Arrival and doorstep by Sandro GOZI, Lead Candidate for Renew Europe Now prior to the Eurovision debate between the lead candidates for the Commission presidency. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

GOZI, Sandro (Renew, FR)

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

2024 European elections (T)

Eurovision debate 2024 - Arrivals and doorsteps: Sandro GOZI, Lead Candidate for Renew Europe Now

Arrival of Sandro GOZI, Lead Candidate for Renew Europe Now

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, I'm very happy to be here. I hope that this debate will help a higher turnout in the European elections. It's very important for democracy. It's very important for us. It's very important for you, very important for our European citizens. So this is why, as Renew, we are very satisfied. I'm very honored to represent Renew in this debate.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, I expect to give the envy, encourage our citizens, especially young citizens, especially citizens who vote for the first time, sometimes in some member states, 16 year old, in other member state, 18 years old, to go to the polls. Because, the European elections nowadays in 2024 are the most important election for us. It's here that we decide our collective destiny. It's here that we decide if we want a more powerful, a more democratic Europe, it's here that we decide our future, and the future is in our hands. And I hope that, the European citizens will, will understand this. And this debate is very important for this.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, <p>But for me it's not a surprise. This is not a surprise because they do not play the game of transnational democracy, they do not want a transnational democracy. They think that democracy only exists at the national level. That is why they did not indicate representatives officially, did not vote, did not indicate representatives in these debates because they, before, said that they wanted to leave the European Union. Now they say they want to stay inside because they have understood that outside is not very good, and we are looking at the British. But inside they want to weaken, that's why they are against transnational lists. They are against anything that can strengthen a European dimension of democracy. That is why they did not, as a party, vote and adopt and indicate representatives to these debates. I'm sorry they don't want to play this game. Of course, I regret it, but I am not surprised because the extreme right have never wanted to build a truly strong European democracy. </p>

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, <p>Again, I am not surprised. At least they do that. But for me that doesn't change anything, AfD Deutschland remains an extreme right party, remains a party that is at the antipodes of our values. It is a party that is going to destroy the European Union. After that, if sometimes they happen to make a good decision, fine. But that doesn't change anything about the judgments we give of the AfD and the Identity-Democracy group. These are people who are anti-European, they are people who are against the rule of law. These are people who apparently have dubious relationships with foreign powers outside Europe. And that's not our cup of tea. </p>

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, You know, all roads leads to Rome and it is not me which deny that. But the road that also have underlying has taken to Rome won't bring very far. The more she gets closer to Meloni, Fratelli d'Italia, ECR, the more the more she gets far from us. That is clear. We don't want to build up a political majority in the European Parliament, neither with ECR nor with ID.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, If I had to decide what to do in 27 Parliaments and I don't know how many regional parliaments, I would spend the time to do so. I'm telling you, we say no, no and no to strike alliances at national level. I think that those national level, for domestic reason start to have a dialog with extreme right are wrong, I think that is a serious mistake. I think that a mistake that I would never make and my position is not new, is very clear and I mean not in my name. And I will never support any alliance which put in question LGBTIQ rights, put in question our approach on migration, put in question the respect of the Constitution, put in question rule of law. This is very clear. But yeah, I can talk and I can take responsibility for what we want to do in Parliament. And I think I've already been very clear to say No to alliance with the extreme rights. I say I put an "s" ECR and ID.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, I have already answered. I mean, they didn't accept to play by the rules. We also do not believe in the automaticity of this head of the list fair process, because it is clear if you cannot have a head of the list without list until we don't have transnational list, which is our proposal, which is my fight, which is a proposal that we have adopted formally reforming the European electoral law and on which now we want the Council to decide. It is clear that nobody can vote directly for Ursula Von der Leyen or Nicolas Schmidt. So we think that the head of the list system will be real and will be really legitimate only when we will have the transnational list in the EU Constitution. But this doesn't mean that this initiative, this process, this debate is not helpful for our citizens, is not healthy for democracy, is not useful to make the different position better known by the public. And so I think that I regret that they have made the choice not to appoint some representative one, two, three, or they could do whatever they wanted. But I'm not surprised because they don't want to strengthen the European democracy, because they think that the protection of rule of law is interference of the European Union in the member state. But I think that this is a duty that we have to support and protect the right of European citizens. So I'm really very, very for.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sandro GOZI, lead Candidate of Renew Europe Now, They are at the beginning of the process. There isn't the government, there isn't a prime minister, there isn't nothing. But I said for me, for me, it's a mistake. And I'm very happy that our President of the group, Valérie Hayer, has already convened a meeting. In the first meeting and the first point we will discussed also this on the 10th of June. Thank you very much.