The Schuman declaration of 9 May 1950 : memory and legacy of a founding speech

Abstract

On 9 May 1950, Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister, offered to pool the coal and steel resources of France with those of its European neighbours. The proposal was directed principally at Western Germany. In his memoirs, Jean Monnet commented that, at the time of the Schuman Declaration, few journalists had recognised the true “significance of the declaration, the technical aspects of which tended to obscure its political importance”. Nevertheless, it is considered, through the symbolism and depth of its meaning, as the birth certificate of the European Union. This text has been thoroughly investigated by historians, but, concerning its alleged author, it raises several questions, tackled in this paper: does the argument set out in this statement, drafted by Jean Monnet and the team of the French “Commissariat au plan de Modernisation et d’Équipement” really correspond to Schuman’s deep convictions? What was Robert Schuman's conception of Europe? To what extent have his ideas evolved over his long political career? His thoughts are in fact less well known than Jean Monnet's views, even though they have their own originality. Finally, is it still possible today to reread Robert Schuman, and take a lesson from him?