The designated president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said Sunday he wants to bring the European Union closer to the people, according to dpa. "It is often not clear to people what is going on in Strasbourg or Brussels," the Polish politician said in reference to the places where the legislature and the EU makes its decisions. "The European Parliament needs to approach people more," said Buzek. He was speaking in the north German city of Osnabrueck where he attended a religious service with the legislature's outgoing president, Hans-Gert Poettering, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Buzek, who was himself prime minister of Poland from 1997-2001, said securing energy supplies and taking steps to halt global warming were important challenges facing Europe. The European Parliament is expected to elect Buzek on Tuesday. Tusk said his election would send an important signal to the mainly eastern European countries who joined the EU in its "big bang" enlargement in May 2004.
