The beginnings of the ECSC
The beginnings of the ECSC
The ECSC institutions
Memorandum on the application of the Schuman Plan in France (3 July 1952)
TextOn 3 July 1952, the French Government draws up a list of the institutional measures required for the application of the Paris Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
Extract from the address given by Jean Monnet (Luxembourg, inaugural session of the High Authority, 10 August 1952)
Audio extractOn 10 August 1952, Jean Monnet delivers the opening address at the first session of the High Authority of the ECSC and outlines the operation and supranational aspect of the institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
The institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) (1951)
DiagramDiagram showing the operation and organisation of the institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), as established by the Treaty signed in Paris on 18 April 1951.
Address given by Paolo Emilio Taviani (Genoa, 13 September 1952)
TextOn 13 September 1952, at an international conference organised by the Genoa Chamber of Commerce on the economic problems of European federation, Paolo Emilio Taviani, Italian Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, sets out the position of the Italian Government towards European integration.
Pierre-Henri Teitgen, The Schuman Plan — Objectives and Institutions
TextIn 1952, writing in the French magazine Notre Europe, Henry Teitgen, President of the Mouvement républicain populaire (MRP) (People’s Republican Movement) and Vice-President of the French Council for a United Europe, outlines the role of the future institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
Robert Schuman, For Europe: extract on the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community
TextIn his memoirs, Robert Schuman, the former French Foreign Minister whose name remains associated with the European coal and steel pool, expresses his satisfaction with the results achieved by the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) since its establishment.
Address given by Jean Monnet on the first European passports (7 October 1953)
Audio extractOn 7 October 1953, Jean Monnet, President of the High Authority of the ECSC, presents the first European passports to certain European officials in Luxembourg which enable them to cross the borders of the Six without hindrance.
A common destiny: The European Coal and Steel Community (1958)
VideoThis film, made in 1958 by the Information Service of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), portrays the activities and the operation of the ECSC.
Interview with Henri Rieben: the state of mind and determination of the first European officials (Lausanne, 11–13 September 2002)
VideoHaving been invited by Jean Monnet to visit the offices of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg in 1955, Henri Rieben, Chairman of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe (Lausanne), discusses the mindset and determination of the first European civil servants.
Interview with Georges Berthoin (Paris, 22 July 2005) — Excerpt: the atmosphere during the early days of the ECSC High Authority
VideoIn this interview, Georges Berthoin, Principal Private Secretary (from 1952 to 1956) to Jean Monnet and then to René Mayer during their respective Presidencies of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community, describes the atmosphere prevailing within the High Authority and the Community administration in Luxembourg in the early 1950s.
Interview with Jacques-René Rabier: the early administrative organisation of the High Authority (Luxembourg, 8 February 2002)
VideoIn this interview, Jacques-René Rabier, who worked for Jean Monnet at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) from 1953 to 1955 and was Director of the Information Service of the High Authority from 1953 to 1958, reflects on the administrative organisation of the High Authority under the Presidency of Jean Monnet in Luxembourg.
Interview with Jacques-René Rabier: the activities of the Information Service of the ECSC High Authority (Luxembourg, 8 February 2002)
VideoIn this interview, Jacques-René Rabier, who worked for Jean Monnet at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) from 1953 to 1955 and was Director of the Information Service of the High Authority from 1953 to 1958, explains the establishment and work of the High Authority’s Information Service.
Ceremony to mark the expiry of the ECSC Treaty (Brussels, 23 July 2002)
VideoOn 23 July 2002, in Brussels, the flag of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is lowered during a ceremony held in the presence of Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, and of Enrico Gibellieri, the last President of the ECSC Consultative Committee, to mark the expiry of the Treaty of Paris which established the ECSC for a period of 50 years. Later, at a reception at the Egmont Palace, Romano Prodi pays a warm tribute to the work of the first European Community and to individual former officials of the High Authority.
Interview with Edmund Wellenstein: the role of the High Authority in representing the ECSC on the international stage (The Hague, 27 August 2009)
VideoIn this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, senior official at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between 1953 and 1967, describes the role played by the High Authority in representing the ECSC on the international stage.
