08/08/2003 (Agence Europe) - As we previously indicated (see EUROPE 4 July p 8), the European Popular Party (Christian Democrats) and the European Democrats at the pap on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary, celebrated in July in Strasbourg, published a book entitled, "50 Years of the EPP-ED Group in the Service of a united Europe". The books begins with the first draft of the Schuman Declaration, with the crossings out, notes in the margin and the many photographs accompanying it, as well as the different historic stages of the group, which began on 23 June 1953 with the creation of the Christian Democrat group a the Joint Assembly at the ECSC, Chaired from May 1954 by Alcide De Gasperi and from 1958-1960 by Robert Schuman. In the book we see the changes in the group, after its expansion to non Christian Democrats (it was renamed the EPP in 1978 and became the EPP-ED in 1999 (to take into account he position of allied MEPs, is explained in the text. The book represents a synthesis of European history over the last fifty years and looks at some of the forgotten episodes, like the special session of the European Parliament on jobs, organised "exceptionally" in Brussels on 27-28 April 1983.