Cox may aim higher after quitting Europe

The European Parliament’s outspoken Irish president, Pat Cox, called it quits today, saying he would retire from the assembly after 15 years while leaving the door open for a return to European politics.

He told parliament, meeting in Strasbourg, that he informed his Munster constituency that he would not be seeking another term in the June elections.

In his emotional farewell, 51-year-old Cox, a former TV journalist, said he would not rule out a return to EU office. But he did not mention reports in the European press that list him among front-runners to succeed European Commission President Romano Prodi this autumn.

“Europe has been the cause of my political life. I will continue serving that cause in whatever way I can,” Cox said in his last address to the chamber.

Cox, known for his catchy “sound bite” presidential style, received a standing ovation for his term as president, which has been marked by the much higher media profile of the assembly.

For his EU work, Cox is to be awarded this year’s Charlemagne prize, which he will receive in a ceremony in Aachen on Monday. The prize is awarded annually by the German city, recognising personal contributions to European unity.

Cox listed the smooth expansion of the EU by 10 new states as one of his major achievements during his term as president and said he had tried his hardest to sell the parliament to voters across Europe.

He said the most disappointing part of his presidency was failing to overhaul the parliament’s pay and perk’s system, which he acknowledged continues to give the assembly a bad name.

Parliament leaders praised Cox for his strong leadership in making sure EU governments listened to the parliament.

“You will always be regarded as one of the great presidents of the European Parliament,” said Hans-Gert Poettering, leader of the conservative European People’s Party.

EU leaders at their June summit in Brussels will decide on who will replace Prodi at the helm of the 25-member European Commission. The current executive’s five-year term ends in October.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who will have to back Cox’s bid for the Commission job, kept silent today on whether he would support a Cox candidacy, but rather wished Cox well “in whichever path he may choose in the future.”

An Ahern spokesman told the Irish Times that the Government would support Cox for president of the Commission if he had enough support from other EU leaders.