Otto von Habsburg, as a newly elected Member of the European Parliament in 1979, had an empty chair set up for the countries on the other side of the Iron Curtain in the European Parliament, and took a strong interest in the countries behind the Iron Curtain during his tenure. Otto von Habsburg played a central role in the revolutions of 1989.
The video is a part of the 'A Place to Stand' documentary. The film by Anna Ferens tells a fascinating story of how the European Parliament demanded in the 1980s the release of political prisoners and the introduction of democratic freedoms in the countries of the Eastern bloc. Based on unpublished archival materials and interviews with MEPs and oppositionists from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, the film refers to more than 50 European Parliament resolutions which were adopted between 1980--1990.
