Marga Klompé
Marga Klompé (1912-1986) was a prominent Dutch politician born in Arnhem, the Netherlands. During the Second World War, she obtained a Doctor of Science in Mathematics and a Doctor of Science in Physics. She continued to study medicine, but when the University of Utrecht was closed by the German occupation, she joined the resistance as a member of the female voluntary corps. After the end of the war, she became one of the negotiators of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration on Human Rights. A member of the Catholic People's Party (KVP), she joined the Dutch centre-left coalition government in 1956 as the first female Minister in the Netherlands' history. In her role of Minister for Social Work and Public Health, she played a significant role in advocating for social welfare reforms, laying the foundations for the Dutch welfare state. In 1979, she was the twenty-first person in Dutch history to be granted the honorary title of Minister of State, and the first woman to be so designated.
Even before embarking on her career as an elected politician in the Netherlands, Marga Klompé was deeply involved in European affairs. In 1949, she was a member of the Dutch parliamentary delegation accredited to the first meeting of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe. As a strong advocate for European cooperation, she served on the Schuman Plan Committee and, in 1952, became the first woman to serve on the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, the predecessor of the European Parliament. She contributed to the draft Treaty aimed at creating the European Political Community. In the Common Assembly, Marga Klompé sat on the Committee on Political Affairs and External Relations. In 1953 she drafted a report that discussed relations with the Council of Europe, the potential association of the United Kingdom and relations with third countries. The entire report can be read here.
Louise Weiss
Louise Weiss was born into an upper middle class family in Alsace, France in 1893. When war broke out in 1914, she was 21 years old and had just obtained her agrégation in literature. Like many of her generation, she became involved in the conflict by helping to care for wounded soldiers in Saint-Quay-Portrieux. For her studies, discouraged by the low pay of teachers, she turned to journalism, where European politics and diplomacy were her main subjects. She became editor of the magazine L'Europe Nouvelle, which she edited for 16 years. From 1934 she became involved in the fight for women's suffrage. When the Second World War broke out, Weiss stepped back from public life.
In 1979, Jacques Chirac chose Louise Weiss as the fifth candidate on the Rally for the Republic list for the European elections. A fervent opponent of the Veil Act and abortion rights, she found herself in opposition to Simone Veil, who headed the Union for French Democracy list and would become president of the European Parliament. Nevertheless, at the age of 86, as the recognised doyenne of the parliamentary assembly, Louise Weiss had the honour of giving the address prior to the vote for Parliament’s president. In her long speech, the full version of which is available here, she looked back at the major events in the history of Europe and discussed its future challenges. She heralded back to her past commitment to women's suffrage in the 1930s, stating: "I say universal suffrage, because women had the full share of rights that they were entitled to." On Europeana, an exhibition about Louise Weiss’ life can be visited.
This is a modal window.
Simone Veil
Simone Veil (1927–2017) was a French lawyer and politician who left an important mark on post-war Europe. Born to a Jewish family in Nice, she was deported to Auschwitz as a teenager. After surviving the Holocaust, she pursued a law degree in Paris and became an advocate for human rights and social justice. Veil’s most notable political achievement for women’s rights was perhaps her role in securing the legalisation of abortion in France. As Minister of Health from 1974 to 1979, she championed the so-called Loi Veil or Veil Act, which legalised abortion in France and secured reproductive rights for women. Throughout her life, Simone Veil remained a symbol of resilience, courage, and advocacy for justice, especially for women. In recognition of her contributions, she was posthumously honoured with a place in the Panthéon in Paris, a tribute reserved for France’s most esteemed figures.
During her lifetime, Simone Veil was also a significant figure in European integration. In 1979 she was the first woman to be named President of the European Parliament. Veil’s legislative term was characterised by her commitment to promoting human rights and her advocacy for a stronger role of the Parliament. The papers of her cabinet are held at the HAEU. In November 1980 Simone Veil visited the European University Institute, which had been established a few years prior. In her speech, she referred to the first years of the integration project which were marked by the desire to establish peace on the European continent. Once achieved, she believed the European project lost some of its momentum. “Je crois que si beaucoup de nos citoyens, en particulier de nos jeunes, ne se mobilisent pas davantage en faveur de l'Europe, c'est parce que cette situation de paix et de solidarité leur paraît maintenant définitivement acquise.” Veil spoke against a technocratic, solely economically driven organisation and argued that, instead, the Community should find the way again to European identity. Veil’s commitment to advancing the unity of Europe was recognised in 1981, when she was awarded the prestigious Charlemagne Prize.
Speech of Simone Veil at the European University Institute. HAEU, EUI-724.