Full name:

Johan Willem (Wim) Beyen

Date and place of birth:

2 May 1897, Utrecht, Netherlands

Date and place of death:

29 April 1976 (aged 78), The Hague, Netherlands

Education:

• Graduated in law from the University of Utrecht in 1918.
• Also, in 1918, he was awarded a doctorate in law.

Career:

• 1918: He finished his studies in law.
• From 1924 to 1935: He worked at the League of Nations, contributing to international economic policies.
• From 1940 to 1945: During World War II, worked in exile in London while the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany.
• 1944: Played a key role at the Bretton Woods Conference, helping to lay the foundations for the post-war international financial structure.
• 1946: Represented the Netherlands on the board of the World Bank.
• From 1952 to 1956: As Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Beyen promoted regional economic cooperation in Europe.
• 1955: He proposed his idea of a customs union, which was a key step towards creating a common market.
• 1957: Six countries signed the Treaties of Rome in March, creating the European Economic Community (EEC) and Euratom. Beyen's ideas significantly influenced these treaties, promoting economic integration and laying the groundwork for the European Union.

Contribution to Europe:

• Promoting Regional Cooperation in Europe: From 1952 to 1956, he promoted regional economic cooperation in Europe as the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs.
• Architect of The European Economic Community: Wim Beyen played a very important role in the creation of the European Economic Community.
• The Beyen Memorandum: On April 4 1955, he sent a memorandum to his Benelux colleagues, Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium) and Joseph Bech (Luxembourg), proposing his idea of a customs union.
• Drafting the Benelux Proposal: On April 23 1955, in a meeting of the three Foreign Ministers of the Benelux in The Hague, they drafted a memorandum to present to their colleagues of the ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community).
• Finalizing The Vision: On May 18 1955, they finalized the memorandum.
• Presenting The Plan: The memorandum was presented to the governments of France, Germany and Italy.
• The Messina Conference: From 1 to 3 June 1955, the Messina Conference was held. He outlined his vision for a common market, advocating for full economic cooperation beyond coal and steel.

Vision for Europe:

• Johan Willem Beyen's vision for Europe centered on the necessity of deeper integration.
• He is recognized as a significant architect of European economic integration. His vision and proposals were instrumental in the establishment of the European Economic Community, a precursor to the modern European Union.
• Beyen's work laid the foundation for a unified European market, promoting economic cooperation and stability in post-war Europe.
• His contributions to European integration and economic collaboration continue to be acknowledged as foundational to the European Union's development.

Useful links:

• The official site of EU
• His life - PDF Document
• Wikipedia
• Wikidata

Image References:

• Profile picture
• First image
• Second image
• Third image