On 17th January, German Social Democrat Martin Schulz was elected as the new President of the European Parliament, with 387 votes out of the 670 cast, replacing Jerzy Buzek. He beat two British candidates, Nirj Deva and Diana Wallis. He will serve as President for 2 1/2 years.

In his opening address to the parliament as President, Mr Schulz warned that « for the first time since it was founded, the failure of the European Union is a realistic possibility » but declared that he was ready to “prepare that Europe for the 21st century”.

Read the full press release and find the link to Schulz’s opening address here : http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/...

Image source : Friends of Europe on flickr