Hambach Castle, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. In the early 19th century, a desire to establish independent nation-states grew across Europe. There was widespread discontent due to the repressive measures of the authorities and economic and social hardship. The German unification movement found expression in two major rallies: the Wartburg Festival of 1817 and the Hambach Festival of 1832. At the Wartburg Festival, nearly 500 students from all over Germany marched to Wartburg Castle to demonstrate for German unity and a common constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights. The goal was a unified nation-state, in part to be able to hold its own against other states. The approximately 25,000 participants in the Hambach Festival, on the other hand, came not only from German territories but also from Poland and France—countries where resistance to restorationist rule was also taking place. They, too, demanded a united and democratic nation-state. However, this was to be established within a Europe bound by solidarity.

Hotel Montreux-Palace, Montreux, Switzerland. The Montreux Conference in August 1947 brought together some 400 delegates from the Union of European Federalists (UEF) representing 16 countries. Their goal was to promote European cooperation and develop the idea of a European federation. They discussed concepts such as the “Estates General of Europe” and laid the groundwork for the later founding of the Council of Europe. The participants called for political, economic, and cultural cooperation to ensure peace and stability in Europe. The UEF emerged from various national associations that had existed since the 1920s.

European Parliament, Strasbourg, France. The European Parliament in Strasbourg is the world’s first transnational parliament and the result of a decades-long process of integration. It oversees the European Commission, passes laws, and approves the EU budget. Its roots date back to 1952, when the advisory “Common Assembly” of the European Coal and Steel Community was established. With the founding of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, the body was expanded to become the “European Parliamentary Assembly” and renamed the “European Parliament” in 1962. Since the introduction of direct elections in 1979, it has been a democratically legitimate body. Today, the European Parliament is a central institution of the EU. Its development reflects Europe’s transformation—from an economic community to a community of values and law, in which democratic participation is guaranteed at the European level.

Kronprinzenpalais, Berlin, Germany. The process of German reunification also had a European dimension: On October 3, 1990, the new federal states, which had previously belonged to the GDR, became part of the FRG. The FRG was already a member of the European Community (EC), the predecessor of the EU. With the GDR’s accession to the FRG, the entire territory of Germany automatically became part of the EC. This accession altered the economic and political balance of power within the EC and marked its first eastward expansion. On the one hand, it entailed immense demands for adjustment; on the other hand, it also offered new opportunities and support for the people and businesses in eastern Germany.

The “Treaty on the Establishment of German Unity” was signed on August 31, 1990, at the Kronprinzenpalais in East Berlin by the chief negotiators Wolfgang Schäuble, representing the government of the FRG, and Günther Krause, representing the GDR government.

Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome, Italy. On March 25, 1957, Rome became the birthplace of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). The six founding member states—Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands—laid the foundation for deeper integration of the European market and closer cooperation with the “Treaties of Rome.” Through intra-German trade, the GDR had indirect access to the EEC. It was to the GDR’s advantage that, from the West’s perspective, the intra-German border was not considered a national border and was therefore not subject to customs duties.

Chancellor Adenauer, who signed on behalf of the FRG, State Secretary Hallstein, and Italian Prime Minister Antonio Segni.