Europe must return to its Judeo-Christian cultural roots, continuing down the path that the founders of the European Union envisioned, Magdolna Závogyán, the state secretary for culture, said at an event in Sopron, in western Hungary, on Saturday. Hungary must play a key role in that return by “protecting the flame, the hearth”, Závogyán said, speaking at the three-day Sopron Picnic, named in homage of the 1989 Pan-European Picnic, as part of the opening ceremony of the “1,100 years in Europe, 20 years in the Union” programme. “The fire must be fuelled by strong, sovereign nation-states, member states that protect the interests and safety of their citizens and their proud cultural traditions while respecting those of others,” the state secretary added. Závogyán said the 1,100 years in Europe programme aims to raise awareness “of the values Hungarians contributed to universal culture”. The Petőfi Cultural Agency (PKÜ) earlier said the Hungarian Heritage House, the National Institute of Culture, the National Centre for Circus Arts, the Hungarian National Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Dance Theatre and the National Film Institute would host events in Sopron as part of the programme series.