Shaping Europe: Impressions of Three MepsPaperback, 1 January 2000

In the history of European integration few steps have been as important as the change from appointed Assembly to elected Parliament in 1979. These three candid reminiscences by three MEP's (Member of European Parliament) blend personal impressions with an analysis of the growing power and importance of the European Parliament over twenty years since it was first directly elected. Based on insider experience from the mainstream political traditions -- Carole Tongue for the Socialists, Henry Plumb for the Conservatives and Florus Wijsenbeek for the Liberals - this book informs as well as entertains, putting a human face on the politics of power in Brussels and Strasbourg. Through their parliamentary activity over the years, they have helped to shape Europe. The Treaty of Rome speaks of an ever closer union of the peoples of Europe. The European Parliament has become its clearest political expression yet, and these three MEP's reflections, written as much from their political as from their personal standpoints, offer the reader insights into this continuing process.