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Hans-Gert Pöttering, member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has both shaped and experienced at first hand the European integration process. He has been a member of the European Parliament since the first direct election in 1979. Between 1999 and 2007 he was the chairman of the European People’s Party Group (EPP), the largest parliamentary group of the European Parliament, acting as its president between 2007 and 2009. He has participated in numerous European summits and meetings of heads of state and government.

This dialogue program will focus on Dr. Pöttering's own reflections - looking back on meetings with representatives from politics, culture and society and describe how decisions concerning important political events were made within the European Union. Moreover, he will give his take on current and future challenges to the European Union and its institutional bodies. This might well range from crucial foreign policy hotspots to an analysis of the recently restructured European Commission.