Former President of the European Parliament and former MEP Lord Henry Plumb passed away on 15 April 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, Lord Henry Plumb served as a British Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1999.
In 1987, Lord Plumb became President of the European Parliament, an office which he held until 1989.
At the political level, Lord Plumb's mandate as President was marked mainly by the entry into force of the Single Act, which led to a strengthening of the legislative powers of the European Parliament through the introduction of cooperation and assent procedures.
At the international level, his leadership with regard to relations with the Soviet Union should be particularly noted, in particular the creation of an interparliamentary delegation that first met in March 1989 in Moscow. He also oversaw the official visit of Michael Gorbachev to Strasbourg in July 1989.
In December 2021, the Historical Archives of the European Parliament transferred to Florence over 1,800 files from his Office’s activities within Parliament and relations with internal and external bodies.
These documents are classified in files relating to specific procedures and according to the various activities carried out during the mandate of the President. They will be soon available for consultation in our reading-room.
Documents on the Second Legislature of the European Parliament at the Historical Archives of the European Union may be accessed here.
Pictured above: Monica Baldi, Lord Henry Plumb, Patrick Masterson, and Yves Mény on the occasion of the awarding to Lord Henry Plumb the medal for "Unione dei Popoli”, held in the Badia Fiesolana on 16 October 1998 (HAEU MB 110)