Europe Declaration

The Europe Declaration, also known as the Charter of the Community, was a joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministers of West Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg in 1951.

The Declaration was issued at the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which created the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) based on the Schuman Plan, on 18 April 1951.

It included the statement: "By the signature of this Treaty, the involved parties give proof of their determination to create the first supranational institution and that thus they are laying the true foundation of an organised Europe.

It was made to recall future generations to their historic duty of uniting Europe based on liberty and democracy under the rule of law.

Thus, they viewed the creation of a wider and deeper Europe as intimately bound to the healthy development of the supranational or Community system.