Charles de Gaulle, who was then out of power, had been an early supporter of "linkages" between economies, on French terms, and had spoken in 1945 of a "European confederation" that would exploit the resources of the Ruhr.
Charles de Gaulle, som var uden magt, var en tidlig støtte for ”bånd” mellem økonomier – på franske betingelser – og havde talt for en "Europæisk konføderation", som kunne udnytte ressourcerne i Ruhr-distriktet i 1945.