ABSTRACT
On 9 May 1950, Robert Schumann proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, whose members would pool coal and steel production, strategic resources in times of peace and, even more, in times of war. A few years later, in 1957, two new communities followed, among the same six founding countries: the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. Today, the European Union, heir of the three Communities and strong of 27 member countries, is a mostly supranational legal order, whose goals span from peace and respect for fundamental rights to the rule of law and sustainable development. It is the only democracy beyond national borders and has still room for evolution: it is a work in progress and a lab for innovative democracy beyond the state. The European Union’s role is relevant in guaranteeing peace and collaboration through common democratic institutions within a common framework of citizenship rights. Yet there is an international projection of it as it also provides an interesting example for the coexistence of peoples respecting their different national identities. According to the Treaty establishing the European Union:
