Schuman Declaration — speech by Robert Shuman on 9 May 1950 announcing plan to pool markets for German and French coal and steel
The Schuman Declaration initiated European integration by proposing a shared Franco-German coal and steel authority, laying the groundwork for the European Union.
Key Facts
- Date of declaration
- 9 May 1950
- Delivered by
- Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister
- Treaty of Paris signed
- 18 April 1951
- Founding members
- France, West Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg
- Body created
- European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
- Europe Day
- 9 May, commemorating the declaration annually in the EU
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following World War II, tension between France and West Germany threatened lasting European stability. Policymakers sought a mechanism to bind the two nations economically and politically, making future conflict structurally impractical. The long-standing rivalry over industrial resources in the Ruhr and Saar regions made coal and steel a logical starting point for cooperative governance.
On 9 May 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman delivered a speech proposing that French and West German coal and steel production be placed under a joint supranational authority. The plan, drafted largely by Jean Monnet, was openly extended to other European nations. West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and the governments of the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Luxembourg all responded favorably.
The declaration led directly to the signing of the Treaty of Paris on 18 April 1951 by six founding states, establishing the European Coal and Steel Community—Europe's first supranational institution. This body became the institutional prototype for the European Economic Community and ultimately the European Union. The date 9 May is now observed annually as Europe Day across the EU.