International holidays - Europe Day in the European Union

On May 9, member states of the European Union celebrate a common holiday called Europe Day When Russia celebrates Great Victory Day, European citizens remember not the bloody war that divided Europe into two opposing camps, but the moment of unification of the continent Any schoolchild knows about the origins of Victory Day, but the fact that Europe Day is also celebrated on May 9 is puzzling to most people In fact, May 9, such a significant date for the states of the former Soviet Union, was chosen for a completely different reason According to Hegel, the history of human society is carried out in a spiral For this reason, it was on May 9, the day when Germany was forced to sign an act of retreat, only 5 years later, in 1950, Robert Schumann, then serving as Foreign Minister, gave a speech to correspondents, where he noted the main principles Later they became the basis for the formation of the current European Union This speech, called the “Schumann Declaration,” was announced on the same day in the popular European media In it, Schumann called on Italy, West Germany, France, as well as the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium to consolidate their coal and steel production and place them under the control of a new supranational system called the ECSC All participating states were to be completely subordinate in these two economic sectors to the Supreme Council of the created structure, headed by Jean Monnet, Schumann’s colleague and part-time co-author of the “Declaration” The ECSC allowed the formed system to keep the most significant branches of military production under control, thus resolving the German question As a result, Germany was able to become a full participant in the new structure, but at the same time other members had the right to control its capabilities for waging war Keeping in mind the significance of this event, EU members decided to immortalize the date in the memory of all European citizens This happened in 1985 at a convention in Milan Since that day, May 9 is not only the day of German surrender, but the announcement of the “Declaration”, and is celebrated in the European Union as Europe Day But this event is celebrated not only by the member states of the European Union Also, this holiday has become a full-fledged solemn date for Russia’s neighbors not only in the western and northern parts, but also in the southern and eastern In Ukraine, in accordance with the decision of the President, since 2003 Europe Day has been celebrated on the third Saturday of May Over the past years, the Council of Europe has joined forces with numerous partners to organize events on a European theme All kinds of debates, sports competitions, exhibitions - all this is organized to inform society about the work of the structure, the main task of which is to disseminate European values One of the most important symbols of the holiday is the traditional raising of the flag Many Europeans still celebrate the event on May 5th In doing so, they highlight the importance of the Council of Europe in protecting human rights, democratic society and the rule of law