On 13 April 1955, Jean Monnet, the outgoing President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and Pierre Uri, Director of the General Economy Division of the High Authority, draw up an unofficial draft Declaration — for the attention of Paul-Henri Spaak — for the Conference which the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the ECSC are scheduled to attend in late May.

On 15 April 1955, Jean Monnet, the outgoing President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and Pierre Uri, Director of the General Economy Division of the High Authority, draw up an unofficial draft Communiqué — for the attention of Paul-Henri Spaak — for the Conference which the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the ECSC are scheduled to attend in late May.

On 14 May 1955, the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) adopts a resolution setting out its position and its demands in preparation for the Messina Conference, to be held from 1 to 3 June 1955.

On 1 June 1955, the first day of the Messina Conference, the German Government submits a memorandum to the representatives of the other Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in which it recommends that the ECSC’s sphere of activities be extended by using methods close to intergovernmental cooperation.

At the conference held from 25 to 28 March 1987 in Rome to mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), Hans von der Groeben, former Head of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Subdivision in the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs (1952–1958) and former Spokesman of the German Government at the Coordination Committee of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers, considers the various views in the German Government on European revival.

On 1 June 1955, the first day of the Messina Conference, the Italian Government submits a memorandum to the other Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in which it emphasises the need to coordinate economic policies in the future Common Market.

On 2 June 1955, during the Messina Conference, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) appoint René Mayer, former President of the French Council of Ministers, as President of the ECSC High Authority to replace Jean Monnet, who is resigning.

After the failure of the European Defence Community (EDC) on 30 August 1954, the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) revive European integration by adopting a resolution at the end of the Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the Six, held in Messina from 1 to 3 June 1955, supporting continued efforts to establish a united Europe by the development of common institutions, the gradual merger of national economies, the establishment of a common market and the gradual harmonisation of national social policies.

From 1 to 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Messina to review the terms for reviving the European integration process.

On 1, 2 and 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Messina to discuss the terms for a revival of the European integration process. From left to right: Johan Willem Beyen (Netherlands), Gaetano Martino (Italy), Joseph Bech (Luxembourg), Antoine Pinay (France), Walter Hallstein (FRG) and Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium).

On 1, 2 and 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Messina to discuss the conditions for a revival of the European integration process. From left to right: Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium), Walter Hallstein (FRG), Antoine Pinay (France), Joseph Bech (Luxembourg), Gaetano Martino (Italy) and Johan Willem Beyen (Netherlands).

From 1 to 3 June 1955, enjoying a moment of relaxation during the Messina Conference on European Integration organised by the Six, Joseph Bech (left), Luxembourg Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, films the scene as his Belgian and Dutch counterparts, Paul-Henri Spaak (centre) and Jan Willem Beyen (right), look on in amusement.

Table showing the composition of the delegations of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) which attended the Messina Conference from 1 to 3 June 1955.

From 1 to 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Messina to revive the European integration process. The photo shows French Foreign Minister Antoine Pinay, head of the French delegation (on the right).

On 1 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet on the the first day of the Messina Conference, organised to discuss the conditions for a revival of the European integration process. On the right, at the negotiating table: West German Foreign Minister Walter Hallstein.

On 1, 2 and 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Messina to discuss the conditions for a revival of the European integration process. Joseph Bech, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, Walter Hallstein, German Foreign Minister, and Paul Henri-Spaak gather on the terrace of San Domenico Hotel in Taormina.

On 1, 2 and 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) — Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — meet in Messina in order to discuss the conditions for the revival of the European integration process. At the end of the meeting, the Six appoint René Mayer, former President of the French Council of Ministers, as President of the ECSC High Authority to replace Jean Monnet, who announced his resignation towards the end of the previous year.

On 1, 2 and 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Messina to examine the conditions for a European revival. At the end of the meeting, the Six appoint René Mayer, former President of the French Council of Ministers, as President of the ECSC High Authority, and task a committee of government delegates and experts, chaired by an eminent political figure, to prepare the treaties on a European common market and a European atomic organisation.

On 4 June 1955, the day after the Messina Conference, the French Ambassador to the Netherlands, Jean-Paul Garnier, met Dutch Prime Minister Johan Willem Beyen in The Hague. In a telegram to Antoine Pinay, French Foreign Minister and head of the French delegation in Messina, the Ambassador outlines Beyen’s views: the Dutch Prime Minister welcomed the constructive relations and discussions that he had had with his French counterpart but seemed irritated by the German attitude at the Messina Conference.

