Mr Pat Cox's victory in the election for President of the European Parliament is a tremendous tribute to his political talents and provides proof that people from smaller parties and states can provide leadership within the European Union. He now has a great opportunity to make the parliament more relevant to European citizens over the next two and a half years, when the EU itself will be going through an exciting period of constitutional debate, enlargement and political renewal.
In his speech of thanks to the parliament Mr Cox welcomed the fact that there had been a strong contest for the job. His principal opponent, Mr David Martin, came from the Socialist group and has an equally distinguished career as an MEP. Both men were obliged to appeal for support outside their own groups, including the Greens, far-left parties and those supporting minimalist programmes of integration. In the event, Mr Cox proved more adept at marshalling support, giving him a clearcut victory in the third round of voting.
This spread of support will help make him more legitimate as president, when he will seek to raise the parliament's image and communicate its substantially enhanced role in the EU legislative process. It shares co-decision powers with the Council of Ministers in most spheres since the Treaty of Amsterdam. This is too little known among European voters.
One of the most vital tasks facing the broadly representative convention on the future of Europe, which will start its work in March, is to consider how the EU's political structures can be made more democratically accessible. This can be done by making national parliaments much more involved, and by giving the European Parliament the power to elect the President of the European Commission. Such agendas will give Mr Cox an opportunity to demonstrate his skills of communication and advocacy, in addition to chairing and representing the parliament.
From an Irish perspective, Mr Cox's election raises the profile not only of the European Parliament but of the EU as a whole, following the apparent disenchantment revealed in the referendum on the Treaty of Nice. He can play a valuable role in convincing the electorate here that it should be taken more seriously as an indispensable part of our democratic structures.