Europe Day

Today (May 9) is Europe Day, and we will celebrate this evening at the Concierto de Europa at the new Auditorio de la Diputación de Alicante (ADDA). Europe Day was established at the Milan Summit of European Union leaders in 1985 as a recognition of the Schuman Declaration of May 9, 1950. On that day, just five years after the end of World War II, Robert Schuman, the Foreign Minister of France, read a declaration asking France and its recent enemy, Germany, to pool their coal and steel production. "The solidarity in production thus established will make it plain that any war between France and Germany becomes not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible."

What started as a limited economic measure has grown over the last 60 years to much more, resulting in economic, political, and social cooperation among 27 countries. The European Union is not and will not become a "united states of Europe," and it suffers from complaints of "too much regulation from Brussels." But it nevertheless offers a framework for revitalization and growth for millions of people from the intercambios (exchanges) of its diverse member states. And that makes this young Europe an exciting place to live.