theology and statistics at the Universities of Bonn, Munich, Berlin theology andstatistics attheUniversitiesofBonn, Munich,Berlin Before thewarhestudiedlaw, economics, politicalphilosophy, to , hebecameFrench. the First World War, theregionofAlsace-Lorraine wasreturned himself, however, wasbornaGermancitizen.Whenin1919,after , whilst his mother was Luxembourgish. Schuman became German when the regionhelived in was annexedby June 1886inLuxembourg,hisfatherwasaFrenchman who Robert SchumanhadatrulyEuropeanbackground: bornon29 Early life Robert Schuman1886-1963 the Europeanintegrationproject :thearchitectof from1958to1960. Schuman alsosupportedtheformation ofacommonEuropeandefence policy, andheldthepostofPresident began asapeaceinitiative. The sixstatessignedtheagreementfor theEuropeanCoalandSteelCommunityinParis inApril1951.Inthisway, Europe andagreed.Shortlyafterwards,thegovernments ofItaly, Belgium,LuxembourgandtheNetherlandsalsoreacted. Schuman informed theGermanchancellorAdenauerofplan,whoimmediatelyrecognisedopportunityfor apeaceful be abletofightawar. for thearmamentsindustry. Thebasicideawasthatwhoever didnothave controlover coalandsteelproductionwould not

© Union. Heproposedjointcontrolofcoalandsteelproduction,themostimportantmaterials which hepublishedon9May1950,thedatenow regardedasthebirthofEuropean In cooperationwithJeanMonnethedrewuptheinternationallyrenowned SchumanPlan, foreign minister. years later. Inspiteofthis,heshowed noresentmentwhen,following thewar, hebecame Europe. DeportedtoGermanyin1940,hejoinedtheFrench Resistanceuponfleeingtwo recognised thatonlyalastingreconciliationwithGermanycouldform thebasisfor aunited German borderregion.Despite,ormaybeasaresultofhisexperiencesinNaziGermany, he Schuman wasborninLuxembourgandinfluenced by hisbackground inthe French- 1948 and1952,isregardedasoneofthefounding fathersofEuropeanunity. The statesmanRobertSchuman,aqualifiedlawyer and French foreign ministerbetween EU Pioneers minister inthe French government. Hebecame activeinthe When theSecondWorld War beganSchuman was a junior French Parliament for theMoselle region. politics, startinghiscareerinpublic serviceasamemberofthe on medicalgrounds.Whenthewarendedhebecameactive in World War broke out.Schumanwasexcusedfrommilitaryservice up hisown lawpracticeinMetz1912.TwoyearslatertheFirst distinction from University. After graduation, he set and Strasbourg,receivedalawdegreewiththehighest

EN French resistance during the war and was taken prisoner. Narrowly escaping deportation to the Dachau concentration His speech did not fall on deaf ears, as German Chancellor camp, he fled to the ‘free’ zone of France where he went into Adenauer responded swiftly with a positive reply as did the hiding after the Nazis invaded the zone. In hiding, with a 100 000 governments of the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Luxembourg. Reichsmark reward on his head, he defied the Germans for the Within one year, on 18 April 1951, the six founding members next three years. He declined the invitation of French leader-in- signed the Treaty of Paris. It created the European and exile de Gaulle to go to London, preferring instead to stay with Steel Community - Europe’s first supranational Community. his compatriots in Nazi-occupied France. This ground-breaking organisation paved the way for the European Economic Community and subsequently the After the war he returned to national politics in a series of toplevel European Union, which is still run by the innovative type of posts: firstly as Minister of Finance, as Prime Minister in 1947, European institutions conceived in 1950. Foreign Minister from 1948-1952 and then as Minister of Justice However, his efforts did not stop there. He became a great from 1955-56. He became a key negotiator of major treaties proponent of further integration through a European Defence and initiatives such as the , the Marshall Plan Community and in 1958 he became the first President of the and NATO: all initiatives aimed at increased cooperation within predecessor to the current European Parliament. When he left the western alliance and to unite Europe. But what Schuman office the Parliament bestowed on him the title of ‘Father of became most known for is what is now called the ‘Schuman Europe’. Because of the significance of his ‘’ Declaration’ in which he proposed to Germany and the rest of on 9 1950, this day has been designated as ‘Europe Day’. the European countries to work together towards a merger of And, in honour of his pioneering work towards a united Europe, 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 , inspired and for the most part drafted by , 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”.

EU Pioneers EN