High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community
Encyclopedia
European Coal and Steel Community
The European Coal and Steel Community was a six-nation international organisation serving to unify Western Europe during the Cold War and create the foundation for the modern-day developments of the European Union...
(ECSC). It was created in 1951 and disbanded in 1967 when it was merged into the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
.
History
The High Authority was at the core of the idea of the ECSC. It was to be an independent, supranational executive checked by a Court of JusticeEuropean Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
. There were concerns about this power, leading to a Council (of governments) and Parliament (of MPs) to be created to act as a counterweight. The inaugural sitting of the Authority was held in Luxembourg's city hall on 10 August 1952. Jean Monnet
Jean Monnet
Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet was a French political economist and diplomat. He is regarded by many as a chief architect of European Unity and is regarded as one of its founding fathers...
, the architect of the ECSC, was elected as its first President.
The supranational power exercised by the Authority did prompt suspicion by some, for example the government of France
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
who ensured that in the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
(EEC) and European Atomic Energy Community
European Atomic Energy Community
The European Atomic Energy Community is an international organisation which is legally distinct from the European Union , but has the same membership, and is governed by the EU's institutions....
(Euratom) more power would be in the hands of the Council.
In 1967 the Merger Treaty
Merger Treaty
The Merger Treaty was a European treaty which combined the executive bodies of the European Coal and Steel Community , European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community into a single institutional structure.The treaty was signed in Brussels on 8 April 1965 and came into force...
came into force, which combined the independent institutions of the ECSC and Euratom with those of the EEC. From then on, the High Authority ceased to exist and its duties were taken on by the Commission of the European Communities
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
. The administration of Rinaldo Del Bo
Rinaldo Del Bo
Rinaldo Del Bo was an Italian politician who served in the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community, serving as President of the body between 9 October 1963 and 1967 as the Del Bo Authority....
ended before the merger so an interim President was appointed to oversee the merger, Albert Coppé
Albert Coppé
Albert Coppé was a Belgian and European politician and economist. He was a founding member of the CDV party and served in the European Commission as Commissioner for Social Affairs, Transport & Budget under the Malfatti & Mansholt Commissions...
. The Authority met for the last time on the 28 June 1967.
Powers
The Authority's principle innovation was its supranational character. It had a broad area of competence to ensure the objectives of the treaty were met and that the common market functioned smoothly. The High Authority could issue three types of legal instruments: Decisions, which were entirely binding laws; Recommendations, which had binding aims but the methods were left to member states; and Opinions, which had no legal force.Composition
The body consisted of nine members, nearly all appointed from the member states. The larger states, France, Germany and ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, appointed two members each with the three smaller states, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
appointing one member each. The ninth member was the President, who was appointed by the eight other members.
Despite being appointed by national governments, the members were not supposed to represent their national interest
National interest
The national interest, often referred to by the French expression raison d'État , is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural. The concept is an important one in international relations where pursuit of the national interest is the foundation of the realist...
, but rather took an oath to defend the general interests of the Community as a whole. Their independence was aided by members being barred from having any occupation outside the Authority or having any business interests.
President
The President was elected by the other appointed members, rather than directly by member states (as is the case of the current Commission PresidentPresident of the European Commission
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
). The first president was Jean Monnet
Jean Monnet
Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet was a French political economist and diplomat. He is regarded by many as a chief architect of European Unity and is regarded as one of its founding fathers...
.
