Antonio TAJANI, EP President, speaks to the press about Informal meeting of the 27 heads of state or government, at the Justus Lipsius building press room, Brussels.

Brussels

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

press conference

composition of the European Parliament (T)

2019 European elections (T)

informal summit of Heads of State and Government 23 February 2018 (T)

Multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 (T)

Informal meeting of the 27 heads of state or government: extracts from the press conference by Antonio TAJANI, EP President

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/19813495/I151126Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, On the budget the proposal of the EP is more money after the BREXIT : 1,3% of the GDP of the EU at 27 member states, and we want also own resources.

SOUNDBITE (English), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, In 2050 we will have 2,5 billion people living in Africa. Climate change, terrorism, poverty, civil war, are big problems for these peoples. Without a strong European engagement, without a real Marshal Plan, without an economic diplomacy it&rsquo;s impossible to achieve good solutions for immigration. We will have not thousands and thousands people leaving Africa. We will have millions of people leaving Africa. So we need to work for the future.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, The European Parliament is in favor to reinforce a practice that started during the European election of 2014. A practice that, from my point of view, brings citizens closer to Institutions; it is a system that reinforce democracy inside the European Union since we have a problem of disaffection of citizens from voting, because they are unhappy, according to elections results and we need to give concrete answer to citizens with all our initiatives. We talked about the Budget and also about the Spitzenkandidat candidate, in order to permit citizens to chose the President of the European Commission; it is a way to reinforce democracy and give voice to citizens.

Cutaways press room during the press conference (7 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, Of course we need to strengthen the external borders everywhere, but the problem of the refugees is not only a problem for Italy or for Greece. It&rsquo;s a European problem, also the strategy for Africa is a European strategy.