Antonio Tajani is elected new President of the European Parliament

January 18, 2017.

    Yesterday, MEPs elected former Commissioner Antonio Tajani (EPP; IT) to replace Martin Schulz (SD; GE) as new President of the European Parliament.
    Upon his election, Tajani promised to respect all MEPs and groups. We have to defend democracy. I believe that without democracy, there is no freedom for our citizens. Freedom is the key to the European Union, to our civilisation, to our history and to the future of the European Union, he stressed.
    Parliament’s Vice-Presidents will be elected on Wednesday.
    The President is elected for a renewable term of two and a half years. The President represents the European Parliament vis-a-vis the outside world and in its relations with the other EU institutions.
    The President oversees the work of the Parliament as well as the debates in plenary and ensures that Parliament’s Rules of Procedure are adhered to.