The Schuman Centre for European Studies invite you to Paris to join the State of Europe Forum, Friday May 6 and Saturday May 7, to reflect on the theme of ‘Seeking Shalom – then and now’.

The State of Europe Forum has been held annually since 2011 (prior to COVID) in the capital of the country holding the EU presidency on or near May 9, Europe Day. On this date in 1950, just five years after the end of war in Europe, the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman surprised the world with his three-minute speech in which he laid the foundation of the European house where today half a billion Europeans from 27 nations live together in peace. 

This date is officially recognised as Europe Day, the birthday of the European Union. Participants will reflect on Schuman’s vision for a community of peoples deeply rooted in Christian values, and on Christian responsibility for Europe’s future (see stateofeuropeforum.eu/about/a-community-of-peoples/). What role did Christian networks play in shaping the post-WW2 peace? What might be possible today?

Participation is free of charge. Plenaries can be followed on: youtube.com/c/schumantalks, or facebook.com/schuman.centre
Seminars can be accessed through zoom links. See info on seminars.

Our core team will gather in the historic Temple du Marais, close to the Bastille in central Paris. 

Contributors include former representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury in Brussels, Gary Wilton, Caroline Bretones (Paris), Leonardo de Chirico (Rome), Evert Van de Poll (Nîmes), Trineke Palm (Breda), Mari Blaj (Iasi), Ineta Lansdowne (Riga), Julia Doxat-Purser (Bournemouth), Arie de Pater (Brussels), Michael Schluter (Cambridge), Ben Richards (Glasgow), Christel Ngnambi (Dusseldorf), Roger Mitchell (Lancaster), Gerard Kelly (Normandy), Philip Powell (Cambridge), Marietta van der Tol (Oxford), Katharina Kunter (Helsinki), Yuriy Kulakevych (Kyiv), Henry Vyner-Brooks (Lake District), Clemens van den Burg (Utrecht) and Jeff Fountain (Amsterdam).