eunion1-2, Exercise 1: The Schuman Declaration

Model answer:

The plan was devised by Jean Monnet and announced by the French foreign minister, Robert Schuman, on 9 May 1950 (now Europe Day). It proposed placing the whole of French and German coal and steel production under a common authority, open to other European countries. Coal and steel were the raw materials of armies, so pooling them would make war between France and Germany not merely unthinkable but materially impossible.

What was new: the common authority would have real powers over its members, instead of being a conference of governments. It was an early example of the supranational approach.