The director of EL MUNDO, Joaquín Manso, talks with Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, at the inauguration of the forum 'Europe, a decisive year', which the newspaper EL MUNDO celebrates on the occasion of its 35th anniversary, from the Auditorium of the Gallery of the Royal Collections. Welcome speech by Joaquin MANSO, director of El Mundo and speech by Roberta METSOLA, EP President.

EU - Spain (T)

official visit

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

Spain

Madrid

president's agenda

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President Madrid (Spain): El Mundo Anniversary Event with the participation of Roberta METSOLA, EP President

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/75222087/1709294824089_I253728Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Joaqu&iacute;n MANSO, Director of El Mundo, -

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is always a great joy to return to the wonderful city of Madrid. But joining you in celebrating 35 years of El Mundo is truly a great pleasure. I want to start by thanking you for your commitment and involvement. I speak on behalf of the entire European Parliament when I say that we have enormous respect for the work they [El Mundo] do and the risks they take to inform citizens. It is not a surprise that during the last three and a half decades, El Mundo has become a reference, synonymous with support for Spanish and European democracy.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, First of all, too often politicians and journalists are seen as the two opposing forces. But in reality, I think we are not too far back in the same quest for truth, for change, for a way to inform people, to communicate, in order for them to be better equipped to take decisions, in order for our democracy to survive and to bring our world closer to how it ought to be. We can't take democracy for granted. We cannot take the freedoms that Europe offers for granted.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We meet here at the moment where the funeral of Navalny is Alexei taking place. Too many in Europe remember what it means to live unfree. And with Russia's illegal expansionist aggression now entering its third year of war in Ukraine, of war on our values and way of life, we need to remember what is at stake, for Ukraine and for Europe. We need to remind our people that the freedoms we cherish do not come through coincidence. The freedom to live how we want, the freedom to pursue our own happiness and to vote for who we like, to be equal before the law, to read independent journalism, to say what we want, to disagree, to assemble, to dissent without consequence. These are the values people have fought for, people voted for.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, 'And once we must protect and in this moment, I cannot help all the journalists that have paid the ultimate price to safeguard these freedoms. El Mundo journalists like José Luis López de Lacalle, Julio Fuentes Serrano and Julio Anguita Parrado - three beacons of truth and light in a world that is too often murky and dark. Daphne Caruana Galizia in my country. Ján Kuciak in Slovakia. I pay tribute to their courage as we pledge to make it easier for journalists. Because the press should never be a target.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud that Europe has rallied with unprecedented unity in support of Ukraine from the start. And we will continue, for as long as it takes. Because Russia's aggression represents an existential threat also to our Union, to our values, and to our freedom. And if we do not stand with Ukraine, everything we promised and everything we inherited risks crumbling. Europe will always stand for risk. But we know that peace without dignity, without accountability, without justice, is no real peace at all.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, 'This is the same philosophy that drives our reaction to the situation in the Middle East. From the horrors of October 7th to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. This is why we have pushed for a ceasefire, for the return of hostages, and for Hamas to no longer operate with impunity. This is the only way we can get more aid into Gaza, how we save more lives and above all, what is at the basis of a two-state solution. One that gives perspective to the Palestinian people, security to Israel, and allows Gaza to be led by legitimate Palestinian authorities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, 'Because ultimately, we don't say this enough. Our hearts must be big enough for all the victims and our minds must have the capacity to fight and to find the political will to break this cycle of history. This is the only way we can find that peace that has eluded generations. Europe must ready our efforts to adapt to changing global realities. Because if the past few years have taught us anything, it is that our collective security is paramount. Meaning that we need to double-down on a real security framework, one that does not replicate what exists, but one that is complements it. And the security component is essentialto this - for non-State actors just as much as the State actors too. In few a days we would mark 20 years since the 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid that killed 193 people and injured nearly 2000 more.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, I did not come here today, even with the questions that I thought we will ask and the discussions that we will have, to be cynical. On the contrary, I believe that in spite of all the challenges that Europe has had to face and responds to, we stand here today tall, stronger than ever before. And it is because of those challenges that we do that. Today EU citizens are more protected in the event of an emergency or a disaster. At the height of the pandemic, that hit countries like Spain particularly hard, we managed to ensure the joint provision of vaccines and ventilators.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We made huge steps towards in our capacity joint for healthcare. We supported jobs and businesses. We came together on a European level to agree on the €723 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility, which was crucial in helping national economies recover. We've build on those lessons, whether on health, on energy, or on economic governance. My predecessor David Sassoli used to speak of the "cruel inflexibility" of EU fiscal rules.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We managed to find an agreement that maintains fiscal prudence which is necessary while at the same time ensure that Member States have the ability to finance twins, repay our debts, and stabilise investment level. This legislative past five years have seen huge strides forward. Many of my colleagues out here who have worked so much on these legislative instruments, on digital services, on the digital markets, and on Artificial intelligence, on equality, on tackling poverty, on Erasmus, on research, on trade, on security, on borders, on climate, on protecting journalists.

