What is Europe Day? On the 9th of May 1950, Robert Schuman, French foreign minister at the time, proposed the creation of a common organisation between several European states and this is how the predecessor of the European Union was created.
As an organisation that strives every day to build a diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe and we celebrate the existence of the EU and are thankful for it providing a strong framework which has only advanced our work.
It is on days like this we remember the importance of solidarity and striving for the common good – which are principles that the European Union was founded on and still manifests in our lives up until this day. It is these principles that we call upon member states to channel when addressing some of the historical and present-day inequalities that some of its citizens are subjected to.
In a world of unilateralism, where the thoughts and needs of the few are prioritised over the many, every single day the European Union provides a shining example of how those standing together will always trump those that are standing apart.
COVID-19 has fundamentally changed our lives and its effects will be felt for the foreseeable future. When we overcome this pandemic, as a society we have a choice – we either return to how things were, or we take the principles that Europe was founded upon and we work towards creating a more equitable society which all citizens of Europe deserve.
Let 2020 be the year where instead of celebrating Europe day and moving on, we reflected upon the foresight of our predecessors and strengthened our union for the better.