Matteo RENZI,&nbsp;Italian Prime Minister&nbsp;is welcomed in the European Parliament in Strasbourg by Martin SCHULZ, EP President.&nbsp;Debate during the plenary session of January in Strasbourg on the Italian Presidency. Statements by Mateo RENZI,&nbsp;President in office of&nbsp;the Council and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

EU - Italy (T)

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

RENZI, Matteo (IT)

Italian Presidency of the EU (T)

Review of the Italian Presidency: extracts from the statements by Matteo RENZI, President of the Council of the EU and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC

<p>Matteo RENZI, Italian Prime Minister is welcomed in the European Parliament in Strasbourg by the EP President Martin SCHULZ: arrival, handshake (5 shots)</p>

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Matteo RENZI, Italian Prime Minister and President of the Council of the EU, "Our idea of Europe is that: the idea of an area of hope for forthcoming generations and we are aware that we have to tackle our own problems at home."

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Matteo RENZI, Italian Prime Minister, "At the time when the discussion on the deep meaning of Europe is opposed by embarassing playing to the gallery against the idea of Europe being an area of hope. This has been put forward by his Holiness Pope Francis who spoke here during the six months of the Presidency. He spoke beautifully and very clearly.  The idea is that Europe is something which can help the entire world, and some other people are trying to push fear and populism and trying to run down our values and are pushing for a fortress Europe. But I don't want it to be a fortress. It has to be an open area".

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Matteo RENZI, Italian Prime Minister, "The real photo, the historical photo is the photo of the people, photo of French people whose history of enlightenment and cathedrals, philosophy and beauty. Today we are in Strasbourg an European capital and also a French town and it's something which all Italians pay tribute to." (Applause)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Matteo RENZI, Italian Prime Minister, "Locking ourselves in; closing ourselves off; building up walls; building up borders; isn't European, this means not being European. We got a political debate and a cultural debate and some people are actually saying, Mr President, on behalf of security, we should live in fear, but identity people saying it doesn't convey with integration. As a man of the left, as an Italian, let me say as powerfully as I can that we will never forget about the word identity and we'll never give up this word. It's a beautiful word, it belongs to us, it means something to us. The word identity is something which expresses profound sense of being European".

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Matteo RENZI, Italian Prime Minister, "At a time when people wanted to stay home in a fearful way, Dante says (quoting Dante Alighieri): 'You weren't formed to live the lives of brutes but to persuade virtue and knowledge high'. I believe that this is a powerful message for each of us today. The European Parliament is at a crossroad: it needs to choose whether it wants to live that life of brutes, following a demagogic message which might get people a few more votes but won't actually allow us to govern Europe. There's another path: following virtue and knowledge high being Europeans and we moved as we are responsible as we think that Europe is the place to meet the challenge of tomorrow". (Applause)

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, "We continue to be shocked horrified, upset and absolutely disgusted by what took place in Paris and the surrounding area last week. Yes we are all Charlie. Throughout the whole world there are many Charlies which we must keep in our thoughts and mind. But as we are here in France, I will say: 'Long live the Republic and long live France."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, "Who would have thought that we were going to listen tomorrow to a statement of Latvian Prime Minister on plans of intentions for the six-month Presidency of the European Union. By talking in front of us this is an example of reconciliation between history and geography. It will be a bottom line against the sad part of the history and concepts which divided Europe in two diametrically opposed areas which seemed at that time to be unreconcilable and yet here we are witnessing a great moment in the history of Europe. So I say today Long live to Europe because tomorrow, as today, we will assist to a great European moment".