European leaders held a ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, to mark the institution’s 70th anniversary.
EP President Roberta Metsola addressed the house and said although the European Parliament may not be perfect, it should continue to push for positive change in the world.
“I am not here to say that we are perfect. We are not. Our process is sometimes frustrating. Progress is not always fast enough or deep enough or easy enough,” Metsola said.
“We must keep reforming. We must keep pushing for positive change, day in and day out. But I am proud of our achievements as our way of being a beacon of the defence of democracy, of the way that we have never been indifferent,” she added.
Formerly the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Parliament developed into a directly elected chamber with legislative and financial powers.
It now consists of 705 members from all 27 EU countries and is based in three locations; Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg.
