May 9th holds a special place on the European calendar as Europe Day, an annual celebration of peace and unity across the continent.
This designation stems from the historic Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950, a moment in European history that laid the groundwork for the integration and cooperation that define the European project.
The Schuman Declaration, also known as the Schuman Plan, was a visionary proposal put forward by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman. It called for the integration of French and West German coal and steel production under a unified authority, with the goal of fostering cooperation and reconciliation between former adversaries in the aftermath of World War II.
Indeed, as the first line of the Schuman Declaration (the full text of which can be found here), states, “World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it.”
This initiative aimed to prevent further conflict by aligning economic interests and creating common institutions to oversee key industries.
Only through unity and solidarity are we able to maintain the European project.
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) May 9, 2024
On this day in 1950, Robert Schuman delivered his famous Declaration – a milestone in our history that set the foundation for the EU as we know it today. #EuropeDay #EUArchives pic.twitter.com/LewwBzO4us
Creating the Schuman Declaration
Born in 1886, Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman was a Luxembourg-born French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France twice, as well as holding positions as Minister of Finance and Foreign Minister.
The response to the Schuman Declaration was overwhelmingly positive. Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, embraced it, as did several other European governments.
This collective support led to the signing of the Treaty of Paris on 18 April 1951, by the six founding members, including France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. This treaty established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), laying the groundwork for further European integration.
The Schuman Declaration emerged as a key step in encouraging coordinated efforts among European nations to rebuild and prosper together in the wake of World War II, and in the early stages of what would become the Cold War.
Or, the plan puts it, “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.”
It had several key objectives, including promoting peace, preventing war between member states, revitalising the European economy, and promoting international development. By pooling coal and steel production, it aimed to create a foundation for economic cooperation that would make future wars between old rivals France and Germany “not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible”, in Schuman’s words.
Additionally, it aimed to foster greater economic integration and collaboration among European nations, setting the stage for the creation of a common market and the eventual formation of the European Economic Community and the European Union.
A profound legacy
The legacy of the Schuman Declaration is profound. It marked the beginning of Franco-German cooperation and the reintegration of West Germany into Western Europe. The subsequent establishment of the ECSC paved the way for further European unity and cooperation, setting up mechanisms for economic integration and collaboration.
Schuman himself died in 1963, but his vision for European integration earned him the title ‘Father of Europe’, and 9 May is celebrated annually as Europe Day to honour the peace and unity that the Schuman Declaration symbolises.
Commenting on the 70th anniversary of Europe Day in 2020, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that for her generation, “Europe is freedom and rule of law” and “for my children Europe is the future and the open-mindedness, this is what I’m fighting for” – sentiments that found their origin in the vision of Robert Schuman and his contemporaries seven decades earlier.
As Europe continues to face a raft of new challenges in the 21st century, the principles of cooperation and reconciliation embodied in the Schuman Declaration remain as relevant as ever.
