In a ceremony in the hemicycle in Strasbourg, MEPs celebrated the creation of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952, the forerunner of the EP.
The celebration was opened by the President of the Parliament Roberta Metsola, who stressed that in the 70 years since the first meeting of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1952 “the Assembly has grown steadily”.
He went on to add: “The European Parliament has become the only directly elected, multilingual and multiparty transnational parliament in the world. Its 705 directly elected members are the expression of European public opinion (…). Today more than ever, this House is fighting to support the democratic voice of citizens and European democratic values”.
The President’s speech was followed by speeches by the Prime Ministers of the three countries that host the seat of Parliament.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said that “the current European political project is mainly driven by visionary citizens, the peoples of Europe” who are demanding an EU response to crises such as migration, COVID-19 and energy. The European Parliament is “one of the most powerful legislators in the world. Today, Europeans can be proud of the road traveled together (…) This Parliament represents the catharsis of a long history of violence between European countries, it represents the best of us Europeans”.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said: “Seven years after the Second World War, it was decided to create something together. In those days, people had no right to live if they were different. Today, we live in a territory where citizens are free”. He then concluded: “I myself would not have had the right to be free during the Second World War: I am a liberal, I have Jewish origins and I am married to a man. And here I am today at the head of a government. This is the European project. You may be different, but it is precisely in this diversity that our wealth lies”.
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne underlined France’s role in building the European Union and the symbolic importance of Strasbourg as one of her official workplaces. He also highlighted France’s commitment to a common European future: “Strasbourg is the idea of Europe, a Europe which has its past but also its common future (…) And we must not lose sight of what Europe, where it comes from and where it is going”.
Immediately after the interventions of the Ministers, the different political groups intervened and most of the leaders of the seven political groups stressed that Europe has a future only if it is democratic and that it is necessary to give the European Parliament full legislative rights for the benefit of the citizens , as European citizenship strengthens national citizenship. The original spirit of Parliament was to create a political institution open to, and not against, any country. We must, they said, continue to represent this spirit and adapt it to the times in which we live.
MEPs also recalled the challenges that Europe must face, stating that it would be useful to rediscover today the spirit of 1952 that led to the creation of this institution. There have also been critical and anti-European interventions. As President Metsola said, this demonstrates that pluralism, diversity and democracy coexist in the European Parliament.
The ceremony concluded with an orchestral performance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.
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