation and democracies; for Europe to remain human. The European Authors Day, launched in 2023, is an initiative implemented by a European consortium and co-financed by the EU Creative Europe programme.

Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, said: “The European Authors Day reminds us that reading is far more than a leisure activity, it’s a cornerstone of personal development, critical thinking, and democratic life. Through this initiative, we celebrate the extraordinary richness and diversity of European literature, the creative minds that shape it, and the ecosystem through which it lives on: authors, libraries, bookshops, publishers, and readers amongst others. By encouraging people, especially young readers, to #ReadForReal, we strengthen the bonds that unite Europe through shared stories, ideas, and languages. I am proud that the European Commission, through Creative Europe and its dedicated partners, continues to nurture this vibrant culture of reading and reflection across our continent."

“We are extremely grateful to all the amazing people around Europe who decided to join the celebration, registered and organised European Authors Days #ReadForReal events. They are true co-authors of this amazing success. We are humbled by this deep and wonderfully diverse strength of Europe, showing its amazing potential at our invitation. We are very honoured to be able to serve in the role of coordinators and looking very much forward to next year already!” – underlined Maria Deskur from the Universal Reading Foundation from Poland, in the name of the consortium running the project.

The European Authors Day #ReadForReal 2026 calendar has already been announced with the “Literacy for Democracy. Shaping the Future” Conference in May 2026 in Warsaw, the #ReadForEurope workshop in November in Blois, and, last but not least, the pan-European celebration during 11.11-12.12 (11 November – 12 December 2026). Details to be followed at www.readforreal.eu; on Instagram: @read.forreal and on Facebook: READ. for Real

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