The European Coal and Steel Society ( ECSC ) is an organization of six European countries established after World War II to regulate their industrial production under a centralized authority. Formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed by Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Holland and Luxembourg. The ECSC was the first international organization based on the principles of supranationalism, and began a formal integration process that eventually led to the EU.
The ECSC was first proposed by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on May 9, 1950 as a way to prevent further war between France and Germany. He stated that the aim was to "fight not only unthinkable but materially impossible" to be achieved by regional integration, where the ECSC is the first step. The treaty will create a common market for coal and steel among its member countries that serves to neutralize competition between European countries over natural resources, particularly in Ruhr.
The ECSC is run by four institutions: a High Authority made up of independently appointed persons, the General Assembly composed of national parliamentarians, a Special Council composed of state ministers, and the Court of Justice. This will eventually form a blueprint for the European Commission today, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Court.
The ECSC stands as a model for the society formed subsequently by the Rome Treaty in 1957, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, with whom they share membership and some institutions. The 1967 Agreement on Mergers (Brussels) caused all ECSC institutions to join the European Economic Community, but the ECSC retained its own independent legal personality. In 2002, the Treaty of Paris ended and the ECSC ceased to exist in any form, its activities completely absorbed by the European Community under the framework of the Amsterdam and Nice agreements.
Video European Coal and Steel Community
History
As Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Schuman was instrumental in changing France's policy of the Gaullist policy of permanent occupation or control of parts of German territory such as Ruhr or Saar. Despite ultra-nationalist opposition, Gaullist and rigid Communists, the French Assembly elected a number of resolutions supporting its new policy to integrate Germany into a community. The International Authority for Ruhr changed as a consequence. The guiding principle of Schuman is moral, based on equality of states (international democracy), not political domination power.
Schuman Declaration
The Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 (in 1985 declared "European Day" by the European Community) occurred after two Cabinet meetings, when the proposal became the policy of the French government. Therefore France is the first government to agree to surrender sovereignty in a supranational community. The decision was based on a text, written and edited by friends and colleagues of Schuman, Foreign Ministry lawyer, professor Paul Reuter with the help of economist Jean Monnet and Director of the Schuman Cabinet, Bernard Clappier. It sets out a plan for the European Community to gather coal and steel members in the public market.
Schuman proposes that "French-German coal and steel production as a whole is placed under the Higher Common Authority, within the framework of an open organization for the participation of other European countries". Such actions are intended to foster economic growth and strengthen peace between France and Germany, which are historical enemies. Coal and steel are the vital resources necessary for a country to fight, so collecting resources between two enemies is seen more than a symbol. Schuman saw the French government's decision on his proposal as the first example of a democratic and supranational Community, a new development in world history. The plan was also seen by several people, such as Monnet, who crossed out Reuter's statement of "supranational" in the draft and included the "federation", as a first step toward "European federation".
The Schuman Declaration that created the ECSC has several different purposes:
- That would mark the birth of a united Europe.
- It will make war between member states impossible.
- This will encourage world peace.
- This will transform Europe in a "step-by-step" process (building through sectoral supranational communities) leading to a democratic unification of Europe, uniting the two political blocs separated by the Iron Curtain.
- It will create the world's first supranational institution.
- This will create the world's first international anti-cartel body.
- This will create a common market throughout the Community.
- It will, beginning with the coal and steel sectors, revitalize the entire European economy with similar community processes.
- This will boost the world economy and developing countries, like in Africa.
First, it was intended to prevent further war between France and Germany and other countries by addressing the root causes of war. The ECSC is primarily conceptualized with France and Germany in mind: "The presence of European countries requires the abolition of the ancient opposition of France and Germany.Each action taken must be the first concern of these two countries." The coal and steel industries are essential to the production of munitions, Schuman believes that by bringing these two industries together throughout France and Germany under an innovative supranational system that also includes the European anti-cartel agency, it can "fight not only unthinkable but materially impossible ". Schuman has another goal: "With increasing European resources will be able to pursue the achievement of one important task, that is, the development of the African continent." Industrial cartels tend to impose "strict practice" on the national market, while the ECSC will ensure the increased production required for their ambitions in Africa.
Political pressure
In West Germany, Schuman maintains close contact with a new generation of democratic politicians. Karl Arnold, President of North Rhine-Westphalia, a country that includes coal and steel producing Ruhr, was originally a spokesman for German foreign affairs. He gave a number of speeches and broadcasts to the coal and supranational steel communities at the same time when Robert Schuman began proposing this Community in 1948 and 1949. The German Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands , SPD), regardless of the support of other unions and socialists in Europe, decides to oppose Schuman's plan. Kurt Schumacher's personal distrust of France, capitalism, and Konrad Adenauer is set aside, he claims that the focus on integration with the "Little Europe of the Six" will override SPD's ultimate objective of German reunification and thereby empower the ultra-nationalist and Communist movements in democracies, country. He also thinks ECSC will end hopes to nationalize the steel industry and lock in Europe "cartels, clerics and conservatives". The younger party members like Carlo Schmid, however, support the Community and show long socialist support for supranational ideas.