Inaugural session of the High Authority
‘The major project is under way’ from the Bulletin des Presse- und Informationsamtes der Bundesregierung (8 August 1952)
TextOn 8 August 1952, on the eve of the inaugural session of the ECSC High Authority in Luxembourg, the Bulletin des Presse- und Informationsamtes der Bundesregierung reports on the activities to be undertaken by the new organisation.
Address given by Jean Monnet (Luxembourg, inaugural session of the High Authority, 10 August 1952)
Audio extractOn 10 August 1952, Jean Monnet inaugurates the first session of the ECSC High Authority, which he chairs, with an address in which he emphasises how important it is for the work of the Members of the High Authority to be seen to be independent of national influence.
The inaugural session of the High Authority (Luxembourg, 10 August 1952)
ImageOn 10 August 1952, the inaugural session of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) takes place in Luxembourg under the presidency of Jean Monnet.
Address given by Jean Monnet (Luxembourg, 10 August 1952)
TextOn 10 August 1952, Jean Monnet opens the inaugural session of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg with an address in which he sets out the key objectives of the ECSC and the High Authority.
Speech by Paolo Emilio Taviani (Luxembourg, 10 August 1952)
TextOn 10 August 1952, during the inaugural session of the ECSC High Authority in Luxembourg, Paolo Emilio Taviani, Italian under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, highlights the importance of the Schuman Plan in achieving European unity.
'A prelude to Europe' from Die Welt (11 August 1952)
TextOn 11 August 1952, against the background of the High Authority of the ECSC taking office in Luxembourg the previous day, the German daily newspaper Die Welt highlights the political and economic importance of European integration.
‘The stumbling block of nationalism’ from Le Monde (12 August 1952)
TextOn 12 August 1952, after the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is set up in Luxembourg, the French daily newspaper Le Monde discusses the difficult tasks facing the new institution, one of whose objectives will be to overcome national idiosyncrasies.
Luxembourg, seat of the High Authority
Cartoon by Simon on the installation of the provisional seat of the High Authority of the ECSC in Luxembourg (5 August 1952)
Image‘Josy, good old Josy, so you managed to bring something back from Paris?’ On 5 August 1952, in the Socialist daily newspaper Tageblatt, the Luxembourg cartoonist Simon portrays the key role played by Joseph Bech, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, in the agreement reached by the Six to have the seat of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) located provisionally in Luxembourg.
Cartoon by Simon on the Schuman Plan and Luxembourg (9 August 1952)
Image‘The Schuman Plan flag flies over the City of Luxembourg’. On 10 August 1952, as the High Authority is established in the capital of the Grand Duchy, the Schuman Plan flag flies over the City of Luxembourg.
Luxembourg, seat of the High Authority
Address given by Jean Monnet (Luxembourg City Hall, 10 August 1952)
Audio extractOn 10 August 1952, in an address given at the Luxembourg City Hall during the inaugural session of the ECSC High Authority, Jean Monnet, the first President of the High Authority, thanks the city for its hospitality and for the efficiency of the services that it has provided.
Address given by Jean Monnet at the inaugural session of the High Authority (Luxembourg, 10 August 1952)
ImageOn 10 August 1952, Jean Monnet, first President of the new institution, gives an address at the inaugural session of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg.
Address given by Émile Hamilius at the inaugural session of the High Authority (Luxembourg, 10 August 1952)
ImageOn 10 August 1952, at the inaugural session of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg, Émile Hamilius, Mayor of the City of Luxembourg, gives an address in which he emphasises the significance of the event.
Jean Monnet and Joseph Bech at the inaugural session of the ECSC High Authority (Luxembourg, 10 August 1952)
ImageJean Monnet (on the left), first President of the ECSC High Authority, and Joseph Bech (on the right), Luxembourg Foreign Minister, on the steps leading to Luxembourg City Hall, where the inaugural meeting of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is held on 10 August 1952.
Group photo taken at the inaugural session of the ECSC High Authority (Luxembourg, 10 August 1952)
ImageGroup photo taken at the inaugural session of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg on 10 August 1952.
Inaugural session of the ECSC High Authority (Luxembourg, 10 August 1952)
ImageOn 10 August 1952, the inaugural session of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is held in Luxembourg City Hall.
'A small European capital ... with reservations' from the Süddeutsche Zeitung (11 August 1952)
TextOn 11 August 1952, the day after the inaugural session of the High Authority in Luxembourg, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung paints a sober picture of Luxembourg and describes the lack of enthusiasm for this inaugural session.
