Statement during the opening of the plenary session of January in Strasbourg by Martin SCHULZ, EP President on the death of Mario SOARES, former Portuguese Prime Minister and MEP, followed by a minute of silence.

statement

plenary session

minute of silence

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

EU - Portugal (T)

SOARES, Mário (PSE, PT)

Statement by Martin SCHULZ, EP President on the death of Mario SOARES, former Portuguese Prime Minister: extracts

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, <p>It is with great regret, o the 7 January this year, we learned the death of Mario SOARES, our former colleague from 1990 to 2004. He was a Member of the European Parliament, he was a member of the S&amp;D group, and he served on several committees here, and also as a chairman of the delegation for relations with Israel. In his home country, Portugal, Mario SOARES was a character went down in history. He stood for fighting against oppression, and without doubt, for the Portuguese and other people in Europe, in general, he stood as a symbol for fight for democracy. As Foreign Minister as Prime Minister, and as President of the state of Portugal, he constituted an essential figure in the democratic building of his country and was a catalyst for the accession of Portugal to the European communities.</p>

<p>SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, In losing Mario SOARES, Europe have lost a Statesman, a visionary,  someone who stood against dictatorship, someone who was in favour of reform, who fought against authoritarianism, who was a convinced democrat. It is our obligation and task to inherit his political legacy and to defend it. On behalf of the European Parliament I want to extend our condolences to the family and friends of Mario SOARES. Ladies and gentlemen, to honour this great statements I will ask you to stand for a minute of silence.</p>

MEP's stand up, minute of silence, tribute to Mario Soares.