for Merits to Lithuania (2013) : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic (2013) : 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2013) : Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania (2014) : Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Tunisia (2016) Awards Robert Schuman Medal of EPP-ED (1995) : Mérite Européen Medal in Gold, Fondation du Mérite européen (2002) European Honorary Senator, the 'MEP of the Year 2004' by newspaper ‘European Voice’ (2004) Walter Hallstein Prize (2007) European Excellence Award of the Autonomous Community of Madrid ('Premio a la Excelencia Europea', 2008) Ben Gurion Medal of Ben Gurion University (2010) Polish-German Prize (2011) Honorary degrees Doctor Honoris Causa of Babeş Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Opole, Poland Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland Doctor Honoris Causa of the Miguel de Cervantes European University, Santiago de Chile Doctor Honoris Causa of Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Wrocław, Poland Doctor Honoris Causa of Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines Honorary Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Korea, Seoul Doctor Honoris Causa of the European Humanities University, Vilnius Honorary citizen of Bersenbrueck (Germany) and Opole (Poland) Other activities Friends of Europe, Member of the Board of Trustees Reimagine Europa, Member of the Advisory Board Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Member of the Executive Board Personal life Pöttering lives in Bad Iburg, Germany. He is Roman Catholic, divorced and has two sons. Works Adenauers Sicherheitspolitik 1955–1963. Ein Beitrag zum deutsch-amerikanischen Verhältnis, Droste Verlag 1975, Europas Vereinigte Staaten, Editio Interfrom 2000, , with Ludger Kühnhardt Weltpartner Europäische Union, Edition Interfrom 2001, , with Ludger Kühnhardt Kontinent Europa. Kern, Übergänge, Grenzen, Edition Interfrom 2002, , zusammen mit Ludger Kühnhardt Von der Vision zur Wirklichkeit. Auf dem Weg zur Einigung Europas, Bouvier 2004, References External links Biography from the official EU Parliament web site Official website President Pöttering looks back at 30 years of European elections Last retrieved 24-11-08 . |- 1945 births Living people People from Osnabrück (district) German Roman Catholics Presidents of the European Parliament Christian Democratic Union of Germany MEPs MEPs for Germany 1979–1984 MEPs for Germany 1984–1989 MEPs for Germany 1989–1994 MEPs for Germany 1994–1999 MEPs