The Treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC), also known as the Treaty of Paris, is a treaty of European integration, which upon entry into force would create a European defence force, with shared budget and joint procurement. This force would operate as an autonomous European pillar within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The treaty was signed on 27 May 1952 by Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and West Germany. Article 129 of the treaty allows for additional countries to join the community.
By 1954, four out of the six signatories had ratified the treaty. Ratification by France and Italy was not completed, after the French National Assembly voted for indefinite postponement of the process in 1954. The treaty was never formally annulled and ratification remains technically open for completion. Recent geopolitical developments—including the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the re-election of US President Donald Trump in 2024—have renewed interest in the treaty. On 3 April 2025, a bill to ratify the EDC was introduced in both chambers of the Italian Parliament.
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| style="background:#76FF7A" | Chamber of Representatives
| style="background:#76FF7A" | 26 November 1953
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 148
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 49
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| style="background:#76FF7A" | Federal Diet
| style="background:#76FF7A" | 19 March 1953
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 224
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 165
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| style="background:#76FF7A" | Federal Council
| style="background:#76FF7A" | 15 May 1953
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| style="background:#76FF7A" | Chamber of Deputies
| style="background:#76FF7A" | 7 April 1954
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 47
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 3
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 1
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| style="background:#76FF7A" | House of Representatives
| style="background:#76FF7A" | 23 July 1953
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center"| 75
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" |11
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| style="background:#76FF7A" | Senate
| style="background:#76FF7A" | 20 January 1954
|style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center"| 36
|style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 4
| style="background:#76FF7A; text-align:center" | 10
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Potential resumption
Recent geopolitical developments—including the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the re-election of US President Donald Trump in 2024—have renewed interest in the treaty. A 2024 article by Professor Federico Fabbrini at Dublin City University, There were Gaullist fears that the EDC threatened France's national sovereignty, constitutional concerns about the indivisibility of the French Republic, and fears about West Germany's remilitarisation. French Communists opposed a plan tying France to the capitalist United States and setting it in opposition to the Communist bloc. Other legislators worried about the absence of the United Kingdom.
The Prime Minister, Pierre Mendès-France, tried to placate the treaty's detractors by attempting to ratify additional protocols with the other signatory states. These included the sole integration of covering forces, or in other words, those deployed within West Germany, as well as the implementation of greater national autonomy in regard to budgetary and other administrative questions. Despite the central role for France, the EDC plan collapsed when it failed to obtain ratification in the French Parliament.
Status in Italy
The original ratification process in Italy was halted after the French National Assembly voted for indefinite postponement.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the re-election of US President Trump in 2024, the treaty has regained interest.
History
Background
During the late 1940s, the divisions created by the Cold War were becoming evident. The United States looked with suspicion at the growing power of the USSR and European states felt vulnerable, fearing a possible Soviet occupation. In this climate of mistrust and suspicion, the United States considered the rearmament of West Germany as a possible solution to enhance the security of Europe and of the whole Western bloc.
In August 1950, Winston Churchill proposed the creation of a common European army, including German soldiers, in front of the Council of Europe:
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe subsequently adopted the resolution put forward by the United Kingdom and officially endorsed the idea: