1. Exhibition: 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, 9 May 1950
Exhibition

70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, 9 May 1950

On 9 May 1950, against the backdrop of the Cold War, Robert Schuman issued a declaration which marked the beginning of the process of building the European Community. The aim the French Foreign Minister had set himself was to establish a new supranational organisation with a view to creating a common coal and steel market between France and Germany which was also open to other European countries. It would become the European Coal and Steel Community, or ECSC, and since 1985, Europe Day has been celebrated on 9 May every year.

Chapters

Schuman, a man from a border region Franco-German problems The Monnet-Schuman partnership Pooling coal and steel resources Institutional innovation The ‘Schuman bombshell’ of 9 May 1950 Political backing The press conference Reactions to the Schuman Declaration The Schuman plan - what was at stake? Negotiations on the ECSC Treaty Multilateral negotiations Signing of the ECSC Treaty Ratification of the ECSC Treaty Entry into force of the ECSC Treaty Robert Schuman, first President of the European Parliamentary Assembly Strasbourg's place at the heart of Europe Credits