Nepal, May 7 -- On May 9, 1950, as Europe lay in ruins after World War II, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed a radical idea: Former enemies France and Germany would merge their coal and steel industries under shared control. This cooperation made war between them 'not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible.' Tomorrow, May 9, marks the anniversary of what became known as the Schuman Declaration, which laid the foundation for the European Union (EU). Europeans remember and celebrate this day as Europe Day. Seventy-six years later, the EU has 27 Member States, and its 450 million citizens enjoy unprecedented peace, stability and prosperity.

Yet these very values, and the multilateral system that upholds them, are now un...