Nato Hq Locale - Did you know that Belgium has hosted the Alliance since 1967? That the first former head of state to become Secretary General was Belgian? Find out which Belgian diplomat served for 27 years in four consecutive headquarters. And read about Belgium's role in defining the Alliance's future tasks during the Cold War.

The Grand Defense Union to be established is a major milestone on the road to the consolidation of peace. Paul-Henri Spaak speaks at the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, Washington, D.C., April 4, 1949.

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Often considered the geographical crossroads of Western Europe, Belgium has been the host for over 50 years and continues to grow. This European country not only serves as the home of the political and military headquarters of the Alliance, its capital Brussels is also the seat of the European Union and many other international organizations. This concentration of institutions in one city facilitated closer political, economic and military cooperation in Europe. For Belgium, its relationship can best be understood as an extension of its general foreign and defense policy; its security and its economic and advisory goals are always framed within a multilateral framework. This approach helped Belgium to become the leading voice for the smaller countries of the Alliance in the evolving discussion linking European politics, Atlantic cooperation and Allied consultations. This role indicates the long-term historical impact that Belgium had during the Cold War.

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Of all the European countries directly involved in World War II, Belgium was the first to rebuild its economy. Suffering less destruction than its neighbors, economic activity in Belgium continued more quickly and easily after the war than elsewhere in Europe. With the limited claims of funds provided by the United States in 1947 through the European Recovery Plan (also known as the Marshall Plan), only one year was needed for Belgium to regain its pre-war economic activity. . This rapid recovery and financial fortune, known as the "Belgian Miracle", offered an excuse for Belgium to redirect its foreign and defense policy towards multilateral cooperation with its neighbors in order to protect the favorable economic situation after in war. The Benelux Customs Union, which removed tariffs from all internal trade between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, was one of the first successful examples of post-war intra-European integration when it became operational in early 1948. .

Four examples of European Recovery Plan posters. View the full collection of online posters here.

The defense of these new political-economic relations between these three small Western European states led to discussions of their mutual defense, with Belgium looking to its larger neighbors for close political cooperation and military. On March 17, 1948, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the United Kingdom adopted the Treaty of Brussels, the main principle of which is to ensure "economic, social and cultural cooperation and collective self-defense". The signing of this agreement in the Belgian capital confirms the centrality of the country for this union, because all the capitals of the sigry countries are located within 1000 km of Brussels.

The Brussels Treaty shows that the countries of Western Europe are willing and able to organize themselves after the Marshall Plan to ensure their mutual safety and social stability. More importantly, it signaled Belgium's departure from its pre-war policy of neutrality and independence and telegraphed its readiness for a broader defense arrangement. In June 1948, the United States began negotiations with the parties to the Brussels Treaty for a joint Atlantic security pact. Belgium's question of joining the Atlantic defense alliance at this time was informed by the growing alignment of American interests with economic cooperation and European integration. This mutual recognition played a role in Belgium's post-war strategy of setting foreign security policy within a multilateral framework, and on September 10, 1948, the American government announced that Belgium had approved a political-military agreement with transatlantic scope. On April 4, 1949, Belgium and the four other member states of the Brussels Treaty signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, DC, with two North American countries (Canada and the United States), Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Norway, and Portugal.

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On June 2, 1949, Paul-Henri Spaak, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium, signed the instrument of his country's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty.

Bolstered by its post-war fortunes, Belgium's status as a founding member helped raise its international profile and present itself as the "crossroads of Europe". Belgium itself serves as a useful example of a country that embodies many of the core values ​​of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty. The self-image of a cosmopolitan industrial country that is both multilingual and multicultural and whose history has always been open to commercial, cultural and political exchange is projected by the Allies in the short film Introducing Belgium.

Belgium's most consistent post-war presence in international politics again was Paul-Henri Spaak, the Belgian diplomat dedicated to European unity and international cooperation. Before the war, Spaak had several separate terms as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1936-1938; 1939-1940) and Prime Minister (1938-1939) - the first Socialist Prime Minister of Belgium and the youngest in all of Europe at that time. After the war, Spaak served in the dual capacity of Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium from March 1947 to August 1949, acting as a signatory for his country to the Brussels Treaty and North Atlantic Treaty and Instrument of Accession to .

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With Belgium's defense and security guaranteed by the North Atlantic Treaty, Spaak continued his tireless campaign of political activities linking Belgian national interests to European integration. European unity also contributes to the preservation of peace and must develop in harmony: an economic club of united states will not be at war with each other. A leading spokesman for the Benelux countries, Spaak served as the first president of the General Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, which met in 1952-1953 to regulate industrial production in six European countries under of the central authority. Spaak was also instrumental in the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURAOM), where he was given much credit for getting all the parties to agree to the respective agreements. His reputation and credibility as a leader of the European integration movement, as well as his positive role as the foreign minister of Belgium, did not go unnoticed by . On 14 December 1956, Spaak was chosen by the North Atlantic Council to succeed Lord Ismay as Secretary-General of the . However, before taking office on May 15, 1957, Spaak completed the last important piece of European integration business. On March 25, 1957, Spaak, as Belgian Foreign Minister, was the first to sign in Rome the EEC and Euratom treaties, paving the way for the creation of two of the most important and long-standing European institutions of the second half of 20s

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The appointment of Paul-Henri Spaak as Secretary General (1957-1961) came at an important time in the early history of the Alliance. The shock of the brutal Soviet suppression of the Hungarian uprising and the tensions between the Allies revealed after the Suez Canal crisis in October 1956 led to a greater recognition of the important place played by the political issue of maintaining harmony in the Alliance. Spaak's experience as a Belgian head of state led to a specific leadership approach that brought forward the need for political consultation to ensure unity and cohesion within the Alliance. Spaak also believed in expansion, especially in areas related to economics and science, and he steered the Alliance toward multilateral opportunities beyond primary military concerns. Spaak was able to express these elements in his leadership position when he became the first Secretary-General to preside over the first Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in Paris on 16-19 December 1957.

In 1959, Spaak oversaw the long-awaited move of the Paris headquarters from its temporary location at the Palais de Chaillot to a permanent home under construction at the Porte Dauphine. In recognition of his efforts as Secretary-General, Spaak was awarded a unique set of office furniture commissioned by the Direction générale des Arts et des Lettres on behalf of the French government.

The famous French architect and decorator André Arbus designed the set of office furniture for Secretary General Spaak, which was delivered to the new headquarters on June 25, 1960. The French government entrusted Arbus with many decorations. , which commissioned several interiors for its international offices, such as the French Embassy in Washington in 1955. When Spaak resigned as Secretary-General in early March 1961 to return to Belgian politics , his desk remains at the headquarters to serve his successors

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