 It s May 1950, just before the now-famous Robert Schuman Declaration. Schuman was the French Foreign Minister, who brokered friendly Franco-German Relations after 3 large-scale wars between the two European powers within 70 years brought havoc to Europe regularly. A year after the German Federal Republic (West) was established with Anglo-Franco-American agreement in 1949, the 1950 Declaration, which included the Benelux countries as well, created a West European Customs & Trade Zone. They later added a few more countries to become the European Economic Community, then after two enlargements in the 1980s and 1990s became the EU - the European Union, now expanded significantly larger in area, population, and in economic unity. In the first decade of this century, the EU has again been enlarged twice - the last in 2007 adding Romania and Bulgaria. This story of the EU s origins is told through the chance encounter of a young couple: Jean Monnet (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu),a journalist from the Stuttgarter Zeitung, and the French Marie (Sarah Biasini). They believe in a Union of Western Europe, and help in their own ways to bring the idea about,and change Europe s history forever - up to today, in any case. Later on, Monnet would be Robert Schuman s ally in the quest for peace and reconciliation across the continent. This film by Franck Apprederis was produced as part of the 50th Anniversary Commemorations of the European Union.