German President
January 16, 2007
Hans-Gert Pöttering, 61, is a familiar face in Brussels. Since 1979, the German conservative has been a member of the European Parliament and was, until recently, chairman of the European People's Party -- a post he held for seven years.
The European People's Party -- a center-right grouping -- is the largest group in parliament and includes the governing parties of France and Germany.
While Pöttering's long experience in Brussels is a point in his favor, his election to the top job was an almost done deal after an agreement was struck between two of the assembly's two biggest parties. A close ally of Angela Merkel, he will take over the presidential mantle from Spanish socialist Josep Borrell.
The European Parliament sits in both Brussels and the French city of Strasbourg.
Breathing life into the constitution
A native of the German state of Lower Saxony, Pöttering has said his priority will be to rejuvenate the EU constitution, which has been in cold storage ever since voters in France and Holland rejected it in 2005. That is also the stated aim of Germany, which took over the EU rotating presidency on Jan. 1.
In a recent interview with the Reuters news agency, Pöttering said he intended to make the European Parliament "the best known assembly in the world" through the ratification of the beleaguered constitution.
"It is very important that we realize the substance of the constitution, which means more power to the European Parliament," he said.
The powers of the European Parliament have increased considerably since Pöttering joined the assembly in 1979. In recent years, it has increasingly had a say in drafting key legislation in areas such as the internal market, environment and transportation.
Pöttering has said that he would like to see those powers increased even further.
"I would like to see by the time I have finished as president, parliament would have nearly 100 percent co-decision in areas such as immigration, where we don't have any say," he said. "This is in the democratic interest of people."
"Stop sending grandfathers to European Parliament"
In a recent interview with Deutsche Welle, the veteran German politician also said that bringing the EU and its parliament closer to the people as well as focusing on Europe's relationship with the Islamic world would take priority.
Though Pöttering -- known for his consensus-loving attitude -- is not expected to rock the European Parliament boat, he did tell Reuters he would campaign to stop political parties from sending "gray" members to the EU assembly. He was referring to the idea of the EU legislature being used as a last stop for politicians before retirement.
"We used to have a saying in Germany, which translated means: 'If you have a grandfather, then send him to Europe,'" he said. "I think this thinking must stop."
Dealing with the far-right threat
The future president of the European Parliament will also have to deal with a new threat posed by the formation of a new far-right European parliamentary group with the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU on Jan. 1.
Called "Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty" (IST), it broadly opposes immigration, Turkish EU membership and the constitution.
"When members of parliament, irrespective of their opinions, form a faction then they get official status in Parliament and are entitled to funds and speaking time," Pöttering said. "That's why I regret this development because it strengthens their position on an organizational level."
The challenge, the German conservative said, would be to urge voters to rethink their choices.
"It will be the responsibility of other factions to engage in intense political discussions with (the IST) and convince people that they should ensure they aren't represented in the European Parliament next time," he said.