Schulz favourite to replace Buzek as EP chief

“Martin Schulz can shout and gesticulate and become very emotional,”, Charles Tannock, a British Conservative Party MEP has told Polish Radio.

Schulz is favourite to replace former Polish prime minister Jerry Buzek as he stands down as president of the European Parliament this week.

Schulz is best remembered for his furious row with the then prime minister of Italy in 2003, when Silvio Berlusconi said during a parliament debate that the German socialist would be perfect in the film role of a "kapo", a prisoner who worked for the Nazis in concentration camps

The German will lead parliament with a very different style from that of Jerzy Buzek, who is known for his calmness.

British MEP Charles Tannock thinks that the conservative, right-centre Buzek has been one of the best presidents of the EP in the 12 years he has been an MEP, adding that the Pole's experience as an opposition activist during the 1980s Solidarity period gave him a commitment to “freedom and democracy”.

Under a deal made between the two largest voting blocs in parliament – the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and Schulz's socialists - the position of parliament chief is rotated between them.

Schulz has vowed to defend the rights of parliament and repair the EU's “democratic deficit”. (pg)