In France, Schuman gained strong political and intellectual support from all parts of the country and many non-communist parties. Notable among these were colleague colleagues Andre Philip, president of the Committee on Foreign Relations Edouard Bonnefous, and former prime minister Paul Reynaud. Projects for coal and steel authorities and other supranational communities were formulated in a special subcommittee of the Council of Europe in the period prior to the French government's policy. Charles de Gaulle, who at the time was not in power, had been an early supporter of the "relationship" between the economy, with the French term, and had spoken in 1945 about the "European confederation" that would exploit the Ruhr's resources. However, he opposes the ECSC as a fake (fake) league, "because he considers it an" unsatisfactory approach "to unity Europe. and because he considers the French government "too weak" to dominate the ECSC as he thinks fit. De Gaulle also felt that the ECSC had insufficient supranational authority because the Assembly was not ratified by the European referendum and he did not accept Raymond Aron's opinion that the ECSC was intended as a movement away from US dominance. As a result, de Gaulle and his followers at the RPF voted against ratification in the lower house of the French Parliament.
Regardless of these attacks and those from the extreme left, the ECSC finds considerable public support, and is therefore established. It gained a strong majority vote in all eleven parliamentary rooms Six, as well as an agreement among European associations and public opinion. In 1950, many people thought another war could not be avoided. However, the interests of steel and coal are quite vocal in their resistance. The Council of Europe, created by Schuman's first government proposal in May 1948, helped articulate European public opinion and provide positive support to the Community.
Agreement
The 100-article Treaty of Paris, founded ECSC, was signed on 18 April 1951 by "the inner six": France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg (Benelux). ECSC is the first international organization based on supranational principles and, through the establishment of a common market for coal and steel, which is intended to expand the economy, increase employment, and improve living standards within the Community. The market is also meant to progressively rationalize the distribution of high-level production while ensuring stability and employment. The coal general market opened on 10 February 1953, and to steel on 1 May 1953. Once in effect, the ECSC gradually replaced the International Authority for Ruhr.
On 11 August 1952, the United States was the first non-ECSC member to recognize the Community and stated that it would now deal with the ECSC on coal and steel issues, establishing its delegation in Brussels. Monnet responded by selecting Washington, D.C. as the first external presence site of ECSC. The first bulletin title of the delegation reads "Toward a European Federal Government".
Six years after the Treaty of Paris, the Treaty of Rome was signed by six members of the ECSC, creating the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom). This community is based, with some adjustments, in the ECSC. The Treaties of Rome will apply indefinitely, unlike the Paris Treaty, which will expire after fifty years. Both of these new Communities are working on the formation of the customs union and the nuclear power community respectively. The Roman Covenant was passed before de Gaulle was given emergency powers and proclaimed the Fifth Republic. Despite his efforts to "chloroform" the Community, their field is growing rapidly and EEC becomes the most important tool for political unification, shadowing the ECSC.
Merge and expire
Although separate legal entities, the ECSC, the EEC and Euratom initially shared the General Assembly and the European Court, even though the Council and the High Commission/Commission remained separate. To avoid duplication, the Merger Agreement incorporates separate entities from ECSC and Euratom with EEC. The EEC then became one of the three EU pillars at this time.
The Paris treaty is often changed as the EC and EU evolve and thrive. With the agreement due to expire in 2002, the debate began in the early 1990s about what to do with it. Finally it was decided that it should be allowed to end. Areas covered by the ECSC treaty are transferred to the Rome Agreement and the ECSC financial and research issues are addressed through the Nice Agreement protocol. The agreement finally ended on July 23, 2002. That day, the ECSC flag was down for the last time outside the European Commission in Brussels and replaced with the EU flag.
Approval timeline
Maps European Coal and Steel Community
Institution
The ECSC institutions are the Higher Authority, the General Assembly, the Council of Special Ministers and the Courts. The Consultative Committee was established with the Higher Authority, as the fifth institution representing civil society. This is the first international representation of consumers in history. These institutions were merged in 1967 with the European Community, which then regulated the ECSC, except for the Committee, which continued independently until the end of the Paris Treaty in 2002.
The agreement states that the location of the institution will be decided by a mutual agreement of members, but the matter is contested. As a temporary compromise, the institutions were temporarily in Luxembourg City, though the Strasbourg-based Assembly.
High Authority
The Higher Authority (European Commission's predecessor) is the nine-member executive body governing the Community. The authority consists of nine members in the office for a period of six years. Eight of these members are appointed by the government of six signatories. These eight members then appoint the ninth person to become President of the Higher Authority.
