Negotiations of the Treaty of the ECSC
Under the initiative of Robert Schuman, French Minister for Foreign Affairs, the first meeting of the negotiations for the establishment of a community of coal and steel was held on 20 June 1950 under the presidency of Jean Monnet. The negotiations which brought together delegations from the six founding members (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) culminated with the signing of the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) on 19 March 1951.