Speakers

a German politician (CDU) and was the longest serving member of the European Parliament (EP) since its first direct election in 1979. His mandate ended on July 1st 2014 – after 35 years of uninterrupted membership. Dr Poettering held a number of leading positions in the EP and European People’s Party throughout his political career. From 1999 to 2007 he was Chairman of the European People’s Party-European Democrats Group in the European Parliament. From 2007 until 2009 he served as President of the European Parliament. He initiated the House of European History which was opened in Brussels in May 2017. Dr Poettering has published widely on various issues of European affairs. His autobiography titled “Wir sind zu unserem Glück vereint – Mein europäischer Weg” („United for the better“, 2014) has been translated into various languages. He was chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) from 2010 until 2018. Now he is Representative for European Affairs on behalf of the KAS. Dr Poettering is President of the European Parliament Former Members Association (FMA).