President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola gives the introductory remarks at the Beyond Growth 2023 Conference in Brussels. The Beyond Growth 2023 Conference is a multi-stakeholder event aiming to discuss and co-create policies for sustainable prosperity in Europe, based on a systemic and transformative approach to economic, social and environmental sustainability and its encompassing governance framework. The transcription is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

debate

economic growth (T)

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

European Green Deal (T)

Beyond Growth 2023 Conference - Opening Plenary - Limits to Growth: Opening statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Thank you! Thank you very much, dear Philip, dear President of the European Commission, dear Ursula, dear friends. Philip was saying, it's not often that we have young people in this room. I first entered this room as a young pro-European political activist over 20 years ago.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, I remember looking to my left, looking to my right and say, I don't know these young people around me. I come from a different country. I might have different views, different points of ideas.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, But I knew one thing that I wanted to leave this room, never forgetting the experience that I got from looking at the potential of democracy, of being active towards a country, joining the European Union and once entering, making sure that that promise and hope that the European Union gave could be materialised.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, So whenever I entered this room, and if I don't think of all the difficult plenaries we have, I also think of the most amazing moments, such as when President Zelenskiy addressed this room. But I think of that first time as I entered this room. And I would like you as an appeal to tell you that use these three days if you don't know the person to your left or to your right to make friends.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And hold those memories in order to make Europe a better place. So I'd like to welcome you here to the European Parliament. It's not always so full on a monday morning. I'd like to see it like this more often. I'd like you to, to feel at most at home in our house of European democracy. This was one of the first events, if not the first event I committed to as soon as I was elected president of the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Because, you know, Philip, you have always been future oriented and someone who has always understood and this is rare. That our responsibility as politicians goes beyond the short termism of our mandates. So today's conference is as apt as it is important. Our world is rapidly changing and right now we are dealing with the effects of a global pandemic war on our continent and energy crisis inflation all against the backdrop of a climate crisis.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Now, these crises are existential to Europe and to our world. Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It highlighted the cracks in our energy systems and in our security strategy. It has reinforced the necessity of diversifying our energy supply, of turning our focus towards renewables and sustainable sources of energy, on cooperating further on the issues that are fundamental to our Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, When we look back, it has been more than a year with these recent geopolitical events. These are events whose consequences immediately shook us. But they also showed us the power of unprecedented unity. When it comes down to it, the European Union can enact a massive amount of change in a short time.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, We have recently turned to law the Green Deal ambition to make the EU climate neutral by 2015. We are making sure that Europe is on track to be the world's first climate neutral continent. And this is not only about going green for green sake. It is about growth. It is about jobs and security and ensuring that our continent is on a firm foothold for the next generation to inherit it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, That is what sustainability is. It is growth that we have to deliver for our citizens now as much for our future generations. Now as with the world rapidly changes, we need to change with it. We policymakers have to adapt our strategies and set the regulatory framework right for rapid change. We must deliver reforms that deal with these issues to showcase the economy and the environment as the same side of the same coin.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, These are inextricably linked to the security of our union. Now, what is our challenge now, as we look forward over the next difficult months ahead? It is to ensure that no one falls through the cracks or is left behind. And this means that we need to talk to all our citizens. This means that when somebody is worried about whether they can pay their bills or keep their job, that we have the answers to that.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, With bold ambition and understanding. Now, after the economic crisis some years ago, we saw more and more people look away from Europe. This cannot happen again in a world that has become more unpredictable and more dangerous. Now we have to be careful not to throw away all the painful lessons learnt about European economic and fiscal policies. And this is about pushing the concept of better Europe that matches the needs of more Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, At the cost of repeating myself, funds are finite, debts must be paid back, and the only way we are able to do that is if we are able to grow our economies sustainably. And the legislation that we create here that we vote here is about creating new jobs, new sectors and new industries giving us a competitive edge.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And I say this with responsibility. We can both save our planet and protect our ability to make a living and support the world around us. Just a few weeks ago, we adopted and this was hard to negotiate between different committees in this House, different political groups, bringing together colleagues that I am proud to sit with today, overwhelmingly, the social climate funds.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, We know that when we look at our societies and the pressure that they are feeling, then we have to deliver with funds that address and cushion the impact that our families, our businesses, our citizens, those who've been marginalised don't feel far away from this room over here, want us to deliver.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And that means that we have a long way to go. But we can only be successful in our fight to deal with this crisis if we are in it together. That means bringing all of us on board. My appeal to you would be to be open, to be as frank and discuss with each other, to come together and identify solutions that we need to take with us as we convince people to vote for this European Parliament next year.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, As we look at different countries and say, what can be done here? How can we reach across the table and offer a better Europe? I think the future of Europe is full of unbridled possibility that we must cease and Europe, as we have seen, we must and should continue to lead by example.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, So thank you very much for having me here. Thank you very much for the possibility of sharing a few thoughts at the beginning of the conference. It's always different at the beginning when it is at the end. I would like to be here actually in three days to see what the conclusions are, but hold us to account, keep us responsible, and we will be together to deliver. Thank you very much. Enjoyed.