Hans-Gert Pöttering (born 15 September 1945) is a German lawyer, historian and conservative politician ( CDU, European People's Party), who served as

President of the European Parliament President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

from January 2007 to July 2009 and as Chairman of the CDU-affiliated

Konrad Adenauer Foundation The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (german: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, KAS) is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's headquarters are located in Sank ...

from 2010 to 2017. He served as a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

continuously since the first elections in 1979 until 2014 and was Chairman of the European People's Party-European Democrats 1999–2007. When he stepped down in 2014 he was the European Parliament's longest-serving member. As president of the European Parliament he proposed the creation of the House of European History museum in Brussels.

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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. After Abitur and military service, he studied law, political science and history at the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

, the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

, the

Graduate Institute of International Studies Graduate may refer to: Education * The subject of a graduation, i.e. someone awarded an academic degree ** Alumnus, a former student who has either attended or graduated from an institution * High school graduate, someone who has completed high ...

in Geneva and at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York. He took his first state exam in jurisprudence in 1973, earned a PhD in political science and history in 1974 with a dissertation on West German defense policy in the 1950s and 1960s and took his second state exam in jurisprudence in 1976, fully qualifying as an attorney.

Political career

Member of the European Parliament, 1979–2014

Pöttering was a member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

from 1979 until 2014, by the end of this period he was 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 The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes it also includes independent MEPs ...

Group, the results of which became the official EPP position for the

Treaty of Amsterdam The Treaty of Amsterdam, officially the Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty on European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, was signed on 2 October 1997, and entered into force on 1 May 1999; i ...

. In 1994 Pöttering became Vice-President of the EPP, and from 1999 to 2007 he was the Chairman of the

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 Volker may refer to: * Volker (name), including a list of people with the given name or surname * Volker, Kansas City, a historic neighborhood in Kansas City * Volker Boulevard, Kansas City * ''Alien Nations'' (German: ''Die Völker''), a real-t ...

he is a member of the advisory board of the pro-European initiative " A Soul for Europe". He was a member of the Reconciliation of European Histories Group.

President of the European Parliament, 2007–2009

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. For many years he is serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the House of European History in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Later career

On 4 December 2009 Pöttering was elected Chairman of the

from 1 January 2010; he was succeeded by Norbert Lammert in 2018. When the EPP membership of Hungarian party

Fidesz Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; hu, Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán. It was formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young ...

was suspended in 2019, EPP president

Joseph Daul Joseph Alexander Daul (born 13 April 1947) is a French politician who served as President of the European People's Party (EPP) from 2013 to 2019. He previously served as Leader of the EPP Group in the European Parliament from 2007 to 2014 and a ...

appointed Pöttering – alongside

Herman van Rompuy Herman Achille, Count Van Rompuy (; born 31 October 1947) is a Belgian politician, who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 2008 to 2009 and then as the first permanent president of the European Council from 2009 to 2014. A politicia ...

and

Wolfgang Schüssel Wolfgang Schüssel (; born 7 June 1945) is an Austrian People's Party politician. He was Chancellor of Austria for two consecutive terms from February 2000 to January 2007. While being recognised as a rare example of an active reformer in conte ...

– to a group of high-level experts who were mandated to monitor Fidesz's compliance with EPP values.

Political positions

Pöttering is known as an enthusiastic European Federalist and an ally of

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...

. He has stated that his priority will be to rejuvenate the European Constitution. In February 2020, Pöttering joined around fifty former European prime ministers and foreign ministers in signing an open letter published by British newspaper ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' to condemn U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

's Middle East peace plan, saying it would create an

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

-like situation in occupied Palestinian territory.

Recognition

National honours

* : Great Cross with Star and Sash of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

(2010)

Foreign honours

* : Grand Golden

Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (german: Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the A ...

(2002) * : Grand Cross of the Papal Order of St Gregory the Great (2007) * : Great Cross of Merit of the Grand Order of Queen Jelena with Star and Shoulder Ribbon (2007) * : 1st Class of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

(2008) * : 2nd Class of the Order of Prince Jaroslaw the Wise (2008) * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars (2009) * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit (Portugal) The Order of Merit ( pt, Ordem do Mérito) is a Portuguese Honorific Order of civil merit intended to award those responsible for meritorious acts or services performed in the exercise of any functions, both in the public and the private sphere, w ...

(2009) * : Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(2011) * : Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit of the Kingdom of Spain (2011) * : Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2013) * : Commander of the

Order for Merits to Lithuania The Order for Merits to Lithuania ( lt, Ordinas Už nuopelnus Lietuvai) is an award, presented by the President of Lithuania, which may be conferred on the citizens of Lithuania and foreign nationals for distinguished services promoting name of Lit ...

(2013) * : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic (2013) * : 1st Class of the

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of t ...

(2013) * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania (2014) * : Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Tunisia (2016)

Awards

* Robert Schuman Medal of

(1995) *: 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 The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest muni ...

('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 The University of Opole ( pl, Uniwersytet Opolski) is a public university in the city of Opole. It was founded in 1994 from a merger of two parallel educational institutions. The university has 17,500 students completing 32 academic majors and 53 ...

, Poland * Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland * Doctor Honoris Causa of the

Miguel de Cervantes European University Miguel de Cervantes European University ( es, Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, UEMC) is a private university located in Valladolid, Castilla y León (Spain). UEMC has 4,500 undergraduated and graduated students enrolled in three Faculties ...

, Santiago de Chile * Doctor Honoris Causa of Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey * Doctor Honoris Causa of the

University of Wrocław , ''Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Breslau'' (before 1945) , free_label = Specialty programs , free = , colors = Blue , website uni.wroc.pl The University of Wrocław ( pl, Uniwersytet Wrocławski, U ...

, Poland * Doctor Honoris Causa of

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits) , academic ...

, Philippines * Honorary Professor at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...

* 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

* Friends of Europe, Member of the Board of Trustees * Reimagine Europa, Member of the Advisory Board *

Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, also known as the Martens Centre and previously as the ''Centre for European Studies'', is a think tank and political foundation of the European People's Party (EPP). As the central link of a l ...

, Member of the Executive Board

Personal life

Pöttering lives in

Bad Iburg Bad Iburg (; Westphalian: ''Bad Ibig'') is a spa town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, 16 km south of Osnabrück. Bad Iburg is also the name of a municipality which includes ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He is Roman Catholic, divorced and has two sons.

Works

*''Adenauers Sicherheitspolitik 1955–1963. Ein Beitrag zum deutsch-amerikanischen Verhältnis'', Droste Verlag 1975, *''Europas Vereinigte Staaten'', Editio Interfrom 2000, , with Ludger Kühnhardt *''Weltpartner Europäische Union'', Edition Interfrom 2001, , with Ludger Kühnhardt *''Kontinent Europa. Kern, Übergänge, Grenzen'', Edition Interfrom 2002, , zusammen mit Ludger Kühnhardt *''Von der Vision zur Wirklichkeit. Auf dem Weg zur Einigung Europas'', Bouvier 2004,

References

External links

Biography
from the official

EU Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopt ...

web site
Official website
Last retrieved 24-11-08 *. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pottering, Hans-Gert 1945 births Living people People from Osnabrück (district) German Roman Catholics Presidents of the European Parliament Christian Democratic Union of Germany MEPs MEPs for Germany 1979–1984 MEPs for Germany 1984–1989 MEPs for Germany 1989–1994 MEPs for Germany 1994–1999 MEPs for Germany 1999–2004 MEPs for Germany 2004–2009 MEPs for Germany 2009–2014 University of Bonn alumni Columbia University alumni Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German legal scholars Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise