Press Release
05/07/2009Presidency of the European Parliament: Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, welcomes the European ethos of Silvio Berlusconi and Mario Mauro.
Following discussions with the Chairman of Italian Party Il Popolo della Libertà, Silvio Berlusconi, the Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Joseph Daul MEP, has asked Mario Mauro MEP to withdraw his candidature for President of the European Parliament to facilitate the accession to the post on 14 July of former Polish Prime Minister, Jerzy Buzek MEP. Joseph Daul warmly thanked President Berlusconi for this gesture of unity and cohesion for the EPP family.
"Once again, Silvio Berlusconi and his party have demonstrated their commitment to the values of a responsible and united Europe. I welcome the positive signal given by the Italian PDL, which will enable our Group, the most influential political Group in the European Parliament, to nominate in a climate of great calm, our candidate for President of the European Parliament", declared Joseph Daul.
"I want to again emphasise how much Europeans owe to Italy as a founder member of the European Union, and I want to thank the Italian people for their support for the European project, confirmed with a record turnout in the last European elections. The victory won by our centre-right parties, the EPP family, ensures that we remain the major political force in Europe, and I have no doubt that my Italian colleagues will exercise significant responsibilities in the new term of the European Parliament", said Daul.
"I also warmly salute my colleague and friend Mario Mauro. I have always admired his courage and commitment to ethical ideals and his humanistic and pro-European principles that I fully share. I thank him for agreeing to withdraw his candidature in a spirit of compromise and solidarity, thus facilitating the process of the appointment of our candidate to succeed Hans-Gert Poettering. I am sure that Mario Mauro will continue to be, in the months and years to come, a committed and engaged personality recognised in the EPP and on the European political scene", said Joseph Daul.
The EPP Group will nominate its candidate for the Presidency of the European Parliament for the first part of the legislature on Tuesday 7 July.
(Translation from the original French)
For further information:
Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, Tel: +32-2-2845525
Antoine Ripoll, Chairman's Spokesman, Tel: +32-475-856290
