On 26 July 1960, an internal report by the Luxembourg Government emphasises the importance of the merger of the executive bodies of the three European Communities.

On 28 September 1960, the Italian daily newspaper Il Popolo describes the progress of negotiations on the merging of the European executives and considers the formation and the role of the future Community bodies.

On 9 December 1960, as debates are held over the merger of the executive bodies, the Luxembourg socialist daily newspaper Tageblatt presents the candidate cities that are still in the running to become the seat of the Europe of the Six and speculates on the real chances of Luxembourg City.

On 10 December 1960, as debates are held over the seat of the European institutions and the merger of the executive bodies, the Luxembourg socialist daily newspaper Tageblatt publishes the second part of its feature on this topic. The article outlines the many arguments in favour of the choice of Brussels and speculates as to whether Luxembourg City’s bid to become the single seat of the institutions has any chance of being accepted.

On 16 May 1961, Pierre Pescatore, Political Director in the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry, drafts a summary note on the progress in the ongoing negotiations on the plan to merge the Community executive bodies, in a bid to clarify Luxembourg’s position on this matter.

On 2 August 1963, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir outlines the main points of the press conference held by Luxembourg Foreign Minister Eugène Schaus, who set out Luxembourg’s position on the planned merger of the executive bodies of the three Communities.

Nach einem Treffen des Ministerrates der Sechs erläutert der luxemburgische Außenminister Eugène Schaus die Haltung des Großherzogtums zur Fusion der Exekutivorgane.

On 5 January 1964, the daily newspaper La Libre Belgique ponders on the location of the future executives of the European Communities.

On 27 January 1964, Pierre Werner, Minister without portfolio and leader of the Luxembourg Government, issues a statement on the problem of merging the European executives and on its implications for Luxembourg.

On 15 February 1964, Albert Borschette, Luxembourg Permanent Representative to the European Communities, sends a report to his Foreign Minister, Eugène Schaus, on Luxembourg’s position regarding the merger of the European executive bodies and the seats of the European institutions. The document describes the economic, material and political impact of the proposed and potential solutions and outlines the approach the Luxembourg Government could adopt on this matter.

On 29 July 1964, as discussions are held on the merger of the Community executive bodies, Luxembourg Prime Minister Pierre Werner makes a statement during a meeting of the Councils of the Communities in which he outlines Luxembourg’s position regarding the seats of the Community institutions.

In this note dated 7 August 1964, Pierre Pescatore, Minister Plenipotentiary and Secretary-General in the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry, reports on the discussions held between the Ministry and the Benelux Governments to try to persuade them to convince their respective Members of the European Parliamentary Assembly that the meetings of the Assembly should be transferred from Strasbourg to Luxembourg.

On 10 September 1964, the Luxembourg Ambassador to West Germany, Jean-Pierre Kremer, reports to his Prime Minister Pierre Werner on his meeting with Rolf Otto Lahr, State Secretary in the West German Foreign Ministry, to secure the support of German MPs on the question of the transfer of the seat of the European Parliamentary Assembly in Luxembourg. In the ambassador’s view, these exchanges with Ralf Otto Lahr appear to be promising.

On 4 February 1965, Pierre Werner, Luxembourg Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, grants an interview to the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir in which he outlines Luxembourg’s current and future priorities with regard to the merger of the Community’s executive bodies and the relocation to Brussels of certain departments currently based in Luxembourg.

On 22 February 1965, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir outlines the implications for the city of Luxembourg, as the seat of several Community institutions, of the future Treaty merging the executive bodies of the European Communities.

In this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, Secretary-General of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between 1960 and 1967, explains the conditions in which the Community executive bodies were merged between 1965 and 1967, particularly identifying the need to defend the historical prerogatives of the High Authority.

Der Vertrag zur Einsetzung eines gemeinsamen Rates und einer gemeinsamen Kommission der Europäischen Gemeinschaften wurde am 8. April 1965 in Brüssel unterzeichnet und trat am 1. Juli 1967 in Kraft.

Beschluss der Vertreter der Regierungen der Mitgliedstaaten über die vorläufige Unterbringung bestimmter Organe und Dienststellen der Gemeinschaften. Auf einer Sitzung am 8. April 1965 in Brüssel beschließen die Vertreter der Regierungen der Mitgliedstaaten, die Organe und Dienststellen der Europäischen Gemeinschaften vorläufig in Straßburg, Brüssel und Luxemburg einzurichten.

Schematische Darstellung der Fusion der Exekutivorgane, gemäß dem Vertrag vom 8. April 1965 zur Einsetzung eines gemeinsamen Rates und einer gemeinsamen Kommission der Europäischen Gemeinschaften, der am 1. Juli 1967 in Kraft trat.

