President Metsola is in Finland where she meets President Sauli Niinistö in Kultaranta the summer residence of the President of Finland. The two presidents discuss the challenges ahead such as the war in Ukraine, food crisis, rising energy prices, inflation, and the respective membership bids of the Ukraine to the EU and Finland and Sweden to the NATO.

official visit

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

EU - Finland (T)

NIINISTÖ, Sauli (FI)

Finland

president's agenda

Official visit of Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Finland: meeting with Sauli NIINISTÖ, President of the Republic of Finland and extracts from the press point

Arrival of Roberta METSOLA, EP President at Kultaranta, the summer residence of the President of the Republic of Finland, 4 shots

SOUNDBITE (English), Sauli NIINIST&#214;, President of the Republic of Finland, We have a lot of challenges. One of them being the economic one with the inflation, with the higher prices of energy, food, everything like that, which makes during the months to come. It will challenge also the capability of resilience of European people. And we need now strong leadership and two very, very wise decisions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sauli NIINIST&Ouml;, President of the Republic of Finland, In the same time, like we discussed, we have to have resilience also in supporting Ukraine, in the fight for freedom and in the fight for our values.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, The next few days in the European Parliament, the European Council will be crucial. We will be deciding on the reference and acceptance of Ukraine as a candidate country to the European Union. That is something that has been the position of the European Parliament and it is something that we look forward to seeing from the European Council in the next few days. Issues President as you also mentioned, of course, are the food and rising energy prices, inflation are all challenges that are being put or are putting our countries, their leaders, but most importantly the citizens to the test. And it is in these moments where the decisions that we take are the ones that will need to lead us over the next months and years in what promises to be yes, challenging. But from there we need to emerge stronger with the resilience that we need.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, We have seen an emerging, let's say, emerging with caution. I say this, but also optimistically, I say it's consensus in the European Parliament and the European Council to declare Ukraine as a candidate country. Each country has its own path. Many different steps have to be taken, would have to be taken. But at the moment, that symbol of hope to keep the spirit alive is what is needed right now.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sauli NIINIST&Ouml;, President of the Republic of Finland, (On the ongoing NATO membership discussions between Finland, Sweden and Turkey) Even though in substance itself there was not that much progress. But surely we have to be satisfied that the discussion is now open and well, everybody is looking now for Madrid and to a timetable for Madrid that might be quite difficult to get agreement by that. But nevertheless, my impression is that serious discussions are going on and hopefully all of us are at the end heading to a positive result.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sauli NIINIST&Ouml;, President of the Republic of Finland, (on whether Finland may be a NATO member by September) I wouldn't like to give any exact dates, but that is possible, although it's possible that we are not going to do that by September.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sauli NIINIST&Ouml;, President of the Republic of Finland, The problem specifically with us is that the all what Turkey has so far been saying and most demands actually we meet the average behaviour and position of existing NATO countries already as the question is with how to fight against Turkish terrorism. So we have certain difficulties to be better than average in NATO.