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At the Quai d'Orsay, on May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, made a public declaration which would fundamentally affect the future of postwar Europe. He 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. 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.1

The Schuman declaration was prepared by a team of experts working in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the leadership of Jean Monnet, the French Planning Commissioner. Schuman's political authority ensured that the plan gained international recognition. Konrad Adenauer, the German Chancellor, showed immediate support although he was consulted on the text only the day before. The Italian and Benelux governments were, in principle, in favor of the plan and began negotiations to establish supranational institutions. Britain was the only invited country that declined to sign up. The governing Labor Party argued that the plan did not reflect British interests and that surrendering sovereignty on its coal and steel production would not have public support.2 The declaration would lead to the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), composed of France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium, who signed the Treaty of Paris on April 18, 1951.3

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