Claus Schöndube was a German federalist since the very beginning: in 1947 he was member of the "Europa-Union Deutschland" and in 1957 of the "Union of European Federalists" (UEF). In 1951 he was also co-founder of the first "Europa-Haus" in 'Marienberg (Westerwald)' and of the "Bund Europäischer Jugend" (1957). UEF's vice-president in 1974, he participated uninterruptedly until 1997 in many federalist, pro-European movement's governing bodies and committees on regional, national and international level. Book author, publicist, from 1970 to 1987 accredited journalist with the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, CS published innumerable texts about European integration, both commenting and analyzing the actual political-institutional process and promoting ideals and ideas about Europe. Amongst others, he was conferred the "Bundesverdienstkreuz am Band" (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany), the "Robert Schuman Medaille in Gold" and the "Altiero-Spinelli" Gold Medal.