A Polish number one in the EU
Jerzy Buzek is the prospective president of the European parliament (EP). At the 14th July in the first round of voting 555 of the 736 Strasbourgian parliamentarians voted for Buzek. The only opponent Eva-Britt Svensson had been chanceless with 89 votes. Therefore Buzek is the first parliamentarian, of the new EU countries, elected into such a high EU-position.
At home the 69years old is considered to me the most important polish citizen since Pope Johannes Paul II died. After the parliament election Buzek invoked to get nearer to the citizens. The worst crisis of the EU would be a crisis of trust. The Members of parliament should be more sensitive towards the issues in their election districts. The Lisabon reform treaty could enable the EU to become internationally more effective. His further priorities would be the energy- and research policy, the fight against the financial crisis, the dialogue with neighbours from the Far East and the partnership with the USA.
Buzek engaged in politics since 1981: Back then he led the first Solidarnosc-congress in Danzig. But it took ten years, until the Chemistry professor – focused on environmental protection in the field of flue gas desulfurization – participated stronger at Solidarnosc after the turnaround 1989/90. He had been elected Prime minister in 1997. Being elected for four years, his term of office took place in the exciting period of preparing the EU enlargement. 2004 Buzek moved to the EP at Strassbourg; where the conservative became rapporteur for the research budget, one of the largest budgets of the EU.
Buzek followed the german president Hans-Gert Pöttering. His term of office as EP president is for two and ahalf years; he will hand over to the SPD-politician Martin Schulz. With this the first power within the reunited Europe would have been under german-polish leadership for ten years.
