Dupong-Bodson Ministry

[1] The Democratic Group lost a large number of votes in the Centre (19,7% in 1951, down from 25,9% in 1945), even though it managed to improve its result in Nord.

[1] After the signature of the Treaty of Paris on 18 April 1951, creating the European Coal and Steel Community, the question of the location of the new institution arose.

[2] During this impasse, the Luxembourgish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Bech, probably inspired by Konrad Adenauer, undertook a diplomatic manoeuvre that determined the European future of the Grand Duchy.

[2] The other countries accepted this solution, which postponed the decision over the definitive headquarters of the European institutions to an undefined future date.

[2] On 10 August 1952, the High Authority had its first meeting in the city hall in Luxembourg, presided by Jean Monnet.

[3] In the course of the negotiations, the government succeeded in gaining full representation for Luxembourg: one of the nine commissioners in the EDC would be Luxembourgish.

[4] Health insurance, which was already obligatory for manual workers, was extended to civil servants and employees (law of 29 August 1951).