Heinrich von Brentano

Nationality

France

Date of Birth

1904

Date of Death

1964

Political
Preference

Christian Democrat

Heinrich von Brentano was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Between 1950 and 1954 he was member of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe. In 1952–53 he served as president of the six-nation Schuman Plan committee charged with drafting a constitution for a proposed European Political Community. He favoured the European Defence Community with reference to the European Abendland that needed a common defence.
He served as Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1955 to 1961, seeking cooperation with France and opposing the Soviet Union. In this role he was closely involved with the negotiations that led to the EEC in 1958. In terms of his economic position, Von Brentano joined forces with Erhard, against Adenauer, in favour of an ordoliberal approach.