Cartoon by Simon on Joseph Bech’s role in the establishment of the seat of the ECSC High Authority in Luxembourg (16 August 1952)
Image‘Joseph: And you two, what do you think of that? The little Luxi has succeeded.’ On 16 August 1952, Luxembourg cartoonist Simon welcomes the role played by Joseph Bech, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, in the temporary establishment of the ECSC High Authority in Luxembourg.
Cartoon by Simon on the seat of the ECSC High Authority in Luxembourg (4 October 1952)
Image‘And even if the neighbours are jealous, we are the ones who have it.’ On 4 October 1952, in the satirical journal de Peck-Villchen, Luxembourg cartoonist Simon emphasises the role of the Luxembourg Foreign Minister, Joseph Bech, in the temporary establishment of the seat of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg.
Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman in Luxembourg (9 May 1953)
ImageOn 9 May 1953, following a ceremony held to mark the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, Jean Monnet (on the left), President of the ECSC High Authority, and Robert Schuman (on the right), MP for the Moselle, cross Adolphe Bridge in Luxembourg City.
Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman outside the High Authority building (Luxembourg, 9 May 1953)
ImageOn 9 May 1953, following a ceremony commemorating the ‘Schuman Declaration’ Jean Monnet (left), President of the High Authority, and Robert Schuman (right), MP for the département of the Moselle, leave the seat of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg.
Interview with Max Kohnstamm: the working atmosphere at the seat of the ECSC High Authority (Fenffe, 11 May 2006)
VideoIn this interview, Max Kohnstamm, Secretary of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) from 1952 to 1956, discusses Jean Monnet’s working methods and the prevailing atmosphere at the seat of the High Authority in Luxembourg in the early 1950s.
Interview with Jacques-René Rabier: the beginnings of the ECSC High Authority in Luxembourg (Luxembourg, 8 February 2002)
VideoIn this interview, Jacques-René Rabier, who worked for Jean Monnet at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) from 1953 to 1955 and was Director of the Information Service of the High Authority from 1953 to 1958, describes the establishment and initial work of the ECSC High Authority in Luxembourg during its early years.
Interview with Edmund Wellenstein: the atmosphere during the early days of the ECSC High Authority in Luxembourg (The Hague, 27 August 2009)
VideoIn this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, senior official at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between 1953 and 1967, describes the atmosphere among the officials of the High Authority during the institution’s first years of operation.
Interview with Edmund Wellenstein: the setting up of the ECSC in Luxembourg (The Hague, 27 August 2009)
VideoIn this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, senior official at the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between 1953 and 1967, describes how the first ECSC officials were received by the government authorities and the general public in Luxembourg.
Inaugural session of the Council of Ministers
Address given by Konrad Adenauer at the inaugural session of the Special Council of Ministers of the ECSC (Luxembourg, 8 September 1952)
Audio extractOn 8 September 1952, the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, chairs the inaugural session of the Special Council of Ministers of the ECSC in Luxembourg and delivers an opening address in which he outlines the specific role of the institution.
Address given by Konrad Adenauer to mark the establishment of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers (Luxembourg, 8 September 1952)
TextOn 8 September 1952, in Luxembourg, the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, delivers the opening address at the ECSC Special Council of Minsters — having been appointed its first President on the basis of the alphabetical order of the names of the Member States — in which he outlines the Council’s objectives.
Reply by Jean Monnet to the address given by Konrad Adenauer (Luxembourg, 8 September 1952)
TextOn 8 September 1952, Jean Monnet, President of the ECSC High Authority, replies to the opening address delivered by the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, who, as President of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers, inaugurates its first meeting.
List of the delegations present at the first ECSC Special Council of Ministers meeting (8 to 10 September 1952)
TableList of the delegations present at the first meeting of the Special Council of Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), held in Luxembourg from 8 to 10 September 1952.
Minutes of the first meeting of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers (Luxembourg, 8-10 September 1952)
TextMinutes of the first meeting of the Council, held in Luxembourg from 8 to 10 September 1952, in the version submitted to the Council on 22 September 1952 and approved unanimously at the second meeting of the Council held on 1 and 2 December 1952.