 But perhaps the most historic agreement we have reached in this term is that on our EU Asylum and Migration laws that was almost ten years in the making. It is a deal that incorporates both responsibility and solidarity between Member States. One that strengthens borders, one that does fair with those who are in need of protection, one that is firm with those not eligible for asylum, and one that is strong against those traffickers who exploit the most vulnerable. And here I want to pay tribute to Spain's presidency of the Council of the European Union. It would not have been possible without their commitments.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Now, ladies and gentlemen, while we are proud of Europe's successes, we must also be honest about where we could have done better. Where we have gone too far. Perhaps also, where we have not gone far enough. Where we did not match people's expectations. Where our bureaucracy and red tape has pushed people away from Europe, where we do not have all the tools we need to act.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, I spoke about how proud the future of our climate ambitions in the stewardship of a Green Deal is important for Europe. I have always maintained that for it to work properly, it must incorporate every sector. It must provide real incentives, and it must provide a safety net, including for farmers and the agricultural sector. People must have confidence in the process and they must be able to afford it. Otherwise it would not succeed. And the only thing they will do is that it risks driving more and more people to the comfort of the political fringes, and we cannot allow that to happen.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, 'Above all, the green digital transition will only possible if we manage to support and sustain economic growth. Real, sustainable and inclusive economic growth. It is how we address the real issues and cushion the socio-economic challenges facing families across Europe, who face higher bills, and who struggle to make it to the end of the month, who do not have access to affordable housing. This is how businesses and industries are going to create jobs. They can generate wealth and ensure Europe's global competitiveness and keep the capital in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We need to listen more and we need to listen harder. One thing that worries me the most, and I say this not just because I see it in the discussions I have with young people as I go from capital to capital and not only capitals in some member states, also going to other cities as I meet with those people, new voters, never voted before, even if they had the possibility to vote, they haven't voted yet. They have some comfort in an abstention.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, I see it myself as a mother of four boys, two teenagers. One would vote for the first time. Despite all the information of the world they have on their fingertips, they are more sceptical than ever before. They are more lonely. They are tempted by a cynical black and white narrative when the reality is always a thousand shades of grey. Who take the rights that Europe protects  and the opportunities that our Union gives for granted because we are given it to them. We have fought for it for them, but they don't remember that fight. We cannot allow that generation to retreat to populist political extremes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, That in a nutshell, is what I believe is the greatest challenge we are facing in the next 100 days exactly before the European Parliament elections on the 9th of June. That is why I am here today as president of the European Parliament, together with Spanish members of the European Parliament. We have made it our mission to burst through the Brussels bubble and bring Europe closer to the citizens that it represents. We are here to listen to the Spanish people, young people, as I said in particular, to persuade them not to take democracy for granted, to invite them to join us in steering our future and to vote. Because otherwise someone else would decide for them and they might not like what they see after the 9th of June.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Parliament will play its role in the coming months. But we also count on you a lot. we count on you to relay the facts in Spain about what we are doing and why. People will not bother voting if they do not understand what we do or how we work. And at the end of the day there will be 720 members coming to Brussels, 61 from Spain, 2 more than the current legislature. Who those people are and what they stand for is in your hands.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, I want Spain to respond to Europe's call. And I want Europe to respond to Spain's call. Thank you very much.