ECSC

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was an international organization established by the Treaty of Paris in 1951. It created a common market for coal and steel among six founding members and aimed to secure lasting peace in Europe by removing barriers to these critical industries and aligning production and trade policies.

Founding members were Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The ECSC was conceived as a first step toward broader integration, using economic interdependence in strategic sectors to foster political cooperation and reduce the risk of renewed conflict in Europe.

The core objectives of the ECSC were to integrate coal and steel industries to raise productivity, stabilize prices, and ensure a steady supply of materials essential to reconstruction and growth. It established a framework for common market access, coordinated production, and controlled competition through joint institutions and supranational decision making, reducing national override over key industrial sectors.

Institutions of the ECSC included the High Authority (the executive body, later the forerunner of the European Commission), the Common Assembly (which evolved into the European Parliament), the Council of Ministers, and the Court of Justice. These bodies shared powers across member states and were designed to operate beyond purely national interests, a pioneering model for later European governance.

The ECSC treaty provided for a 50-year term, expiring in 2002. Following its expiry, its powers and harmonized frameworks were progressively absorbed by the European Community and its successor institutions established by the Treaties of Rome and subsequent reforms. The ECSC is regarded as the first supranational European institution and a foundational step in the development of the European Union.