Institutional action to reform the Treaties included the premise of the decision to require the Commission to appear before Parliament to obtain a vote of confidence and consensus on its programme , as has been the case since 1981 , beyond the letter of the Treaties .
During the legislative term , these actions were accompanied by political initiatives on the costs of non-Europe , i . e . the cost of stalling or reversing European integration . These paved the way for Jacques Delors ’ initiatives on the single market , energy supply , the restructuring or conversion of obsolete industries , legislative and financial means dedicated to structural ( social , research , agricultural , regional ) policies , aid to developing countries , the budget and own resources .
The innovative capacity of the first European Parliament , elected between 7 and 10 June 1979 by universal suffrage , developed throughout its parliamentary term and culminated in the approval of the draft treaty establishing the European Union following the democratic , constituent method . However , it ran aground in the spring of 1984 when , on the eve of the European elections from 14 to 17 June in that year , the election debates were negatively influenced by conflicts between the 10 governments on numerous issues : the budget , agricultural policy , the accession of Portugal and Spain , monetary policy with particular reference to the fluctuations of the Italian lira , international relations over the Euromissile affair and , last but not least , the model of European integration .
Conflicts between the governments of the 10 Member States , which became 12 in January 1986 after the accession of Spain and Portugal , were exacerbated by tensions in the Middle East , with Türkiye ’ s occupation of Northern Cyprus , and by Cold War tensions
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