Strasbourg, 16/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - “715 voters, blank or spoilt ballot papers 26n votes expressed 689, absolute majority of 345 needed for first round. Jens-Peter Bonde 46 votes, Francis Wurtz 48 votes, Monica Frassoni 145 votes, Hans-Gert Pöttering 450 votes...I welcome this election, and give him my best wishes for his mandate and invite him to take his seat in full legitimacy”, proclaimed Giovanni Berlinguer (PES, Italy), the most senior member of the European Parliament on Tuesday 16 January. At the age of 61 German Christian Democrat Hans-Gert Pöttering becomes the new president of the EP, succeeded Spanish Socialist Josep Borrell for a mandate of two and a half years. The informal agreement between the PES and the EPP was respected overall and therefore allowed Pöttering to be elected in the first round. Monica Frassoni got a respectable score, 100 more than the number of members of her group.
Congratulated both as a man and a politician by the three other candidates by the presidents of the eight political groups, as well as several European Commissioners, Mr Pöttering then made his first declaration, “You have just given me your trust for an important, beautiful yet difficult task. I will do my best and strive to serve citizens of the EU, democracy and inter-parliamentarianism. I will work for a democratic and strong Europe that is able to take action in the world. I will respect human dignity and solidarity between European citizens. I say to all European citizens that it is only by acting together that Europeans will be able to defend their values in the world”.
The new president of the EP will present his work programme during a session on 13 February to which all former presidents of the European institution will be invited. He, nevertheless sketched out later in a press conference the three main themes of his presidency: 1) promote a “Europe of citizens” as Europe is “more than just economic” and is responsible for transmitting values. Pöttering wanted the support of the media to “present a Europe of challenges but of accomplishments too”; 2) revitalise the substance of the Constitutional treaty and by not watering down “any efforts for reform”; 3) relaunch the “dialogue of cultures” particularly with the Arab world and Israel through he Euromed process, which should be more focused on civil society.
Pöttering then mentioned the “two main summits” in the first half of 2007. On 25 March in Berlin, “I will make the declaration” marking the 50th anniversary of the EU “become an act of faith in solidarity between peoples”. He cited the example of solidarity needed with Poland in its stormy relations with Russia over energy, as well as the meeting of all countries that have been the “victims of terrorism”, and the phenomenon of “immigration”. Known for his commitment to including Christian values in the Constitutional treaty, this German Christian Democrat said that in his new job he would not be able to represent his own opinion on this question has he had done when he was president of the EPP-ED group.
On the Constitutional Treaty he said that he wanted to “conserve the substance of the treaty, which was the only condition for launching reforms”. He reiterated his support for the “values of part II” of the text on the Charter of Fundamental Rights. “All actors should sooner or later accept a compromise” on this dossier on which there should be a debate at the EP in total transparency and “focusing on the results that we want to obtain”. On Thursday, Pöttering will go to his Osnabruck constituency in Lower Saxony, then to Luxembourg. Pöttering indicated that Luxembourg like the seventeen other members had ratified the constitutional treaty in July 2006 (EUROPE 8988) and that the countries that had said “yes” should not be forgotten. He also said that those that had not ratified the treated needed convincing.
Reactions for the European Commission political groups
Joseph Daul, recently elected as president of the EPP-ED group gave his “unflinching support” to Mr Pöttering. He said that many national parliaments deserved the election of their president, which is what happened with the EP. Speaking for the PES, German Social Democrat Martin Schulz indicated that his group would “loyally work” with the new EP president and expected “neutrality and loyalty” in return. Graham Watson, the president of the ALDE referred to the zenith of a remarkable parliamentary career that began with the first election by universal suffrage to the EP. He aid that most in his group had voted for Pöttering and called on him to join those supporting reform of the institution. Cristiana Muscardini speaking for the UEN group said that she was confident that with this election the EP would be able to tackle major themes such as problems in Africa (Nigeria and Somalia) and not just “sterile questions”. She said that they needed to “protect our identities and traditions”. “Who would have thought you were a fan of Jimmy Cliff? You can get it if you really want?” joked Greens group deputy leader, Daniel Cohn-Bendit. He had “no doubts about (Mr Pöttering's) impartiality”, even though it would “sometimes be difficult”, especially when he had to represent the EP at the European Council, whose current President, Angela Merkel, is a member of his party. On the question of the EP seat, Mr Cohn-Bendit felt that it “would be to the honour of the EP if it had this debate” because “it is not right not to discuss an issue which is being discussed elsewhere”. Francis Wurtz, the leader of the GUE/NGL group spoke of a “legitimate and logical election”. Addressing Mr Pöttering directly, he said, “You have strong convictions which cause disagreement between us and ethical convictions which make you worthy of genuine respect”. Jens-Peter Bonde, ID group candidate, said he had known the outcome” since 2004”. He nonetheless praised the merits of the “debate” which took place in the course of the election which was “not simply a coronation” (the previous day, at a conference of candidates organised by the weekly European Voice, he offered a crown to the future President: Ed.). Bruno Gollnisch, the leader of the new ITS group (see related article), while finding it “a little annoying that (his) election was achieved at the cost of a compromise between two rival groups in relation to the electors and a little too much agreement on the management of the EP and the future of Europe”. Finally, Irena Belahorská (NA, Slovakia) wished the new President “Good health” and “lots of patience”. She called on him to “end the discrimination” against non-attached MEPs.