Photo of the first meeting of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers (Luxembourg, 8 September 1952)
ImageFrom 8 to 10 September 1952, the first meeting of the Special Council of Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is held in Luxembourg City.
Joseph Bech, Paolo Emilio Taviani and Konrad Adenauer at the inaugural session of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers (Luxembourg, 8–9 September 1952)
ImageDiscussions between the Luxembourg Foreign Minister, Joseph Bech (left), the Italian Junior Foreign Minister, Paolo Emilio Taviani (middle), and the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer (right), at the inaugural session of the Special Council of Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg on 8 and 9 September 1952.
Joseph Bech and Konrad Adenauer at the first meeting of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers (Luxembourg, 8 September 1952)
ImageDiscussions between Luxembourg Foreign Minister Joseph Bech (on the left) and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (on the right) at the inaugural session of the Special Council of Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), held in Luxembourg City from 8 to 10 September 1952.
Press release issued after the first meeting of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers (Luxembourg, 10 September 1952)
TextPress release issued after the first meeting of the Special Council of Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), held in Luxembourg from 8 to 10 September 1952.
'The Council of Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community' from the Luxemburger Wort (9 September 1952)
TextOn 9 September 1952, the Luxembourg daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort reports on the course of the inaugural session of the Council of Ministers of the ECSC, held in Luxembourg City the previous day.
Inaugural session of the Council of Ministers
'The meeting of the Ministers of the Coal and Steel Community' from the Corriere della Sera (9 September 1952)
TextOn 9 September 1952, the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera analyses the implications of the inaugural session of the ECSC Special Council of Ministers which the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer chaired the previous day.
‘The way is clear for a European federation’ from Het Parool (10 September 1952)
TextOn 10 September 1952, as the ECSC Council of Ministers is set up in Luxembourg, the Dutch daily newspaper Het Parool reports on the issues involved in the European unification process.
Interview with Robert Schuman by Radio Luxembourg in the Luxemburger Wort
TextOn 11 September 1952, following the inaugural working session of the Council of Ministers of the ECSC, Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister, gives an interview to Radio Luxembourg in which he outlines what is involved in the pooling of coal and steel resources in Europe.
Cartoon by Opland on European integration (13 September 1952)
Image‘Buried alive … Acheson:… “Let bygones be bygones!”’ On 13 September 1952, at the first meeting in Luxembourg of the Special Council of Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the Dutch cartoonist, Opland, illustrates the determination of the Six (under the watchful eye of the United States) to put an end to the wars which have torn apart the Old Continent and to work together for the establishment of a united Europe.
Cercle Municipal (Luxembourg)
ImageFrom 1952 to 1967, the ECSC Special Council of Ministers holds its sessions in the Cercle Municipal situated on the Place d'Armes, Luxembourg.
Inaugural session of the Common Assembly
First meeting of the ECSC Common Assembly (Strasbourg, 10 September 1952)
ImageOn 10 September 1952, the first meeting of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) opens in Strasbourg with the Belgian, Paul-Henri Spaak, in the chair.
First sitting of the ECSC Common Assembly (Strasbourg, 10 September 1952)
ImageOn 10 September 1952, in Strasbourg, the Belgian, Paul-Henri Spaak, chairs the first session of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
Address given by Jean Monnet (Strasbourg, 11 September 1952)
TextOn 11 September 1952, Jean Monnet, President of the High Authority of the ECSC, opens the inaugural session of the Common Assembly with an address in which he sets out the role of the first Community institutions and emphasises the importance of establishing a single market in Europe.
Italian Members of the ECSC Common Assembly (Strasbourg, 11 September 1952)
ImageOn 11 September 1952, at the inaugural session of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Strasbourg, Giovanni Persico (left), Chairman of the Rules Committee, and Antonio Boggiano-Pico, Italian delegate to the Assembly (centre), discuss business with Paolo Emilio Taviani, Junior Minister in the Italian Foreign Ministry.
'Paul-Henri Spaak elected President of the Assembly of the Coal and Steel Community' from Le Monde (12 September 1952)
TextOn 12 September 1952, the French daily newspaper Le Monde comments on the appointment of Paul-Henri Spaak as President of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community in Strasbourg.
