Table showing the composition of the delegations of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) invited to attend the Messina Conference from 1 to 3 June 1955.

From 1 to 3 June 1955, enjoying a moment of relaxation during the Messina Conference on European Integration organised by the Six, Joseph Bech (left), Luxembourg Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, films the scene as his Belgian and Dutch counterparts, Paul-Henri Spaak (centre) and Jan Willem Beyen (right), look on in amusement.

On 1, 2 and 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Messina to discuss the terms for a revival of the European integration process. From left to right: Johan Willem Beyen (Netherlands), Gaetano Martino (Italy), Joseph Bech (Luxembourg), Antoine Pinay (France), Walter Hallstein (FRG) and Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium).

On 1, 2 and 3 June 1955, the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) meet in Messina to examine the conditions for a European revival. At the end of the meeting, the Six appoint René Mayer, former President of the French Council of Ministers, as President of the ECSC High Authority, and task a committee of government delegates and experts, chaired by an eminent political figure, to prepare the treaties on a European common market and a European atomic organisation.

After the failure of the European Defence Community (EDC) on 30 August 1954, the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) revive European integration by adopting a resolution at the end of the Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the Six, held in Messina from 1 to 3 June 1955, supporting continued efforts to establish a united Europe by the development of common institutions, the gradual merger of national economies, the establishment of a common market and the gradual harmonisation of national social policies.

On 3 June 1955, in an article for the French daily newspaper Le Figaro, the philosopher, Raymond Aron, comments on the Messina Conference and speculates on the possibility of a revival of the European integration process.

On 9 June 1955, less than a week after the conclusion of the Messina Conference attended by the Six, Jean Monnet resigns in Luxembourg as President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).