Press release: Reception for MEP Jens-Peter Bonde
Reception for MEP Jens-Peter Bonde.
It will be held in the Members Salon, at the Spinelli building in Brussels on Wednesday, 7 May, 18:30
Farewell speech at 19:00 where Mr Bonde will publish a 10 point “testament”.
Jens-Peter Bonde was elected to the European Parliament in the first direct elections in June 1979 and is the longest serving MEP. There are five other MEPs from the first elections (Pöttering, Friedrich, von Wogau, Hänsch, Wurtz). They were elected on a Sunday. Bonde on the Thursday, so it is the longest serving MEP now leaving his place.
Bonde will be substituted by Hanne Dahl, 37, and thereby represent a change in generation and gender for the Danish JuneMovement.
In more than half of his life as an MEP, Mr Bonde has been leader of different groups in the European Parliament. No one else has attended so many meetings in the conference of Presidents.
Bonde has written 60 books on EU topics. Many of these are available for free download at his webpage: Bonde.eu
His latest books are a reader friendly edition of the Lisbon Treaty (with a 3000-word index) and a shorter popular introduction: From EU Constitution to Lisbon Treaty.
Wednesday, 14:00 - 15:00, Mr Bonde will chair his last meeting as leader of the Group for Independence and Democracy in the Spinelli building, Room 1 E 2.
At 16:00 - 17:30 he will chair a meeting of the SOS Democracy inter group, also at Spinelli, 1 E 2.
DECLAN GANLEY, the Irish multi-millionaire, will present his Irish No campaign for the Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty, expected 12 June.
Thursday, 11;00 - 12:00, Mr Bonde will participate in his last vote in the plenary. He has asked permission to say a few words of farewell.
Thursday morning Mr Bonde will have his last political intervention - on lobbyism.
Jens-Peter Bonde has gained many victories for transparency, such as the publication of the secret telephone book, agendas and minutes of Commission meetings on the internet and 3.094 secret working groups from the Commission, available at Bonde.eu
Soon the recipients of EU funding will also be on the Net together with the advisors in the many secret working groups. What is still missing is included in Bonde’s testament.
Mr Bonde was the architect behind the Danish No to the Maastricht treaty, 2 June 1992 and established the JuneMovement to fight for transparency, proximity and democracy in Europe.
Mr Bonde was a founding member of the Danish People’s Movement against EU membership in 1972, but eventually he changed his views from withdrawal to reform.
Jens-Peter Bonde is the newly elected President of the trans national alliance, the EUDemocrats. His life-long fight for transparency and democracy will go on.
./. New book: “From EU Constitution to Lisbon treaty“
./. New book: The Reader friendly edition of the Lisbon treaty
./. Here is a picture you can use free of charge
