On 25 May 1972, in preparation for the Summit to be held in Paris on 19 October 1972, the Belgian Foreign Minister writes a note on strengthening the European institutions and progress in the political sphere.

On 18 October 1972, on the eve of the Paris European Summit, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung outlines the obstacles that hamper the European integration process.

Le 19 octobre 1972, à l'occasion de l'ouverture du sommet de Paris, Sicco Mansholt, président de la Commission des Communautés européennes, prononce un discours sur les enjeux de l'intégration européenne et fait un état des lieux des différentes politiques communautaires.

In an initial joint statement published after the Paris European Summit (19 to 21 October 1972), the Heads of State or Government of the future Nine outline the objectives and the policies to be pursued with a view to achieving a European Union.

On the eve of the Paris Summit of 19–21 October 1972, the French President, Georges Pompidou, reveals his hopes to RTL that the nine Heads of State or Government will make genuine progress and outline the overall prospects for Europe.

On 19 October 1972, the Heads of State or Government of the future Community of the Nine meet at the European Summit in Paris. In the opening address, Georges Pompidou, French President, welcomes the first appearance of officials from Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Barend W. Biesheuvel, Netherlands Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the Council of the European Communities, speaks next and emphasises the need to mobilise young people in favour of European integration.

On the initiative of the French President, Georges Pompidou, the Heads of State or Government of the Nine meet in Paris from 19 to 21 October 1972. They agree to strengthen political cooperation within the European Communities and to work towards the goal of establishing a European Union before 1980.

In his capacity as Prime Minister of the country about to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Communities, the Dutchman Barend W. Biesheuvel opens the Paris Summit of 19–21 October 1972. In particular, he insists that the general public must be more closely associated with the debates about the future of a united Europe.

During an interview conducted by RTL at the European Summit held in Paris from 19 to 21 October 1972, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, Pierre Werner, discusses some ideas put forward by the Heads of State or Government of the Nine, notably the institutional problems with which Europe may be faced in the future.

The Heads of State or Government of the nine Member States of the enlarged European Community meet for the first time at the Paris European Summit held from 19 to 21 October 1972. During this meeting, the Heads of State or Government confirm their wish to strengthen political cooperation.

On 21 October 1972, in its coverage of the opening, two days earlier, of the Paris European summit, the French daily newspaper Le Monde expresses its hope in the promises made by the European leaders to create a political Europe.

On 22 October 1972, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, holds a press conference on the outcome of the Paris European Summit, held from 19 to 21 October 1972.

On 11 October 1972, in Brussels, the Belgian politician, Fernand Dehousse, former President of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, delivers a lecture to the Belgian Royal Institute for International Relations (IRRI) on the implications of the Paris Summit, to he held on 19, 20 and 21 October.

Following the Paris European Summit (19 to 21 October 1972), the French President, Georges Pompidou, declares his satisfaction that the future Nine have opted to take the road leading to a European Union. For his part, Barend Biesheuvel, the Netherlands Prime Minister, welcomes the commitments given to strengthen the powers of the European institutions.

Following the Paris Summit (19 to 21 October 1972), Roger Priouret, RTL journalist, reviews the main decisions taken by the future Nine concerning Economic and Monetary Union, the European Monetary Cooperation Fund and regional policy.

The RTL journalist, Bernard Lefort, draws attention to the historic significance of the commitments given by the future Nine at the Paris Summit (19 to 21 October 1972), with particular regard to the strengthening of the European institutions.

Following the Paris European Summit (19 to 21 October 1972), the French President, Georges Pompidou, declares his satisfaction. Reactions in the foreign press on the day after the announcement of the outcome are, nevertheless, lukewarm, as the RTL correspondents in Bonn and London testify.

On 23 July 1973, in Copenhagen, the Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the European Economic Community (EEC) adopt a report on the strengthening of European political cooperation in matters of foreign policy.

On 6 December 1973, addressing the Italian Chamber of Deputies on the eve of the Copenhagen Summit, the Socialist leader, Pietro Nenni, sets out what the Italian Government’s stance on European political cooperation should be.

On 13 December 1973, commenting on the Copenhagen European Summit, the French Communist daily newspaper L’Humanité speculates on the future European identity.

On 14 December 1973, against a background of debates over the European identity, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro summarises the issues raised at the Copenhagen European Summit.

At the Copenhagen European Summit of 14 and 15 December 1973, the Heads of State or Government of the nine Member States of the enlarged European Community affirm their determination to introduce the concept of European identity into their common foreign relations.

On 15 December 1973, in his statement following the Copenhagen European Summit, the Danish Prime Minister, Anker Jørgensen, describes the procedures for European political cooperation and confirms the political role of the Nine in the international arena.

Le 17 décembre 1973, le quotidien français Combat marque sa déception quant aux résultats du sommet européen de Copenhague.

In the January 1974 issue of the monthly publication 30 jours d’Europe, the Editor-in-Chief of the ‘Agence Europe’ press agency, Emanuele Gazzo, expresses his disappointment at the outcome of the Copenhagen European Summit (14 and 15 December 1973).

The Heads of State or Government of the Nine around the negotiating table during the Copenhagen European Summit (14-15 December 1973).

On 16 December 1973, the RTL editorial team in Paris draws attention to the relative failure suffered by Georges Pompidou at the Copenhagen European Summit held on 14 and 15 December.

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.