The Noordwijk Conference (6 September 1955)
The Noordwijk Conference
The Noordwijk Conference
TexteThe Noordwijk Conference (6 September 1955)
Draft summary report of the Noordwijk Conference (6 September 1955)
TexteOn 6 September 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Noordwijk to examine the efforts made to revive the European integration process.
List of the delegations to the Noordwijk Conference (6 September 1956)
TexteComposition of the delegations of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) convened to attend the Noordwijk Conference on 6 September 1956.
Press release by the Foreign Ministers of the Six (Noordwijk, 6 September 1955)
TexteOn 6 September 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) participating in the Noordwijk Conference publish a press release on the revival of the European integration process.
Internal note from the French Foreign Ministry on the Noordwijk Conference (Paris, 7 September 1955)
TexteOn 7 September 1955, Olivier Wormser, Director of Economic and Financial Affairs at the Quai d’Orsay, outlines his impressions of the Conference held the day before in Noordwijk, which was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
Telegram from Jean-Paul Garnier to Antoine Pinay on the preparations for the Noordwijk Conference (30 August 1955)
TexteOn 30 August 1955, the French Ambassador to the Netherlands, Jean-Paul Garnier, writes to French Foreign Minister Antoine Pinay to share his impressions of a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Johan Willem Beyen on the achievements of the Spaak Committee. In Beyen’s view, a consensus seems to be taking shape over the arrangements for integration but there are several unanswered questions which may delay the conclusion of the preparatory work.
Press coverage
Letter from André François-Poncet to Antoine Pinay on the differences of opinion in Germany over the European revival (6 September 1955)
TexteOn 6 September 1955, André François-Poncet, French Ambassador to West Germany, informs French Foreign Minister Antoine Pinay of the analysis of the Noordwijk Conference made by the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau. The newspaper particularly reports on the difference of opinion between the German Ministers for the Economy and Foreign Affairs over the question of the European revival.
‘The Ministers of the ECSC hold a “routine conference” in Noordwijk’ from Combat (6 September 1955)
TexteOn 6 September 1995, commenting on the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) held the same day in Noordwijk, the French daily newspaper Combat condemns the slow pace of the European integration process.
‘The Noordwijk Conference on the European Economic Community leads to disappointment …’ from L’Aurore (7 September 1955)
TexteOn 7 September 1955, the French daily newspaper L’Aurore expresses its disappointment at the outcome of the Noordwijk Conference on the revival of the European integration process.
Letter from Jean-Paul Garnier to Antoine Pinay on the Noordwijk Conference as seen by the Dutch press (7 September 1955)
TexteOn 7 September 1955, following the Noordwijk Conference, the French Ambassador to the Netherlands, Jean-Paul Garnier, reports back to his Foreign Minister, Antoine Pinay, about the reactions in the Dutch press. The ambassador notes that the press took great interest in the conference and was generally optimistic, while keeping a close eye on the German and French positions.
‘In the long term’ from Het Vrije Volk (8 September 1955)
TexteOn 8 September 1955, the Netherlands socialist daily newspaper Het Vrije Volk comments on the decisions adopted by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), who met two days earlier in Noordwijk (The Hague), and particularly focuses on the agenda for the work of the Intergovernmental Committee established by the Messina Conference (the Spaak Committee).
‘After Noordwijk: are we heading towards the extension of the ECSC?’ from La Métropole (8 September 1955)
TexteOn 8 September 1955, the Antwerp daily newspaper La Métropole reports on the conference attended two days earlier by the Foreign Ministers of the Six in Noordwijk and emphasises, in particular, the difficulties that certain French demands posed for the negotiators.
‘For a European common market' from the Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant (8 September 1955)
TexteOn 8 September 1955, the liberal Netherlands daily newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant comments on the decisions adopted two days earlier in Noordwijk, near The Hague, by the Foreign Ministers of the Six, concerning the progress of the Spaak Committee's work.
‘Mr Spaak speaks about the Noordwijk meetings’ from La Métropole (9 September 1955)
TexteOn 9 September 1955, the Antwerp daily newspaper La Métropole reviews the stance taken by Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Foreign Minister, with regard to the outcome of the Noordwijk Conference on European revival.
‘The unification of Europe is needed now more than ever' from the Rheinischer Merkur (16 September 1955)
TexteOn 16 September 1955, following the Noordwijk Conference, the German weekly newspaper Rheinischer Merkur speculates on the significance of the revival of European integration and the progress made by the intergovernmental negotiations since the Messina Conference.
Letter from André François-Poncet to Antoine Pinay on German reactions to the Noordwijk Conference (9 September 1955)
TexteOn 9 September 1955, André François-Poncet, French Ambassador to West Germany, reports back to French Foreign Minister Antoine Pinay on reactions in the German press to the Noordwijk Conference. Since the conference coincided with Chancellor Adenauer’s visit to Moscow, which attracted much more interest in the press, the comments were fewer and less enthusiastic than during the first stages of European integration. The ambassador even notes an increasing amount of criticism levelled at the recent plans for European economic integration and points out the concerns in German industrial circles over this issue.
‘Altiero Spinelli: Noordwijk’ from Europa federata (16–30 September 1955)
TexteOn 16 September 1955, after the Noordwijk Conference, Altiero Spinelli, co-founder and Secretary-General of the European Federalist Movement, expresses his scepticism at the way in which the revival of the European integration process is taking shape.
‘The revival of European integration’ from L’Écho de l’Industrie (17 September 1955)
TexteOn 17 September 1955, commenting on the Noordwijk Conference, L’Écho de l’Industrie, the official publication of the Federation of Luxembourg Industrialists (Fedil), outlines the progress of the work carried out by the Six for the revival of European integration.
‘The Noordwijk Conference’ from Relazioni Internazionali (17 September 1955)
TexteOn 17 September 1955, referring to the revival of the European integration process, the Italian bimonthly publication Relazioni Internazionali expresses its disappointment at the outcome of the Conference of the Six held in Noordwijk.
‘Europe after Noordwijk’ from the Temps Nouveaux (17 September 1955)
TexteOn 17 September 1955, the Belgian Conservative weekly publication Temps Nouveaux comments on the results achieved at the Noordwijk meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and highlights the difficulties which stand in the way of European revival.