Paolo Emilio Taviani and Jean Monnet at the first session of the ECSC Common Assembly (September 1952)
ImageJean Monnet (on the right), President of the ECSC High Authority, discusses with Paolo Emilio Taviani (on the left), Italian Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, at the first session of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Strasbourg on 11 September 1952.
Konrad Adenauer and Hermann Puender at the first session of the ECSC Common Assembly (September 1952)
ImageOn 11 September 1952, on the fringes of the first session of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Strasbourg, the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer (on the right), discusses with German MP Hermann Puender (on the left), one of the five Vice-Presidents of the Assembly.
Inaugural session of the Court of Justice
Address given by Massimo Pilotti (Luxembourg, 10 December 1952)
Audio extractThe first President of the Court of Justice of the ECSC is the Italian, Massimo Pilotti. In his opening address, he notes the difficulty facing the Court in its work when it is called upon to settle a new type of potential conflict: between States and a supranational authority.
Swearing-in of the first judges at the Court of Justice of the ECSC (10 December 1952)
Audio extractOn 10 December 1952, in Luxembourg, the first seven judges at the Court of Justice of the ECSC are sworn in. One after the other, they swear to perform their duties impartially and conscientiously and not to divulge the confidential substance of their deliberations.
Judges during the first formal sitting of the ECSC Court of Justice in Luxembourg (10 December 1952)
ImageOn 10 December 1952, Judges of the Court of Justice of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) hold their first working sitting in Luxembourg. From left to right: Charles Léon Hammes, Adrianus van Kleffens, Petrus Josephus Servatius Serrarens, Massimo Pilotti, Otto Riese, Jacques Rueff and Louis Delvaux.
Address given by Jean Monnet at the inaugural session of the ECSC Court of Justice (Luxembourg, 10 December 1952)
ImageOn 10 December 1952, in Luxembourg, Jean Monnet, President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), opens the inaugural session of the Court of Justice of the ECSC.
Press reactions
'The Tenth of August 1952' from the Luxemburger Wort (9 August 1952)
TextOn 9 August 1952, on the eve of the session inaugurating the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg, the Luxembourg daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort notes the historic importance of this date both for Luxembourg and for European integration.
'The limitations of sovereignty' from the Luxemburger Wort (9 August 1952)
TextOn 9 August 1952, on the eve of the session inaugurating the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in Luxembourg, the Luxembourg daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort publishes an article by Lambert Schaus, a former Luxembourg Minister, analysing the limitation of national sovereignty under the Schuman Plan.
'Implementation of the Schuman Plan' from La Libre Belgique (10 August 1952)
TextOn 10 August 1952, in an article published in the Belgian daily newspaper La Libre Belgique, the Belgian economist Fernand Baudhuin considers the repercussions that the implementation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) may have on the country’s industry.
‘The new way’ from Handelsblatt (13 August 1952)
TextOn 13 August 1952, shortly after the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is set up in Luxembourg, the German economic daily newspaper Handelsblatt outlines the issues surrounding the implementation of the ECSC and considers the factors that will enable it to succeed.
Soviet radio broadcast (24 September 1952)
TextOn 14 September 1952, Soviet radio broadcasts a programme which harshly criticises the Schuman Plan and the role played by the United States in the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
‘A Community for coal and steel’ from the Internationale Spectator (15 October 1952)
TextOn 15 October 1952, the Dutch journal Internationale Spectator comments on the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) after its entry into force on 23 September.
The issue of institutional seats
Letter from Albert Wehrer to Joseph Bech (12 July 1950)
TextOn 12 July 1950, in connection with the negotiations on the Schuman Plan, the Head of the Luxembourg delegation, Albert Wehrer, sends a letter to Joseph Bech, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, in which he stresses that it is important for Luxembourg to be a candidate for the seat of the institutions of the future European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
Report by Albert Wehrer on the question of the seat of the European institutions (Luxembourg, 30 October 1950)
TextOn 30 October 1950, Albert Wehrer, Luxembourg diplomatic representative in Bonn, sends a report to Joseph Bech, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, in which he outlines the procedure that should be followed so that Luxembourg will be in a favourable position regarding the question of the seat of the institutions of the Coal and Steel Community.
