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European Parliament Presidential Debate
The debate
On Wednesday 8 July the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform and European Voice, supported by Burson Marsteller, staged a debate between the contenders to the presidency of the European Parliament.
With Graham Watson, the Liberal candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament, deciding to withdraw from the race on the morning of the EP Presidential Debate, Jerzy Buzek (EPP) and Eva-Britt Svensson (GUE/NGL) were quizzed on their plans on Wednesday 8 July in the only public debate to be held ahead of the plenary vote in Strasbourg on 14 July.
This was the fourth time that such a debate has been held. After intitial statements and questions (moderated by Dana Spinant, editor of European Voice), the candidates faced questions from MEPs, journalists, EU officials and business representatives.
To read our ‘tweets’ from the debate @bmbrussels and the reaction from other Tweeters, click here.
The candidates
Jerzy Buzek (EPP, Poland) has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2004, when Poland joined the European Union. He is bidding to become the first President of the Parliament from one of the central and Eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004. Aged 69, Mr Buzek was Poland’s prime minister from 1997 to 2001.
Eva-Britt Svensson (GUE/NGL, Sweden) is a leading member of Sweden’s Left Party and vice-Chair of the Swedish People’s Movement No to the EU. Aged 62, she has been an MEP since 2004 and is currently vice-Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities, and of the GUE/NGL Group.
Mr Buzek won the election by 555 votes to Ms Svensson’s 89 votes.