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.