After her participating to the European Council meeting with heads of state and government, Roberta METSOLA, EP President, holds a press conference. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

press conference

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

meeting of the European Council

president's agenda

European Council meeting 29-30 June 2023 (T)

Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President at the European Council following her participation to the European Council: Opening statement

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Thank you very much, Jaume. Good afternoon. First of all, we just came off of a very good discussion with the Heads of State on government, first on Ukraine and the latest events in Russia have raised the number of questions. First, relating to the internal dynamics of Russia, its effects on the invasion of Ukraine and on European security as a whole.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, However, what we can be certain about is that Ukraine must remain our number one priority. Our policies are working. Putin is weaker and Ukraine is efficiently fighting back. In this respect, we welcome the 11th package of sanctions and the additional €50 billion in support for Ukraine's reconstruction as announced last week.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And we must keep our promises on opening negotiations. Ukraine's efforts on reforms have been extraordinary even and especially in times of war. And if the reform criteria have been sufficiently met, we need to respond. And I remain optimistic that this can still be achieved this year.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Secondly, on the MFF revision, we need to put our money where our mouth is. If we want to increase our support for Ukraine, who want to help our companies to adjust to the twin transitions and be competitive, if we want to cushion the economic and social impact on people and to step up on migration, we need to adapt our long term EU budget to reflect our current for that reality.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, On top of this, we have loans that need to be repaid and now with much higher interest rates. And this is eating into the EU budget and the European Parliament has been consistent in saying that this should be resolved by moving ahead with new own resources.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, On all this, the European Parliament would be responsible partner. A lot will fall on the Council. Some of these decisions will require unanimity, so there will be a question of whether there is political will or not.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Finally, on the upcoming elections, there are still 177 files open on the table, legislative. Not all equally urgent, but one particularly urgent is the migration files. Migration cannot be instrumentalized, we owe it to our citizens to find an agreement before the election.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, We need to find a way forward that is just and humane with those in need of protection, that is fair and firm with those who are not eligible and with the latest tragedies in mind, particularly stronger with traffickers preying off the most vulnerable people on our planet. These were the three points that the discussion mostly focussed on. So I'm ready to take your questions now.