About Europe Day
| How long until Europe Day? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe Day . | |||
| Dates of Europe Day | |||
|
2026 European Union
Saturday, May 9th
2025 European Union
Friday, May 9th
2024 European Union
Thursday, May 9th
2023 European Union
Tuesday, May 9th
2022 European Union
Monday, May 9th
| |||
| Summary | |||
| Celebrates the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration in 1950, when the first step was made towards the creation of what is now known as the European Union | |||
| Europe Day in other countries | |||
| Europe Day internationally | |||
When is Europe Day?
Europe Day is observed on 9th May every year to celebrate peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historical 'Schuman declaration' that set out his idea for the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community. The idea was that closer cooperation would make war between Europe's nations unthinkable. Schuman's proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union.”
History Of Europe Day
At a speech in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, the then French foreign minister, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would benefit the participating countries economically and reduce the chance of any future war between Europe's nations.
His vision was to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production.
The idea of the community was that its founding members – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg – would pool their coal and steel resources and create a common market for them by lifting import and export duties.
A treaty creating such a body was signed in Paris just under a year later. Schuman's proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union.
The first recognition of a "Europe Day" was introduced by the Council of Europe in 1964. The "Europe Day" on 9th May was introduced in 1985 by the European Communities.
After the founding of the European Union in 1993, observance of Europe Day increased significantly. Since 1995, Germany has celebrated not just the day but now holds a whole Europe Week. In Luxembourg, it is a national holiday.
To celebrate Europe Day, the EU institutions open their doors to the public on 5th May in Brussels, 5th and 9th May in Luxembourg and 10th June in Strasbourg.
Local EU offices in Europe and all over the world organise a variety of activities and events for all ages.
Each year thousands of people take part in visits, debates, concerts and other events to mark the day and raise awareness about the EU.
According to The World Factbook from the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States, “The evolution of what is today the European Union (EU) from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long the norm in Europe; on a few occasions even country-level unions were arranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were examples. But for such a large number of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching entity is unique.”
Find out more
