On 15 December 1967, Willy Brandt, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), outlines to the Bundestag the position adopted by the Federal Government on the enlargement of the European Communities.

On 15 January 1969, in the magazine Bunte, Willy Brandt, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), outlines how fundamentally important European unification is. Aware of the lack of interest in the debate on Europe among the general public, he outlines the reasons behind the slow pace of European integration.

Between 1966 and 1969, Willy Brandt is Foreign Minister in the grand coalition led by the Christian Democratic Chancellor, Kurt Georg Kiesinger.

On 20 May 1969, Willy Brandt, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), delivers to the German Foreign Affairs Association an address on the foreign policy of the grand coalition. In terms of European policy, he emphasises the importance of good relations with France and highlights the main objectives of European integration: the completion, enlargement and deepening of the European Communities.

In June 1969, in an article published by the monthly journal 30 Jours d’Europe, Willy Brandt, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), gives his opinion on the prospects of European integration.

On 25 June 1971, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, outlines to the General Assembly of the German Council on Foreign Relations the main thrust of the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). He emphasises the importance of enlarging and deepening the European Communities, of relations between Europe and the United States and of the policy of détente in Europe.

In April 1972, in the German magazine Die Neue Gesellschaft, Hans Apel, appointed to the post of Parliamentary State Secretary with responsibility for European Affairs to the Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in December 1972, considers Germany’s position and role in Europe.

On 18 January 1973, Willy Brandt sets out in his Government statement Germany’s main foreign policy priority: the establishment of a European Union. The Chancellor also emphasises the active peacekeeping policy and the importance of NATO for the continuation of the ‘Ostpolitik’ and the policy of détente.

On 28 March 1974, in an address delivered to the Bundestag, Walter Scheel, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and President-in-Office of the Council, reviews the state of the European Communities. He outlines the Federal Government’s activities in various areas, in particular in the fields of European Political Cooperation and monetary cooperation.

On 13 October 1967, Willy Brandt, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, outlines to the Bundestag the three pillars of the Government’s European policy: Ostpolitik, the enlargement and consolidation of the European Communities, and relations between the Community and the United States.

On 3 September 1970, Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), explains why the Ostpolitik pursued by the Federal Government is an essential element in cooperation between the countries of Western Europe.

Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), in Warsaw for the signing of the Treaty of Warsaw on 7 December 1970, kneels before the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial. His action symbolises an acknowledgment of the past and the desire for reconciliation embodied in the new Ostpolitik adopted by the Federal Government.

In his memoirs, the former German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, describes the first steps of Ostpolitik and recalls the reactions of Western countries to the West German foreign policy.

In November 1971, in an interview granted to the monthly journal 30 Jours d’Europe, Katharina Focke, State Secretary in the Chancellor’s Office responsible for the coordination of European policy, outlines the objectives of the Ostpolitik implemented by the Government of the FRG and links this policy to cooperation with the countries of Western Europe.

Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and his Foreign Minister, Walter Scheel, at a press conference on the occasion of the renewal of the government coalition following the parliamentary elections held on 19 November 1972.

On 12 June 1973, during the consultation meeting between France and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, emphasises to the French President, Georges Pompidou, the importance of Germany’s European policy and, in particular, of the Ostpolitik for the future of his country.

Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from 1969 to 1974, and Egon Bahr, State Secretary and Minister in the Chancellery from 1969 to 1974.

Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and Richard Nixon, President of the United States, at a press conference held in Key Biscayne during Brandt’s visit to the United States.

In March 1972, the monthly publication 30 Jours d'Europe leads with a cartoon by Michael Cummings on relations between the European Communities, represented by Edward Heath, Georges Pompidou and Willy Brandt, and Richard Nixon, President of the United States.

In April 1972, in the American journal Foreign Affairs, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, outlines the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Brandt emphasises the important role played by European integration, as well as relations between the European Communities and the United States.

On 2 May 1973, during his visit to the United States, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, delivers to the National Press Club an address in which he emphasises the need for good relations between Europe and the United States and calls for constructive dialogue.

On 1 and 2 May 1973, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, travels to the United States in order to meet Richard Nixon, US President. From left to right: Egon Bahr, Minister for Special Affairs in the chancellery, Walter Scheel, Foreign Minister of the FRG, Willy Brandt, Richard Nixon, William P. Rogers, US Secretary of State, and Henry Kissinger, Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs.

On 7 August 1973, before the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Nine to be held on 10 and 11 September in Copenhagen, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, sends to the British Prime Minister, Edward Heath, a letter in which he emphasises the need for agreement to be reached on the nature of relations between the European Communities and the United States.

On 15 August 1973, the German Chancellor sends to the French President, Georges Pompidou, a letter in which he emphasises the importance of relations between the European Communities and the United States. Brandt proposes an exchange of views between Germany, France and the United Kingdom so that, following the Copenhagen Conference to be held on 10 and 11 September, the Nine may submit a practical proposal on the definition of transatlantic relations.

During his visit to the United States from 23 to 29 September 1973, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, meets the US President, Richard Nixon, to discuss, in particular, Nixon’s planned trip to Europe and the Transatlantic Declaration.

