i. Press conference
Schuman was convinced by Jean Monnet’s ideas of pooling the coal and steel output. He decided to assume political responsibility for the Plan. Nevertheless, at the beginning, the issue was kept quite secret in order to avoid the pressure from employers and union lobbies. Of course, the coal and steel producers were not aware of the plan. However, Dean Acheson who was the US Secretary of State had been informed and decided to give Schuman his support.
Firstly, Schuman had to convince the French Government. Even if Georges Bidault, the Prime Minister at that time, had been informed earlier by Robert Schuman, he didn’t want to lose some national sovereignty. Whatever it be, Schuman finally got the Cabinet’s approval.
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In other words, its mission was to help with the expansion of the economy, the development of employment but also to contribute to the improvement of the standard of living of the citizens.
5. The ECSC
i. Institutions
Different institutions were set up by the ECSC Treaty. Indeed, it established a High Authority, an Assembly, a Council of Ministers and a Court of Justice. In order to better understand the functioning of the ECSC, it is important to understand the role of those four institutions.
a) The High Authority
Jean Monnet presided over the High Authority that was independent and placed on top of the supranational model. It was established in Luxembourg on 10 August 1952. The supranational role of the High Authority was a major innovation. Indeed, the members of the High Authority didn’t represent the interests of their own country but had to stand up for the common interest of the member states.
Its aim was to make sure that the objectives set by the Treaty were achieved. The members, nine in total, were amended for a period of maximum six years. There was a quite specific rule: there couldn’t be more than two members of any one