EU: In an unusual display of cross-party unity, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael MEPs will be supporting the same candidate for presidency of the European Parliament, German Christian Democrat Hans-Gert Pöttering, when the job becomes vacant in January.
Mr Pöttering is due to take over from Catalan Socialist MEP Josep Borrell Fontelles under the terms of a rotation agreement between the parliament's two largest political groupings, the European People's Party-European Democrats and the Party of European Socialists.
Between them, the two groups command 465 of the 732 seats in the parliament. Fine Gael is affiliated to the EPP-ED, whereas Fianna Fáil is attached to the minority Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN) grouping.
Mr Pöttering was first elected to the parliament in 1979 and has been head of the EPP for the last seven years. Ireland East MEP and leader of the Fine Gael delegation Avril Doyle said yesterday her party would be backing Mr Pöttering at this week's EPP group meeting in Strasbourg where his candidacy was expected to receive unanimous support. "He is a very competent leader of our group," she said. "He is a good linguist who speaks French and English in addition to his native German." As president, Mr Pöttering would take "a consensus approach".
Ireland South MEP Brian Crowley of Fianna Fáil said his party would also be supporting Mr Pöttering. "We have a very good working relationship with him, he is a very experienced MEP," Mr Crowley said. "He will make an excellent president."
Mr Pöttering is a leading member of the Christian Democratic Union party in Germany, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel and his accession will coincide with the start of Germany's European presidency.
The deal - which will bring Mr Pöttering to the highest office in the parliament - was criticised yesterday by the Eurosceptic Danish MEP Jens-Peter Bonde who said: "Pöttering is a nice guy, but this is very dodgy because the two big groups share positions between them which should be subject to open competition."
British Conservative MEP Dan Hannan said that, once elected, the incoming president should cease to be attached to a party group. This was "taken for granted" in national parliaments or assemblies. Criticising the division of spoils in the parliament, Mr Hannan said: "The deals are done in smoke-filled rooms - or these days smokeless rooms, this being the European Parliament."