‘Sit Europa in the saddle — she’ll know how to ride!’ On 13 May 1950, German cartoonist Fritz Meinhard highlights the historic nature of the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 in bringing reconciliation to France and Germany and laying the foundations of a united Europe. Taking inspiration from the Greek myth of the abduction of the princess Europa by Zeus in the guise of a bull, Meinhard emphasises the combined efforts of French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman (on the right) and Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (on the left) to help Europa climb onto the bull, whose markings form a map of the European continent. The cartoonist also makes reference to the famous metaphor used on 11 March 1867 by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the main architect of the future North German Confederation, which would be subjected to Prussian hegemony: Setzen wir Deutschland in den Sattel, reiten wird es schon können.
In this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, Head of the ‘Germany’ Division and Director-General for European Affairs in the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 1950 and 1952, describes the significance in the Netherlands of the generation gap between those in favour of or opposed to the supranational approach of the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950.
In his diary, Herbert Blankenhorn, diplomatic adviser to the German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, describes how the Chancellor was made aware of events on the eve of Robert Schuman’s declaration of 9 May 1950 on the European coal and steel pool.
On the day after the 9 May 1950 Declaration by Robert Schuman, the French daily newspaper Le Monde analyses the implications of the future European single market.
On 12 May 1995, Franz Etzel, German Vice-President of the High Authority, assesses the achievements of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) five years after the Schuman Declaration paved the way for its establishment.
In an article published in the French daily newspaper Le Monde on the 25th anniversary of the Declaration made on 9 May 1950, Pierre Uri, former colleague of Jean Monnet, recalls the preparations for the Schuman Plan.
Following the French declaration on the pooling of Europe’s coal and steel resources, the French daily newspaper Combat identifies the obstacles to be overcome in the implementation of the Schuman Plan.
Following the Schuman Declaration, the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung considers the repercussions of the European coal and steel pool on the control of industrial output in the Ruhr.
On 17 May 1950, the Italian socialist daily newspaper Avanti comments on the Schuman Declaration and discusses the advantages and the risks of pooling Franco–German coal and steel output.