Parliamentary Activities

 

On 18 April 1951, the representatives of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of Paris, establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). In the decades that followed, the ECSC would transform, becoming the European Union that we know today. 

Tracing the debates and decisions that shaped the history of the Parliament begins here. Discover documents from three key stages of its development: the Common Assembly of the ECSC, the Ad Hoc Assembly responsible for drawing up a draft Treaty establishing a European Political Community and finally, the European Parliament. 

The Archives of the European Parliament are constantly in the process of collecting fonds of the European Parliament and disseminating documents to citizens as they become available after thirty years (see the Regulatory Framework). Documents from 1958 to 1979 are now available online via our new Dashboard - read more below.

Strasbourg in March 1953

Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community

In 1951, six European countries motivated by a desire for peace and prosperity signed the Treaty of Paris to create the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the forerunner of today’s European Union.

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Ad Hoc Assembly

Ad Hoc Assembly

The Ad Hoc Assembly was established on the 10 September 1952 with the aim of drafting a European Constitution Charter to establish a European political community. It met nine times between September 1952 and March 1953.

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Robert Schuman Speech in Constitutive Session

European Parliament (1957-1979)

The European Parliament, known as the Parliamentary Assembly until 1962, was created in 1958 following the signature of the Treaty of Rome. Its 142 Members were appointed from among the Members of the national parliaments of the European Economic Community countries.

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Simone Veil chairing the plenary session

The European Parliament after direct elections

Since June 1979, EU citizens have directly elected Members of the European Parliament. The world's first international elections marked a turning point for the continent and for the Parliament, an institution which has been constantly growing since.

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Online Access to Archival Documents

Discover historical documents from 1952-1979 and trace parliamentary activities from the ECSC Common Assembly to the European Parliament prior to direct elections.

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