European Coal and Steel Community
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The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a six-nation international organisation during the Cold War and served as the foundation for the modern-day European Union. The ECSC was the first organisation to be based on the principles of supranationalism.
The ECSC was first proposed by French foreign minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950 as a way to prevent further war between France and Germany. It was formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed not only by France and Germany, but also by Italy and the three Benelux states: Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Between these states the ECSC would create a common market for coal and steel. The ECSC was governed by a 'High Authority', checked by bodies representing governments, MPs and an independent judiciary.
The ECSC was joined by two other similar communities in 1957, with whom it shared its membership and some institutions. In 1969 all its institutions were merged with that of the European Economic Community (EEC, which later became part of the European Union), but it retained its own independent identity. However in 2002 the Treaty of Paris expired, and with no desire to renew the treaty, all the ECSC activities and resources were absorbed by the European Community. During its existence, the ECSC had succeeded in creating a common market but could not prevent the decline of the coal and steel industries. It did however set the ground for the future European Union.
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[edit] History
- Further information: History of the European Communities (1945-1957)
The Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 (later celebrated as Europe Day) was based on the work of Jean Monnet and laid out a plan for a European Community to pool the coal and steel of its members in a common market. Schuman proposed that "Franco-German production of coal and steel as a whole be placed under a common High Authority, within the framework of an organisation open to the participation of the other countries of Europe." Such an act was intended to help economic growth and cement peace between France and Germany, who were historic enemies. Coal and steel were vital resources needed for a country to wage war, so pooling those resources between two such enemies was seen as particularly symbolic. The plan was also seen as a first step to a "European federation".[1][2]
[edit] Political pressures
In West Germany, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, in spite of support from unions and other socialists in Europe, decided it would oppose the Schuman plan. Kurt Schumacher's personal distrust of France, capitalism, and Konrad Adenauer aside, he claimed that a focus on integrating with a "Little Europe of the Six" would override the SPD's prime objective of German re-unification and thus empower ultra-nationalist and Communist movements in the West. He also thought the ECSC would end any hopes of nationalising the steel industry and lock in a Europe of "cartels, clerics and conservatives."[3]
In France, Charles de Gaulle had been an early supporter of "linkages" between economies - on French terms - and had spoken of a "European confederation" that would exploit the resources of the Ruhr in 1945. However, he opposed the ECSC as a faux pooling ("le pool, ce faux semblant") because he considered it an unsatisfactory "piecemeal approach" to European unity, and because he considered the French government "too weak" to dominate the ECSC as he thought proper.[4] De Gaulle also felt that the ECSC had insufficient supra-national authority because the Assembly was not ratified by a European referendum, and he did not accept Raymond Aron's contention that the ECSC was intended as a movement away from United States domination. Consequently, de Gaulle and his followers in the RPF voted against ratification in the lower house of the French Parliament.[4]
Despite these pressures, the ECSC was established.
[edit] Treaties
The 100 article long Treaty of Paris which established the ECSC was signed on 18 April 1951 by France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, It made the ECSC the first international organisation to be based on supranational principles[1] and was, through the establishment of a common market for coal and steel, intended to expand the economies, increase employment, and raise the standard of living within the Community. The market was also intended to progressively rationalise the distribution of high level production whilst ensuring stability and employment. The common market for coal was opened on 10 February 1953, and for steel on 1 May 1953.[5] Upon taking effect the ECSC gradually replaced the International Authority for the Ruhr.[6]
Six years after the Treaty of Paris, the Treaties of Rome were signed by the six ECSC members, creating the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or 'Euratom'). These Communities were based, with some adjustments, on the ECSC. The Treaties of Rome were to be in force indefinitely, unlike the Treaty of Paris which was to expire after fifty years. These two new Communities worked on the creation of a customs union and atomic energy cooperation respectively. However, their fields rapidly expanded and the EEC became the most important tool for political unification, overshadowing the ECSC.[1]
[edit] Merger and expiry
Despite being separate legal entities, the ECSC, EEC and Euratom initially shared the Common Assembly and the European Court of Justice, although the Councils and the High Authority/Commissions remained separate. To avoid duplication, the Merger Treaty merged these separate bodies of the ECSC and Euratom with the EEC. The EEC later became one of the three pillars of the present day European Union.[1]
