Overview
- France will hold a state ceremony on May 8, 2025, at Place de l’Étoile in Paris, led by President Emmanuel Macron, featuring a military parade and televised addresses.
- Germany remains divided on making May 8 a national holiday, with Berlin observing a one-off public holiday, while federal ceremonies emphasize solemn remembrance.
- Filmmaker Wim Wenders has released a short film highlighting the lesser-known May 7, 1945, surrender in Reims, drawing attention to this pivotal but often overlooked event.
- The dual surrender acts—first in Reims on May 7 and then in Berlin on May 8—reflect Allied negotiations and the complexities of World War II’s conclusion.
- As surviving witnesses dwindle, debates over how to sustain memory and address rising nationalist rhetoric are shaping Europe’s approach to commemoration.