Europe Day on May 9, 2026: Europa Experience The Hague opened
In 2026, The Hague will welcome a new educational center dedicated to the European Union: the Europa Experience. This free-to-access venue, located at Grote Marktstraat 25, will open its doors on May 9, 2026. The project is being jointly developed and managed by the European Parliament and the European Commission. Yesterday, the opening was celebrated with free ice cream and coffee outside. Why is the Europa Experience opening on May 9, and why is Europe Day held on May 9?
Europe Day (9 May)
Europe Day, also known as Europe Day, has been celebrated in EU countries on May 9 since 1985 to commemorate the fact that on that date in 1950, the French minister Robert Schuman made an ambitious declaration in which he advocated for an organization to place French and German coal and steel production under common management. This became the ECSC. The European Coal and Steel Community (EGKSwas a European organization intended to place the production of coal and steel under the authority of a common High Authority. This new governing body was granted several supranational powers. Coal and steel are the most important raw materials for arms production, and the six founding countries wanted to try to prevent a new arms race between the geopolitical archenemies France and Germany in this way.
The idea to cooperate in this area was put on paper in 1950 by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Schuman. This organization, the European Coal and Steel Community (EGKS), which was also open to participation by the other countries of Europe, was established on 18 April 1951 by the Treaty of Paris by France, West Germany, Italy, and the Benelux countries and entered into force in 1952. The ECSC is considered the first precursor to the European Union, into which it was incorporated in 1992. Legally, it ceased to exist by operation of law in 2002, when the 50-year term of the treaty had expired.
Through the joint management of the two strategically very important basic products, the common foundations for substantial post-war European economic development were established, while a new war between the formerly arch-rivals France and Germany would become not only unthinkable but also materially impossible.
With the entry into force of the Treaty of Paris the concrete foundations were laid for the European Economic Community, which was established five years later by the Treaty of Rome. In the following half-century, European cooperation grew into the current European Union. Because the first decisive initiative for post-war European cooperation and unity was taken on May 9, 1950, with the Schuman Declaration, it was decided during the Milan Summit in 1985 to declare May 9 as Europe Day every year.
Robert Schuman (1886 – 1963)
On May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, made a statement proposing the establishment of a European Coal and Steel Community. Its members would pool their coal and steel production.
This ECSC, founded by France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, was the first in a series of supranational European institutions that would eventually lead to the current “European Union”.
In 1950, European countries were still struggling with the devastating consequences of the Second World War, which had ended barely five years earlier.
The European leaders were determined to prevent a repetition of such a terrible tragedy. If they pooled coal and steel production, a war between the historical rivals France and Germany would become “not only unthinkable, but also materially impossible.”
They believed – rightly, as it has turned out – that an intertwining of economic interests would be good for the standard of living and a first step towards a more united Europe. Other countries could also become members of that ECSC.
Schuman Declaration (9 May 1950)
A few quotes from the statement
World peace can only be preserved through the efforts of all positive forces that can protect it against threatening dangers.
“The unification of Europe cannot be realized all at once nor brought about by an all-encompassing creation: the united Europe will have to be built through concrete achievements, taking actual solidarity as the starting point.”
“Due to the merger of coal and steel production … a turning point will occur in the fate of these regions, which for a long time have had to manufacture weapons of war of which they themselves have regularly been victims.”
Europe Experience (The Hague)
Come visit us in The Hague. Discover how the EU works and how decisions by the Parliament, the Commission, and the Council influence your life. Listen to the stories of EU citizens just like yourself and experience how EU policy shapes your daily life. Discover how you can make a difference and make your voice heard. Take a photo in the popular photo booth and share an inspiring message with your friends. Participate in seminars, lectures, exhibitions, and other events at the Europa Experience. We want to help you better understand European politics and decision-making through a unique opportunity to learn, participate, and be inspired.
At the opening, there was immediate criticism from local politicians: a waste of money ('elitist EU propaganda machine'). But The Hague pays nothing for this Europe Experience. So who does pay for it? That is the European Commission and the European Parliament. I would say come by and experience what you know (and don't know) about Europe!
<strong> More info: </strong>
Europe Experience (The Hague):
https://visiting.europarl.europa.eu/nl/visitor-offer/other-locations/europa-experience/the-hague
Schuman Declaration, May 1950:
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