Hans-Gert Pöttering (born 15 September 1945) is a German conservative politician (CDU, European People's Party), and was the President of the European Parliament from January 2007 to July 2009. On 4 December 2009 he was elected Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation from 1 January 2010.
Hans-Gert Pöttering | |
---|---|
23rd President of the European Parliament | |
In office 16 January 2007 – 14 July 2009 | |
Vice President | |
Preceded by | Josep Borrell |
Succeeded by | Jerzy Buzek |
Leader of the European People's Party-European Democrats | |
In office 20 July 1999 – 16 January 2007 | |
Preceded by | Wilfried Martens |
Succeeded by | Joseph Daul |
Member of the European Parliament for Germany | |
In office 17 July 1979 – 30 June 2014 | |
Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation | |
Assumed office 1 January 2010 | |
Preceded by | Bernhard Vogel |
Personal details | |
Born | Bersenbrück, Germany | 15 September 1945
Political party | Christian Democratic Union |
Children | Johannes Benedict |
Residence(s) | Bad Iburg, Germany |
Alma mater | University of Bonn University of Geneva Graduate Institute of International Studies Columbia University |
Profession | Lawyer |
Website | Official website |
He has served as a Member of the European Parliament continuously since the first elections in 1979 until 2014 and was Chairman of the European People's Party-European Democrats 1999–2007.
He is a member of the Reconciliation of European Histories Group.[1]
Early life and education
Pöttering never got to know his father who was killed in action during the last days of the Second World War. After Abitur and military service, he studied law, political science and history at the University of Bonn, the University of Geneva, the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and at Columbia University in New York. He took his first state exam in jurisprudence in 1973, earned a PhD in political science and history in 1974 and took his second state exam in jurisprudence in 1976.
Political career
Pöttering was a member of the European Parliament from 1979 until 2014, the only member of the European Parliament to have served continuously since the first elections.
From 1984 to 1994 Pöttering was chairman of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. From 1994 to 1996 he chaired the working group on the Intergovernmental Conference of the European People's Party (EPP) and EPP-ED Group, the results of which became the official EPP position for the Treaty of Amsterdam.
In 1994 Pöttering became Vice-President of the EPP, and from 1999 to 2007 he was the Chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament. He was the top candidate of the CDU in the 2004 and the 2009 European elections.
Together with Volker Hassemer he is a member of the advisory board of the pro-European initiative "A Soul for Europe".
President of the European Parliament
As part of a deal with the socialist group, it was agreed that he would succeed Josep Borrell Fontelles as President of the European Parliament in the second part of the 2004–2009 term, which he did on 16 January 2007. He was elected with 450 of 689 valid votes, and defeated Italian Green Monica Frassoni, Danish Eurosceptic Jens-Peter Bonde and French Communist Francis Wurtz.
As President of the European Parliament he initiated the House of European History project. He made reference to the House in his inaugural speech in 2007.[2] For many years he is serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the House of European History in Brussels.
Political positions
Pöttering is known as an enthusiastic European Federalist and an ally of Angela Merkel. He has stated that his priority will be to rejuvenate the European Constitution.
Recognition
National honours
Germany: Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2010)[3]
Foreign honours
Austria: Grand Golden Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (2002)
Holy See: Grand Cross of the Papal Order of St Gregory the Great (2007)
Croatia: Great Cross of Merit of the Grand Order of Queen Jelena with Star and Shoulder Ribbon (2007)
Italy: 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2008)
Ukraine: 2nd Class of the Order of Prince Jaroslaw the Wise (2008)
Latvia: Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars (2009)
France: Commander of the Legion of Honour (2011)
Spain: Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit of the Kingdom of Spain (2011)
Poland: Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2013)
Lithuania: Commander of the Order for Merits to Lithuania (2013)
Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic (2013)
Estonia: 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2013)
Romania: Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania (2014)
Tunisia: Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Tunisia (2016)[4]
Awards
- Robert Schuman Medal of EPP-ED (1995)
Luxembourg: Mérite Européen Medal in Gold, Fondation du Mérite européen (2002)
- European Honorary Senator, the ‘MEP of the Year 2004’ by newspaper ‘European Voice’ (2004)
- Walter Hallstein Prize (2007)
- European Excellence Award of the Autonomous Community of Madrid ('Premio a la Excelencia Europea', 2008)
- Ben Gurion Medal of Ben Gurion University (2010)
- Polish-German Prize (2011)
Honorary degrees
- Doctor Honoris Causa of Babeş Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Opole, Poland
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the Miguel de Cervantes European University, Santiago de Chile
- Doctor Honoris Causa of Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Wrocław, Poland
- Doctor Honoris Causa of Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines
- Honorary Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Korea, Seoul
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the European Humanities University, Vilnius
- Honorary citizen of Bersenbrueck (Germany) and Opole (Poland)
Other activities
- Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Member of the Executive Board[5]
Personal life
Pöttering lives in Bad Iburg, Germany. He is Roman Catholic, divorced and has two sons.[6]
Works
- Adenauers Sicherheitspolitik 1955–1963. Ein Beitrag zum deutsch-amerikanischen Verhältnis, Droste Verlag 1975, ISBN 3-7700-0412-4
- Europas Vereinigte Staaten, Editio Interfrom 2000, ISBN 3-7201-5237-5, with Ludger Kühnhardt
- Weltpartner Europäische Union, Edition Interfrom 2001, ISBN 3-7201-5252-9, with Ludger Kühnhardt
- Kontinent Europa. Kern, Übergänge, Grenzen, Edition Interfrom 2002, ISBN 3-7201-5276-6, zusammen mit Ludger Kühnhardt
- Von der Vision zur Wirklichkeit. Auf dem Weg zur Einigung Europas, Bouvier 2004, ISBN 3-416-03053-2
References
- ^ "About Us – Reconciliation of European Histories Group". Reconciliation of European Histories Group. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/745/745721/745721_en.pdf
- ^ "Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering". Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (in German). 16 December 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
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(help) - ^ "Tunisia Weekly Update: Essid Presents Ten Measures to Fight Unemployment; Belhaj Resigns as President's Chief of Staff". POMED. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ Executive Board Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies.
- ^ http://www.epp-ed.eu/Press/peve06/docs/061114cv2-hgp-en.pdf
External links
- Biography from the official EU Parliament web site
- Official website
- President Pöttering looks back at 30 years of European elections Last retrieved 24-11-08
- Pöttering states European Parliament makes 75% of the laws passed by the European Union on YouTube.