theology and statistics at the Universities of Bonn, Munich, Berlin theology andstatistics attheUniversitiesofBonn, Munich,Berlin Before thewarhestudiedlaw, economics,politicalphilosophy, to France, hebecameFrench. the First World War, theregionofAlsace-Lorraine wasreturned himself, however, wasbornaGermancitizen.Whenin1919,after by Germany, whilsthismotherwas Luxembourgish.Schuman who becameGermanwhentheregionhelivedinwasannexed 29 June1886inLuxembourg,hisfatherwasaFrenchman Robert SchumanhadatrulyEuropeanbackground: bornon Early life Robert Schuman1886-1963 of theEuropeanintegrationproject Robert Schuman:thearchitect European Parliament from1958to1960. Schuman alsosupportedtheformation ofacommonEuropeandefence policy, andheldthepostofPresident began asapeaceinitiative. The sixstatessignedtheagreementfor theEuropeanCoalandSteel CommunityinParis inApril1951.Inthisway, Europe Europe andagreed.Shortlyafterwards,thegovernments ofItaly, Belgium,LuxembourgandtheNetherlandsalsoreacted. Schuman informed theGermanchancellorAdenauerofplan,who immediatelyrecognisedtheopportunityfor apeaceful would notbeabletofightawar. materials for thearmamentsindustry. Thebasicideawasthatwhoever didnothave controlover coalandsteelproduction
© European Union European Union.Heproposedjointcontrolofcoalandsteelproduction,themostimportant which hepublishedon9May1950,thedatenow regardedasthebirth ofthe In cooperationwithJeanMonnethedrewuptheinternationallyrenowned SchumanPlan, he becameforeign minister. fleeing two years later. Inspiteofthis,heshowed noresentmentwhen, following thewar, for aunitedEurope.DeportedtoGermanyin1940,hejoinedtheFrench Resistanceupon Germany, herecognisedthatonlyalastingreconciliationwithGermanycouldform thebasis French-German borderregion.Despite,ormaybeasaresultofhisexperiencesinNazi Schuman wasborninLuxembourgandinfluenced by hisbackground inthe 1948 and1952,isregardedasoneofthefounding fathersofEuropeanunity. The statesmanRobertSchuman,aqualifiedlawyer and French foreign ministerbetween of theEU The FoundingFathers
minister inthe French government. Hebecameactivein When theSecondWorld War beganSchuman was a junior French Parliament for theMoselleregion. politics, startinghiscareerinpublic serviceasamemberofthe on medicalgrounds.Whenthewarendedhebecameactive in World War broke out.Schumanwasexcusedfrommilitaryservice up hisown law practiceinMetz1912.TwoyearslatertheFirst distinction from Strasbourg University. After graduation, he set and Strasbourg,receivedalawdegreewiththehighest
EN the French resistance during the war and was taken prisoner. His speech did not fall on deaf ears, as German Chancellor Narrowly escaping deportation to the Dachau concentration Adenauer responded swiftly with a positive reply as did the camp, he fled to the ‘free’ zone of France where he went governments of the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Luxembourg. into hiding after the Nazis invaded the zone. In hiding, with Within one year, on 18 April 1951, the six founding members a 100 000 Reichsmark reward on his head, he defied the signed the Treaty of Paris. It created the European Coal and Germans for the next three years. He declined the invitation of Steel Community - Europe’s first supranational Community. French leader-in-exile de Gaulle to go to London, preferring This ground-breaking organisation paved the way for the instead to stay with his compatriots in Nazi-occupied France. European Economic Community and subsequently the European Union, which is still run by the innovative type of After the war he returned to national politics in a series of top- European institutions conceived in 1950. level posts: firstly as Minister of Finance, as Prime Minister in 1947, Foreign Minister from 1948-1952 and again as Minister However, his efforts did not stop there. He became a great of Finance from 1955-56. He became a key negotiator of proponent of further integration through a European Defence major treaties and initiatives such as the Council of Europe, Community and in 1958 he became the first President of the the Marshall Plan and NATO: all initiatives aimed at increased predecessor to the current European Parliament. When he left cooperation within the western alliance and to unite Europe. But office the Parliament bestowed on him the title of ‘Father of what Schuman became most known for is what is now called the Europe’. Because of the significance of his ‘Schuman Declaration’ ‘Schuman Declaration’ in which he proposed to Germany and the on 9 May 1950, this day has been designated as ‘Europe Day’. rest of the European countries to work together towards a merger And, in honour of his pioneering work towards a united Europe, of their economic interests. He was convinced that when these the district housing the headquarters of several European Union were tied together, it would render war ‘not merely unthinkable, institutions in Brussels is named after him. but materially impossible’.
The Schuman Declaration
In a speech delivered on 9 May 1950, inspired and for the most part drafted by Jean Monnet, Schuman proposed to place Franco-German production of coal and steel under one common High Authority. This organisation would be open to participation to other European countries.
This cooperation was to be designed in such a way as to create common interests between European countries which would lead © European Union © European to gradual political integration, a condition for the pacification of Schuman giving his famous speech on 9 May 1950, the day that is now relations between them: “Europe will not be made all at once, celebrated as the EU’s birthday. or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity. The coming together of the nations of Europe requires the elimination of the age-old opposition of France and Germany”.
The Founding Fathers of the EU