Europe Day

Europe Day is held on 9 May every year to celebrate peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historic 'Schuman declaration'. In Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, then French foreign minister, set out his idea for a new form of cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable. His vision was to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production. A treaty creating such a body was signed just under a year later. Schuman’s proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union.