The Treaty of Paris was frequently amended as the EC and EU evolved and expanded. With the treaty due to expire in 2002, debate began at the beginning of the 1990s on what to do with it. It was eventually decided that it should be left to expire. The areas covered by the ECSC's treaty were transferred to the Treaty of Rome and the financial loose ends and the ECSC research fund were dealt with via a protocol of the Treaty of Nice. The treaty finally expired on 23 July 2002.[2] That day, the ECSC flag was lowered for the final time outside the European Commission in Brussels and replaced with the EU flag.[7]
[edit] Timeline of treaties
| 1948 Brussels |
1952 Paris |
1958 Rome |
1967 Brussels |
1987 SEA |
1993 Maastricht |
1999 Amsterdam |
2003 Nice |
2009? Lisbon |
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| European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) | |||||||||
| European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) | European Union (EU) | ||||||||
| European Economic Community (EEC) | → P I L L A R S → |
European Community (EC) | |||||||
| ↑European Communities↑ | Justice & Home Affairs (JHA) | ||||||||
| Police & Judicial co-operation in Criminal Matters (PJCC) | |||||||||
| European Political Cooperation (EPC) | Common Foreign & Security Policy (CFSP) | ||||||||
| Western European Union (WEU) | |||||||||
[edit] Institutions
- Further information: Institutions of the European Union
The institutions of the ECSC were the High Authority, the Common Assembly, the Special Council of Ministers and the Court of Justice. A subsidiary Consultative Committee was established alongside the High Authority. These institutions were merged in 1967 with those of the European Community, which then governed the ECSC,[5] except for the Committee which continued to be independent until the expiration of the Treaty of Paris in 2002.[8]
The Treaty stated that the location of the institutions would be decided by common accord of the members, yet the issue was hotly contested. As a temporary compromise, the institutions were provisionally located in the City of Luxembourg, despite the Assembly being based in Strasbourg.[9]
[edit] High Authority
The High Authority (the predecessor to the European Commission) was a nine-member executive body which governed the community. France, Germany and Italy appointed two members each to the Authority and the three smaller members appointed one each. These eight members then themselves appointed a ninth person to be President of the High Authority.[5]
Despite being appointed by national governments, the members were not supposed to represent their national interest, but rather took a oath to defend the general interests of the Community as a whole. Their independence was aided by members being barred from having any occupation outside the Authority or having any business interests.[5]
The Authority's principle innovation was its supranational character. It had a broad area of competence to ensure the objectives of the treaty were met and that the common market functioned smoothly. The High Authority could issue three types of legal instruments: Decisions, which were entirely binding laws; Recommendations, which had binding aims but the methods were left to member states; and Opinions, which had no legal force.[5]
Up to the merger in 1967, the authority had five Presidents followed by an interim President serving for the final days.[10]
| President | State | Took office | Left office | Authority |
| Jean Monnet | France | 10 August 1952 | 3 June 1955 | Monnet Authority |
| René Mayer | France | 3 June 1955 | 13 January 1958 | Mayer Authority |
| Paul Finet | Belgium | 13 January 1958 | 15 September 1959 | Finet Authority |
| Piero Malvestiti | Italy | 15 September 1959 | 22 October 1963 | Malvestiti Authority |
| Rinaldo Del Bo | Italy | 22 October 1963 | 6 July 1967 | Del Bo Authority |
| Albert Coppé | Belgium | interim | Coppé Authority | |
[edit] Other institutions
The Common Assembly (which later became the European Parliament) was composed of 78 representatives and exercised supervisory powers over the executive High Authority. The Common Assembly representatives were to be national MPs elected by their Parliaments to the Assembly, or directly elected. Though in practice it was universally the former as there was no requirement for elections until the Treaties of Rome and no actual election until 1979. However, to emphasise that the chamber was not a traditional international organisation composed of representatives of national governments, the Treaty of Paris used the term "representatives of the peoples".[5] The Assembly was not originally part of the Schuman Plan but was put forward by Jean Monnet on the second day of treaty negotiations. The Assembly was intended as a democratic counter-weight and check to the High Authority, although it had no formal powers. The first President (akin to a Speaker) was Paul-Henri Spaak.[11]
The Special Council of Ministers (equivalent to the current Council of the European Union) was composed of representatives of national governments. The Presidency was held by each state for a period of three months, rotating between them in alphabetical order. One of its key aspects was the harmonisation of the work of the High Authority and that of national governments, which were still responsible for the state's general economic policies. The Council was also required to issue opinions on certain areas of work of the High Authority.[5] Issues relating only to coal and steel were in the exclusive domain of the High Authority and in these areas the Council (unlike the modern Council) could only act as a scrutiny on the Authority. However, areas outside coal and steel required the consent of the Council.[12]
The Court of Justice was to ensure the observation of ECSC law along with the interpretation and application of the Treaty. The Court was composed of seven judges, appointed by common accord of the national governments for six years. There were no requirements that the judges had to be of a certain nationality, simply that they be qualified and that their independence be beyond doubt. The Court was assisted by two Advocates General.[5]
