Hans-Gert Pöttering

During a reception in memory of the Rt Hon. the Lord Kingsland in the Attlee Room, House of Lords, London, on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering spoke to the assembled guests:

My Lord Henry,

 

my Lords,

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

dear friends,

 

I am very honoured to speak to you today about our dear friend Lord Kingsland whose passing is a painful loss for all of us. His contribution to our common political work in the European Union will be greatly missed. I especially want to express my sympathy to his wife, family and friends.

 

As you all know, Lord Kingsland was a member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1994. And so, we became colleagues of the first hour in the newly elected European Parliament in 1979.

As a Christian Democrat from Germany, I remain surely grateful for his commitment to bringing the British Conservatives into the Group of the European People’s Party whose Chairman I had the honour to be from 1999 to 2007. Lord Kingsland served his party making it very influential with the EPP-Group.

 

At this special occasion, I would like to let Lord Kingsland speak for himself about the value of the European Community which is now European Union since the treaty of Maastricht which was decided with the support of Prime Minister John Major.

In October 1988, Lord Kingsland said in the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasburg on behalf of his British colleagues:

 

“The European Community was established first and foremost to prevent war and resist tyranny. There must remain our objective: We are committed to a strong and united Europe. Indeed, we cannot survive without one.”

 

Personally, I share this conviction from the bottom of my heart. We can be very happy about the achievements of the reunification of Europe in peace, prosperity and on the basis of our shared values which are the dignity of the human being, human rights, democracy, freedom, rule of law and solidarity.

 

Lord Kingsland, this extraordinary lawyer, was an advocate of these values we share. He served 30 years as a Parliamentarian – 15 years in the European Parliament, 15 years in the House of Lords. This is a beautiful symbol for serving his own country and Europe. He fought for the idea that – as far as European legislation is concerned – the European Parliament must become legislator and that it is against the privilege of democracy and parliamentarism that legislation is solely in the hands of the governments. So it was consequent for him to support the Lisbon treaty which makes the European Parliament a real Parliament and which was ratified by the House of Lords and the House of Commons and which was signed by her Majesty the Queen.

 

Let us honour Lord Kingsland, our friend Christopher, by following his convictions and believes – to serve our countries and our common European destiny.