Last modified on 30 May 2022
Last May 9th was Europe Day. This day commemorates May 9, 1950, the beginning of European integration. It's an opportunity for us to give you some tips on explaining the European Union to children.
Where does the name Europe come from?
Two thousand years ago, the Greeks were already talking about Europa. It was the name of a princess abducted by Zeus and taken to the island of Crete. According to Greek myth, the princess never set foot on the continent that would forever bear her name.
How did it all begin?
In 1951, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy decided to join forces to pool their coal and steel production. This project aimed to establish peace after the two world wars that marked the beginning of the century by pooling their production not for weapons but for peaceful purposes, ensuring the prosperity of the continent and creating a form of solidarity among European countries. They formed the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), ancestor of the European Union.
Six years later, these same countries signed the Treaty of Rome, in order to be able to trade and sell their products more easily. The ECSC then changed its name and became the European Economic Community, the EEC.
Over the years, other countries joined: Denmark, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. In 1992, the EEC had 12 members: it became the European Union, Its current name was adopted upon the signing of the Maastricht Treaty that same year. This treaty established the idea of a single currency to replace the currencies of each country, then called the "ecu," which would later become the Euro. Since January 1, 2002, 12 countries have used this currency and are therefore part of what is known as the Eurozone. the euro zone.
Since then, 16 countries have joined the European Union: Austria, Sweden, Finland (1994), Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, Cyprus and Malta (2001) and Croatia (2013).
Today, The European Union has 28 countries.
A union, symbols
Like any organization, the European Union has its symbols:
- A flag with 12 gold stars forming a circle on a blue background, representing the union and solidarity between the countries and peoples of Europe. This flag is added to the flag of each country.
- a motto: "united in diversity": it characterizes the way in which Europeans are united in a goal, working for peace.
- an anthem: this is the Ode to Joy, a poem by the German author Friedrich Schiller set to music by Beethoven.
For over 60 years, a true European citizenship has been built day after day with a single goal: to preserve peace on the continent and move forward together to build a better world. In 2012, the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “to have advanced peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe”.
To learn more, visit education.francetv.fr
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