9 May: Europe Day

On the 9th of May, the European Union celebrates 'Europe Day'. This day commemorates the date of the Schuman Declaration, which was the starting point for today’s European Union.

What? 

On 9 May 1950, five years after the end of the Second World War, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs Robert Schuman launched his proposal for the construction of Europe and the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The ECSC was the first of a series of supranational European institutions that would ultimately become today's 'European Union'.

On the basis of the Declaration, European governments sought to pool coal and steel production and make war between France and Germany "not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible".

When?

Since the Summit of Milan in 1985, the European Union celebrates its 'Europe Day' on the 9th of May. 

Program?

The European Institutions are organizing (virtual) tours, debates and other events. For more information, please click here. An inaugural event will also be organised for the Conference on the Future of Europe and people are encouraged to take a look at the newly launched multilingual digital platform on the Conference on the future for Europe.

 

Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash

Publication Date: Fri 07 May 2021
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