Europe Day - United in Diversity

May 9th is Europe Day. A declaration was delivered by Robert Scheman on this day in 1950, 5 years after the end of WWII, remarking on the peace and unity of all Europeans.   This day fosters the understanding and importance of a unified and peaceful Europe. The European Union was set up with the objective of eliminating the frequent wars between nations within Europe. The six founding countries are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In 1957, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC), or ‘Common Market’.

The Euro. In 1999, the Euro (€) was introduced as the single currency within the EU, and officially adopted by 12 member states by 2002.  Today, 19 of the 28 member states have adopted the Euro: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

The EU motto: "United in diversity"

Schengen border-free area established in 1995, named after the “Schengen Agreement”, is a 26 nation member zone where borders between member countries are open to free movement, allowing over 400 million nationals of the member countries the freedom of traveling border-control free within and across the area’s member states. This border-free movement, allows residents and citizens passport-free travel throughout. Interestingly, 3 of the member countries of the Schengen Agreement are not part of the European Union: Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

Would Winston Churchill be proud today?

In 1946, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, Winston Churchill delivered a speech in Zurich, in which he advocated the notion of a “United States of Europe” urging Europeans to turn their backs on the horrors of the past and look towards the future. He declared that Europe could not afford to carry the hatred and revenge which sprung from the past, and to recreate the ‘European family’.  

On May 9th, people across the European Union celebrate this remarkable day in history as Europeans. 

The motto in all official EU languages

• Bulgarian: Обединен в многообразието
• Croatian: Ujedinjeni u različitosti
• Czech: Jednotná v rozmanitosti
• Danish: Forenet i mangfoldighed
• Dutch: In verscheidenheid verenigd
• English: United in diversity
• Estonian: Ühinenud mitmekesisuses
• Finnish: Moninaisuudessaan yhtenäinen
• French: Unie dans la diversité
• German: In Vielfalt geeint
• Greek: Ενωμένοι στην πολυμορφία
• Hungarian: Egység a sokféleségben
• Irish: Ní ceart go cur le chéile
• Italian: Unita nella diversità
• Latvian: Vienota dažādībā
• Lithuanian: Suvienijusi įvairovę
• Maltese: Magħquda fid-diversità
• Polish: Zjednoczona w różnorodności
• Portuguese: Unida na diversidade
• Romanian: Uniţi în diversitate
• Slovak: Zjednotení v rozmanitosti
• Slovene: Združena v raznolikosti
• Spanish: Unida en la diversidad
• Swedish: Förenade i mångfalden

The European Union: United in Diversity

Happy EU Day!

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