The Robert Schuman declaration of 9 may 1950
The two World Wars took Europe to the brink of the precipice. Europeans understood then that it was the union alone that could bring them out of that disaster. Jean Monnet, planning commissioner in France, had the idea of bringing together recent enemies, France and Germany, into a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) open to other European countries. Placing coal and steel under the control of a High Authority with cross-national privileges, he wanted to make it impossible for war to be waged between them ever again. Robert Schuman, a man of the frontier, born and brought up in Luxembourg, understood the implications of the plan better than most and took over its political patronage. On 9 May 1950, at the "salon de l’horloge" on the Quai d’Orsay he launched a solemn appeal for union. Six countries would respond: France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy and the three Benelux countries. Negotiations for the "Schuman plan" concluded in the Treaty of Paris (18 April 1951) which created the first European Community. The current European Union therefore dates back to the appeal made on 9 May 1950. The ECSC began its work on 10 August 1952 in the town of Luxembourg which was selected as the first headquarters of the European institutions. And that was how Luxembourg’s mission in Europe began.
The stamp shows Jean Monnet, thoughtful, and Robert Schuman during his famous statement, in an artisitic interpretation of the luxemburgish painter Guy Hary.
| Design: | Guy Hary; Rolling (L) |
|---|---|
| Printing process: | Photogravure by l’Imprimerie du Timbre, La Poste belge, Malines; 3 colours; |
| Value: | 21 LUF |
| Format: | 27,66 x 38,40 mm; 20 stamps per sheet. |
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Competition
PostEurop 2013
