After the Lisbon Treaty enters into force, and shortly after the beginning of the new Legislature of the European Parliament, Jose Manuel Baroso, while announcing the names of the new Commissioners, passed on well wishes of the EU for them to work at an expeditious speed.
Powerful as he is, the Portuguese President of the Commission, after the leaders of the 27 Member States elected the President of the European Council and the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, undertakes in the new year  initiatives that will lead the EU to a new era.
A new era, however, also begins for the European People’s Party (EPP-DE), in Bonn at its annual conference, taking place on 9-10 December, along with the election of the President, the Secretary General and 10 Vice Presidents representing countries with center-right governments but also parts of EPP.
It is a fact that thanks to the President of the EPP-DE, Wilfred Martens, its Secretary General, Antonio Lopez-Isturiz and its Board Members, the largest political group of the European Parliament has succeeded in establishing unity at all levels, as well as  widening its influence in both the European Parliament and the European Commission, keeping excellent cooperation with the Commission's President Jose Manuel Barroso and the Commissioners.
As is natural, the cooperation of the Board with representatives and member organizations of the EPP throughout the world boost the relationship among the peoples of the Party and Brussels.
Facing today’s challenges, such as a global financial crisis, environmental issues, the enlargement of the EU, growing unemployment, energy problems and health issues, the Annual Congress of the EPP in Bonn comes, with its powerful presence and major achievements, to make its own point and to set the perspectives for the new era about to commence.
The objective is an administration that will be elected in order to provide a continuation of its work, with a robust presence at all levels. Especially in the EU institutions, as 13 of the Commissioners are members of the EPP-DE family, while the majority of the 27 member states have governments of the same political group.
Therefore, it is essential that President Martens and Secretary General Lopez-Isturiz, who are leading the board of EPP, should have the power to continue their productive work, after the renewal of the EPP-DE members' mandate in the elections to come. Next to them lie the most important names of the EP contest the nominations of vice-presidents. Names which are certain to enforce with their election the common effort, but will also contribute to the work of the leadership of the EPP during all these years, and mainly during the last legislature (2004-2009).
In conclusion, we can believe that the Bonn Congress will lead to useful conclusions, and a major contribution to this will be the presence of leaders of the EPP, of Members of the European Parliament and a large number of members of the EPP-DE family.
It is worth mentioning that, among the leaders of EPP there will be the newly elected President of New Democracy, Antonis Samaras, who succeeds Costas Karamanlis in the leadership of the Greek party of ND. A presence that is anticipated with special interest, since Antonis Samaras was a colleague in the European Parliament with many active MEPs in the years 2004-2007 (when he was elected in the Greek National Parliament) and was, until recently, the Greek Minister of Culture in Costas Karamanlis' government.

Manolis Mavrommatis is a former Greek Member of the European Parliament (2004 – 2009) and a Member of the European People’s Party Group in the European Parliament, whilst at the Parliament he was Vice Chair of the Culture, Education and Sports Committee