Reasons to celebrate ‘Europe Day’

The horror of World War II marked a turning point in Europe and was the germ of today’s European Union, in a scenario that needed to create a new order of political cooperation to avoid future wars. In this way, different countries voluntarily and peacefully ceded part of their sovereignty for the sake of a higher sovereignty, the European sovereignty.

European Union Day is celebrated on 9 May to commemorate the words of Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister, who spoke of harmony. In 1950, he proposed that Germany, France and other European countries that wished to do so should contribute their steel and coal resources to avoid conflict. This proposal, known as the Schuman Declaration, was made on 9 May 1950 and laid the foundations for future trade and social agreements.

The European Union officially came into being in 1957 with the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC), which sealed the alliance of France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, and the Netherlands in the Treaty of Rome. The Maastricht Treaty of 1993 formalised the current European Union, which in 2022 has 27 member countries: the first six “partners” were joined, in chronological order, by Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom (which left the EU in 2020), Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia.

Progress achieved in the EU

In its 65 years of existence, the EU has experienced great victories in its quest for economic, political, and social integration, as well as disappointments. Here is a breakdown of some of them:

· The creation of its institutional framework with seven European institutions, seven bodies, and more than thirty decentralised agencies.

· Free movement of people, goods, services, and capital.

· Common policies, mainly trade policy and agricultural policy.

· The creation of a common currency, the euro, was adopted by 19 of the EU’s 27 members.

· The Nobel Peace Prize, was awarded in 2012, for its contribution to peace, democracy, and human rights.

· Strict environmental standards aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change.

On the other side of the scale, when talking about the major disappointments suffered, mention must be made of the lack of consensus to define and approve a European Constitution. The United Kingdom’s departure in January 2020, and a pressing problem, external energy dependence, highlighted by the current war between Russia and Ukraine.

Current EU challenges

The European Union’s current challenges are embodied in the priorities that make up its agenda, which has been heavily affected by the devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two years. As a result, the largest economic stimulus package ever financed, the Next Generation EU funds, worth 750,000,000 euros, was approved. Four challenges are now at the centre of the European roadmap:

Digital transformation: this digital commitment aims to improve the use of artificial intelligence, improve the digital skills of citizens and workers, increase cybersecurity and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the digital single market.

Territorial cohesion: reducing inequalities and achieving fair and inclusive growth is one of the European priorities to achieve social justice and economic efficiency.

Climate neutrality: 30% of this budget is allocated to the fight against climate change, the highest percentage of the largest European budget in history.

Gender equality: the Covid-19 crisis is expected to have a more negative impact on women and young people, which may increase the gender gap. Thus, one of the main objectives is to remove the structural barriers that hinder women’s equal access to the labour market.

At Kaila, we are involved in many of the European programmes that contribute to the strengthening of the European Union, so we can’t help but rejoice in the celebration of this event. Happy Europe Day!