With the EU in crisis and struggling to maintain its unity, there has never been a better time to look into the beginnings of the unification process.

'Schuman's Europe: His frame of reference' explores the original vision of a unified Europe by Robert Schuman, the main architect of European unification. It examines how his thoughts, personality, religious background as a practicing catholic and his origins from the region of Alsace-Lorraine all came together in his vision of European unification.

Schuman considered the European spiritual and cultural heritage to be the 'raison d'être' of European unification. He advocated integration in small steps - taking into account basic human psychology - and therefore believed that the process of unification would take several generations. National interests were to be safeguarded as much as possible, provided they did not go against common European interests. Schuman's vision provides a refreshing view on current European society, gives an insight into the cause of the problems the EU is currently facing and supplies a frame of reference that can be used to work on a solution.

- Margriet Krijtenburg is a lecturer at the Academy of European Studies & Communication Management and member of the research group on European Integration of The Hague University (HHS). Margriet is the first graduate of the Leiden University Dual PhD Centre The Hague ('Centrum Regionale Kennisontwikkeling<'). Her supervisor is Professor dr. Paul Cliteur, Professor of Jurisprudence, Leiden Law School, Leiden University.