Opening ceremony with a public reading of the OPEN LETTER TO EUROPE 2025

In 2017, the Days of Poetry and Wine festival launched the Open Letter to Europe. The letter addresses Europe and the world with the aim of reintroducing the language of art—thoughtful, refined, and precise—into public discourse. Each year, the festival’s artistic board selects an outstanding poet and offers them a unique opportunity to address Europe and highlight the issues they find most pressing.

The first Open Letter to Europe was written in 2017 by Flemish author Stefan Hertmans. He was followed by Athena Farrokhzad, Ilija Trojanow, Krisztina Tóth, Durs Grünbein, Chus Pato, David Harsent, and Jacek Dehnel. This year’s letter will be written by Serbian poet, writer, and editor Gojko Božović. He will read it publicly for the first time at the official festival opening on Thursday, 21 August 2025, at Vraz Square in Ptuj.

All Open Letters to Europe are published on the festival’s website and as a special printed edition. Each is personally sent to all Members of the European Parliament, as well as members of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. They are also published by numerous prominent European media outlets, making it an event of significance.