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Buzek elected European Parliament’s president
Former Polish prime minister to head the European Parliament for two-and-a-half years
di Staff
Polish centre-right MEP Jerzy Buzek was elected yesterday, July 14th, as the president of the European Parliament by a massive majority.
Buzek, a former prime minister of Poland, received 555 of 644 votes cast. His only rival, Swedish far-left MEP Eva-Britt Svensson, received 89 votes.
In his speech Buzek thanked MEPs who had voted for him and promised to “try to convince” those who had not supported him. “I intend to work with all of you regardless of political convictions,” he said.
He pledged to work on human rights and reforming the Parliament. He said it was important to bring citizens closer to the EU as they were becoming “more and more indifferent”.
Morevoer, Buzek declared that citizens expected the EU institutions to “get us out of the crisis” and ensure there were jobs. He also stressed the importance of energy security and tackling climate change.
Underlining the significance of the Lisbon treaty, Buzek stated it was essential for making the EU more effective, especially on the international stage.
Buzek received congratulations from most political group leaders, many of whom echoed the symbolic importance of electing someone from central and eastern Europe as the president of parliament.
Also José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, expressed his “heartfelt congratulations” to Buzek. He said Buzek’s election 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall was “a resounding victory for a united Europe”. He said he believed Buzek was “predestined to act as a powerful president of the European Parliament” and called for the Commission and the Parliament to work together to be the “driving force” of the EU.
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