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Europe and Europeans 1950>2020: 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration

Photo Schuman Exhibition 2020-1
Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet during a meeting of the Common Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg (France) in 1958. HAEU, JP 312 – Photo: Unknown
Manifesto ventotene
Detail of the Ventotene Manifesto of 1941, here in a personal copy of Altiero Spinelli printed in Rome, 29 August 1943. HAEU, AS 3
Déclaration Schuman 1950
Extract from the text of the Robert Schuman declaration of May 9 1950. HAEU, WM 70
Demonstration at the Franco-German border in Wissembourg on 20 August 1950. HAEU, GR 3-1
Demonstration at the Franco-German border in Wissembourg on 20 August 1950. HAEU, GR 3
International camp for European Youth at the Loreley, Germany, 1951. HAEU, CS 94
International camp for European Youth at the Loreley, Germany, 1951. HAEU, CS 94 - Photos: Unknown
Federalist demonstration in Milan, 29 June 1985. HAEU, UEF 415
Federalist demonstration in Milan, 29 June 1985. HAEU, UEF 415 - Photo: Unknown
Poster produced by the European Commission. HAEU, NDG 250 2-2
Poster produced by the European Commission. HAEU, NDG 250

2020 marks the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, a short but powerful statement made by the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, on the 9th of May 1950. The declaration, drafted by Jean Monnet and pronounced by Schuman, initiated the process of European integration with its vision of a joint French and German coal and steel production.

The exhibition “Europe and Europeans 1950 - 2020: 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration”, curated by the Historical Archives of the European Union, sets out to raise awareness of the importance of the Schuman Declaration within the history of European integration, to stimulate reflection on its relevance in today’s Europe, and to encourage debate on the history of the European Union (EU) and its future. The visitor is encouraged to take a journey through European history, which develops into two distinct but inter-connecting paths.​​

The first path is guided by key sentences of the Declaration that give the title to five thematic sections. Through a selection of images and documents held in the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU), the visitor can experience some of the most relevant political, economic, social and cultural developments of the last 70 years of European history.

The second path allows for a meeting with people, as they were involved in or affected by the process of European integration, with a view to reflecting on what it means to be European in a dialogue between past and present. Finally, the whole exhibition is enriched by a multimedia section through different QR codes that refer to audio and/or video material that can be streamed to your mobile phone.

 

Online version of the exhibition

Page last updated on 15 June 2022

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