Dirk Pieter Spierenburg

Nationality

Netherlands

Date of Birth

1909

Date of Death

2001

Political
Preference

Dirk Pieter Spierenburg was a Dutch politician and diplomat. Born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Spierenburg joined the Department of Trade and Industry in 1935. In his role as director of the General-Directorate for the Dutch Foreign Economic Relations (BEB) Department, Spierenburg played a seminal role in the drafting of the first post-war trade agreements of the Dutch government. He was credited for concluding favorable agreements for The Netherlands despite its weak economic condition, often trading nothing more than Limburg coal in his negotiations.

An avid proponent of European integration, Spierenburg believed that peace and prosperity in the Netherlands and Europe hinged on closer cooperation, which is why he was also working to establish a customs union between the Benelux states. After Hervé Alphand proposed the creation of a European Customs Union, Spierenburg became the head of a Custums Union Study Group, which would meet several times over the next years – but without ever living up to its intended purpose of bringing about a customs union.

From 1947 onwards, Spierenburg was involved in the negotiations of the Marshall Plan in Paris as part of the Dutch delegation headed by Hans Hirschfeld. In 1948 – by now working for the Dutch delegation in the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) – Spierenburg became a member of the Committee of Four that was tasked with the difficult job of reducing the requests for aid from countries to more acceptable numbers.

Between 1950 and 1952, Spierenburg also led the Dutch delegation in the talks that led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). During these talks Spierenburg advocated for more supranational powers of the ECSC.

In 1963, he was appointed as a permanent representative of the European Economic Community (EEC), and helped to shape the European customs union.