Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, gives her opening remarks following her participation at the special European Council meeting (17-18 April). EU heads of state or government discuss the new European competitiveness deal to securing our prosperity and global leadership; the urgency of intensifying EU delivery of military assistance to Ukraine, notably air defence capabilities; the commitment to work with partners to end the crisis in Gaza with an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, as well as an urgent increase of unimpeded humanitarian aid; and developing a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Türkiye. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

press conference

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

president's agenda

special meeting of the European Council 17-18 April 2024 (T)

Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, following her participation at the Special European Council

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Good evening. So in 50 days time, Europeans will be going to the polls and it is clear that people are aware that the stakes are high at the ballot box. That has been the focus of the discussion that I had lengthily with Heads of State and government to just now where I gave an account, first of all, of the fact that together with members of the European Parliament, we have been meeting with the citizens during our visits to Member States, where they mention the fight against poverty, the strengthening of the economy and the creation of new jobs among their top concerns.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, That is why it is so timely that the European Council is meeting today, to discuss and recall its report. This report, which is very important. The European Single Market, has been a powerful tool of convergence and our most valuable asset, and I believe that our economic area still holds the potential to deliver even wider benefits for our people as we accelerate the green and digital transitions of our economies. It is by increasing productivity, by accelerating investments in our own industrial capabilities and by deepening the single market that we can reduce strategic dependencies while at the same time supporting and sustaining economic growth.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, The first thing I said is we always speak about the need for an Energy Union, a Capital Markets Union, a Banking Union, a Health Union, and a Defence Union, when we sometimes forget to talk about the fact that we have the European Union and the fact that we need to complete it. The reality is that there are all of these areas that I've just listed that have been excluded from our single market and it is now time for us to tear down the remaining barriers that can impact Europe in the global push for the companies of tomorrow.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, 'Now, if our businesses and industries are to scale up and innovate, to create jobs, to generate wealth and ensure Europe's global competitiveness, we need to create the right conditions and the right framework for our Start-ups and SMEs to stay in Europe. We need to reduce excessive bureaucracy, fragmentation of our financial sector, and remove obstacles to capital flows across our Union, between one Member state and another.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, For me, this is a question of political will. We can do this and must do this because otherwise we would be creating a situation where our people lose out. Europeans want us to reinforce our security. They want us to reinforce our defence structures in order to defend peace and democracy over the next five years. This is a concern that people across the board emphasise. I see this as a strong call for us to keep supporting Ukraine and to speed up and intensify the delivery of equipment that they need to sustain their defence, including their air defence.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, 'The same is true when it comes to Russia's disinformation campaigns and the strengthening of pro-Kremlin sentiments ahead of our upcoming European elections in June. This was a large part of the discussions that was dedicated in the conversations I had with the Prime Ministers. It is not just a threat anymore, but a possibility, and it is one that we must be ready to counter and all this let me re-emphasise that the European Parliament stands ready to support fully Member States in pushing back and addressing any malign interference with our democratic decision making processes in every way that we can, as we have always done.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, 'Finally, on the Middle East, Iran's unprecedented drone and missile strikes on Israel risk igniting further tensions in the region. Now, as a Union, we will keep working to de-escalate and stop the situation from spiralling into more bloodshed. The new sanctions against Iran for its drone and missile programs are needed and justified. In fact, Parliament has also called and I recalled this in my discussion for the entirety of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to be included in the EU list of terrorist organisations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, 'In Gaza, the situation remains desperate. Let me reiterate that the European Parliament will keep pushing for a ceasefire. We will keep demanding the return of the remaining hostages while maintaining that Hamas can no longer operate with impunity. This is how we get more aid into Gaza, how we save innocent lives, and how we push forward the urgent need for a two-State solution that gives real perspective to the Palestinian people and security to Israel. I will leave it here and please am happy to answer any questions.