Europe Day: Celebrating unity, peace, and shared values across Europe
How a historic declaration shaped European cooperation and continues to guide it today
Every year on 9 May, Europe Day marks a defining moment in European history. On this day in 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented the Schuman Declaration, proposing closer cooperation between European countries to secure lasting peace after the devastation of the Second World War. This vision laid the foundations for what would later become the European Union, built on cooperation, shared responsibility, and mutual trust.
More than seventy years later, Europe Day continues to celebrate unity and peace across the continent. It is an opportunity to reflect on how European cooperation has evolved, from early economic partnerships to today’s wide-ranging collaboration on security, climate action, digital transformation, and social progress. This year’s celebrations are especially meaningful, as they also mark 40 years of official Europe Day celebrations, as well as 40 years since Portugal and Spain joined the EU, highlighting decades of shared progress and integration.
Sharing data across Europe is one of the ways in which European cooperation takes shape today. When countries, institutions, and organisations make data available for reuse, they create a common knowledge base that extends beyond national borders. This shared evidence helps policymakers learn from one another, supports researchers in addressing cross-border challenges, and enables businesses and citizens to build solutions that work at a European scale. By bringing datasets together on platforms such as the European Data Portal, Europe strengthens collaboration through openness, turning information into a shared resource that reflects the same spirit of solidarity and trust that Europe Day was founded on.
To mark Europe Day, EU institutions in Brussels and across Europe will open their doors with free events and activities on Saturday, 9 May, from 10:00 to 18:00 CEST. Citizens are invited to discover the places where European decisions are made and learn more about the Union’s work. Find out more and explore events near you on the official Europe Day website
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