A requiem for the European coal and steel community (1952-2002)

• Published in: De Economist (Netherlands) Vol. 150; no. 5; pp. 601 - 612
• Main Authors: Groenendijk, Nico, Gert-Jan Hospers
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Nature B.V 01.12.2002
• Subjects: Coal; Common markets; Economic policy; Economic theory; Economics; ECSC; European Union; Experiments; Industrial economics; Industrial policy; International trade; Policy analysis; Political history; Productivity; R&D; Research & development; Steel; Steel industry; Steel production; Steel products; Studies; Supranationalism; Tariffs; Treaties; World War I; World War II; Europe
• ISSN: 0013-063X; 1572-9982

In July 2002 the Treaty on the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) expired. The ECSC is now being dissolved, its assets are transferred into special research funds, and European coal and steel policy is integrated into mainstream EU industrial policy. The ECSC's main task was to integrate the post-war European coal and steel industry, but the ECSC can also be looked upon as an experiment in supranational government and economic policy coordination. The paper first discusses these different aspects of the ECSC. Attention is then paid to the economic policy and budgetary heritage the community leaves behind. In light of the coming EU enlargement particularly the ECSC's experiences in fostering innovation and regional restructuring might provide useful lessons. In spite of its expiration, the basic ideas of the ECSC have lost nothing of their relevance yet.