Spaak

One of the founders of European integration, who oversaw the drafting of the Treaty of Rome.

Life

Socialist

Spaak came from a Brussels political dynasty and was a Socialist politician; he became Prime Minister of Belgium in 1938 and, during World War II, worked in London with the government-in-exile.

President of the UN General Assembly

After the war he was the first President of the UN General Assembly. After the Messina Conference of 1955, he oversaw the drafting of a report that laid the groundwork for the European Economic Community and Euratom, and the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957. From 1957 to 1961 he was Secretary General of NATO.

Treaty of Rome

He served as Belgian foreign minister several times and died in 1972.

Legacy

Spaak, together with Monnet, Schuman, Adenauer and others, is counted among the "Fathers of Europe," and a building of the European Parliament in Brussels is named after him.

Major works & achievements

• Spaak Report

Did you know? He once said: "There are only two kinds of countries in Europe: small countries, and countries that have not yet realized they are small."

Key dates

• 1938Became chief minister
• 1946First President of the UN General Assembly
• 1956Issued the Spaak Report
• 1957Treaty of Rome signed; becomes Secretary General of NATO
• 1972Died