Jean Monnet’s role in the creation of the European Council, 48 years ago today, is little known. This is the last major project to be launched by the President of the Action County for the United States of Europe.

As early as December 1969, its Action Committee for the United States of Europe noted the need to strengthen political cooperation between member states and decision-making capacity. As early as 1971, he urged us to avoid doctrinal discussions on the form this cooperation should take (federation, confederation), and proposed as an objective the creation of a “European government capable of taking decisions and subject to democratic control”. In 1973, he proposed to the Community’s 9 Heads of State that they set up a provisional European government, meeting quarterly, with a view to transforming itself into a genuine European government, while the Assembly would be elected by universal suffrage. When they both came to power in May 1974, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and Helmut Schmidt, both members of Monnet’s action committee, seized on this objective, and at the end of the Paris summit on December 9-10 1974, the French President declared to the press: “It could be said that we attended the last European Summit and took part in the first European Council”. Although Jean Monnet never used the term “European Council”, his last major project was the creation of an intergovernmental body capable of taking decisions on the future of the Community.