Among the stars who left their mark on European integration, let me introduce you to Paul Henri Spaak!

Eureka: Spaak 'Mr Europe'

He was called 'Mr Europe', but above all  Paul Henri Spaak was Belgian.

His aim was to make a place for Belgium  among the great world powers.

That is how he contributed  to the founding of the EU.

He's one of the famous founding fathers,  with Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet,

the Italian Alcide De Gasperi,  and the German Konrad Adenauer.

In 1941, World War II was at its height.

The war made the Belgian Foreign  Minister Paul Henri Spaak

Nazi Germany invaded Belgium,  the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

During the occupation, their governments  took refuge in London

where Spaak built links  between the three states.

was to create monetary,  economic and customs cooperation.

His aim was to take Belgium out of crisis  and elevate it to one of the great powers.

Benelux was born in 1944,  before the end of the war.

Benelux: a contraction of Belgium,  Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Spaak's mini-union would be a test  for the future European Union.

In 1948, the first European Movement  was formed.

From 1945, peace movements multiplied  and the idea of a united Europe grew.

In 1948, the European Movement  was founded.

It included men and women who dreamt  of uniting all Europeans for good.

The future founding fathers  of the EU were among them.

Paul Henri Spaak was an early president.

I all the more willingly  accept this passport

since, as you have heard,  it is quite illegal.

The first result will be  to get myself put in prison

in the six countries of the community  whenever I want to use it.

Spaak and the European Movement's  supporters would wait over 40 years

to circulate freely and 10 years  for the European Economic Community,

But coal and steel  would be able to cross borders.

In 1951, the ECSC, the European Coal  and Steel Community, was created.

The ECSC was formed by France,  Germany, Italy and Benelux.

The six countries shared their production  and trade in coal and steel.

To be a member of the ECSC,  the six had to agree

to give up part of their independence  to an organisation placed above them.

In this community  they learnt to work together.

Paul Henri Spaak  led the work of the ECSC.

Spaak defended the idea of  an even stronger political Europe

and fought to create  a European Defence Community.

It was the EDC! A failure.  We've already talked about it in Eureka.

France rejected the plan in 1954.  In spite of Spaak's efforts at persuasion,

it refused to form  a common army with Germany.

It was a blow to defenders  of a political Europe.

But Spaak reacted  with the other founding fathers.

In 1955, the Europeans  wanted to strengthen

In 1955, the six Member States  of the ECSC

A committee was set up to study the  possibility of a European common market.

Heading the committee  was Paul Henri Spaak.

He convinced the six  to sign an economic agreement

and on 25 March 1957 France,  the Federal Republic of Germany,

Italy, the Netherlands,  Belgium and Luxembourg

This agreement gave rise to the EEC,  the European Economic Community.

The Six planned to lift customs barriers  and to favour their trade and economy.

The aim was to build a Europe  capable of having influence in the world.

That's how Spaak, the Belgian  Prime Minister, became Mr Europe.

Without him,  the European Union might not exist.

He would become, in turn,  President of the Council of Europe,

President of the United Nations  General Assembly,

President of the Common Assembly  of the ECSC,

and General Secretary of NATO  until 1961.

In the heart of the capital of Europe, one  wing of the EP was named in his honour.