Treaty of Luxembourg

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The Treaty of Luxembourg (also Saar Treaty ; actually: Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic to regulate the Saar question ) was a treaty under international law , with which the gradual political and economic return of the Saarland annexed to France to Germany was agreed. It was signed in Luxembourg on October 27, 1956 by the foreign ministers of the two states, Heinrich von Brentano and Christian Pineau .

The treaty was negotiated in the wake of the referendum of October 23, 1955, in which the Saarlanders voted with a clear majority against the Saar Statute , which was supposed to make Saarland a European territory.

It enabled the political integration of the Saarland into the Federal Republic of Germany on January 1, 1957. In economic terms, a transitional period was agreed that should expire by the end of 1959 at the latest. Until then, the Saarland and France continued to represent a customs and currency union - with the franc as legal tender.

The contract contained agreements for coal mining in the Warndt area as well as long-term coal deliveries to France. At the same time, the two foreign ministers and Joseph Bech , prime minister and foreign minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , signed another contract in which they agreed the canalization of the Moselle between Koblenz and Thionville as a major shipping route - this was a wish of France, since such an expansion would provide better transport connections to Lorraine and whose mining industry meant.

consequences

On December 14, 1956, the Saarland parliament declared its accession under Article 23 of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany , which came into effect on January 1, 1957 - the Saarland was thus its tenth federal state .

German stamp series Theodor Heuss with French currency

However, the Saarland initially remained a French customs connection area . The French franc remained the sole means of payment and the borders of the politically no longer independent Saarland with Germany remained customs borders monitored by French customs. Legendary for this interim period is still the “15- franc Heuss”, the million-fold postage stamp for a standard letter; from January 1, 1957 Deutsche Bundespost with the portrait of the Federal President at the time, but cost 15 French francs (approx. 10 Pfennig).

The economic transition period ended on July 5, 1959, and still today - according to the terminology of the time - referred to by the Saarlanders as "Day X". At midnight the barriers went up on the borders of the Saarland with the Federal Republic of Germany and those with France went down; the customs and currency union with France was over. From July 6th there was free movement of goods with the Federal Republic of Germany and the D-Mark was the only means of payment. That is why “Day X” is still considered the day of the “real” return of the Saarland to Germany in the Saarland popular opinion.

Individual evidence

  1. Saarland's declaration of accession according to the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany. Saarland Official Journal 1956, p. 1645 (PDF; 233 kB)
  2. ^ The time April 1959: Day X for the Saar is approaching

Web links