1979 European Parliament election
The 1979 European Parliament election was a series of parliamentary elections held across all 9 European Community member states. They were the first European elections to be held, allowing citizens to elect 410 MEPs to the European Parliament, and also the first international election in history.
Image: Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild F061785 0005, Hamburg, CDU Bundesparteitag, Egon Klepsch (cropped)
Image: Giorgio Amendola 1972
Image: Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild F052010 0020, Kiel, FDP Bundesparteitag, Bangemann
Helmut Schmidt on the campaign trail in 1979
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957, aiming to foster economic integration among its member states. It was subsequently renamed the European Community (EC) upon becoming integrated into the first pillar of the newly formed European Union in 1993. In the popular language, however, the singular European Community was sometimes inaccurately used in the wider sense of the plural European Communities, in spite of the latter designation covering all the three constituent entities of the first pillar.
French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed British membership, held back the development of Parliament's powers and was at the centre of the 'empty chair crisis' of 1965.
The High Authority had more executive powers than the Commission which replaced it.
The European Parliament held its first elections in 1979, slowly gaining more influence over Community decision making.
