Europe Day, May 9, which is celebrated as the birthday of the European Union, is the anniversary of the proposal known as the Schuman Declaration.

The evolution of the EU from a regional economic agreement in 1951 to today's supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history.

On May 9, 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, in a speech on behalf of the French government, called for the pooling of the production and consumption of coal and steel, and setting up a European organization for the purpose of bringing France and West Germany together. He proposed an eventual union of Europe.