In her speech, President Metsola said:
In this crucial moment of relaunching, reforming and reimagining Europe, the values of peace, justice, freedom and human dignity would remain firmly positioned at the bedrock of everything that we have built and everything that we will continue to do. This is what distinguishes us as Europeans
To forge a genuinely equitable and fair path forward, much more effort needs to be made to transform these values into concrete benefits for our people. Whether that is in the green transition or in the digital transition, our job is to ensure that our policies are ambitious enough to address the challenges we are facing. Meaning that they must work for people.
We are at an inflection point that will determine the path we are to take. There are no easy solutions, but they are decisions that we must take. Europe must meet this moment.
My fear is that if we get this wrong, if we ignore when people are telling us that they are worried, we will see a re-rise of the extremes.
My appeal to you today is to join me in this critical moment of reimagining and reforming our Europe. To reject the temptation of easy cynicism that takes over so quickly. Have your say on how you want our Europe to look like.
On Israel:
The reality on the ground is horrific, tragic and desperate.
I visited the sites of the atrocities and met with grieving survivors. I expressed Europe’s solidarity, urged for the release of hostages and reiterated our rejection of terrorism.
I underlined that how Israel responds matters, how Hamas is stopped matters, and that we must work together to mitigate the humanitarian consequences to innocent people in Gaza.
Europe stands against hate. We stand against terrorism. It is absolutely condemnable. Hamas must be stopped. Full stop.
It is also entirely correct to voice our concerns and desperation at the unfolding crisis in Gaza, that has seen too many innocent lives lost.
Standing proudly and strongly against terror and doing everything possible to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza are not mutually exclusive. That’s why we insist on respect for international law. Why we do everything we can to protect innocent lives.
On the EU´s role in the world:
We must reinforce our role in the world by becoming stronger and more united on the global stage.
To do this we need to work on building-up a global democratic alliance of trusted partners and friends.
That entails a continued commitment to stand firmly alongside Ukraine. With the situation in the Middle East dominating the headlines, Putin is expecting our political, humanitarian and military support to waiver. We cannot allow fatigue to set-in. This remains as much about Ukraine’s security as it is about ours.
Security, defence and migration should be high on our reform agenda. Work must start immediately to build a real security and defence Union. One that complements NATO without competing with it. Member States must continue with efforts to increase defence spending.
If we want to ensure the longevity of our project and the security of our way of life, we simply need the resources to back it up. The current geopolitical climate is proof of that.
On migration:
After a decade of deadlock, we are now at a point where we can charter a way forward.
More work needs to be done to close loopholes between a negative asylum decision and a return decision especially after what we have seen a few days ago in the heart of Brussels.
We are closer than ever. So let me assure you of the European Parliament’s unwavering commitment to finalise this legislative package by the end of our mandate.
You can find the full speech of President Metsola here.
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