Schuman, Robert Jean-Baptiste Nicolas (1886–1963)
French Christian-Democrat politician, prime minister 1947–48 and foreign minister 1948–55. He was a member of the post-war Mouvement Républicain Populaire (MRP). His Schuman Declaration of May 1950, drafted by Jean Monnet, outlines a scheme for pooling coal and iron-ore resources. The resultant European Coal and Steel Community, established by France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Luxembourg under the 1951 Paris Treaty, was the forerunner of the European Community (now the European Union).
