Monnet, Jean (1888 - 1979)
- Jean Monnet (Photo: European Commission)
French civil servant from the League of Nations and cognac producer who also became the architect of the EU. He was the main draftsman of the Schuman Plan, which led to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and ultimately to the current European Union. Monnet became the first President of the ECSC.
The “Monnet method” starts integration on technical areas, this creates need for a political cooperation, because of a "spill-over-effect". The “Community method" are also used to mean supra-national decision-making on the basis of laws proposed by the EU Commission instead of intergovernmentalism, with each state retaining its sovereignty.
Biography
- In 1955 he established the “Action Committee for the United States of Europe” calling for further supra-national integration.
- His ultimate aim was always the same: a European federal co-operation, as described in his “Mémoires” of 1976.
- Monnet hoped to unite Europe’s peoples, not only its states.
Notes
The European Parliament has bought Monnet’s house and turned it into a museum.
