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The origins of the Schuman Plan
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Synopsis
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France, peacekeeping, Schuman plan, the German Question
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| Copyright |
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| Location in the digital library |
SPECIAL FILES >> From the origins of the Schuman Plan to the ECSC Treaty >> The origins of the Schuman Plan
HISTORICAL EVENTS >> 1950–1956 The formation of the community of Europe >> The birth of the community of Europe >> The origins of the Schuman Plan
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| Document extract |
The origins of the Schuman Plan
In economic terms, coal and steel were vital raw materials. Coal was still the principal source of energy, and the French Government, wanting to modernise its heavy industry, realised how much the steel industry in eastern France depended on substantial supplies of coal. But, at a time when the liberated countries were having difficulty in satisfying domestic demand, the only available coal deposits were to be found precisely in the Ruhr (since the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands had temporarily withdrawn from international trade). The creation of a European ‘pool’ for coal and steel would, therefore, allow France to counter the threat of a shortage in Europe and, at the same time, meet its own needs for raw materials, despite the foreseeable dissolution of the International Authority for the Ruhr. In a broader sense, the Schuman Plan also sought to increase European coal and steel output in order to boost economic growth overall. In addition, it hinted at a major reduction in producer and consumer prices. From the political point of view, the Schuman Plan was based on the assumption that the integration of Germany into a permanent European structure was the best way to prevent it from being a threat to its neighbours and, at the same time, guarantee peace in Europe. It allowed for an improvement in Franco-German relatio (...) Read more in ENA |
| See also |
Table comparing the votes cast during ratification of the ECSC Treaty
Ratification of the Treaty establishing the ECSC in France
‘France and the Schuman Plan’ from The Economist (15 December 1951)
Notes from the British Ministry of Defence on the Schuman Plan (11 May 1950)
Parliamentary debates in the House of Commons on the Schuman Plan (27 June 1950)
Conclusions of a meeting of the Cabinet on the refusal to participate in the negotiations on the Schuman Plan (London, 2 June 1950)
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