Martin Schulz was chosen to become the president of the European Parliament in the body’s first round of voting on Tuesday. The Social Democrat said that in addition to representing the European Parliament in public, he would strengthen the body by actively communicating the concerns of MEPs to the European Commission, the Council of Ministers – comprised of government officials from member states – as well as national leaders themselves.
As president of the European Parliament, Schulz will preside over plenary sessions and set the daily agenda following consultation with the leaders of the parliamentary factions. He will also sign regulations and directives together with the chairman of the Council of the European Union while overseeing the parliament’s administration and budget.
Martin Schulz (S&D, Germany) replaces the outgoing President Jerzy Buzek (EPP, Poland). Martin Schulz, 56, is a former book trader who joined the Social Democratic Party (SPD) at the age of 19. He served as mayor of Würselen, near Aachen, for roughly a decade before becoming an MEP in 1994 and joining the SPD’s executive committee in 1999.
Schulz shot to prominence in 2003, when he started asking questions about alleged conflicts of interest surrounding then-Italian president Silvio Berlusconi and his multi-billion euro media empire.
Schulz has expressed his support to Greeks several times concerning the big struggle they are undertaking against the current economic situation in Greece.
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