Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has today hailed the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the European Parliament as an example of how unity triumphs over adversity.
Speaking in Strasbourg where a special ceremony took place to commemorate and celebrate the European Parliament’s history and legacy, MEP Kelleher said:
“This Parliament, like our European adventure, is a political miracle. Born out of the ashes of World War II, those who founded the then parliament of the European Coal and Steel Community would never have believed how far it, the assembly of European citizens, has developed.
“Every month, in the hemicycle, hundreds of national parties from 27 countries manage to find agreement on complex and sometimes divisive issues. Be it climate laws, digital rights, agricultural budgets, minimum wages, we strengthen our collective unity through open and honest debate. The European Parliament moves faster and more efficiently more often than not compared to the other European institutions.
“Today, at our ceremony, along with the Prime Ministers of France, Belgium and Luxembourg, the host nations of the Parliament, the Renew Europe group, of which Fianna Fáil MEPs are proud members, recommitted itself as the leading pro-European Parliamentary Group. We believe that reform and empowerment of the Parliament is necessary to build a stronger, more democratic European Union,” concluded Kelleher.
