Posted on 08 October 2015
The Historical Archives of the European Parliament has recently launched a new oral history programme on former Parliament Presidents, starting with Emilio Colombo (1977-1979). The programme, titled “The story of the EP by its Presidents”, consists on a media library with several recordings (films) and interviews which portray the work of the Presidents of the Parliament. These documents are accompanied by other archival material which supplements the information. This oral history project illustrates the trajectory of the different presidents of the European Parliament from 1977-2007: Emilio Colombo, Simone Veil, Piet Dankert, Pierre Pflimlin, Lord Plumb, Enrique Barón Crespo, Egon A. Klepsch, Klaus Hänsch, José María Gil-Robles Gil-Delgado, Nicole Fontaine, Pat Cox and Josep Borrell.
These are records of great historical value, which show the process in which the presidents are elected and the composition of the Parliament. The programme also addresses the several processes the European Parliament and other institutions underwent during those years as a consequence of the profound political changes experienced in the European countries, a period defined by Colombo as the "democratic exaltation" of Europe. Thus, the multimedia material also deals with issues like the European budgets and funds, the expanding role of the European ideal and the political and social challenges that the notion of a united Europe faced.
Oral history of the European Parliament Presidents