(Strasbourg) – "The signature of the Treaty of Lisbon by Polish president Lech Kaczynski is a step forward towards the completion of the ratification process. Now we only need the signature of the Czech president that I hope will come soon". Jerzy Buzek, president of the European Parliament, opened the plenary session with a statement focused on three points. After the reference to the Treaty of Lisbon, the president highlighted that tomorrow the EU Parliament will stage its first "Question Hour" with José Manuel Barroso, a new procedure within the hemicycle during which MEPs will submit their questions to the president of the European Commission. "This will happen for all the sessions to be held in Strasbourg", explained Buzek, and this "will make our debates more intense". Finally the president took position against the death penalty. "Too many countries have still recourse to capital punishment and do not even respect the moratorium established by the UN". The Polish politician then highlighted that "even in Europe there is a country, namely Belarus, in which this inhuman punishment continues to be used". The speaker then recalled other cases in Iran, China and the United States, reaffirming the "Parliament’s commitment to the eradication of capital punishment from every region of the world".