| President | State | Took office | Left office | Authority |
| Jean Monnet Jean Monnet Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet was a French political economist and diplomat. He is regarded by many as a chief architect of European Unity and is regarded as one of its founding fathers... |
France | 10 August 1952 | 3 June 1955 | Monnet Authority Monnet Authority The Monnet Authority was the first High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community , between 1952 and 1955. Its president was Jean Monnet of France.... |
| René Mayer René Mayer René Mayer was a French Radical politician of the Fourth Republic who served briefly as Prime Minister during 1953. He led the Mayer Authority from 1955 to 1958.-Mayer's Ministry, 8 January – 28 June 1953:*René Mayer – President of the Council... |
France | 3 June 1955 | 13 January 1958 | Mayer Authority Mayer Authority The Mayer Authority was the second High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community , between 1955 and 1958. Its president was René Mayer of France.... |
| Paul Finet Paul Finet Paul Finit was a Belgian politician who served in the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community and led the Finet Authority from 1958 to 1959.... |
Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
13 January 1958 | 15 September 1959 | Finet Authority Finet Authority The Finet Authority was the third High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community , between 1958 and 1959. Its president was Paul Finet of Belgium.... |
| Piero Malvestiti Piero Malvestiti Piero Malvestiti was an Italian politician who was a minister in successive governments in the 1940s and 1950s, a European Commissioner and President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community.... |
Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
15 September 1959 | 22 October 1963 | Malvestiti Authority Malvestiti Authority The Malvestiti Authority was the fourth High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community , between 1959 and 1963. Its president was Piero Malvestiti of Italy.... |
| Rinaldo Del Bo Rinaldo Del Bo Rinaldo Del Bo was an Italian politician who served in the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community, serving as President of the body between 9 October 1963 and 1967 as the Del Bo Authority.... |
Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
22 October 1963 | 6 July 1967 | Del Bo Authority Del Bo Authority The Del Bo Authority was the last High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community , between 1963 and 1967. Its president was Rinaldo Del Bo of Italy... |
| Albert Coppé Albert Coppé Albert Coppé was a Belgian and European politician and economist. He was a founding member of the CDV party and served in the European Commission as Commissioner for Social Affairs, Transport & Budget under the Malfatti & Mansholt Commissions... |
Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
interim | Coppé Authority Coppé Authority The Coppé Authority was an interim High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community , between 1 March and 5 July of 1967. Its president was Albert Coppé of Belgium... |
|
Location
The headquarters of the High Authority were in Luxembourg city, the seat of most ECSC institutions. This was only intended as the provisional seat as no formal agreement was reached at the ECSC's conference in 1952.Luxembourg had proposed it be the provisional seat (except for the Common Assembly which was to be in Strasbourg) until an agreement was reached. Future executives, the Commissions of the EEC and Euratom, would eventually be based in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
See also
- European CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
- European Coal and Steel CommunityEuropean Coal and Steel CommunityThe European Coal and Steel Community was a six-nation international organisation serving to unify Western Europe during the Cold War and create the foundation for the modern-day developments of the European Union...
- Institutions of the European UnionInstitutions of the European UnionThe European Union is governed by seven institutions. Article 13 of Treaty on European Union lists them in the following order: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European...
- Location of European Union institutionsLocation of European Union institutionsThe governing institutions of the European Union are not concentrated in a single capital city; they are instead spread across three cities with other EU agencies and bodies based further away...
- History of the European Communities (1945-1957)History of the European Communities (1945-1957)The period saw the first moves towards European unity as the first bodies began to be established in the aftermath of the Second World War. In 1951 the first community, the European Coal and Steel Community was established and moves on new communities quickly began...
- History of the European Communities (1958-1972)History of the European Communities (1958-1972)The history of the European Communities between 1958 and 1972 saw the early development of the European Communities. The European Coal and Steel Community had just been joined by the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community , the latter of which soon became the most...
- Law of the European Union
External links
- Members of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), European NAvigatorEuropean NAvigatorEuropean NAvigator was the former name of the digital library on the history of European integration and related institutions. The research project is now online at www.cvce.eu, a website dedicated to European integration studies....
- Organisation chart of the ECSC High Authority (June 1967), European NAvigatorEuropean NAvigatorEuropean NAvigator was the former name of the digital library on the history of European integration and related institutions. The research project is now online at www.cvce.eu, a website dedicated to European integration studies....
- Administrative organisation of the High Authority, European NAvigatorEuropean NAvigatorEuropean NAvigator was the former name of the digital library on the history of European integration and related institutions. The research project is now online at www.cvce.eu, a website dedicated to European integration studies....