Am 8. April 1965 unterzeichnen die Außenminister der Sechs in Brüssel den Vertrag über die Fusion der Exekutivorgane der Europäischen Gemeinschaft für Kohle und Stahl (EGKS), der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft (EWG) und der Europäischen Atomenergiegemeinschaft (EAG). Nach seiner Ratifizierung durch die nationalen Parlamente der Sechs tritt der Fusionsvertrag, der einen gemeinsamen Rat und eine gemeinsame Kommission für die drei Gemeinschaften in Brüssel einrichtet, am 1. Juli 1967 in Kraft.

On 8 April 1965, in Brussels, Pierre Werner (right), Luxembourg Prime Minister, accompanied by Albert Borschette (left), Luxembourg Permanent Representative to the European Communities, signs the Treaty merging the Executives (a Single Council and a Single Commission) of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom).

On 8 April 1965, in Brussels, Maurice Couve de Murville, French Foreign Minister, signs, on behalf of France, the Treaty establishing a Single Council and a Single Commission of the three European Communities.

Am 21. Oktober 1966 erläutert der luxemburgische Außenminister Pierre Werner seinen Mitbürgern die Bedeutung des Fusionsvertrages für die Exekutivorgane der drei Europäischen Gemeinschaften nach dessen Ratifizierung durch das luxemburgische Abgeordnetenhaus.

Am 28. Juni 1967 hält die Hohe Behörde der Europäischen Gemeinschaft für Kohle und Stahl (EGKS) ihre letzte Sitzung in Luxemburg ab. Am 1. Juli tritt der Vertrag über die Fusion der Exekutivorgane der EGKS, der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft (EWG) und der Europäischen Atomenergiegemeinschaft (EAG) in Kraft, der am 8. April 1965 in Brüssel unterzeichnet worden ist. Die gemeinsame Kommission tritt zum ersten Mal am 6. Juli in Brüssel unter dem Vorsitz des Belgiers Jean Rey zusammen.

On 28 June 1967, the final meeting of the High Authority takes place in Luxembourg, under the presidency of Belgian Albert Coppé. The photo shows, from left to right: Roger Reynaud, Karl Hettlage, Albert Coppé and Fritz Hellwig.

En mars 1965, en vue de la signature, le 8 avril, du traité instituant un Conseil unique et une Commission unique des Communautés européennes, la revue du Mouvement néerlandais européen Nieuw Europa pointe les avantages ainsi que les désavantages du nouveau traité.

On 4 March 1965, the daily newspaper La Libre Belgique deplores the consequences of the merging of the Community executive bodies and criticises, in particular, Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Foreign Minister, for having failed to defend Belgium’s interests effectively on this matter.

On 9 April 1965, the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera comments on the speech made by the Italian Foreign Minister, Amintore Fanfani, after the signing of the Treaty merging the executive bodies of the three Communities.

In April 1965, the monthly publication Communauté européenne sets out the reasons behind the merging of the executives of the three European Communities.

Le 8 mai 1967, le quotidien liégeois La Dernière Heure déplore le départ, sous la pression du général de Gaulle, président de la République française, qui le juge trop fédéraliste de Walter Hallstein à la tête de la Commission européenne unique née de la fusion des exécutifs communautaires.

Am 6. Juli 1967 übernimmt der Belgier Jean Rey in Brüssel den Vorsitz der ersten Sitzung der gemeinsamen Kommission mit vierzehn Mitgliedern, die durch den Vertrag über die Fusion der Exekutivorgane der drei Europäischen Gemeinschaften vom 8. April 1965 gegründet wurde.

The Rey Commission (1967–1970) is the first single Commission, resulting from the Treaty merging the executive bodies of the three European Communities, signed in Brussels on 8 April 1965. The Commission is composed of 14 members. Second row from the left: Jean-François Deniau, Guido Colonna di Paliano, Wilhelm Haferkamp, Hans von der Groeben, Albert Coppé, Emmanuel Sassen, Henri Rochereau, Victor Bodson and Edoardo Martino. First row: Raymond Barre, Sicco Mansholt, Jean Rey, Lionello Levi Sandri and Fritz Hellwig.

On 6 July 1967, the first meeting of the single Commission of the three European Communities is chaired by Jean Rey of Belgium.

In this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, Secretary-General of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between 1960 and 1967, describes the personality and decisive action of Émile Noël, his counterpart within the EEC Commission.

In this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, Director-General for Foreign Trade at the Commission of the European Communities from 1967 to 1970, describes the circumstances of his appointment to this post and outlines the relationship between this DG and the Private Office of Commissioner Jean-François Deniau, responsible for negotiations on accession to the European Economic Community from 1967 to 1970.