“No one knows the EP better than (you),” said José Manuel Barroso, on behalf of the Commission. He “very, very sincerely” congratulated Mr Pöttering. “the responsibility is rich in challenges,” he warned, believing that his “vision of a political Europe” as the only way to strengthen Europe's place in the world and his attachment to “justice, human rights, human dignity, and fairness to all” were indispensable for this role to be carried out properly. He spoke too of a “special responsibility”: Mr Pöttering was the first President elected by a Parliament made up of representatives of 27 Member States.
Mr Barroso then made a plea for an inter-institutional “partnership”. “The common interest of the European institutions is for us to back one another up,” he stressed. He called for the creation of a “very wide coalition to fight for European values”, by going “beyond differences” in order to bring success to “a common objective: peace, democracy, human rights”.
Return to other candidates' manifestos
Giovanni Berlinguer (PES, Italy), the oldest MEP, joked as he opened the constituting session that this was the second time he had, without merit, presided over this Parliament. He stressed the continuity of EP activities, with the arrival of Bulgarian and Romanian MEPs after nearly “50 years of total peace” on the continent of Europe, and the “criticisms” to which Europe had to respond, particularly on “institutional and social issues”. He said that we live in a globalised world in which progress and injustice are increasing. He than allowed each candidate five minutes to present his/her political priorities.
Jens-Peter Bonde immediately attacked on his favourite ground: a single seat for the EP (Mock €250 million notes were being passed around the press room to denounce the annual cost of moving between Brussels and Strasbourg: Ed.). He suggested implementing a “proportional system” to allow the small independent groups and small delegations within a political group to have their voices heard. “All MEPs are equal,” he said, denouncing the lack of the “No (to the Constitutional Treaty) voice” in official meetings and debates with national parliaments. He concluded, “Democracy is to be found in the treatment of minorities!”
Recalling that the “EP is the only supranational parliament elected by universal suffrage”, Monica Frassoni said the future president should assert the place of this European institution in relation to national governments and prevent it from becoming simply a place of “acquiescence”. The EP must also, she said, continue to speak with a “powerful voice” on themes such as the US military prison in Guantanamo, and human rights violations in China and in Cuba. She considered the question of the seat “vital for the EP's credibility” with European citizens, one million of which have signed the petition in favour of a single seat for the institution (see EUROPE 9270). The only woman candidate also considered it necessary to upturn the current tendency to have a political colouring of EP officials.
Francis Wurtz said his candidature was a “powerful political act and the opportunity to clearly state the differences between candidates”. He recalled the “constancy and the lack of ambiguity” with which he defends “an alternative vision of the liberal Europe” recommended by Mr Pöttering and the EPP-ED political groups, ALDE and UEN. His candidacy encompasses “five dimensions”. These are: - the social dimension to put an end to competition between national social models; the environmental level to resist the decline in environmental ambition in the name of competitiveness; the solidarity level turning its back on “fortress Europe”; the democratic level daring to give citizens the right to speak; and the global level to change the situation in Iraq and promote a just and lasting peace in Palestine, and a real development strategy for Africa. “Allied with the United States - yes. Aligned with the United States- no!”, he hammered out. (hb)
The following MEPs have been elected as EP vice-presidents: Adam Bielan (UEN, Poland), Luigi Cocilovo (ALDE, Italy), Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP-ED, Greece), Mario Mauro (EPP-ED, Italy), Edward McMillan-Scott (EPP-ED, UK), Luisa Morgantini (GUE-NGL, Italy), Pierre Moscovici (PES, France), Miguel Angel Martinez Martinez (PES, Spain), Gérard Onesta (Greens-EFA, France), Mechtild Rothe (PES, Germany), Manuel Antonio dos Santos (PES, Portugal), Marec Maciej Siwiec (EPP-ED, Poland), Alejo Vidal Quadras (EPP-ED, Spain) and Diana Wallis (ALDE, UK). (mb)