This month in the EP Chamber there was also a small but noisy change.. the bell replaces traditional gavel!

From February plenary session onwards the start and conclusion of a speech, debate or vote will be announced with the sound of a bell by the the President and Vice-Presidents.. and, of course, it will be used in the most traditional way:  to keep order in the chamber!

After so many years working in the EP (nearly 6), an outsider photographer could think that you get tired or short of ideas because you have been taking photos of everything.. but he/she shall be wrong!

One of the reasons why I love my job is because in the EP house, as everywhere, you can always find some beauty, something new that will surprise you and a great shot can be taken and an opportunity for others given to admire those moments in photos.

You just need to keep looking around yourself and you will discover that things are happening all around you in every moment!

The other day I was walking in the corridor on the way to a meeting when suddenly I saw two persons dressed in a traditional funny way. I followed them just with my eyes and so I saw that they were entering in the elevator and that many more of funny costume where filling it up.. so I took my camera in the hands and ran after them. I got this photo while the doors were already sliding to shut down.

What is your opinion? Do you like it? I leave space for you to judge it!

Pietro

This is the story of the day I spent in Rome to prepare a photo reportage (published in it’s entirety in a dedicated photo gallery set on our Flickr page):

8:45 AM – The day started with a private breakfast between two old friends and two former Prime Ministers of Poland: EP President Jerzy Buzek and Hanna Suchocka, now Polish Ambassador to the Holy See, but in 1992 the first woman to become Prime Minister of Poland. Two fried eggs and a cappuccino to start the day.

9:30 AM – The delegation gathers around the President, the day’s agenda and notes in hand. The last-minute briefing took up half an hour of discussion between the President and his entourage: Head of Cabinet, Inga Rosinska, policy advisor, Fearghas O’Beara, as well as EU Ambassador to the Holy See, Yves Gazzo.  The briefing over, only a few minutes were left for the President to get ready and to choose the right tie for the special occasion. He loves ties, he had many of them in different colours on the armchair in his room, but which was the right one to wear when meeting the Pope? He decided for the violet one.

10:20 AM – The Italian Police car is waiting for the EP delegation to leave Piazza Montecitorio, named after the Monte Citorio, one of the minor hills of Rome. Buzek had a quick look at the ancient Egyptian obelisk in the middle of the square, before the delegation headed off for the Vatican.

10:45 AM – The security escort provided by the Italian Authority stopped at the gate of the Vatican State and a Vatican car escorted the convoy inside. Papal Swiss Guards performed a military salute as the President’s car passed. The convoy slowed down to give Buzek time to admire the beauty of the green Vatican gardens and paused briefly in front of the holy bell of the “Great Jubilee of 2000″ and a reconstruction of the Lourdes cave.

10:55 AM – On the eastern side of the Cortile San Damaso, Mgr Paolo de Nicolo’ was waiting on the red carpet for the President. Quickly all the delegation moved up to the “III Loggia” the portion of the palace occupied by the Pope and the secretary of state. Two by two, the delegation slowly moved from one room to the other. The light streamed in from the stained glass windows and the colourful frescos were so beautifully reflected on the grey marble that everything was lit up.

11:00 AM – Jerzy Buzek was received by Pope Benedict XVI at a private audience. Following his audience, he said: “I had a rich exchange of views with the Holy Father. It was very important for me to see today’s Europe from a different perspective, not only through the lens of a politician.

We discussed the situation in North Africa and in the Middle East. We are both full of hope that the people’s movement will lead to democratisation and the development of the rule of law and of a true civil society, based on universal human rights.”

After the audience, the President introduced the entire delegation to the Holy Father. One at a time they knelt down and kissed the ring of the left hand of the Pope. He said a word to each of them. A group photo was taken and the audience was nearly over. After Buzek and the official delegation left the room, the photographer and the cameramen were also introduced to the Pope, making Monday 28 February a day to remember for us too.

11:55 AM - After the meeting with Secretary of State Cardinal Bertone, the delegation was supposed to leave the Vatican, but the President wished to pay hommage at the tomb of Pope John Paul II. During his audience he recalled the role this pontiff had played in the modern history of Poland and his contribution to the fall of Communism and the reunification of Europe. “John Paul II’s speech in the European Parliament in 1988 was truly historic, when he asked Europe to breathe with both lungs again: both the western and the eastern. Today, his prophecy has come true: East and West are united.” The moments the delegation spent inside St. Peter’s Basilica and the silent moments standing in front of the tomb were deeply resonant. St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the holiest sites in Christendom, it was until recently the largest church ever built, standing on the traditional site where Peter – the apostle and first pope – was crucified and buried.

