一九五○年代初，法國促成西歐六國煤鋼產業聯營，歐洲統合有了成功的開端，然而幾年後卻又經歷了軍事及政治統合計畫的嚴重挫折；接著在六國政治領導人物鍥而不捨的努力下簽署羅馬條約，建立了經濟和原子能共同體。本文重新審視歐洲共同體創始階段的發展，並從歷史制度主義的角度和觀點，對此一統合過程進行再解釋。本文首先說明歷史制度主義途徑及其分析指標，然後敘述五○年代煤鋼共同體到籌建共同市場的歷史發展，特別著重從會員國──尤其是法國和德國──對參與歐洲統合計畫所預期的獲益、國內決策環境、以及政治制度的理念來進行梳理，俾瞭解各國政府進行合作的出發點與制度選擇之間的關連。

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was first proposed by France at the beginning of the 1950s as a way to integrate the coal and steel industries of six countries in Western Europe. After the end of World War II, European integration hence had a good start. However, a few years later, it encountered severe setbacks in the planning of a European army and the political community. Learning from past experiences, political leaders of the six Member States made continual efforts, and the Treaties of Rome on which the European Economic Community (EEC) and Euratom were established, were signed accordingly. In this essay the author intends to provide an overview of this founding period in the history of the European Community. From the perspective of historical institutionalism, the essay tries to reinterpret this integration process. Initially, this article will elaborate the historical-institutionalist approach and its analytical dimensions. It then reviews the integration developments from the ECSC to the Common Market. Focusing inquiry on the linkages between co-operation and institutional structure, the author explores Member States’ --in particular France and Germany ─ expected benefits, domestic constraints, and approaches to institutional building.