The Consultative Assembly
The Consultative Assembly
'An important new beginning' from Le Populaire (8 August 1949)
TextOn 8 August 1949, Léon Blum, founder of the French Socialist daily newspaper Le Populaire, expresses his enthusiasm following the creation of the Council of Europe, placing particular emphasis on the role that European Socialism will play in the work of the future Assembly.
Opening address by Edouard Herriot (Strasbourg, 10 August 1949)
TextOn 10 August 1949, Edouard Herriot, the provisional President of the inaugural session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, formally opens the Assembly’s first sitting in Strasbourg.
Address given by Paul-Henri Spaak (Strasbourg, 10 August 1949)
ImageOn 10 August 1949, at the first session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, Paul-Henri Spaak is elected as the Assembly’s first President.
Edouard Herriot and Paul-Henri Spaak (Strasbourg, 10 August 1949)
ImageOn 10 August 1949, after having chaired the inaugural sitting of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, Edouard Herriot, oldest member and Honorary President, hands over the chair to the Belgian Paul-Henri Spaak, newly elected President.
The establishment of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 10 August 1949)
ImageThe constituent meeting of the Council of Europe takes place on 10 August 1949. Among those taking part are Paul-Henri Spaak, Carlo Sforza, Edouard Herriot, Ernest Bevin and Robert Schuman.
View of the first sitting of the Consultative Assembly (Strasbourg, 10 August 1949)
ImageThe first sitting of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe is held under the provisional chairmanship of Edouard Herriot in the hall of Strasbourg University on 10 August 1949.
Opening of the inaugural sitting of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 10 August 1949)
VideoOn 10 August 1949, the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe meets for the first time in Strasbourg. The following day, the Belgian Socialist delegate and former Foreign Minister, Paul-Henri Spaak, is elected President of the Assembly.
‘What may we expect from the European Assembly?' from Le Figaro (10 August 1949)
TextOn 10 August 1949, the day of the first session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro emphasises the symbolic value of the institution, whilst also highlighting its limited political influence.
'The Consultative Assembly at work' from The New Statesman and Nation (12 August 1949)
TextOn 12 August 1949, the correspondent for the British weekly magazine The New Statesman and Nation describes the numerous debates surrounding the appointment of the first Vice- President of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe and speculates on the future activities of this Parliamentary Assembly.
'The baby is already crying' from Der Spiegel (18 August 1949)
TextOn 18 August 1949, the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel comments on the first sitting of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, held in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949.
‘The first European Parliament’ from Die Zeit (18 August 1949)
TextOn 18 August 1949, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit expresses its enthusiasm for the establishment of the Council of Europe and emphasises the key role of those who are to comprise the future Consultative Assembly, at the same time stressing the importance of associating Germany with the forthcoming undertaking.
Rules of Procedure of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe (17 August 1950)
TextRules of Procedure of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, adopted on 17 August 1950.
Draft Recommendation of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe (November 1950)
TextThe account of the reasons behind this Draft Recommendation, presented in 1950, indicates the weakness of the Consultative Assembly’s position with regard to the Committee of Ministers and the members’ demands to increase the influence of the institution. The role of defining and consolidating the Assembly’s consultative function is to take priority over the institution’s claim to power of decision.
Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
TableList of the Presidents of the Council of Europe's Assembly since 1949.
Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, I chose Europe
TextIn his memoirs, Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, founder of the European Parliamentary Union (EPU) in 1947, describes the atmosphere at the opening of the inaugural sitting of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 10 August 1949.
Interview with Gaston Thorn: the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe and the WEU Assembly (Luxembourg, 6 February 2006)
Audio extractIn this interview, Gaston Thorn, former Member of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe and of the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU), refers to the role of these deliberative assemblies in the development of a European spirit and of an awareness of the political, economic and military implications of a united Europe.