The Schuman Declaration of May 9, 1950 marked the first step toward the creation of what is now known as the European Union.
France’s Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, delivered a statement to the international press calling on France, Germany, and other European countries to unite their coal and steel production, laying the first concrete foundation for a future European federation.
The countries addressed by the declaration had emerged materially and morally devastated from conflicts with one another. What Schuman proposed was the establishment of a supranational European institution that would manage the coal and steel industries — sectors that at the time formed the basis of military power.
Years later, during the Milan Summit in 1985, EU leaders decided that May 9 would officially be celebrated as Europe Day.
For several years now, this day has also been celebrated in Kosovo, where various activities will be organized in its honor by the EU Office in Kosovo.