12:30 PM – The delegation left the Vatican State. Back in Rome, on St. Peter’s Square, the press pack was waiting for the President for a press point. After a couple of interviews the police escorted the convoy through the tiny roads of the capital of the ancient Roman Empire. On the top of the Aventino hill dignitaries from the Order of Malta were waiting for the President in the Villa Magistrale of the Prioriato of Malta for a working lunch hosted by the Grand Chancellor of the Order, Jean Pierre Mazery.

In the recent years the view of the Saint Peter’s Basilica through the keyhole at the Villa Malta has become one of the prime tourist attractions of Rome. The delegation was welcomed by Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing, and, after a short walk along Viale degli Allori towards the main building of the Villa Magistrale, the famous prospective view filled 180 degrees in front of them. The visitors had not expected the wonderful view of the city of Rome from this point. It is one of the best views in town, but maybe not the best they were going to see in the day.

15:50 PM – A few minutes after the end of the meeting with the 27 EU Ambassadors to the Holy See at the Academy of Hungary, the Hungarian Ambassador, Gabor Gyorivanyi, took the visitors up to the roof terrace, a 360 degree viewpoint accessible only via a tiny spiral staircase. A standing ovation for the speed to go up and to come down of the President, first in, first out!

17:45 PM – the last official meeting of the mission was with the Governor of Bank of Italy, Mr. Mario Draghi. For this occasion, the two Italian Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament were also there: Gianni Pittella and Roberta Angelilli, sitting on either side of Buzek. The President discussed the European economy with Mr Draghi. Leaving aside the substance of the meeting, the whole delegation,  sitting around a huge round table below an enormous chandelier, noted what a beautiful room it was.

18:15 PM – Journalists were waiting the President outside the Bank of Italy and inside the EP’s Office in Rome. After the last quotes had been taken down, the cars left for the airport, the sun set and the day was nearly over. One more official mission of the EP President was drawing to its end…

20:45 PM – … except that the flight was delayed by three hours! The Cerimoniale di Stato VIP lounge become a second home for the delegation. A last rush to the airport café to buy some sandwiches before the shutters came down, and why not, a well-deserved glass of Italian Prosecco as well.

02:00 AM – the flight landed in Brussels, the car of the President was waiting at the main entrance to take him back home, before his next meeting at 8.00 am with a delegation of Polish ministers. Before entering the car he turned towards his entourage and thanked each of them for the great job they did. Just four hours’ sleep – but then politicians never sleep!

This is the full reportage if you want to have a look :-)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/european_parliament/sets/72157626179781732/show/

Maybe I forgot to introduce myself: I am the Photo Editor and Photographer of the European Parliament website, and, as you may have already understood, I love my job when is pure action, and I hate it when is still as a glass of not sparkling water.

One of the last adventures that made me smile was the making of the portrait of Alanis Morissette. A real Rock Star was in the EP, and a proper Hollywood shooting was, at the very last moment, prepared for me and some other video-journalists. But the manager started pointing down some rules: “Photographer has to wait until she feels ok; the photographer can enter after all the cameramen, because she does not want to be shot when she is giving a video ITW, etc…”

Anyway, as you have already understood, what I wanted to be on my film was exactly what she didn’t want to give me: a natural photo, a natural smile. So, I entered the empty room and set the camera, I chose where I wanted her to be and waited nearly an hour to have my photo shooting. Here she was, smiling and beautiful, once again with the manager and…”click”! “Please can you wait a little bit more, we need to finish the make-up”, the manager said. “Yes, I am sorry, I was only trying the light!”, was my answer. But the real photo was already taken, in the exact moment she was smiling at her costume director, who was adjusting her hair with a hand. She was natural with a beautiful smile, few seconds later the same smile became a Hollywood one and the other photos, posed, were taken!

The manager was a little bit upset when, after few minutes, I told him I was done. Me, I was already happy with the real photo that was well saved in the memory card and in my mind. I ran back to my office, I downloaded it and edited a little bit the levels. In half an hour, the picture was ready to be published and the article to be read in 22 languages, all around Europe.

One more reason why I love my job: although our website is in all European official languages, so to be multi-linguistic as Europe is, only one photo is illustrating each daily article. A photo speaks more than 22 languages, all the languages of the world, and that photo is usually mine.

Your photographer,

Pietro Naj-Oleari ;-)