From 23 to 29 September 1973, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, travels to the United States on an official visit. From left to right: Berndt von Staden, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to Washington, Willy Brandt, Richard Nixon, US President, Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State, and Günther van Well, Director-General at the Federal Foreign Office.

On 20 March 1974 in the columns of the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the cartoonist Bas portrays US President Richard Nixon's displeasure at being sidelined during the negotiations held between the Nine and the Arab leaders.

On 28 March 1974, Willy Brandt criticises the state of European integration. He attacks the inability of the Member States of the European Community to adopt a joint position on the energy crisis. The German Chancellor deplores the uneasy relations between the European Communities and the United States and emphasises that European integration is impossible without the support of the United States. He also discusses the difficulties that the Nine are having in developing the European Union and advocates a period of consolidation.

On 28 March 1974, Willy Brandt criticises the state of European integration. He attacks the inability of the Member States of the European Community to adopt a joint position on the energy crisis. The German Chancellor deplores the uneasy relations between the European Communities and the United States and emphasises that European integration is impossible without the support of the United States. He also discusses the difficulties that the Nine are having in developing the European Union and advocates a period of consolidation.

In his political memoirs, Willy Brandt, former Foreign Minister (1966–1969) and Chancellor (1969–1974) of the Federal Republic of Germany, discusses the address delivered on 23 April 1973 by Henry Kissinger, Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs, on relations between Europe and the United States.

In his political memoirs, Willy Brandt, former Foreign Minister (1966–1969) and Chancellor (1969–1974) of the Federal Republic of Germany, recalls the differences of opinion between France and Germany over the nature of relations between the European Communities and the United States.

On 30 November 1967, at the annual conference of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Willy Brandt, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), emphasises the importance of good relations between Western Europe and Eastern Europe for the establishment of peace in Europe.

On 14 July 1967, following the Franco-German consultative meetings, Willy Brandt, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), in an interview granted to the Social Democratic Press Service, defends the notion of a European peace order.

On 24 April 1970, on the eve of the start of the negotiations between the European Communities and the applicant countries, including Norway, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, explains to the Storting that the Ostpolitik pursued by the Federal Government and its policy with regard to the states of Western Europe form a coherent whole and seek the achievement of European unification and the establishment of a European order of peace. With this in mind, he emphasises the need for the enlargement of the European Communities.

On 7 December 1970, in a television address broadcast from Warsaw, Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), emphasises the symbolic importance for peace in Europe of his visit to Poland and of the signing, the same day, of the Treaty between the FRG and Poland, through which the two countries recognise, in particular, the inviolability of the existing frontiers.

On 22 April 1971, with a view to the first enlargement of the European Communities, Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), welcomes the significant contribution of the stable democratic structures of the acceding states to the unification of Europe and to the establishment of a European order of peace.

On 10 December 1971, in Oslo, Willy Brandt is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In an address delivered the following day at the University of Oslo, the German Chancellor emphasises the importance of Europe for his country’s identity and development. In addition to the unification process in Western Europe, he refers to the establishment of a European partnership for peace.

On 26 September 1973, Willy Brandt becomes the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In his address, Brandt emphasises the European Communities’ peaceful intentions and determination to contribute actively to the policy of détente in Europe.

On 10 December 1973, on the eve of the signing of the Treaty of Mutual Relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and Czechoslovakia, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, delivers to the press in Berlin an address in which he emphasises the efforts made by the Federal Government to overcome the antagonism between East and West with a view to bringing about détente in Europe.

On 15 August 1971, in an adress to the nation, US President, Richard Nixon, announces the implementation of his new economic policy and speaks in detail about the measures taken to increase prosperity in the United States.

On 25 September 1971, French President, Georges Pompidou, holds a press conference during which he describes the causes of the European monetary crisis and proposes solutions to bring it to an end.

On 17 October 1971, Willy Brandt takes the initiative to define a common position of the Six on monetary policy. In a letter sent to Georges Pompidou, the German Chancellor approves the measures proposed by the French President at his press conference held on 25 September and emphasises the importance of consultation between France and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in order to put an end to the monetary crisis.

On 3 December 1971, during a visit to Paris, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, and the French President, Georges Pompidou, discuss, in particular, the monetary crisis and relations between the European Communities and the United States.

On 18 December 1971, the 'Group of Ten' published a communiqué detailing the main monetary measures approved by the Ministers and the Governors of the Central Banks of the ten countries participating in the General Agreements to Borrow in Washington.

In an annex to the final declaration of the Copenhagen European Summit of 14 and 15 December 1973, the Heads of State or Government of the Nine describe their fears with regard to the energy crisis affecting the main industrialised countries of the world and adopt a series of measures aimed at resolving it.

For the cartoonist Fritz Behrendt, ‘Winter 1973' is synonymous with the problems faced by the West in the wake of the oil crisis, although France continues to maintain good relations with the countries in the Middle East.

At the opening of the Washington Energy Conference, held from 11 to 13 February 1974, Walter Scheel, German Foreign Minister and President-in-Office of the Council, calls for greater international cooperation in order to resolve the energy crisis.

On 2 April 1974, François-Xavier Ortoli, President of the Commission of the European Communities, and Walter Scheel, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and President-in-Office of the Council of the European Communities, issue a joint statement to the Council in which they outline the current problems and suggest measures to improve the decision-making mechanisms in the Community.