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The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was founded by the Treaty Of Paris (1951) . Its members were France , West Germany , Italy , Belgium , Luxembourg and the Netherlands who pooled their Steel and Coal resources and create a common market for those products. It was the fulfillment of a plan developed by French economist Jean Monnet , publicised by the French foreign minister Robert Schuman . It was also strongly supported by the United States . HISTORY The Treaty of Paris entered into force on by Council Decision 2003/76/EC.) Steel had played an important part in arms production in World War II and was a fundamental resource of the western European states. The aim was therefore a common program of post-war production and consumption of steel and coal. The project was also intended to show some cooperation and reconciliation between France and Germany in the aftermath of the war. There was a desire to unite the countries by controlling steel and coal which were fundamental to war industries. The ECSC introduced a common free steel and coal market, with freely set market prices, and without import/export duties or subsidies. However, a transition period allowed the different economies to reach this situation over about one year. A High Authority of the ECSC, consisting of nine members, sat in Luxembourg until 1967. It was originally presided over by French prominent euro-federalist Jean Monnet, who hoped European institutions such as the ECSC would eventually constitute supra-national organisations, above the sovereignty of individual European states. The High Authority in 1967 joined with the commissions of the EEC and Euratom to constitute a single multi-purpose commission. The ECSC also included a council of ministers, an assembly, and a court of arbitration. The ECSC served as the foundation for the later development of the European Economic Community (later renamed the European Community by the Maastricht Treaty ), and then the European Union . Not all ECSC activity ceased after July 2002. The Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) continued in existence, since its funds had been sourced from industry and could not be redistributed to member States. The RFCS is supported by invested capital of €1.6 Billion, which was originally levied from the European coal and steel industries to support training, research and restructuring. The investment provides recurrent funds of about €55-60 Million per year. The RFCS funds and allocations are administered by Unit 5 of Direction G (Technologies Industrielles) of DG Research, a Directorate-General within the European Commission. The deployment of the RFCS is overseen by the Coal & Steel Committee (COSCO), the members of which are national representatives. By Council decision, the recurrent funds are partitioned at 27.2% to coal research and 72.8% to steel research. Political Background After ) were abandoned in 1951 with the West German agreement to pool its coal and steel resources in return for full political control over the Ruhr. With French economic security guaranteed through access to Ruhr coal now permanently ensured France was satisfied. The French attempt to gain economic control over the Saar was temporarily even more successful. In the bon speech Restatement Of Policy On Germany , held in Stuttgart on September 6, 1946, the United States Secretary Of State James F. Byrnes stated the U.S. motive in detaching the Saar from Germany as "The United States does not feel that it can deny to France, which has been invaded three times by Germany in 70 years, its claim to the Saar territory" (see also Morgenthau Plan for U.S. and UK designs for the Ruhr and Saar area). The Saarland came under French administration in 1947 as the Saar Protectorate , but did following a referendum return to Germany in January 1957, with economic reintegration with Germany occurring a few years later. In the years 1945 - 1951 a policy of industrial disarmament, set in motion at the Potsdam conference, was pursued in West Germany by the Allies (see to the French Foreign minister Robert Schuman , urging a reconsideration of the dismantling policy). In view of increased concerns by General , a treaty they themselves had proposed in 1950 as a means to contain German revival. The U.S. who wanted to rearm West Germany was furious at the failure of the treaty, but France had come to see the alliance as not in their best interests. France had instead focused on another treaty also under development. In may 1950 France had proposed the Coal and Steel union, with the purpose of ensuring French economic security by perpetuating access to German Ruhr coal, but also to show to the U.S. and the UK that France could come up with constructive solutions, as well as to pacify Germany by making it part of an international project. Germany was eventually allowed to rearm, but under the auspices of the Western European Union , and later NATO . PRESIDENTS OF THE HIGH AUTHORITY The nine-member executive was led by 5 Presidents. Shortly before the Merger Treaty in 1967, there was a further interim president.
TIMELINE ''Evolution of the Structures of European Union'' SEE ALSO
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