Letter of application of the City of Saarbrücken to house the Community institutions (Saarbrücken, 11 June 1951)
TextOn 11 June 1951, Peter Zimmer, Mayor of Saarbrücken, sends a letter to Robert Schuman, Chairman of the Conference on the European Union of Coal and Steel, in which he proposes that Saarbrücken be chosen as the seat of the Community institutions.
The issue of institutional seats
Letter from the Mayor of Strasbourg to Jacques-Camille Paris (30 January 1952)
TextOn 30 January 1952, Charles Frey, Mayor of the City of Strasbourg and President of the Temporary Strasbourg Committee for the European Movement, informs Jacques-Camille Paris, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, that he is willing to propose Strasbourg as the seat of the European institutions.
Motion adopted by the Municipal Council of the City of Strasbourg (25 February 1952)
TextOn 25 February 1952, the Strasbourg City Council, chaired by the Mayor, Charles Frey, President of the Temporary Strasbourg Committee for the European Movement, emphasises the benefits to be derived from the selection of Strasbourg as the seat of the institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
'Luxembourg to be the first seat of the Schuman Plan' from the Luxemburger Wort (25 July 1952)
TextIn an article printed on 25 July 1952, the Luxembourg newspaper Luxemburger Wort looks back at the difficult negotiations regarding the choice of headquarters for the institutions of the the European Coal and Steel Community, which eventually opted, provisionally, for Luxembourg.
Press conference on the Schuman Plan held by Joseph Bech (27 July 1952)
ImageOn 27 July 1952, Joseph Bech, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, holds a press conference on the implementation of the Schuman Plan.
Jean Monnet, Mémoires: extrait sur le choix du siège des institutions
TextDans ses Mémoires, Jean Monnet évoque les raisons pour lesquelles la ville de Luxembourg fut choisie pour accueillir les institutions de la CECA.
Herbert Blankenhorn, Insights and understandings
TextIn his diary, Herbert Blankenhorn, diplomatic adviser to Konrad Adenauer in the German Foreign Ministry and Ambassador of the FRG to NATO from 1955 to 1959, comments on the meeting held in Paris on 23 and 24 July 1952 regarding the Saar question and the seat of the ECSC institutions.
Cartoon illustrating the issue of a seat for the ECSC (August 1952)
ImageThe residents of Saarbrücken prepare themselves for the possible location of the institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community in their town. 'Adapt! Adapt! That's the motto now!'
Cartoon by Bob on the issue of a seat for the ECSC (August 1952)
ImageThe issue of where to locate the permanent seats of the institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community remained undecided for a long time. According to the cartoonist of the satirical newspaper Der Tintenfisch, one must prepare for all eventualities: ‘The Sculpture Department of the Federation of Plastic Arts may have an interesting proposal for your town …’
Position of the City of Brussels Tourist Information Office with regard to the seat of the Community institutions (26 May 1954)
TextOn 26 May 1954, at a meeting held in the presence of a large number of Belgian MPs, the City of Brussels Tourist Information Office argues for Brussels to be selected as the capital city of the European Community.
Application of the City of Liège to become the seat of the High Authority (Liège, 29 June 1954)
TextOn 29 June 1954, the City of Liège officially submits its application to become the seat of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), setting out in a dossier its arguments and the support given to these arguments by an international college of town planners.
Open letter from the City of Liège to the Belgian Government (23 June 1954)
TextOn 23 June 1954, the City of Liège sends an open letter to the Belgian Government in which it submits its application to become the seat of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
Note from the Benelux countries on the question of the seat of the Community institutions (The Hague, 26 November 1954)
TextIn the summary record of its meeting of 26 November 1954, the Permanent Committee for Consultation on Foreign Policy of the Benelux countries expresses its opposition to the Franco-German bilateral arrangement to transfer the ECSC’s seat to the City of Saarbrücken.
Internal note from the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry (14 December 1954)
TextThis internal note from the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry dated 14 December 1954 describes the negotiations on the seat of the ECSC which took place at the Conference of Ministers in Paris during the night of 25 to 26 July 1952.
Letter from Lambert Schaus to Joseph Bech (Brussels, 31 January 1957)
TextOn 31 January 1957, Lambert Schaus, Luxembourg Ambassador to Brussels, sends a letter to Joseph Bech, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, in which he reviews the positions of the ECSC Member States on the question of the seat of the European institutions.
