In his address, given on 28 January 1977 at the official opening ceremony of the new ‘Palais de l’Europe’ in Strasbourg, Georg Kahn-Ackermann, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, recalls the circumstances at the time of its building and describes the building’s function as the ‘headquarters of the Council of Europe, particularly of [the] Organisation’s Assembly; but it will also play host to the Parliament of the European Communities when it sits in Strasbourg.’