Saturday, May 9th: Europe Day

Why do we celebrate May 9?

Delivered on 9 May 1950, the Schuman Declaration is regarded as the founding text of European integration and laid the foundations for the European Union as we know it today. Indeed, Robert Schuman proposed the creation of a European organisation tasked with pooling French and German coal and steel production to guarantee peace. Thus was the ECSC born.

Europe Day is celebrated every year across all Member States of the European Union. On this occasion, we were present at Place de la République to engage in discussion, come together, but above all to raise public awareness of the European Union and European issues.

Enriching exchanges :

From 10am to 6pm, teams from the Académie Notre Europe and the Jacques Delors Institute ran a stand in glorious sunshine and a friendly atmosphere. Throughout the day, we had the opportunity to chat with a wide variety of people: students, parents, children, pensioners, Euro-enthusiasts and even curious visitors who had come to discover the event and its activities for the first time, having happened upon Place de la République by chance.

The day provided an opportunity to answer questions from those who knew little, or nothing yet, about the Jacques Delors Institute, its work and its commitments, and more broadly the role of a think tank and how it operates. Visitors were able to discover some of the research carried out by our researchers; all fields were represented, sparking everyone’s curiosity.

Many people were curious about the Académie Notre Europe. It was important to introduce them to the programme and the civic mission it embodies, as it is directly rooted in the legacy of Jacques Delors’ thinking: building Europe with young people.

Applications for the 2026–2027 cohort are now open, and we were delighted to meet students and young professionals to introduce them to the Academy and its activities. We encouraged them to apply; as a reminder, they have until June 21st to do so. The Académie is open to everyone, with no entry requirements, and the course is completely free of charge.

Conferences, panel discussions, and presentations punctuated the day…

We were especially pleased to speak with Audrey Pulvar, currently Deputy Mayor in charge of international relations, European affairs, and Francophonie, who participated in the round table discussion “Europe: What Investments for Citizens?”.

We also had the opportunity to meet Pascal Lamy, former European Commissioner, former Director-General of the World Trade Organization, and coordinator of the Jacques Delors think tank network, who took part in the round table “Europe: What Geopolitical Power?”.

Later in the afternoon, we were also pleased to speak with Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

The 2026 event drew to a close with a concert featuring performers from various European countries. There was a festive, musical atmosphere – a wonderful way to end the day!

Thank you to everyone who joined us on this very special day. We hope to see even more of you again next year!