Constitué le 22 octobre 1958, le "Groupe de travail pour les élections européennes" a pour tâche d'étudier les difficultés relatives à l'organisation de l'élection de l'Assemblée parlementaire européenne au suffrage universel direct. En février 1959, le quotidien belge Le Soir reprend les explications du président du groupe de travail, Fernand Dehousse, justifiant un délai particulièrement long pour les travaux à peine amorcés.

On 22 October 1958, a working party on the European elections, chaired by Fernand Dehousse, is set up within the Political Affairs Committee of the European Parliamentary Assembly (EPA). On 30 April 1960, the working party submits to the EPA a collection of reports and documents relating to the Draft convention on the election of the Members of the European Parliamentary Assembly by direct universal suffrage, the general report of which is drawn up by Fernand Dehousse.

On 17 May 1960, the European Parliamentary Assembly adopts the Resolution on the adoption of a draft convention on the election of the Members of the European Parliamentary Assembly by direct universal suffrage and other related texts. The Resolution incorporates the draft convention drawn up by the Working Party on European Elections under the chairmanship of Fernand Dehousse.

Owing to the six years of absence of any consideration by the Council of the draft convention on the election of the Members of the European Parliamentary Assembly by direct universal suffrage, in 1969, the European Parliament threatens the Council with bringing proceedings for failure to act before the Court of Justice under former Article 175 of the EC Treaty.

Report dated 13 January 1975 drawn up by Schelto Patijn on the adoption of a draft convention introducing elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage.

European Parliament Resolution of 14 January 1975 on the adoption of a draft convention introducing elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage. This text replaces the draft text of 17 May 1960.

Excerpt from the Conclusions of the Rome European Council of 1 and 2 December 1975, concerning direct elections to the European Parliament. It is agreed that elections will take place in May-June 1978.

The Rome European Council of 1 and 2 December 1975 agrees that the election of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage will be held in May and June 1978.

Statement by Georges Spénale, following the Rome European Council of 1 and 2 December 1975, concerning direct elections to the European Parliament.

À l’approche des élections du Parlement européen au suffrage universel direct, la question de la répartition des sièges entre les États membres reste un problème épineux et les propositions diverses affluent.

Reflections on the advantages of electing the European Parliament by universal suffrage and on the practical aspects of such an election.

Statement by the President of the European Parliament, Georges Spénale, following the Brussels European Council of 12 July 1976, concerning direct elections to the European Parliament.

On 12 July 1976, during the Brussels European Council, citizens demonstrate in the streets of the Belgian capital in favour of holding direct elections to the European Parliament in 1978.

Decision of the representatives of the Member States meeting in the Council of 20 September 1976 relating to the Act concerning the election of the representatives to the Assembly by direct universal suffrage.

On 20 September 1976 in Brussels, representatives of the Member States of the European Communities adopt the Act concerning the election of the representatives to the Assembly by direct universal suffrage. The Act stipulates that the term of office for Members of the European Parliament is five years (Article 3).

On 20 September 1976 in Brussels, the representatives of the Member States of the European Communities sign the Act concerning the election of the representatives to the Assembly by direct universal suffrage.

Statement by the President of the European Parliament, Georges Spénale, to mark the signing of the Act concerning the election of the representatives of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (Brussels, 20 September 1976).

Speech by the President of the Council of the European Communities, Max van der Stoel, to mark the signing of the Act concerning the election of the representatives of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (20 September 1976).

Address given by the President of the Commission, François-Xavier Ortoli, on the occasion of the signing of the Act concerning the election of the representatives of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage on 20 September 1976.

In an interview with the magazine Vision, Altiero Spinelli comments on the future European Parliament to be elected by direct universal suffrage, and the possible postponement of the first direct elections, initially planned for 1978.

On the occasion of the Copenhagen European Council meeting of 7–8 April 1978, the Heads of State or Government decide that the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage will take place from 7 to 10 June 1979.

On the occasion of the Copenhagen European Council meeting of 7–8 April 1978, Emilio Colombo, President of the European Parliament, expresses his satisfaction with the agreement reached on the date for the direct elections by universal suffrage to the European Parliament.

In the run-up to elections to the European Parliament in 1979, the political parties of the Nine get organised on a European scale.

On the 30th anniversary of the first direct elections to the European Parliament in June 1979, the European Parliament’s Archive and Documentation Centre (CARDOC) produces a paper on the initiatives taken by the European Parliament, and previously by the ECSC Common Assembly, to arrive at the first direct elections to Parliament.

In this interview, Jacques Santer, former Member of the European Parliament, recalls the nature of the debates, held during the 1970s, on the election of Members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage.

On 5 November 1978, two days prior to the launch of the election campaign in France for the first elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, the Spanish daily newspaper El País publishes a report on the difficulties experienced by the national political parties to pursue joint courses of action at Community level, thus preventing them from drawing up common election manifestoes.

Rapport sur l'état d'avancement, dans les neuf États membres de la Communauté, de la campagne d'information lancée par les services d'information du Parlement européen et de la Commission en janvier 1979, en vue de la préparation des élections directes au Parlement européen du mois de juin.

