Not disappointing citizens

The presence of eurosceptics has grown within the European Parliament: what’s the reason for that, in your view? “If the parties that don’t believe in Europe increase their support, that means we haven’t done enough to convince citizens of the need for European integration”. Jerzy Buzek, newly elected President of the European Parliament (EP), expertly fielded the questions put to him by journalists. The chamber in Strasbourg elected him as its new President during the inaugural session of the new legislature on 14 July, with 555 votes out of 713 being cast in his favour. In his first speech he addressed his thoughts to the concerns of Europeans: “It’s a time of crisis and citizens expect much from the EU; we cannot disappoint them”.From Solidarnosc to President of the EP. Buzek is the first MEP from an Eastern European country to assume the post of President of the EP. Born in Polish Silesia in 1940, an engineer by profession, he began his political commitment in 1980 with the birth of Solidarnosc. He participated actively in the life of the free trade union for the defence of the rights of workers and for civil liberties. Between 1997 and 2001 he assumed the post of Prime Minister in Warsaw, working for Poland’s entry into the Union. He has sat in the European Parliament since 2004. His election to the post of President, a post he will hold for a term of two and a half years, was supported by a wide coalition including the European People’s Party, Progressives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Conservatives. The left voted for a partisan candidate, the Swedish MEP Eva-Britt Svensson, while the eurosceptics cancelled their voting papers. As soon as the result of the vote was proclaimed, Buzek assumed the Presidency and made a brief speech to the chamber, citing his militancy in Solidarnosc “for the defence of human rights and democracy against the regime” and recalling the pro-European role played by John Paul II.Statuette of Saint Barbara to his predecessor. Jerzy Buzek then underlined the “duty to respond together to the great challenges by which Europe is faced” in the economic, demographic and environmental fields, and emphasized “the value of the Lisbon Treaty to give to the EU the necessary reforms to enable it to function properly”. Buzek also recalled Simone Veil, the first woman President of the EP in 1979, emphasizing the fact that “the female presence in the Parliament has increased”, with 35% of those elected now being female; “this is a good sign and we need to strive to ensure that women can work, and enter political life without this meaning they have to renounce the family dimension or maternity”. The new President then thanked his predecessor, the German Hans-Gert Poettering, to whom he presented a statuette of Saint Barbara, “protectress of miners, sculpted out of coal by a miner in the region of Poland from which I come”. Convinced support for the Lisbon Treaty. After his speech, the President held a press conference and answered the questions put to him by journalists, beginning by stressing “”the high value of the mass media, essential for enabling citizens to know what the EU is about”. He then went into overdrive: “Russia is a great country – he replied to someone who had asked him about relations between the EU and Moscow – and we must embark on a process of rapprochement. But one thing is certain: on human rights there can be no misunderstandings”. Why does he insist – he was asked – on the importance of the Lisbon Treaty? Is it a coded message to the Polish President, a well known eurosceptic, or to the Irish electors who will be called to vote in a new referendum on 2 October? “Yes, mine is a clear message. Without the reforms contained in the Treaty it’s more difficult to respond to the concrete expectations of citizens. With Lisbon we’ll give a real capacity to act to the EU”. The Parliament has decided to defer to September the vote on Barroso’s candidature for a new term as president of the Commission: what do you think of that? “I’m convinced that we need to act quickly. The problems we need to solve are so many and can no longer be shelved”. You have spoken as enlargement as a “priority”: when can the Balkans enter the EU? “When they are ready. At the present time pressing negotiations are in progress and the candidate countries must respond to precise criteria dictated by the Union. Once that’s done the EU will once again be able to enlarge its own frontiers”.The comments of the political groups. Opinions on the election of Buzek largely concur among most MEPs in Strasbourg. Joseph Daul, leader of the People’s Party group, says: “With this election there’s no longer an Eastern Europe distinct from a Western Europe. The President will be a symbol of unity”. Martin Schulz, leader of the Socialists and Democrats, adds: “His election is a historic moment for Europe twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall”. Guy Verhofstadt, Liberal Democrat, points out that the President should never forget “he has, behind him, a solid pro-European parliamentary majority that supports him”. For his part the President of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso, confirms: “Buzek’s choice represents a success for reunified Europe”.