New EU Parliament Chair Drops Push for God in EU Constitution

The new president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering has said that, despite his personal convictions, he will no longer push for reference to God in any revised EU constitution.

Mr Poettering, a German Christian-Democrat, was voted in to chair the bloc’s legislature in the first round of Tuesday’s election by a majority of 450 votes out of 715 MEPs voting.

On his election, Mr Poettering reassured MEPs that he would act as a “fair and objective” president of the whole assembly, reports EUobserver. Meanwhile, most group leaders said they believe Mr Poettering will manage to act as a neutral president of all members.

Mr Poettering has already announced that one of his key priorities as president will be to boost a “dialogue between cultures”, particularly between Europe’s Christian and Muslim communities.

He also stressed that he wants the parliament to take an active part in a March declaration to mark the 50th birthday of the EU, which would highlight not only the commitment to the bloc's reforms but also its values.

He made it clear, however, that he would no longer press for a reference to God and Christian values in a revised version of the EU constitution, telling journalists, “as a president, I can’t do it”. Read more