This volume brings together key speeches by Hans-Gert Pöttering - including his speech on the signing of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, his program speech as President of the European Parliament and his speech to the Knesset. The volume he edited contains further contributions on the present and future of European integration. The authors include EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union Koen Lenaerts and Stefan Harbarth, President of the German Federal Constitutional Court.
In her book presentation, Prof. Dr. Eva Ruffing highlighted three thematic focuses of the book: "European unification as a peace project", "The importance of human dignity as the foundation of the European community of values" and "Strengthening the European Parliament in the integration process".
In their welcoming addresses, Dr. Christian Wulff, Reinhard von Schorlemer and Johannes Pöttering paid tribute to Hans-Gert Pöttering's services to European unification and at the same time referred to the current challenges facing the EU. The subsequent discussion between Hans-Gert Pöttering and Eva Ruffing focused on the idea of a European defense union as a possible response to the EU's security policy challenges.
The event offered an impressive insight into the lasting significance of the European idea and its future challenges. The book is available from Herder Verlag.
