Teräsyhteisön

Teräsyhteisö, often referred to in Finnish as hiili- ja teräsyhteisö, was the first supranational European integration project focused on the coal and steel industries. It emerged from the Treaty of Paris (1951) and brought together six founding states: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The central aim was to prevent renewed conflict by tying the production and trade of strategic industrial inputs into a single market with common rules and institutions.

The organization regulated coal and steel production, distribution, and investment, with the goal of ensuring fair competition, price stability, and coordinated modernization. Its governance combined supranational and intergovernmental elements, featuring bodies such as the High Authority (the executive), a Common Assembly, the Council of Ministers, and a Court of Justice. The High Authority had the power to issue binding decisions affecting member economies, a novel feature for its time.

Significance and legacy: the teräsyhteisö is widely regarded as a pioneering step in European integration, laying the groundwork for the European Economic Community established by the Treaties of Rome in 1957 and, ultimately, the European Union. The ECSC’s treaty remained in force until 2002, when its responsibilities were transferred to the European Community and its institutions were absorbed into the evolving EU framework.

In Finnish discourse, the term teräsyhteisön is used to denote this historical concept, with common references to hiili- ja teräsyhteisö as the full name. The era is seen as a turning point in economic cooperation and political integration in postwar Europe.