On 19 and 20 February 1957, in Paris, the Heads of Government accompanied by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) reach a definitive agreement on the financial aspects of the regime for the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) with the European Economic Community (EEC). From left to right: Achille Van Acker (Belgium), Konrad Adenauer (FRG), Guy Mollet (France), Antonio Segni (Italy), Willem Drees (Netherlands) and Joseph Bech (Luxembourg).

On 19 and 20 February 1957, in Paris, the Heads of Government and the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) reach final agreement on the financial aspects of the arrangements for the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) with the European Economic Community (EEC).

On 19 and 20 February 1957, the Heads of Government and Foreign Ministers of the six countries taking part in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom meet at the Hôtel Matignon in Paris. In this note dated 20 February 1957, the Italian delegation outlines its proposal for the chapters of the treaty on the Common Market that will apply to the French départements in Algeria and overseas.

On 19 and 20 February 1957, the Heads of Government and the Foreign Ministers of the six countries participating in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom meet at the Hôtel Matignon in Paris to take stock of the ongoing negotiations at the Château de Val Duchesse and conduct the final political arrangements with regard to property rights for Euratom special fissile material and the conditions for the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) with the future European Economic Community (EEC).

On 19 February 1957, the Heads of Government accompanied by the Foreign Ministers of the six countries participating in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom meet at the Hôtel Matignon, Paris, to assess the state of the Val Duchesse negotiations and take the final political decisions for the conclusion of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom).

On 20 February 1957, while the Foreign Ministers of the Six meet in Paris to discuss the progress of the negotiations being conducted in Val Duchesse, the German federalist Eugene Kogo, founder of the journal Frankfurter Hefte, criticises the increasing number of European initiatives which, in his opinion, will not necessarily lead to a common and independent European policy.

On 20 February 1957, a confidential letter from the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) informs the FRG’s diplomatic representations of the outcome of the Conference of Foreign Ministers and the Conference of Heads of State or Government of the Six, held in Paris on 18 and 19–20 February respectively.

On 21 February 1957, the German Foreign Ministry outlines the position of the German delegation at the Paris Conference of the Heads of Government and Foreign Ministers of the six countries participating in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom in Val Duchesse.

On 21 February, following the Conference, held in Paris, attended by the Heads of Government and the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), officials of the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) draw up a draft solution to be submitted to the Heads of Delegation of the Six concerning inter-German trade in the future European Economic Community (EEC).

‘At all costs — the nut will be cracked!’ On 21 February 1957, commenting in the daily newspaper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung in response to the decision taken by the Heads of State or Government of the Six to associate the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) with the future European Economic Community (EEC), the cartoonist, Conrad, takes an ironic look at the attitude of France, which is putting pressure on its European partners in order to promote trade in products from the French Union and to finance their development.

‘Agreement of the Six: “The road to the revival of European integration is open.”’ On 22 February 1957, in the French daily newspaper Combat, referring to the success of the Paris Conference attended by the Heads of Government and the Foreign Ministers of the six countries participating in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom, the cartoonist Pinatel depicts Guy Mollet, French Prime Minister, showing France the way to a united Europe.

On 6 March 1957, Maurice Couve de Murville, French Ambassador in Bonn, forwards to Christian Pineau, French Foreign Minister, a telegram in which he informs him of the reactions of certain German political circles to the outcome of the Paris Conference, held on 19 and 20 February 1957, attended by the Heads of Government and the Foreign Ministers of the six countries participating in Brussels in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom.

On 7 February 1957, with a view to the forthcoming meeting in Paris between the Heads of Government and the Foreign Ministers of the six countries participating in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit analyses the final points of disagreement regarding the finalisation of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC).

On 20 February 1957, reporting on the meeting of the Heads of Government of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the Italian daily newspaper Il nuovo Corriere della Sera outlines the progress made and the implications of the negotiations under way on the future European Economic Community (EEC) and European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom).

On 21 February 1957, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir reports on the main decisions taken by the Six at the Paris Conference, with particular regard to the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) with the future European Economic Community (EEC).

On 21 February 1957, the French Communist daily newspaper L’Humanité deplores the outcome of the Paris Conference of the Heads of State or Government and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Six and harshly criticises the Eurafrica project.

On 21 February 1957, the French daily newspaper Combat welcomes the agreement reached at the end of the Conference of the Six held in Paris on 19 and 20 February and praises the future Common Market.

On 22 February 1957, the East German newspaper Neues Deutschland comments on the meeting in Paris attended by the Heads of State or Government and the Foreign Ministers of the six countries participating in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom and calls on the European nations to fight against the establishment of the European Economic Community (EEC).

On 22 February 1957, commenting on the outcome of the Conference of the Six in Paris, the daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort outlines the economic implications of the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) with the European Economic Community (EEC).

On 22 February 1957, commenting on the outcome of the Conference held in Paris between the Heads of Government and Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) involved in the Val Duchesse negotiations, the German economic daily newspaper Handelsblatt highlights the progress made towards the establishment of the Common Market.

On 27 February 1957, the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel comments on the achievements of the Paris Conference held 19 and 20 February. It particularly welcomes the attitude of the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, who has sought to put the political aspects of Franco-German relations before the exclusive economic interests of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).

On 28 February 1957, in the Paris weekly newspaper L’Économie, Maurice Faure, State Secretary at the French Foreign Ministry and President of the French Delegation to the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom, welcomes the results of the Conference held on 18 and 19 February 1957 in the Hôtel Matignon and attended by the Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of the Six.

On 28 February 1957, commenting on the meeting in Paris attended by the Heads of Government and the Foreign Ministers of the six countries participating in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit regards the imminent signing of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) as a major turning point in the history of Europe, on condition, however, that a new European order transcending the nation state is established.

On 2 March 1957, the Italian bimonthly publication Relazioni Internazionali outlines the nature of the decisions taken on 19 and 20 February in Paris by the representatives of the Six, with particular regard to the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) with the European Economic Community (EEC).