An epochal shift

Sixty years ago, on April 18 1951, the founding European Coal and Steel Community Treaty, enforced in July 1952, was ratified in Paris. Thus the first of three European Communities was established, followed by the European Economic Community in 1958 and later by the European Atomic Energy Community leading to the establishment of the European Community in the 1960s, whereby the Treaty of Lisbon (2007) engendered the European Union in its present form. The ECSC treaty marked an epochal change in the history of the relations between States. Long-dated opposition became co-existence, entailing the common management of coal and steel production and trade in the involved Countries.The common management was entrusted to a High Authority granted freedom of action by Member States’ governments, in compliance with the provisions stipulated in the Treaty. The activity of supervision was carried out by the Special Council of Ministers delegated from each Member State: namely, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany and France. A parliamentary assembly ensured democratic control. The project was successfully carried out, thus prompting the transformation of the union of European states into a new political reality. The success of the initiative is not only explained with the institutional, original, genial structure conceived by Jean Monnet. It is also the result of the determined motivation, conveyed by Robert Schuman in the Declaration drawn up on May 9 1950 that presents the project to the public opinion: “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity. The rassemblement of the nations of Europe requires the elimination of the age-old opposition of France and Germany. Any action taken must in the first place concern these two countries. With this aim in view, the French Government proposes to take action immediately on one limited but decisive point….The pooling of coal and steel production should immediately provide for the setting up of common foundations for economic development as a first step in the federation of Europe, and will change the destinies of those regions which have long been devoted to the manufacture of munitions of war, of which they have been the most constant victims”.These simple phrases contain the core of its philosophy, notably, the ethical pillars underlying the European building. They convey the force of a belief, which despite the ups and downs of its progress over the past 60 years, has always enabled the Community to overcome crises, recovering the common path of virtue after occasional deviations. The text of the Schuman Declaration, that can be considered the true document testifying to the establishment of modern united Europe, contains the program and the objectives of the European Coal and Steel Community, i.e. to make it impossible for neighbouring countries to wage war against each other as supplying the raw materials for industrial production would create the grounds for Europe’s economic unification; to create an economic community that would raise the living standards of its citizens; to promote peace engagements along with the development of the African continent. And finally: to erect “the first concrete nucleus of a European Federation, crucial to the preservation of peace “.Taking these points of the program as the points of departure, after coal and steel other areas were gradually introduced jointly with an increasing number of States willing to take part in this process. The process has been ongoing for 60 years, and it continues to progress – despite numerous slowdowns – in the direction of the path indicated by the Schuman Declaration. A lot still needs to be done, especially regarding the established bases, namely, the creation of the European Federation that is critical to the preservation of a durable peace, to ensure the permanence of its achievements.