Eurovision Debate 2024 between the lead candidates for the Commission presidency: Spotlight - Sandro GOZI, Renew Europe Now. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivering.

Brussels

debate

GOZI, Sandro (Renew, FR)

Eurovision debate between candidates for the Presidency of the European Commission (T)

2024 European elections (T)

BECK, Annelies (BE)

ŘEZNÍČEK, Martin (CZ)

Eurovision Debate 2024 (Clean feed): Spotlight - Sandro GOZI, Renew Europe Now

SOUNDBITE (Original), Martin ŘEZN&Iacute;ČEK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, More and democratic powerful Europe is possible. And I would never be near without Europe. The Erazmus change had opened my mind and my eyes. I'm Italian and I'm running in France for the European elections. And today we are debating here in Brussels. This is Europe, this is the Europe we want. I always try to make the best of the opportunity that Europe gives to each of us and also trying to give Europe back something.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, 'Today, we are confronted with challenges of the same scale as those of our founding mothers and fathers. So, the same vision, the same sense of urgency- that what we must show. The future generation will judge us on this.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, So let us not miss the opportunity. This is our time, our chance to save Europe, and this is why I fight for a Europe which multiplies opportunity. I fight for a Europe of concrete solution. I fight for a more democratic Europe. And this is why we must renew Europe. Now.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator, Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Gozi. You are very passionate about Europe. We've just heard you and before as well. But the federalist European project of Renew Europe Now seems to have lost appeal. How come do you think?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, Why do you think so?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator, If I look at the polls for example...

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, YWell, you know, I mean, you mentioned that I ran 37 marathons. If you want to start the marathon, you think that you're too tired, at the end of the marathon, you don't even start. I'm not running in the elections to read the polls. I understand that this is very interesting for you, as a journalist. For me, the opinion polls do not count. Count the votes on the 9th of June.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator, Okay, that's the only poll that counts, indeed. But do you agree that there are many parties that have a different idea of Europe that have a great appeal?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, Yes. And this is why I fight against those. And this is why I don't understand how the European People's Party and Ursula von der Leyen is ready to open to the ECR, to Giorgia Meloni, to Vox.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator, You don't feel responsible at Renew?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, They are absolutely against Europe. They want to dismantle Europe from within, so you cannot certainly open that. You must fight against them, right? And unfortunately, in this Parliament, we've  got two extreme rights: ECR and ID.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator, Okay, but you don't feel that, your party has been in power for quite a while in Europe, has any responsibility in that? Are you going too fast, is something else wrong?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, Well, I mean, we have created a new group and a new political alliance in 2019, which is called Renew Europe. And we have done it joining forces between democrats, liberal, renaissance. We've done it under the leadership of Emmanuel Macron, which until 2017, he wasn't a president of the French Republic, and I think that we have started to deeply change Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, We have proposed a Treaty revision, that was  in my work we have. It is thanks to us that you got to their Recovery plan, it's thanks to us that there is a defence of rule of law. So certainly I think that. But if you ask me if I'm satisfied, no, I'm not.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator, Okay, you have plans for future reforms, I understand. But in this context, can the Dutch liberals of VVD still be a member of Renew Europe Now? Now they are in government with Geert Wilders' PVV, radical right party, part of the ID group. What is its place?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, First of all, there is not in government. Because the government is not made, there is no government, there is no prime minister.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator, On principle, on principle.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, For me it's a major mistake and I would never do so. In Italy,  in France I fight against Matteo Salvini, Giorgia Meloni,  Éric Zemmour, and Marine Le Pen in this Parliament, we will say always no to alliance with extreme right. Be it ECR or ID. Our president already say that we will discuss this on the 10th of June. It will be the first point and then we will decide. It is not me, as a leading candidate, who decide we are a parliamentary group. We decide by majority. I think it's a major mistake, if they do it. But then there is no government in the Netherlands yet.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Annelies BECK, Eurovision debate 2024 moderator, Okay. Thank you very much for this interview, Mr. Gozi.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, Thank you very much.