At their meeting of 9 and 10 December 1974, in Paris, the Heads of State or Government of the Nine express their desire for closer political cooperation at Community level.

Le 10 décembre 1974, le président français Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, tire un bilan positif du Sommet de Paris sur le fonctionnement de la coopération politique européenne.

On 9 December 1974, the French weekly newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur takes a critical look at the reactions of Germany and its European partners to the proposal from the French President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, that the first summit of Heads of State or Government of the Nine, at which they are called to adopt the principle of the European Council, should be held in Paris on 9 and 10 December.

On 12 December 1974, reporting on the outcome of the Paris Summit of 9 and 10 December, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung welcomes the establishment of the European Council and the decision to elect the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage, although only time will tell whether the Nine manage to achieve further progress.

On 12 December 1974, commenting on the outcome of the Paris Summit of 9 and 10 December, British daily newspaper The Guardian analyses the difficult position of Harold Wilson, British Prime Minister, who must renegotiate with his partners the conditions for the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Communities while making sure he does not endanger the outcome of the national referendum on whether the country should remain in the Communities.

Le 12 décembre 1974, commentant les résultats du sommet de Paris des 9 et 10 décembre, le quotidien allemand Süddeutsche Zeitung voit la création du Conseil européen comme un moyen pour les chefs d'État ou de gouvernement de priver la Commission européenne de certains de ses pouvoirs et salue la décision des Neuf de mettre en œvre un Fonds européen de développement régional (Feder) à compter du 1er janvier 1975.

Le 12 décembre 1974, le quotidien français Le Monde évalue les résultats politiques du sommet de Paris des 9 et 10 décembre, notamment en ce qui concerne la proposition française d'élaborer et de mettre rapidement en œuvre une politique énergétique commune dans le cadre communautaire.

In December 1974, the Revue du Marché commun expresses its disappointment at the outcome of the summit of the Heads of State or Government of the Nine convened on 9 and 10 December 1974, in Paris, by the French President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, with a view to adopting the principle of the European Council.

On 17 December 1974, in an article published in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro, Michel Debré, French MP and former Gaullist Prime Minister, deplores the position on political cooperation within the Community taken by the French Government at the Paris Summit (9 to 14 December 1974).

On 17 December 1974, Gaston Plissonnier, member of the Politburo of the French Communist Party (PCF), warns French farmers to beware of the decisions taken by the Nine at the Paris Summit on 9–10 December 1974.

On 19 December 1974, Gaston Thorn, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, informs the Chamber of Deputies of the political outcome of the Paris summit of the Heads of State or Government of the Nine.

In this interview, Leo Tindemans, former Belgian Prime Minister, refers to the decisive role played by Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic, at the Paris Summit of 9 and 10 December 1974, with particular regard to the idea of convening a meeting of the Heads of State or Government of the Nine in the European Council.

In this interview, Edmund Wellenstein, Head of the European Commission delegation for negotiations on enlargement of the European Communities from 1970 to 1973, describes the main issues and proceedings of the first meeting in Paris, on 19, 20 and 21 October 1972, of the Heads of State or Government of the future Nine.