The treaty was signed by France, Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg, Italy and West Germany on 25 March 1957, and came into effect on 1 January 1958. The following is a summary of some of the relevant provisions of the Treaty. Since the Treaty is very long and complex it is inevitable that a short summary will appear to be incomplete and, in many respects, drastic and uncompromising. We think, however, that what is more important than a complete knowledge of the Treaty is the spirit which has prevailed throughout the negotiations and carrying out of the Treaty so far. It is essential to feel and understand this spirit of goodwill, fellowship and determination to succeed in order to tackle successfully the problems before us.