By Yossi Lempkowicz, Director and Editor-in-Chief European Jewish Press

The 736-member European Parliament, the only directly-elected body of the European Union since 1979, started its first plenary session in Strasbourg this month with a busy agenda: the election of its new president, the presentation of the six-month Danish presidency of the EU, the financial crisis and worrying political developments in Hungary.

For the second time in its history, the European Parliament elected a German MEP to the presidency. At a secret ballot, Martin Schulz, head of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) got 387 out of 670 valid votes cast. He defeated two other candidates, both from Britain, one Conservative and one Liberal Democrat.

He will run the parliament until the next European elections in June 2014.

But Schulz, who joined Germany’s SPD party at the age of 18,  had already formed his cabinet ahead of the election as he was  certain to win the vote thanks to a deal between the two main political groups in the EU parliament, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the S&D to elect Schulz.  

A former bookshop owner, Schulz, 56, is known for his fiery rhetoric which makes him very different from his predecessor, Polish Conservative and former Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek.

He does not have a PhD, a master degree or even a bachelor degree. Schultz dropped out of school before completing his A-levels, and went on to become a bookseller.

“While predecessors like Buzek often had the charisma of a favorite uncle, Schulz often looks as if he has breakfasted on neat caffeine. His bellicose demeanor belies his education as a librarian,” wrote a journalist from Associated Press.

He made his name in 2003 in a row in the assembly with then Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlussconi. Responding to questions from Schulz about his media empire, Berlusconi told the German MEP:  A former bookseller at the helm of the EU Parliament

The 736-member European Parliament, the only directly-elected body of the European Union since 1979, started its first plenary session in Strasbourg this month with a busy agenda: the election of its new president, the presentation of the six-month Danish presidency of the EU, the financial crisis and worrying political developments in Hungary.

For the second time in its history, the European Parliament elected a German MEP to the presidency. At a secret ballot, Martin Schulz, head of the Progressive Alliance of  Socialists and Democrats (S&D) got 387 out of 670 valid votes cast. He defeated two other candidates, both from Britain, one Conservative and one Liberal Democrat.

He will run the parliament until the next European elections in June 2014.

But Schulz, who joined Germany’s SPD party at the age of 18,  had already formed his cabinet ahead of the election as he was  certain to win the vote thanks to a deal between the two main political groups in the EU parliament, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the S&D to elect Schulz.

A former bookshop owner, Schulz, 56, is known for his fiery rhetoric which makes him very different from his predecessor, Polish Conservative Jerzy Buzek.

He does not have a PhD, a master degree or even a bachelor degree. Schultz dropped out of school before completing his A-levels, and went on to become a bookseller.

“While predecessors like Buzek often had the charisma of a favorite uncle, Schulz often looks as if he has breakfasted on neat caffeine. His bellicose demeanor belies his education as a librarian,” wrote a journalist from Associated Press.

He made his name in 2003 in a row in the assembly with then Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlussconi. Responding to questions from Schulz about his media empire, Berlusconi told the German MEP:  "Mister Schulz, I know of a movie producer in Italy who is making a film about Nazi concentration camps." he said. "I will recommend you for the part of a kapo. You are perfect!"

And in July 2009, as he successfully blocked French extreme-right MEP Jean-Marie Le Pen from presiding over the European Parliament inaugural session as its oldest member, Le Pen declared: “Mr Schulz has Lenin’s face and speaks like Hitler.”

In his speech after his election, Schulz, know as a “staunch” European, said he wanted to elevate the status of the European parliament. “Our shared aim must be to exercise to the full the powers which have been conferred on  us, even if the result is a political dispute,” he stressed.

But he also acknowledged that “for the first time since it was founded, the failure of the European Union is a “realistic possibility,” mentioning that for months the Union has been stumbling from one financial debt crisis summit to another.

He warned European leaders they would face widespread unrest if they failed to heed the voice of the people in dealing with the economic crisis.

"I will not be an amenable President," he said, but "a President who will do everything in his power to win back lost public trust in the European integration process and restore public enthusiasm for Europe".

But what about Schulz’s future stance on the international scene and in particular on Israel and the Middle East ? 

Schulz’s political group has been rather very critical of Israel’s policies during debates on the Mideast and the Palestinian issue and regularly votes along with the Greens and Liberals to condemn the settlement policy.

But he told Israel’s Haaretz newspaper: "A German who heads an international institution bears a unique responsibility that deviates from the ordinary. He has to be sensitive and to act in accordance with the very unique commitments of Germany. He stressed the German commitment to Israel's security.

Schulz, who is in favour of Turkey joining the EU, visited Israel last November and met with the new leader of the Israeli Labour Party, Shelly Yachimovich. 

As part of its powers, the European Parliament, which represents 500 million EU citizens, has blocked the ratification of agreements to upgrade relations between the EU and Israel decided by the EU Council of Ministers, because of the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. 

“The Parliament's decision to block the agreements with Israel stems from the lack of progress in the peace process and from our ambition to pressure the Israeli government to alter this situation,” he declared.

“Right now it is my impression that the desire to find these sorts of compromises is greater in the European Parliament than in the government of Israel,” he told Haaretz,  

Questioned about the possibility of Israel joining the EU, he said that “as long as the Netanyahu-Lieberman government is in power, even those who theoretically favor Israel's membership have no chance of persuading others to back the move.”

“Israel cannot become a member of the EU, but may certainly be granted maximal access to the European markets.”

While Shultz is aware of the importance of defending the Jewish communities in Europe and fighting against anti-Semitism, he is expected to put pressure on Israel especially on the issue of the settlements.