The European Parliamentary Union (EPU) was a private organization set up by

Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi Richard Nikolaus Eijiro, Count of Coudenhove-Kalergi (16 November 1894 – 27 July 1972) was an Austrian-Japanese politician, philosopher and Count of Coudenhove-Kalergi. A pioneer of European integration, he served as the founding president of ...

, who was also its Secretary General. It held its preliminary conference on 4–5 July 1947 at

Gstaad Gstaad ( ; ) is a town in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Bern in southwestern Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Saanen and is known as a major ski resort and a popular destination amongst high society and the internatio ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and followed it with its first full conference from 8 to 12 September. Kalergi’s aim was to draft a

European Constitution The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European U ...

. The EPU asked some 4000 members of Parliament of 13 European countries to decide for or against a European Federation in the framework of the United Nations. The project was criticized by

Denis de Rougemont Denys Louis de Rougemont (September 8, 1906 – December 6, 1985), known as Denis de Rougemont (), was a Swiss writer and cultural theorist who wrote in French. One of the non-conformists of the 1930s, he addressed the perils of totalitarianis ...

and

Duncan Sandys Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys (; 24 January 1908 – 26 November 1987), was a British politician and minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a son-in-law of Winston Churchill and played a key ro ...

, son-in-law of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, founder of the

European Movement The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it. History The origins of the ...

, who advocated a model based on an intergovernmental co-operation without any loss of national sovereignty. The EPU played a prominent role in the

Congress of the Hague The Hague Congress or the Congress of Europe, considered by many as the first federal moment in European history, was held in The Hague from 7–11 May 1948 with 750 delegates participating from around Europe as well as observers from Canada and ...

, 7–10 May 1948. The second EPU Congress was held from 1 to 5 September 1948 in

Interlaken , neighboring_municipalities= Bönigen, Därligen, Matten bei Interlaken, Ringgenberg, Unterseen , twintowns = Scottsdale (USA), Ōtsu (Japan), Třeboň (Czech Republic) Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and mun ...

, Switzerland. On 20 September 1949, the EPU met for the third time in Venice and voted a resolution in favour of greater European political integration and an extension of the powers of the Consultative Assembly of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

, which had just been established. In 1949, the British MP

Kim Mackay Ronald William Gordon Mackay (3 September 1902 – 15 January 1960), known as Kim Mackay, was an Australian-born British Labour Party (and briefly Common Wealth Party) politician known for his European federalist views. Born in Bathurst, New So ...

became chair of the EPU. The creation of the Council of Europe resulted in a loss of influence for the EPU, since European parliaments now had their own intergovernmental forum in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

. On 18 May 1950, Kalergi was the first person to be awarded the International Charlemagne Prize of the City of

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

. In 19.-20 June 1950, Rheinfelden, Switzerland, the EPU organised a Conference of German and French Parliamentarians. Shortly afterwards, the EPU was merged with the

. Kalergi was elected honorary president of the European Movement in 1952.

References

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External links

*
A visionary proved himself to be a realist : Richard N. Coudenhove-Kalergi Austria and the United States of Europe, 1923-2003/ by Michael Gehler
* Archival sources on th
European Parliamentary Union
at th
Historical Archives of the EU
in Florence International political organizations International organizations based in Europe Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi