Xavier BETTEL is the sixth EU leader to debate the future of Europe with MEPs and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, during the EP plenary session (28-31 May 2018) in Strasbourg.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

future of the European Union (T)

EU - Luxembourg (T)

BETTEL, Xavier (LU)

Debate on the Future of Europe with Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister: extracts from the answers to the MEPs

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, We have an obligation to show also what works now. I have seen that with Brexit, I have been trough Greece and migration crises as well. This is true that we have to manage solutions immediately. Somebody also said here about the migration and refugees crisis, yes we do need to have a common solution, we do need a common migration policy but we can not find the solution as long as everybody thinks they have to solve this separately and work it up for themselves. We have to find a common way of doing so.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, The situation in Ukraine is very tense still and people who think it is not are wrong, the only text, the only example, the only Normandy format which was done by European leaders, thanks&rsquo; to them that today we have engagement both Russian and Ukrainian side. Without the EU I do not know where Ukraine will be today.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, Some of you have spoken about Luxembourg as there it was a tax haven, have you seen the legislative texts we came up during the last four years, have you seen the reports that have been written and also by the European Commission look at those texts, look at the fact that Luxembourg today is no longer in any black list of any international organization. We are seen as compliant and we have done what we had to do the directives needed to be transposed for transparency, for cooperation have been done.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, Let us not forget that in a near future UK would no longer be part of the EU, so if you do this short term calculations and say oh yes this company is going ti come to Dublin, to Paris or Luxembourg, wherever that maybem we can talk about. But after I do not want to see tomorrow for the UK or the USA or in the future or someone else or Asia, I do not want them to be the place where companies go because Europe is going to have higher taxes, they do not exist elsewhere.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, What about taxes on financial transaction for example, we are not against it in Luxembourg but let us do it at international level, let&rsquo;s not penalised our own continent by doing it. We have to understand that Europe is in direct competition with Asia and USA. Let us do something for Our industry, our economy, our finances.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, In certain countries they will say &lt; you know we have no more money for Erasmus, for our farmers, it is Brussels so decided&gt;. isn't there the risk that the reaction is not the one we want? We can see that the Article 7 it is not working now but I think in that case (Hungary) take them out the right of vote and the next European Council. Let&rsquo;s find a way to say to those responsibles if things do not work about the situation in that country. But the sanctions should not go in the people.