European Conference of Presidents of Parliament

Strasbourg, 17 - 19 May 2004

"The European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments, held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 17-19 May 2004, brought together more than sixty Presidents and Speakers of the Parliaments of our 45 member States. It was a landmark event in 2004 for the Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe, and all participating national Parliaments and European Assemblies.

The themes chosen for 2004 were in my opinion timely, challenging and relevant, not only for Parliamentarians, but also for European citizens. We debated how much confidence our citizens really have in democratic State institutions and political parties, and in what ways the public is involved in political life and decision-making.(...)" Peter SCHIEDER