Communicating democracy , promoting participation
Debora Righetti
Public Relations Officer at the Jean Monnet House of the European Parliament
As one reads the contributions to this book , among the emerging themes are the gradual broadening of the powers of the European Parliament and its growing role in the functioning of the European institutions . This development was made possible by the struggles and determination of men and women who saw in this institution , elected by universal suffrage , the centre point of European democracy , as it directly represented the citizens of the European Union .
The Single European Act , which was the first substantial amendment to the Treaty of Rome , recognised the fundamental role of the European Parliament 1 . Moreover , the establishment of the coope-
1 . Extract from the preamble , Single European Act , 1986 : ‘ Convinced that the European idea , the results achieved in the fields of economic integration and political cooperation , and the need for new developments correspond to the wishes of the democratic peoples of Europe , for whom the European Parliament , elected by universal suffrage , is an indispensable means of expression ’.
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