Roberta METSOLA, EP President, answers to the press after her participation to the European Council in Brussels.

press conference

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

president's agenda

European Council meeting 24-25 March 2022

Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, following her participation to the European Council: Questions - answers

Q&A Question regarding the situation of the war in Ukraine and if Putin is becoming weaker because of the measures; and the chance of Russians using nuclear weapons.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, What is clear is that Putin underestimated our resolve. If we have seen over the past one month what we have taken as decisions, unprecedented decisions. You see majority results and votes in the European Parliament. You see member states that have decades long held positions that are shifting according to public opinion. And that is because we have all been inspired by the courage, resilience and bravery of our Ukrainian partners fighting our war in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, So that means that we need to remain steadfast. Nothing can be off the table, besides immediately calling for a cease fire. We need to make sure that fundamental principles such as territorial sovereignty and integrity are not ever laid by the wayside. And that means that, first of all, we need to strengthen our resolve. We need to go further. And we also need to make sure that we strengthen and support countries in the region, whether they are in the European Union or outside, that are also taking on, again, an unprecedented humanitarian and military challenge.

Q&A Question regarding the EU budget and the earmark for the reception of the regugees.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, I think, first of all, we adopted today a decision on the triggering of the care, which is the Temporary Protection Directive, as we used to call it, which identifies cohesion funds. And also, let's say, an assistance that will go to those member states that are receiving the the refugees, to the people seeking and fleeing Ukraine and the Ukrainian war or Russia's war against Ukraine. And as well going further for those countries that are not those of first arrival but could be of secondary, third, tertiary and fourth movements. We have already started to see this and we need to be prepared even in our financial decisions to cater for that type of movement that we have not seen before.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, At the same time, I think we need to welcome the fact that such an instrument was triggered again. If you asked me four weeks ago whether this was possible when looking back at the lack of political will in the past, for this to be triggered, then I would have said, I don't know. But today we have seen that the European Union is ready to act. And it's that fundamental word, which is solidarity, which was used many times tonight in the exchange of views I had with the leaders who said we have adopted already immediate measures.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We need to also look at the flexibility that we would need to use, what we would call unused funds in order to be able to address upcoming challenges. And the challenges are, first of all, humanitarian reception. We need to look at what is happening to Ukrainians who are fleeing the war. We have concerns of human trafficking. We need to also see that these people who are fleeing do not necessarily see a future in the immediate term. That would mean that they would be able to go back home. And therefore, this will be a protracted challenge that putting a ballpark on it is not something that we should be prepared for, rather that we should say: whatever it takes, we owe it to the Ukrainians who are fighting this war for us. And we owe it to whoever in this world looks at democracy and rule of law and justice as being fundamental principles for us to make sure that we offer a home to them.

Speaker 5 Question regarding the current status of the rule of law and the concers of it taking a secondary role due to the current situation in Ukraine.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, The European Parliament, as you say, has always been strong on the rule of law and will continue to do so. Because these are three fundamental words that underpin everything we do. And every action that is taken needs to make sure that there is no backsliding on these fundamental principles.

 That is the point of departure for the European Parliament. It continues to be the position of the European Parliament, and this is why we have long asked for: an examination or a mechanism that looks at each and every member state and that any backsliding or any breach is pursued. And we also put the other institutions and their responsibility and hold in these institutions to account. If in any way those rule of law principles are not preserved, that will not change.

Q&A Question regarding what the European Parliament expects from the United States.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, On what the European Parliament expects, the European Parliament to expect that unity will be preserved. It is clear that any gaps or divisions will be exploited by whoever wants to continue to destroy our projects, and this is where we need to also look beyond our immediate member states and neighborhoods towards the transatlantic partnership that today is as strong as ever.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We reiterated it yesterday with Canada. Today we do it with the United States. This is a global challenge that requires a global response. And I think citizens and individuals in this world who have looked to projects of peace as something that will protect them, will look today at a world that is ready to fight against whoever tries to destroy it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, And that means that that is a message that we will expect from, not only all of the member states, but also from our partners. And I say partners with responsibility, because we also need to see, looking back at who was willing to implement, enforce and carry through the sanctions and the measures that were taken in order to do everything to make this war end.

Q&A Ukraine's position as a possible candidate to start the process of joining the EU. Question regarding

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, When I said hope, I meant that Ukraine should look at Europe as its home. This is a position that the European Parliament took even before Ukraine submitted its application for candidate status. We welcomed that application and we also wanted to send the strongest of messages that which country, whichever country would like to join our family of values of democracy, of peace and of rule of law should be able to have and find a home in the in the European Union. Naturally, this is a process the European Parliament will work together with the other institutions. But today, what we need to make sure is that strongest of messages is maintained and is kept. I had an exchange earlier today, also with my colleagues in the Verkhovna Rada. This is a position that I accept maintained. And also it is something that we have taken, as a Parliament, also as our responsibility in our ongoing cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada, but also in granting our premises in order to give a sort, as we call it, the Ukrainian hub for whoever needs coordination, logistics, political support, and we are ready to provide that. And I think that today it would be a...