Sixty years ago, 100 members of parliament from twelve European countries – including some of the great founding fathers of the European movement – gathered in the main lecture theatre of the University of Strasbourg for the first ever meeting of the “Consultative Assembly” (soon to become the Parliamentary Assembly) of the Council of Europe, the organisation which had been signed into existence in London only three months earlier to “forge closer ties” among its ten founding nations.

During 18 sittings, held over nearly a month during that historic summer, they debated with grave conviction how to reconcile and reconstruct a Europe still emerging from war yet facing new division, launched the astonishing concept of a universal Court to protect human rights, and gave to the citizens of Europe – for the first time – a unified voice in the great affairs of state.

On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the first meeting of the Assembly, that took place on 10th August 1949, its President, Lluís Maria de Puig recalls that the work of the Council of Europe and its Assembly as the ''conscience of Europe'' is far from over. ''I am among those who consider the Organisation’s record as very positive.'' The Council of Europe ''has successfully conducted a highly ambitious political project, bringing together under the same roof, around the same values, all the countries of a continent with a wide range of histories, cultures, languages and traditions,'' he declared. (more ...)


Commemorative webpage