When Hallstein put forward his proposals, the council was already troubled. Then-French President, Charles de Gaulle, was sceptical of the rising supranational power of the commission and accused Hallstein of acting as if he were a head of state.
As Hallstein put forward his proposals, the council had grown worried. The then French president, Charles de Gaulle, perceived the growing influence of the commission as supranational and criticized Hallstein for acting like a head of state.