Robert Schuman, then French Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered a historic speech that now bears his name: the Schuman Declaration. In this speech, he proposed that France and Germany pool their steel and coal production, a decisive step for these countries on the path to peace and solidarity. This led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the first step towards European integration, which would later give rise to the European Union. 
 
Video from the European Commission.

The EU as we know it today began with the European Coal and Steel Community conceived by Frenchmen Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet at the end of the Second World War. European peace was secured by trade ties after years of conflict.

European Parliament video.

An assembly of topical documents - this film is a retrospective of the events which marked the creation (1951) and the first years of the Community of Steel and Coal (ECSC). It also describes how the ECSC was run: the High Authority and the Court of Justice. It also includes an excerpt from the speech given by Robert Schuman on 9th May 1950 when he suggested the creation of the ECSC, the signature of the treaty in Paris on 18th April 1951, the speeches delivered by Jean Monnet on 10th August 1952 during the inauguration of the High Authority of the ECSC, and on 30th April 1953 on the eve of the opening of the Economic Community of Steel and Coal (ECSC). (USIS)