Luxembourg, the cradle of a united Europe

Following a speech on May 9, 1950, Schuman proposed the creation of the ECSC with the goal of preventing a new conflict between France and Germany and making war “not only unthinkable, but also materially impossible.”

May 9 has since become Europe Day, also a public holiday in Luxembourg.

The house where Robert Schuman was born, a villa in the lower part of Luxembourg City in the Clausen neighborhood, is now inhabited by a European research and study center, the Centre d’études et de recherches européennes.

Institutional European pioneer

The High Authority of the ECSC was the antecedent of modern-day European Union institutions. Similarly, it preceded the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), both instituted by the Treaty of Rome in 1957 and co-signed by Luxembourg.

Luxembourg City has since become one of the three official capitals of the EU along with Brussels and Strasbourg.  

This European history and tradition are especially present on the Kirchberg plateau which is home to several major EU institutions such as the Council of Europe, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Court of Justice of the European Union, the General Court, the European Court of Auditors, as well as the different departments of the European Commission and the European Parliament.

The country continued playing a role in the further development of Europe. On June 14, 1985, Schengen, a little village that sits on the banks of the Moselle River and the borders of France and Germany, gave its name to the agreement which introduced free movement and gradually abolished border checks.

Currently, 26 European countries – including 22 of the 27 member states – are part of the Schengen Area. The European Museum Schengen pays homage the highlights of the agreement and its impact on European history.