Current Context : India’s External Affairs Minister joined Europe Day celebrations in New Delhi, marking the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration (9 May 1950).

• About the Schuman Declaration
  • Proposed by: French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950.
  • Core Idea: Pool Franco-German coal & steel production under a supranational authority—the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) —to make war “not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible.”
  • Legacy: Laid the institutional groundwork that evolved into today’s EU.
• Significance
  • Europe Day: Celebrated on 9 May by the EU as a symbol of peace & integration.
  • Global Impact: Inspired creation of common markets, EU institutions, and the ethos of “ever closer union.”