Europe Day is held on 9 May every year and celebrates peace and unity in Europe. This year's focus is on the 60th anniversary of the European Union and will be celebrated throughout Europe and around the world. The date marks the anniversary of the historical ‘Schuman Declaration’.
The then French foreign minister, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe's nations unthinkable at a speech in Paris in 1950. 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.
Each year local offices of the European Commission and the European Parliament in the EU organise a variety of events. To celebrate Europe Day, the EU institutions in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg will open their doors to the public - follow #EUopenday to see what's going on.
Probably, the European Union is far from being a perfect political cooperation but has the potential to become what we, European citizens, want it to be.
Let’s celebrate Europe Day 2017!