On 10 June 1955, Antoine Pinay, the French Foreign Minister, sends a circular to French diplomatic representatives abroad in which he gives a positive account of the Messina Conference with regard to a revival of European integration.

On 30 June 1955, Robert Eisenberg, US Representative to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), forwards to Joseph Palmer, Director of the Office of European Regional Affairs, a letter in which he comments on the implications of the revival of European integration.

On 25 August 1955, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) comments on the decisions taken in Messina by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and emphasises its commitment to closer economic cooperation between the democratic countries of Europe.

On 3 September 1955, the Federation of Christian Trade Unions in the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) welcomes the decisions taken in Messina by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and emphasises the importance of the European integration process.

On 28 November 1955, Walter Hallstein, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), gives an address on German radio in which he explains the importance of the decisions taken on 1, 2 and 3 June 1955 in Messina by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in favour of European revival.

In May 1965, in an article published in Nieuw Europa, the monthly magazine of the Netherlands section of the European Movement, Johan Willem Beyen, former Netherlands Foreign Minister, outlines the implications of the Messina Conference convened from 1 to 3 June 1955 by the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) with a view to reviving the European integration process.

In his memoirs, Johan Willem Beyen, former Netherlands Foreign Minister, outlines the implications of the Messina Conference convened from 1 to 3 June 1955 by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) with a view to reviving the European integration process.

In his memoirs, Alfred Müller-Armack, former Chief Adviser to Ludwig Erhard at the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and member of the German Delegation to the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom, recalls the differences of opinion in the German Government on the policy to be adopted with regard to the revival of European integration.

In his memoirs, Edgar Faure, former President of the French Council of Ministers, recalls at length the aftermath of Jean Monnet’s resignation as President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in connection with the Messina Conference on the revival of European integration, which took place from 1 to 3 June 1955.

In 1989, Baron Jean-Charles Snoy et d’Oppuers, former Secretary-General of the Belgian Ministry of Economic Affairs and also former Head of the Belgian Delegation to the Intergovernmental Committee established by the Messina Conference, relates to journalist Jean-Claude Ricquier his memories of the Conference, held from 1 to 3 June 1955, which was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) who were in favour of reviving European integration.

In The Real Life Europe, the Dutch federalist Henri Brugmans recalls the scope of the Messina Conference, held from 1 to 3 June 1955, and briefly describes the methods subsequently adopted by Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Committee established by the Six following the Conference.

At the conference held from 25 to 28 March 1987 in Rome to mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), Count Jean-Charles Snoy et d’Oppuers, former Secretary-General of the Belgian Ministry of Economic Affairs, outlines the proceedings of the Messina Conference and the finalisation of a joint resolution on European revival.

In his memoirs, Johannes Linthorst Homan, former Head of the Netherlands Delegation to the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom, recalls the Messina Conference and the discussions which took place thereafter within the Spaak Committee.

In 1969, Claude Bonjean, an RTL reporter, outlines the main stages of European integration since 1945. He focuses, in particular, upon the Messina Conference of 1, 2 and 3 June 1955, with the help of accounts given by Roger Massip and Maurice Delarue, journalists working respectively for Le Figaro and France-Soir.

In this interview, Charles Rutten, former member of the Netherlands Delegations to the negotiations on the Common Market and Euratom, recalls the implications and the results of the Messina Conference (held from 1 to 3 June 1955) attended by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) with a view to discussing terms for a revival of the process of European integration.

At the conference held from 25 to 28 March 1987 in Rome to mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), Pierre Uri, former Head of the Economic Affairs Division of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), refers to the work which culminated in the resolution on European revival adopted on 3 June 1955 by the Foreign Ministers of the Six at the end of the Messina Conference.

At the conference held from 25 to 28 March 1987 in Rome to mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), Robert Rothschild, former Principal Private Secretary to Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Foreign Minister, outlines the reasons which led to the choice of the town of Messina in Sicily for the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) held in June 1955 in order to consider the conditions for a revival of the European integration process.

At the conference held from 25 to 28 March 1987 in Rome to mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), Charles Rutten, former Secretary of the Netherlands Delegation for the intergovernmental negotiations on the European Defence Community (EDC), on the EEC and on the EAEC, recalls the circumstances in which the final meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) took place at the Messina Conference on European revival held on 1, 2 and 3 June 1955. He also considers the reasons why this conference was held.

On 31 May 1955, the liberal Netherlands daily newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant warns its readers against premature enthusiasm in the light of the discussions due to be held the following day in Messina between the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

On 1 June 1955, while commenting on the opening of the Messina Conference of ECSC Foreign Ministers, the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera considered the stakes involved in relaunching the process of European integration.

