The first Irishman to be elected President of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox, has called for action to meet the challenge of enlargement, which he described as the "most important event" in the current phase of European development.
"There is a wonderfully challenging time ahead," he told a news conference last night. He hoped that the accession treaties for up to 10 new member-states could be successfully concluded in the next 12 months. Enlargement was "the challenge of our generation of European politicians".
While Mr Cox had been the front-runner for presidency of the parliament for some time, there was a growing threat in recent days from his Socialist rival, a Scottish MEP and British Labour Party member, Mr David Martin.
The contest went to three ballots, with Mr Martin gaining ground each time. Mr Jens-Peter Bonde, the Danish Eurosceptic outsider, came third with a surprisingly strong showing. In the end, Mr Cox reached the required level of over 50 per cent of valid votes cast and was declared the winner by the former Portuguese prime minister, Mr Mario Soares, who chaired the election.