04 Lug 2014
Inviato da Anthony Brown 
President of the European Parliament
The start of this 8th mandate of the European Parliament was marked by the re-election of Martin Schulz and the debate with the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
The first re-election of a President…
The official opening of the new Parliament started with the play of the European anthem – Beethoven’s Ode To Joy. Then MEPs kicked off their new term with the election of its President, its 14 Vice-Presidents and its five Quaestors.
MEPs re-elected the German Social-democrat Martin Schulz as President of the European Parliament for another two and a half year term. He obtained an absolute majority of the votes cast on the first ballot. Mr Schulz is the first President in the history of the European Parliament to be re-elected for a second two and a half year term.
In a brief address to the European Parliament immediately after the vote Martin Schulz declared: ” Our Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, is the beating heart of democracy in the European Union. We play the same role at EU level as our counterparts do at national level, our common tasks being to appoint the executive after an election, to guide its work by adopting legislation and to scrutinise its performance of that work.”
Debates on the Future of Europe…
MEPs discussed during this first plenary session, the results of last week’s European Council with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and Commission President José Manuel Barroso. The lively debate focused on the candidacy of Jean Claude Juncker for the post of Commission President and the EU’s priorities for the next five years.
The political highlight of this first session was certainly the key debate with Prime Minister Renzi on 2 July, which marked the beginning of the Italian Presidency of the Council.
In a wide-ranging address to the European Parliament, the Italian Prime Minister said the challenge of the six-month presidency was not solely about organizing a “list of meetings”. “The real challenge that our continent faces is to find Europe’s soul again, to get back to the real meaning of our being here together.”
The debate touched upon a broad range of issues, from the Italian contribution to Europe through the ages to the place of Europe in a fast-changing world.
Links:
2014 European Elections results
Inaugural speech by Martin Schulz as President of the European Parliament