Un mois avant la première élection européenne au suffrage universel direct, le quotidien français Le Monde publie un article renseignant ses lecteurs sur la nouvelle répartition des sièges au Parlement européen entre les États membres, ainsi que sur les modes de scrutin qui seront appliqués dans chaque État.

Article du quotidien français Le Monde paru suite aux élections du Parlement européen au suffrage universel direct du 7 au 10 juin 1979. Malgré la faible participation électorale et les pouvoirs limités de l'assemblée, l'auteur argumente comment la "nouvelle agora" peut éveiller l'intérêt des citoyens pour la politique européenne. Après les élections, les formations politiques européennes devraient montrer davantage leurs positions, et l'opinion publique et les médias devraient suivre avec une attention accrue les débats de l'assemblée.

L'auteur de l'article, paru dans Le Monde le 13 juin 1979, revendique les trois rôles à jouer par le député du premier Parlement européen élu au suffrage universel, à la fois député d'un État, d'un parti et d'une assemblée européenne. Selon les circonstances, les députés vont se regrouper par nationalité, par tendance politique transnationale ou par défense d'un intérêt européen commun.

The first direct elections to the European Parliament took place between 7 and 10 June 1979. The resulting Parliament met for the first time in July 1979, under its President, Simone Veil.

On 17 July 1979, in Strasbourg, Simone Veil chairs the first sitting of the European Parliament elected by direct universal suffrage.

On 17 July 1979, during the first session of the European Parliament resulting from the elections which were held from 7 to 10 June 1979, Simone Veil, the newly-elected President of the Assembly, delivers a speech which throws the spotlight on the fundamentally new departure that has been made by the European Communities in having their Parliament elected for the first time by direct universal suffrage.

The European Parliament elected by direct suffrage in June 1979 held its first session in July 1979.

In an article in the December 1979 edition of the monthly publication 30 Jours d’Europe, Pascal Fontaine, senior lecturer at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, considers the significance and the results of the first elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage. He also refers to the issues addressed by the European Parliament and the fields in which the European Communities have been involved in the past year.

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing gives his opinion on the direct elections to the European Parliament.

In May 1979, Simone Veil enters the electoral campaign for the first direct elections to the European Parliament, between 7 and 10 June 1979, with her 'Union for France' list.

In April 1979, Jacques Chirac, President of Rassemblement pour la République (RPR), presents his list 'Defending the interests of France in Europe' for the first direct elections to the European Parliament to be held between 7 and 10 June 1979.

Poster published in France during the campaign for the first elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, held on 10 June 1979.

German poster encouraging people to vote at the first elections to the Parliament by direct universal suffrage, held on 10 June 1979.

Poster published in Germany during the campaign for the first European Parliament elections by direct universal suffrage, held on 10 June 1979.

Poster published in Italy during the campaign for the first elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, held on 10 June 1979.

Poster published in Luxembourg during the campaign for the first elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, held on 10 June 1979.

Luxembourg ballot paper for the elections to the European Parliament on 10 June 1979.

Article published in the French daily newspaper Le Monde of 3 September 2003, on the occasion of the final resumption of the Parliament of the Fifteen. The Members of the European Parliament are preparing for the historic elections of 10 and 13 June 2004 which will determine the composition of the institution in an enlarged European Union encompassing 25 Member States.

On 15 April 2004, two months before the elections to the European Parliament, the French daily newspaper Le Monde reports on the progress of the election campaigns in the main EU Member States.

Le 8 juin 2004, à l’approche de la sixième élection du Parlement européen au suffrage universel direct, Ferdinando Riccardi, éditeur responsable du Bulletin Quotidien Europe, dédie son éditorial à l’importance du vote, et en particulier à l’importance du choix du bon député.

In this interview, Jacques F. Poos, Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004, outlines the reasons for the voters’ lack of interest in the campaign for the 2004 European elections.

Paru le 15 juin 2004 dans le quotidien français Le Monde, l’article analyse les causes du faible taux de participation des citoyens aux élections européennes qui se sont déroulées du 10 au 13 juin.

On 10 June 2009, the Europaforum site set up by the Luxembourg Government publishes the results, country by country, of the 2009 European elections.

In December 2010, a research team led by Philippe Poirier, Associate Professor of Political Science and coordinator of the research programme on European governance at the University of Luxembourg, and composed of Patrick Dumont, Raphaël Kies, Astrid Spreitzer and Maria Bozinis, publishes a study on the parliamentary and European elections that was conducted in connection with the ELECT 2009 project for the Chamber of Deputies.

In his policy paper of 13 May 2014, Yves Bertoncini, Director of Notre Europe–Jacques Delors Institute, outlines the possible causes for the phenomenon of abstention in the European elections.

In the run-up to the May 2014 European elections, Yves Bertoncini and Thierry Chopin draw up a study that is published by ‘Notre Europe’ in April 2014. The aim of this study is to raise public awareness of the major political and partisan issues involved in the European elections.

Participation in European elections expressed in percentages (1979-2014).

Table showing the dates of European elections held since 1979, the number of Member States participating and the number of seats to be filled.