"In performing the job you have been entrusted with, you contribute daily to the great design which is at the roots of the European Communities: to develop, among the nations of this continent, the solidarity that so cruelly failed as Europe was made to fall into two world wars". This is a passage from John Paul II’s speech to the delegates of the institutions of the European Community that he made at the premises of what was the EEC back then, in Luxembourg on May 15th 1985. A short film of the event has been included in the video and photo re-enactment of the 50 years of Parliament, on the website www.europarl.europa.eu (under completion). The anniversary of the first meeting of the assembly (19 March 1958) was commemorated last week in Strasbourg during the plenary session. Now, the website offers a historical reconstruction in 11 steps, including the start of the assembly meetings, the institutional developments and some newsflashes on the work of the MEPs, the extension, the meetings with the religious leaders, the "speakers corner", i.e. the space allocated to some illustrious characters who spoke at Parliament over the years.
