European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering called for the release of the five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya. He addressed the Parliament the National Assembly of Bulgaria on 20 April 2007. It was his first speech before a national parliament in his capacity as EP President.

"I reiterate my appeal I issued earlier that Libya should reverse the death sentence and free the nurses, allowing them to reunite with their families in Bulgaria", Poettering said in plenary. "I met with relatives of the nurses two days ago and their pain is in my heart," he added. EP President noted that he wears the symbol of the "You Are Not Alone" campaign to free the nurses. "Besides the nurses are Bulgarian nationals, they are citizens of the European Union," Poettering stressed.

The President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering is paying a two-day visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Georgi Pirinski. He started his address to Bulgarian MPs greeting them in Bulgarian. He said he is honoured to be able for the first time to speak to the parliament of a new EU Member State in his capacity as EP President.

Hans-Gert Poettering noted that the date of his address is a very important one because it was timed to coincide with the opening of the campaign for the May 20 Bulgarian elections to the European Parliament. He urged Bulgarians to use their right to vote in the country's first MEP elections.