just a vision of familiar realpolitik ; it was a common view on a scar that we would like to heal in the future .
The priorities in the election campaign were to implement the Horizon 1992 , a Community without borders based on the four freedoms , with the addition of the social dimension and the protection of the environment . We fostered a democratic Europe , as had been drafted in 1984 in the “ Treaty establishing the European Union ”, based on the double legitimacy of States and citizens , and the protection of human rights .
Our main challenge was to explain to voters and convince them of the value of their ballot , because the only link an elected member of the European Parliament had was to their political group based on ‘ political affinities ’ - European political parties did not exist - but without any link to or power over the election of the President of the Commission . There was no connection or leverage between the citizen and the European Parliament in terms of legislative power , which was in the hands of the Council of Ministers . Parliament had only a limited power in relation to the spending budget , won through a hard fight . In spite of this , the election turnout was 59 %.
A key point that was not controversial in the campaign was the joint endeavour to support the effort to make one big leap towards the European Union : “ un saut dans l ’ inconnu ” was the answer that Robert Schuman gave to a journalist , after reading his Declaration in 1950 . Later , he became the first President of the European Parliament .
The newly elected members of the European Parliament were thus able to react in a positive way to the unexpected fall of the Berlin Wall on the evening of 9 November 1989 . I was preparing
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