The prime ministers of Belgium, France and Luxembourg will today address the European Parliament to mark the institution’s 70th anniversary.
The three countries are the Parliament’s host nations.
Seventy years ago, the first session of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community took place in Strasbourg, marking the starting point of the European Parliament we know today.
Over the decades, six European countries grew into a union of 27 member states fostering democracy, fundamental rights, economic stability and growth. The Parliament was a key player in the development of the EU, growing from 78 national representatives in 1952 to 705 directly-elected MEPs today.
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Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, begins the celebration to commemorate the creation of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952 at 11:30 CET.
The actual anniversary was on September 10 but a number of commemorative events are scheduled through summer 2023 to mark the occasion.
When it was first created, it was a consultative assembly made up of 78 appointed parliamentarians drawn from the national parliaments of the six member states: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
It got its actual name in 1962 with the first direct elections held in 1979.
Now, it is the EU’s law-making body, with 705 MEPs hailing from 27 member states.