Cooperation agreement with Great Britain
Memorandum from the British Foreign Office on the appointment of a delegation to enter into relations with the ECSC (July 1952)
TextIn July 1952, with a view to the future relations between the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the United Kingdom, the British Foreign Secretary drafts a memorandum advocating the establishment of a British delegation to the ECSC High Authority.
Excerpt from a speech made by Jean Monnet (Luxembourg, inaugural session of the High Authority, 10 August 1952)
Audio extractIn his opening speech delivered on 10 August 1952 at the inaugural session of the High Authority, Jean Monnet makes it clear that the ECSC wishes to be totally open to other States and international organisations.
Communiqué annonçant la conclusion de l'Accord (Londres, 21 décembre 1954)
TextLe 21 décembre 1954, lors de la conclusion de l'Accord de coopération entre le Royaume-Uni et la Communauté européenne du charbon et de l'acier (CECA), Duncan Sandys, représentant britannique, décrit les missions du Conseil permanent d'association.
Statement by Jean Monnet (London, 21 December 1954)
TextOn 21 December 1954, Jean Monnet, President of the ECSC High Authority, welcomes the signing of the cooperation agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
Lettre de Duncan Sandys à Jean Monnet (Londres, 21 décembre 1954)
TextLe 21 décembre 1954, Duncan Sandys, membre du gouvernement britannique, adresse à Jean Monnet, président de la Haute Autorité de la CECA, une lettre relative à la composition du futur Conseil permanent d'association entre la CECA et le Royaume-Uni.
'The High Authority and the Europe of Seven' from Le Monde (22 December 1954)
TextOn 22 December 1954, the French daily newspaper Le Monde considers the role of the ECSC High Authority and outlines the British Government’s cautious approach to the agreement concerning relations between the United Kingdom and the European Coal and Steel Community.
Association agreement between the ECSC and the United Kingdom (21 December 1954)
ImageOn 21 December 1954, in London, the British Government, represented by the Minister, Duncan Sandys, and the President of the ECSC High Authority, Jean Monnet, sign an association agreement between the ECSC and the United Kingdom.
Memorandum by the National Coal Board on the agenda of the first meeting of the ECSC–United Kingdom Council of Association (9 March 1955)
TextOn 9 March 1955, in anticipation of the first meeting of the future Council of Association between the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the United Kingdom, the National Coal Board drafts a memorandum in which it sets out the various points that will have to be addressed by the British delegation during the negotiations due to be held on matters relating to coal.
Inaugural meeting of the ECSC-United Kingdom Association Council (Luxembourg, 17 November 1955)
VideoOn 17 November 1955, René Mayer, President of the High Authority, delivers the inaugural address of the ECSC-United Kingdom Association Council. Three permanent committees are subsequently established: coal, steel and trade relations.
Cooperation agreement with Great Britain
Cooperation agreement between the ECSC and the United Kingdom (1957)
VideoOn 25 November 1957, in Luxembourg, the Six, the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the United Kingdom sign a tariff agreement on iron and steel products.
Interview with Georges Berthoin (Paris, 22 July 2005) — Excerpt: the Association Agreement between the ECSC and the United Kingdom
VideoIn this interview, Georges Berthoin, Principal Private Secretary (from 1952 to 1956) to Jean Monnet and then to René Mayer during their respective Presidencies of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), describes the course of the negotiations in 1954 and the implementation of the Association Agreement between the ECSC and the United Kingdom from 1955.
Interview with Georges Berthoin (Paris, 22 July 2005) — Excerpt: the Association Council between the ECSC and the United Kingdom
VideoIn this interview, Georges Berthoin, Head of the Delegation of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), then of the Commission of the European Communities to the United Kingdom until 1973, describes what took place during the meetings between the ECSC and the United Kingdom which were held in London and in Luxembourg in the latter half of the 1950s.
Account given by Dirk Spierenburg: the negotiations on the Association Agreement between the ECSC and the United Kingdom (Rome, 25 March 1987)
Audio extractAt 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), Dirk Spierenburg, former Member of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), outlines how, after the failure of the European Defence Community (EDC), the High Authority, and, in particular, its President, Jean Monnet, concentrated its efforts on the drafting of an Association Agreement between the ECSC and the United Kingdom.