Though designated by a national government agreement acting together, the members promise not to represent their national interests, but rather take an oath to defend the public interest of the Community as a whole. Their independence is assisted by members who are prohibited from having jobs outside the Authority or have business interests (paid or unpaid) during their tenure and for three years after they leave the office. To further ensure impartiality, one-third of the membership must be renewed every two years (art. 10).
The ultimate innovation of Authority is its supranational character. It has a broad range of competencies to ensure the goals of the agreement are met and that the shared market is functioning smoothly. The High Authority may issue three types of legal instruments: Decisions, which are entirely binding laws; Recommendations, which have binding objectives but methods submitted to Member States; and Opinions, which have no legal force.
Up to the merger in 1967, the authority has five Presidents who were followed by the interim President who served for the last days.
Other institutions
The General Assembly (later to become the European Parliament) consists of 78 representatives and exercises oversight power over the Executive Superior Authority. The General Assembly Representative will be a member of the national parliament delegated annually by their Parliament to the Assembly or elected directly "by universal suffrage" (article 21), although in practice it is the first, since there is no requirement for election until the Treaty of Rome and there was no actual election until 1979, as Rome required the Council's approval of the electoral system first. However, to emphasize that the room was not a traditional international organization composed of national government representatives, the Paris Treaty uses the term "people's representative". The Assembly was not originally specified in the Schuman Plan because it was expected that the Community would use the Council of Europe's (Council, Council) Council. When this becomes impossible due to British objections, separate institutions must be created. The trial is intended as a democratic counter-weight and checks to the Higher Authority, to advise but also has the power to dismiss the Authority because of incompetence, injustice, corruption or fraud. The first president (similar to the Speaker) is Paul-Henri Spaak.
The Council of Ministers (equivalent to the current Council of the European Union) consists of representatives of national governments. The presidency is held by each country for a period of three months, rotating among them in alphabetical order. One of the main aspects is the harmonization of the work of the Higher Authority and the national government, which is still responsible for the general economic policy of the country. The Council is also required to express opinions on certain areas of work of the Higher Authority. Issues related only to coal and steel are in the exclusive territory of the Higher Authority, and in these areas the Council (unlike the modern Council) can only act as oversight of the Authority. However, areas outside coal and steel require the approval of the Council.
The Court of Justice is to ensure the observation of ECSC law along with the interpretation and application of the Treaty. The tribunal consists of seven judges, appointed by a joint agreement of the national government for six years. There is no requirement that judges should have certain citizenship, only that they qualify and that their independence is undoubted. The court was assisted by two Advocates General.
The Consultative Committee (similar to the Economic and Social Committee) has between 30 and 50 members divided equally between producers, workers, consumers and dealers in the coal and steel sectors. Again, there is no national quota, and the treaty requires the representation of European associations to regulate their own democratic procedures. They must make rules to make their membership fully representative of democratically organized civil society. Membership is designated for two years and is not bound by the mandate or instructions of the organization appointing them. The Committee held plenary sessions, bureaus and presidents. Once again, the necessary democratic procedures are not introduced and the nomination of these members remains in the hands of the national minister. The High Authority is obliged to consult the Committee in certain cases where it is appropriate and keep it informed. The Consultative Committee remained separate (apart from the incorporation of other institutions) until 2002, when the Agreement was terminated and its duties were taken over by the Economic and Social Committee (ESC). Despite its independence, the Committee did not cooperate with the ESC when they were consulted on the same issue.
Achievements and failures
Its mission (article 2) is general: to "contribute to the economic expansion, employment development and upgrading of living standards" of its citizens. Communities have little influence on coal and steel production, which is influenced more by global trends. Trade between members is indeed increasing (tenfold for steel) that saves members money by not having to import resources from the United States. The High Authority also issued 280 modernization loans to industries that helped the industry to increase output and reduce costs. Costs are reduced by the elimination of tariffs on the border.
Among the greatest achievements of ECSC is on welfare issues. Some mines, for example, are clearly unsustainable without government subsidies. Some miners have very bad housing. Over the past 15 years, the company has financed 112,500 flats for workers, paying US $ 1,770 per flat, allowing workers to buy homes they can not get. The ECSC also pays half the cost of transfer of labor from workers who have lost their jobs when coal and steel facilities begin to close. Combined with regional rebuilding, the ECSC spends $ 150 million creating 100,000 jobs, one-third being for unemployed coal and steel workers. The welfare guarantees created by the ECSC are extended to workers outside the coal and steel sectors by some of its members.
Much more important than creating the first European social and regional policy, he argues that the ECSC introduces European peace. This involves the first European tax on the continent. This is a flat tax, a levy on production with a maximum rate of one percent. Given that the countries of the European Community are now experiencing the longest period of peace in over seventy years, this has been described as the cheapest tax for peace in history. Another world war, or "world suicide" when Schuman called this threat in 1949, was avoided. In October 1953 Schuman said that the possibility of another European war has been eliminated. Reasoning must apply between member countries.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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