Louise Weiss - A pioneer of a united Europe
Today, 42 years later, we remember a visionary who not only thought Europe, but lived it. Louise Weiss died on May 26, 1983. A woman whose life seems like a novel, written by hand in the ink of the 20th century.
Born in Arras in 1893, Louise Weiss grew up in a family that combined French, German and Jewish roots. This cultural diversity shaped her understanding of identity and reconciliation. During the First World War, she worked as a nurse and founded a military hospital for wounded soldiers. She became convinced that peace was only possible through understanding.
In 1918, she founded the magazine L'Europe Nouvelle, a forum for international cooperation and European integration. In the 1930s, she fought for women's suffrage in France. With the association she founded, La Femme Nouvelle, she organized public campaigns to draw attention to the political disenfranchisement of women. Although her symbolic candidacy in the 1935 and 1936 elections was unsuccessful, she received over 16,000 votes.
During the Second World War, she joined the Resistance and worked in the Patriam Récuperare network. After the war, together with Gaston Bouthoul, she founded the Institute of Polemology, which investigated the causes of conflicts. She traveled the world, made documentaries and wrote travelogues to promote understanding between cultures.
Europe will regain its former stature only through reigniting the beacons of conscience, life and law
In 1979, at the age of 86, she was elected to the first directly elected European Parliament. As a senior citizen, she opened the first session with a speech in which she called on MEPs to unite Europe on the basis of common culture and not just economic interests. She warned against a paralyzing “cult of the elderly” and emphasized the importance of identity, birth rate and human rights for Europe's future. Watch her speech here.
Her words still resonate today. At a time when Europe is grappling with many global crises, the European Union is more dependent than ever on voices like hers. Louise Weiss knew that Europe is not a geographical coincidence, but a political project that must be defended anew every day. The fact that young people today can live, study and work freely across borders is also thanks to her lifelong work for peace and integration.
After her death, the main building of the European Parliament in Strasbourg was named after her. A bronze bust in the entrance area commemorates her legacy. A museum has been set up in Saverne to document her life and work.
Louise Weiss was a pioneer whose commitment to peace, equality and European unity continues to inspire today. Her life shows that change is possible if you have the courage to stand up for your convictions.