President of the European Parliament
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| President of the European Parliament |
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 Logo of the Parliament |
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.jpg/107px-Hans-Gert_Poettering_(2007).jpg) |
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| Incumbent: Hans-Gert Pöttering |
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| Inaugural | Paul Henri Spaak |
| Formation | 1952 |
| Website | europarl.europa.eu/president |
The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.
Presidents serve two-and-a-half-year terms, normally divided between the two major political parties. There have been twenty-seven Presidents, since the Parliament was created in 1952 to 2007, twelve of whom have served since the first Parliamentary election in 1979. Two Presidents have been women and most have come from the older member states. The current President is Hans-Gert Pöttering.
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[edit] Role in Parliament
The President chairs debates and oversees all the activities of the Parliament and its constituent bodies (ensuring the Parliament's rules of procedure are applied), in this the role is similar to that of a speaker in a national parliament. Below the President, there are 14 Vice-Presidents who chair debates when the President is not in the chamber. The President also chairs the meetings of the Bureau, which is responsible for budgetary and administration issues, and the Conference of Presidents which is a governing body composed of the presidents of each of the parliament's political groups.[1][2]
Under the Lisbon Treaty, the President would no longer be counted as one of the 750 MEPs (post 2009, 785 in 2008) while in office. This is to keep the number of MEPs officially under the 750 cap.[3]
[edit] Position in the Union
He or she represents Parliament in all legal matters and external relations, particularly international relations. When the European Council meets, the President addresses it to give the Parliament's position on subjects on the Council's agenda. The President also takes part in Intergovernmental Conferences on new treaties. The President's signature is also required for the budget of the European Union and Union acts adopted under codecision procedure to be adopted. The President also chairs conciliation committees with the Council under these areas.[1][2]
In most countries, the protocol of the head of state comes before all others, however in the EU the Parliament is listed as the first institution, and hence the protocol of its President comes before any other European, or national, protocol. The gifts given to numerous visiting dignitaries depends upon the President. President Josep Borrell MEP of Spain gave his counterparts a crystal cup created by an artist from Barcelona which had engraved upon it parts of the Charter of Fundamental Rights among other things.[4]
[edit] Election
He or she is elected for two-and-a-half-year terms, meaning two elections per parliamentary term, hence two Presidents may serve for during any one Parliamentary term. Since the European People's Party and Party of European Socialists began co-operating in the 1980s, they have had a tradition of splitting the two posts between them. In practice this means, in 2004-2009 for example, that the People's Party supported the Socialist candidate for President and, when his term expired in 2007, the Socialists supported the People's Party candidate for President. This results in large majorities for Presidents, although there are some exceptions: for example under the People's Party–Liberal coalition, the President for the second half of the term was a Liberal, rather than a Socialist.[5]
During the election of a President, the plenary is presided over by the oldest member of the Parliament.[6] In 2004 and 2007 this was Giovanni Berlinguer MEP[7] and during the first elections in 1979, it was Louise Weiss MEP.[8] While the oldest member is in the chair, they hold all the powers of the President, but the only business that may be addressed is the election of the President.[6] Nominations are handed to oldest member before the ballot who announces them to Parliament. If no member holds an absolute majority after three ballots, a fourth is held with only the two members holding the highest number of votes on the previous ballot. If there is still a tie following this, the eldest candidate is declared elected.[9]
A number of notable figures have been President of the Parliament and its predecessors. The first President was Paul-Henri Spaak MEP, one of the founding fathers of the Union. Other founding fathers include Alcide de Gasperi MEP and Robert Schuman MEP. The two female Presidents were Simone Veil MEP in 1979 (first President of the elected Parliament) and Nicole Fontaine MEP in 1999, both Frenchwomen.[10]
[edit] List of Presidents of the European Parliament
- Further information: History of the European Union
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