---
title: "European Coal & Steel Community Founded"
year: 1951
country: "France"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1951/ecsc-founded"
slug: "ecsc-founded"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1951-01-01"
---

# European Coal & Steel Community Founded

> Six Western European nations pooled coal and steel resources, laying the institutional groundwork for the eventual European Union and postwar reconciliation.

## Summary

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a European organization created after World War II to integrate Europe's coal and steel industries into a single common market based on the principle of supranationalism which would be governed by the creation of a High Authority made up of appointed representatives from the member states who would not represent their national interest, but would take and make decisions in the general interests of the Community as a whole. It was formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany and was generally seen as the first step in the process of European integration following the end of the Second World War in Europe. The organization is a spiritual predecessor to the contemporary European Union (EU) as its subsequent enlargement of both members and duties ultimately led to the creation of the EU.

## Sources

- [European Coal & Steel Community](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Coal_and_Steel_Community) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1951/ecsc-founded