The Consultative Committee (similar to the Economic and Social Committee) had between 30 and 50 members equally divided between producers, workers, consumers and dealers in the coal and steel sector. Members were appointed for two years and were not bound by any mandate or instruction of the organisations which appointed them. The Committee had a plenary assembly, bureau and a president. The High Authority was obliged to consult the Committee in certain cases where it was appropriate and to keep it informed.[5] The Consultative Committee remained independent (despite the merger of the other institutions) until 2002, when the Treaty expired and its duties were taken over by the Economic and Social Committee (ESC). Despite its independence, the Committee did cooperate with the ESC when they were consulted on the same issue.[8]
[edit] Achievements and failures
The Community had little effect on coal and steel production, which respectively decreased and increased relative to the world trends. However, trade between members did increase (tenfold for coal) which saved members' money by not having to import resources from the United States, particularly where there were cutbacks in one state. The High Authority also issued 280 modernisation loans to the industry which helped the industry to improve output and reduce costs. Costs were further reduced by the abolition of tariffs at borders.[13]
However the ECSC's greatest achievements are seen as on welfare issues, not on economic issues. Over 15 years it financed 112,500 flats for workers, paying US$1,770 per flat, enabling workers to buy a home they could not have otherwise afforded. The ECSC also paid half the occupational redeployment costs of those workers who have lost their jobs as coal and steel facilities began to close down. Combined with regional redevelopment aid the ECSC spent $150 million creating 100,000 jobs, a third of which were for unemployed coal and steel workers. The welfare guarantees invented by the ECSC were extended to workers outside the coal and steel sector by some of its members.[13]
However the ECSC failed to achieve several fundamental aims of the Treaty of Paris. It was hoped the ECSC would prevent a resurgence of large coal and steel groups such as the Konzerne, which helped Adolf Hitler rise to power. Instead the cartels and major companies re-emerged, leading to price fixing (another element that was meant to be tackled). Furthermore, it failed to define a proper energy policy and to ensure an upward equalisation of pay of workers within the market. These failures could be down to overambition in a short period of time, or that the goals were merely political posturing to be ignored.[13]
[edit] See also
| European Union | |
 This article is part of the series: |
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| Pre-1945 | |
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| See also | |
| History of Europe Enlargement - Treaties Timeline - Presidency |
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- Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community
- Schuman Declaration
- Energy policy of the European Union
- Energy Community
- The industrial plans for Germany
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d The European Communities. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ a b Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, ECSC Treaty. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ Orlow, D. (2002). Common Destiny: A Comparative History of the Dutch, French, and German Social Democratic Parties, 1945-1969. Berghahn Books, 168-172.
- ^ a b Chopra, H.S. (1974). De Gaulle and European unity. Abhinav Publications, 28-33.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i The Treaties establishing the European Communities. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ Office of the US High Commissioner for Germany Office of Public Affairs, Public Relations Division, APO 757, US Army, January 1952 "Plans for terminating international authority for the Ruhr" , pp. 61-62
- ^ Ceremony to mark the expiry of the ECSC Treaty (Brussels, 23 July 2002). European NAvigator (2002-07-23). Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ a b European Economic and Social Committee and ECSC Consultative Committee. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
- ^ The seats of the institutions of the European Union. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
- ^ Members of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ Multilateral negotiations. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
- ^ Council of the European Union. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
- ^ a b c Mathieu, Gilbert (1970-05-09). The history of the ECSC: good times and bad. Le Monde, accessed on European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
[edit] Further Reading
- Grin, Gilles (2003). The Battle of the Single European Market: Achievements and Economic Thought, 1945-2000. Kegan Paul. ISBN 978-0710309389.
- Hitchcock, William I. (1998). France Restored: Cold War Diplomacy and the Quest for Leadership in Europe, 1944-1954. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-4747-X.
- Maas, Willem (2007). Creating European Citizens. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7425-5485-6.
[edit] External links
- rtsp://rtsppress.cec.eu.int/Archive/video/mpeg/i000679/i000679.rm (insert address into RealPlayer) Common Destiny, a period film explaining the Coal and Steel Community, Europa (web portal)
- Treaty constituting the European Coal and Steel Community, European NAvigator
- The institutions of the European Coal and Steel Community, European NAvigator
- France, Germany and the Struggle for the War-making Natural Resources of the Rhineland, American University
- Ruhr Delegation of the United States of America, Council of Foreign Ministers American Embassy Moscow, March 24, 1947, Truman Library
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