formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed by Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Luxembourg; set up to regulate their industrial production under a centralised authority (but really to prevent war between France and Germany); eventually became the EU (sorta)
In 1950 the European Union was officially born in the form of a German-dominated coal and steel cartel, run of course by a cross-border French dominated administration located in Brussels. Its name? The European Coal and Steel Community.