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Installation of the High Authority in Luxembourg (10 August 1952)
TextOn 10 August 1952, the High Authority of the ECSC begins its work in Luxembourg. The Information and Press Office of the Luxembourg Government gives an account of the day's events. This account includes a speech given by Jean Monnet at the first session of the High Authority, as well as speeches given by Émile Hamilius, Mayor of the City of Luxembourg, by Joseph Bech, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, and another by Jean Monnet at the welcoming ceremony organised by the Luxembourg authorities.
Erste Sitzung der Hohen Behörde (Luxemburg, 10. August 1952)
BildAm 10. August 1952 findet in Luxemburg die erste Sitzung der Hohen Behörde der Europäischen Gemeinschaft für Kohle und Stahl (EGKS) unter dem Vorsitz von Jean Monnet statt.
Rede von Jean Monnet (Luxemburg, Eröffnungssitzung der Hohen Behörde, 10. August 1952)
TonAm 10. August 1952 eröffnet Jean Monnet die erste Arbeitssitzung der Hohen Behörde der EGKS unter seinem Vorsitz. In seiner Rede betont er, dass die Arbeit der Kollegiumsmitglieder ihre Unabhängigkeit beweisen muss.
Jean Degimbe, Memories of a former ECSC official
TextContribution by Jean Degimbe, former civil servant of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), to a joint publication produced by the European Commission in 2002 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the ECSC. In his text, Mr Degimbe recalls the method of operation and the activities of the High Authority from 1953 to 1967.
‘A strange ambiguity’ from Europe (7 February 1966)
TextIn his editorial of 7 February 1966, Emanuele Gazzo, Editor-in-Chief of Agence Europe, sets out to dispel a common misunderstanding with regard to the nature of the European Commission: the Commission is above all a political organisation.
‘The Commission: if it didn’t exist, somebody would have to invent it’ from Europe (1 March 1966)
TextIn his editorial of 1 March 1966, Emanuele Gazzo, Editor-in-Chief of Agence Europe, praises the role of the Commission as an institution tasked with identifying the interests of the Community and proposing technical solutions that correspond to a specific political choice.
Rede von Pierre Werner zur Fusion der Exekutivorgane (1966)
TextDer luxemburgische Premierminister Pierre Werner spricht in einer Rede von 1966 über die Fusion der Exekutivorgane und die Einrichtung des Sitzes bestimmter Organe in Luxemburg.
Letzte Sitzung der Hohen Behörde der EGKS (Luxemburg, 28. Juni 1967)
VideoAm 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.
Die Fusion der Exekutivorgane (1. Juli 1967)
SchemaSchematische 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.
Erste Sitzung der gemeinsamen Kommission (Brüssel, 6. Juli 1967)
VideoAm 6. Juli 1967 übernimmt der Belgier Jean Rey den Vorsitz der ersten Sitzung der gemeinsamen Kommission, die aus dem Fusionsvertrag der Exekutivorgane der drei Gemeinschaften hervorgegangen ist.
Address given by Jean Rey on the merger of the executive bodies (Strasbourg, 20 September 1967)
TextOn 20 September 1967, the single Commission of the European Communities appears before the European Parliament in Strasbourg for the first time. In his address, Jean Rey, President of the Commission, outlines the work carried out by the three executive bodies which the single Commission will replace and sets out the new duties and responsibilities that the institution will exercise following the entry into force of the ‘Merger Treaty’ of 8 April 1965.
Inauguration of a plaque commemorating the ECSC (Luxembourg, 1986)
BildIn 1986, a commemorative plaque was affixed to the façade of the former building of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg, in the presence of Jacques Santer, Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 1984 to 1995.
Plaque commemorating the date when the High Authority started its work (Luxembourg, 1986)
BildPlaque affixed to the façade of the former building of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community, Luxembourg.
Vertrag von Amsterdam - Erklärung Nr. 32 (2. Oktober 1997)
Text32. Erklärung zur Organisation und Arbeitsweise der Kommission, beigefügt an die Schlussakte des Vertrags von Amsterdam vom 2. Okober 1997.
Jacques Santer, Die Rolle der Europäischen Kommission im Europa von morgen
TextAuszug aus dem Beitrag des ehemaligen Kommissionspräsidenten Jacques Santer zur gemeinsamen Festschrift der Kommission aus dem Jahr 2002 anlässlich des fünfzigjährigen Bestehens der Europäischen Gemeinschaft für Kohle und Stahl (EGKS). Der Auszug mit dem Titel Die Hohe Behörde für Kohle und Stahl und das „institutionelle Problem“ befasst sich mit der Rolle der Kommission als Vertreterin es Gemeinwohls und der Gemeinschaftsmethode.
‘Towards a strong Commission' from Le Figaro (31 March 2003)
TextFollowing a contribution made by France and the Netherlands to the European Convention regarding the role of the Commission, Noëlle Lenoir, French Minister responsible for European Affairs, emphasises the need to strengthen the integrating role of the Commission in order to make a European Union with 25 Member States work.
Franco-Dutch contribution to the Convention: ‘Strengthening the role of the Commission’ (2 April 2003)
TextAs part of the work of the European Convention, France and the Netherlands call for a strengthening of the role of the Commission in order to ensure the effectiveness of the Community method in an enlarged European Union with ten new Member States.
‘How can the Brussels Commission be saved?' from Le Monde (17 May 2004)
TextOn 17 May 2004, as the Heads of State or Government of the 25 Member States of the European Union seek agreement on who is the best candidate for the post of President of the European Commission, the French daily newspaper Le Monde analyses the legitimacy required if the Institution is to be able to succeed in its role of Europe’s driving force.
‘From the pomp of the Delors era to the thankless role of Tom Thumb’ from L’Écho (7 August 2004)
TextOn the eve of the handover of power from the Prodi Commission to the Barroso Commission, the Belgian daily newspaper L’Écho reviews the factors that have contributed to the weakening of the Commission’s place and role in the European Union.
Interview with Jacques Delors (Paris, 16 December 2009) — Excerpt: The European Commission after the Lisbon Treaty
VideoIn this interview excerpt, Jacques Delors, President of the Commission of the European Communities from 1985 to 1995, explains that a Commission composed of the same number of members as there are Member States, as laid down by the Lisbon Treaty, does not currently pose any problems. He goes on to emphasise that he is strongly in favour of the role of the European Commission, particularly of its right to propose legislation.
Commission reform
Speech by Romano Prodi concerning the White Paper on the Reform of the European Commission (Brussels, 1 March 2000)
TextSpeech by Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, concerning the White Paper on the Reform of the European Commission, given before the European Parliament in Brussels on 1 March 2000.