On 1 June 1955, as the Messina Conference opens, the French daily newspaper Agence économique et financière (AGEFI) outlines the position of the French Government on the future of the European integration process and speculates on the appointment of Jean Monnet’s successor as President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

On 2 June 1955, commenting on the meeting attended by the Foreign Ministers of the Six in Messina, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit welcomes the rapprochement between Ludwig Erhard, Minister for Economic Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and Franz Etzel, Vice-President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), as regards the direction in which the revival of European integration should be led.

On 2 June 1955, on the day of a meeting in Messina attended by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung outlines the positions of the French and German leaders on possible ways to revive European integration.

During the Conference held in Messina from 1 to 3 June 1955, attended by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the Luxembourg daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort speculates on the direction that European integration should take.

On 3 June 1955, in an article for the French daily newspaper Le Figaro, the philosopher, Raymond Aron, comments on the Messina Conference and speculates on the possibility of a revival of the European integration process.

On 4 June 1955, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung makes a lukewarm assessment of the Conference attended by the Foreign Ministers of the Six in Messina on the revival of European integration.

On 4 June 1955, the Dutch Socialist daily newspaper Het Parool publishes comments made by Johan Willem Beyen, Netherlands Foreign Minister, who, on his return to the country, comments on the outcome of the Messina Conference on the revival of European integration.

On 6 June 1955, the Luxembourg daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort ponders on the decisions taken on European issues at the end of the Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), held in Messina from 1 to 3 June 1955.

On 7 June 1955, commenting on the outcome of the Messina Conference attended by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the German daily newspaper Die Welt speculates on the future and on the form of European integration.

On 8 June 1955, the French Ambassador to the Netherlands, Jean-Paul Garnier, sends French Foreign Minister Antoine Pinay a full report of the reactions in the Dutch press to the Messina Conference.

On 10 June 1955, the German weekly newspaper Rheinischer Merkur welcomes the decisions adopted one week earlier in Messina by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) regarding the revival of the European integration process.

On 11 June 1955, the London weekly political magazine The New Statesman and Nation comments ironically on the outcome of the Messina Conference on the revival of European integration.

In June 1955, the French weekly magazine Paris Match reports on the main issues and the atmosphere at the conference held on 1, 2 and 3 June in Messina between the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

On 10 November 1954, Jean Monnet officially announces his decision not to request the renewal of his mandate as President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

On 30 November 1954, Jean Monnet, dismayed at the failure of the proposed European Defence Community (EDC), explains to the Members of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) why he will not be asking the governments of the Six to renew his term of office as President of the ECSC High Authority.

On 8 February 1955, Jean Monnet tenders his resignation from the Presidency of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) to the six governments of the ECSC Member States.

On 21 May 1955, in a letter sent to each government of the Six, Jean Monnet, President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), explains the reasons for his resignation. While noting that the revival of European integration is well under way, he says that he would be willing to go back on his decision.

On 7 June 1955, an internal note drafted by Max Kohnstamm, Secretary of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) from 1952 to 1956, outlines the discussions surrounding the appointment of the new President of the ECSC High Authority, René Mayer. The note refers to the questions raised regarding the compatibility between the office of President of the High Authority and the national political responsibilities of the former President of the French Council of Ministers.

On 9 June 1955, less than a week after the conclusion of the Messina Conference attended by the Six, Jean Monnet resigns in Luxembourg as President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

On 10 June 1955, René Mayer, former President of the French Council of Ministers, takes up his duties as President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). During his first press conference, he describes the High Authority as a revolutionary institution.

In seinen Memoiren erinnert Jean Monnet an die Gründe und die Umstände, die ihn am 9. November 1954 dazu veranlassten, seine Entscheidung mitzuteilen, die Regierungen der Sechs nicht um eine Erneuerung seines Mandats als Vorsitzender der Hohen Behörde der Europäischen Gemeinschaft für Kohle und Stahl (EGKS) zu bitten.

In this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, senior official at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between 1953 and 1967, describes relations within the High Authority following the resignation of its President, Jean Monnet, in 1955, and the appointment of Monnet’s successor, René Mayer.

In this interview, Jacques-René Rabier, former Head of Jean Monnet's Private Office at the French National Planning Board and then a close collaborator of Monnet at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), discusses the personality and work of René Mayer, former President of the French Council of Ministers and successor to Jean Monnet as President of the ECSC High Authority in 1955.