Pat Moylan (Fianna Fail)

I wish on my behalf and that of my fellow Senators to welcome to the House Mr. Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament. Today is the second occasion on which this House has been honoured by an address by the President of the European Parliament, the last occasion being October 2002 when the then President, Mr. Pat Cox, addressed Seanad Éireann. Since then, there have been major and significant developments and shifts in national and international affairs. Notwithstanding the impact of such changes, the wisdom underlying the founding principles of the now European Union remains undiminished.

In that context, the political career of our distinguished guest is testament to how a broken and fragmented Europe could be restructured to serve and honour the needs of all its citizens. Even a glance of the titles of some of Mr. Pöttering's published works indicate the scope of his vision and dedication to furthering the values and objectives of the European Union. On a personal level, Mr. Pöttering continues to pursue his interest in cross-cultural dialogue and I am sure his work in this area will have served to deepen his belief that dialogue is probably the most potent instrument humanity has to confront and resolve the challenges of an always uncertain future.

In that spirit of dialogue, it gives me great pleasure to invite Mr. Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, to address Seanad Éireann.