Full name:

Paul-Henri Charles Spaak

Date and place of birth:

25 January 1899, Schaerbeek, Belgium

Date and place of death:

31 July 1972 (aged 73), Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium

Education:

• Lying about his age to join the Belgian Army during the First World War, Spaak spent two years in a German prisoner-of-war camp before being released and entering the Université Libre de Bruxelles to study law.
• After receiving his degree, Spaak entered a law practice in Brussels.

Career:

• 1920: Spaak became a member of the Socialist Belgian Labour Party.
• 1932: He was elected deputy.
• 1935: He became Minister of Transport.
• 1938: He moved from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become Belgium's Prime Minister, a position he held until 1939.
• During the Second World War, Spaak spent time in exile along with the Belgian government, first in Paris and later in London.
• 1944: Spaak returned to Brussels after the liberation of Belgium. In the years following his return, he served in post-war governments both as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister. Even during the Second World War, Spaak was working on a completely new and ambitious project. In 1944, the Benelux was established as the customs union between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It was officially implemented in 1948.
• 1945: Spaak gained international recognition by being elected as Chairman of the first session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
• 1956: He was chosen by the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to be its Secretary General, a position he held until 1961.
• 1966: Spaak officially retired from politics.

Contribution to Europe:

• Promotion of European Union and Integration: After the war, Spaak directly campaigned for the unification of Europe, supporting the European Coal and Steel Community and a European defence community. His vision of European cooperation made him one of the greatest contributors to the project of European integration.
• The Founding of the Benelux Union (1944): Within the borders of the three countries, the free movement of money, people, and services would be ensured. Although Spaak's project was a simple idea, it became a powerful inspiration for further European integration.
• The Treaties of Rome
  • Spaak was a leading figure in formulating the content of the Treaties of Rome.
  • At the Messina Conference in 1955, Spaak was chosen as chairman of a committee in charge of the preparation of a report on creating this common European market. The three Benelux states proposed relaunching European integration through a common market and cooperation in the sectors of transport and atomic energy.
  • This Spaak Report served as the foundation for the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom in 1956 and led to the Treaties of Rome, signed on March 25, 1957. The first treaty established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the second, the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM).

Vision for Europe:

• For Paul-Henri Spaak, uniting countries through binding treaty obligations was the most effective way to ensure lasting peace and stability. Spaak always sought to preserve the value of European integration and the independence of the European Commission throughout his political life. He was able to help achieve these objectives as president of the first full meeting of the United Nations and as Secretary General of NATO.

Useful links:

• The official site of EU
• His life - PDF document
• Wikipedia
• The official site of NATO
• Britannica

Image References:

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