Oldest Member (European Parliament)

The Oldest Member is the eldest Member of European Parliament at the beginning of a new legislature and at the mid-term election of a new President of the European Parliament. Until 2009, the Oldest Member, similar to the Father of the House, presided over the chamber during the election of the President. This privilege was abolished in 2009.

From the European Parliament's first session on, the parliament's Rules of Procedure gave the oldest member the privilege to chair proceedings until a new President was elected. In the meantime, however, no other business was to be transacted unless concerned with the election.

This provision gave room for an opening speech from the oldest member, before the chair was taken by the newly elected President. In 1979, the first oldest member of the European Parliament, Louise Weiss, gave a one-hour-speech and received both standing ovations and a warm public reception. The same held true for her immediate successors Jacqueline Thome-Patenôtre and Nikolaos Gazis.

After the 1989 European Parliament election, it turned out that the 87 years old far-right politician Claude Autant-Lara of the French National Front would be the oldest member and therefore entitled to give the opening speech.

In front of a nearly empty house, Autant-Lara gave the longest opening speech ever, spreading fear of American "cultural invaders" he said would colonise and endanger European culture more than the Soviet Union. In a final appeal, he asked the youth to turn down a Coke for a glass of Alsacian wine only once. The speech was widely criticised as meandering and mostly absurd, but also nationalist, anti-American and even antisemitic.

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