Former EP President and Former European Commissioner - online for EUROPE Gateway

Hans-Gert Pöttering and Danuta Hübner will answer questions by EUROPE Gateway readers in online discussions on September 24 and 30, 2009.

EUROPE Gateway invites all its readers from Bulgaria and Europe to participate in two consecutive online discussions.

Polish MEP Danuta Hübner (EPP), chair of the Regional Development Committee of the European Parliament and former European Commissioner of Regional Development will participate in the first discussion. The chat will last 30 minutes and the working language of the discussion is English.

The discussion is scheduled for September 24, Thursday, at 12 p.m. EET (11 a.m. CET). The topic of the discussion is "The New EP and the Challenges to Regional Development." Readers would have the chance to discuss with Ms. Hübner the challenges facing the newly elected MEPs, the most important issues for the development of regional policy in Europa and the role of MEPs in this process.

The second online discussion is with German MEP Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP), former president of the European Parliament. The topic of the discussion is "The Position of Germany in the European Union after the National Parliamentary Elections". EUROPE Gateway organizes the discussion with Hans-Gert Pöttering on September 30, Wednesday, starting at 4.30 p.m. EET (3.30 p.m. CET).

The chat will last 30 minutes, the working language of the discussion is English. The readers will have the chance to comment with Mr. Pöttering all issues resulting from the elections for the first chamber of German Parliament, which would have taken place on September 27 - for example the way in which possible changes in the governing coalition in Germany will affect the position of the country in EU. Other highlights of the discussion will be the completion of the Reform Treaty ratification in Germany, the requirements of the conservatives in EP for the new European Commission as well as the coming election of the new European commissioners.

The discussions will take place on the http://chat.europe.bg platform. EUROPE Gateway readers can take part by asking questions, presenting opinions and comments, including ones sent on info@europe.bg .

More about our online guests:

Danuta Hübner (Poland) is a Member of European Parliament from EPP, chair of the Regional Development Committee at EP. She was head of the Regional Development portfolio in the first European Commission, chaired by Barroso. It is important to note that she comes from Poland which joined EU in the last wave of the enlargement process. The current president of EP Jerzy Buzek also comes from Poland.

In her capacity as MEP, Danuta Hübner is a member of the Conference of Committee Chairs and the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee.

Hans-Gert Pöttering (Germany) is a Member of European Parliament from European People's Party since the first direct elections for EP in 1979. He is representative of the governing Christian Democrats in Germany. It is expected that after the parliamentary elections on September 27, the Christian Democrats Union to remain in the government but in coalition with the liberals.

Mr. Pöttering is a former president of the European Parliament. In his new term he is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and of the Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula. He is substitute member in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, the Delegation for relations with the United States and the Delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.

The online discussions are part of the Interacting with  the European Parliament Project implemented by the European Institute, Centre for Policy Modernisation and Europe Gateway with the financial support of EP.

Click here to learn more about the project. To learn more about the organizations implementing the project - click here . More about the online discussions so far - click here .