During her official visit to Zagreb (Croatia), Roberta METSOLA, EP President gives a speech at the Croatian Parliament Hrvatski Sabor. The transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please, check against devliery.

speech

official visit

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

EU - Croatia (T)

Croatia

JANDROKOVIC, Gordan (HR)

Zagreb

Croatian parliament

president's agenda

Address by Roberta METSOLA, EP President at the Croatian Parliament Hrvatski Sabor

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Mr. Speaker distinguished members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, dear Europeans. Thank you for having me here with you today. It is truly an honour to be back in beautiful Zagreb among friends.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, I have always known Croatia as a nation capable of beating the odds, capable of overcoming any challenge. You have shown that you have what it takes to succeed, to prosper, to lead. Ten years ago, by becoming Member State of the European Union, Croatia changed the course of history, its own history, and that of Europe. You formalised links with a project that you always felt part of, and this year you changed history again by joining the Schengen area and adopting the euro.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Achievements that came about because of your constant engagement and commitment. The transformational effect of Europe is evident everywhere in Croatia, from the enforceable rights that are afforded to its citizens, to the opportunities that EU membership offers to young and old alike, to tourism, to the strength of your economy, to the investment in projects.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Croatia's journey as a member state is a success story. Your distinct checkered red and white, whether it is worn by Luka Modrić or waved by Andrej Plenkovic, has become a symbol for all Europeans, a symbol showing that membership is a win win situation, it was never one sided.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, In the European Parliament, your members of the European Parliament, many of you are here today, have led on issues that matter to all of us. They take a piece of Croatia to Brussels and Strasbourg, ensuring your nation's mark on European legislation. There is much to be proud of.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Ten years of building bridges with Europe and beyond. Ten years of excellence, ten years of proving every day that there is no old and no new Europe, that there are no big and no small powers in this project of ours. Friends, Europe will need to call upon the resilience personified in the people of Croatia if we are to overcome the era of polycrisis that we live in.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, The illegal, brutal invasion of independent Ukraine has changed the world as we knew it. We have lived through price hikes and energy shortages. Too many still struggle to make ends meet. Too many feel excluded. Inflation remains an impediment for growth. Post-Pandemic economic recovery remains too fragile. All while we have a climate crisis that we cannot neglect.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Now, the challenges are many and they are concurrent. But I know that we have the capacity, the resilience and the ability to emerge stronger than before. This is not blind optimism. It is a calm and sober assessment of our joint capabilities. It is the understanding that when we act together, when we stand for a common cause, there is nothing that we will be unable to overcome.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And that demands political courage, that demands putting aside short term interests. And it means matching rhetoric with action. Nothing is more evident than in Europe's reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We parliamentarians are being called upon to act, to lead, to support Ukraine, to defend the values that we have talked about for generations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And Ukraine needs us to remain steadfast. Because Ukraine is fighting for its life. It is fighting for its right to exist. And they are looking to us for military, humanitarian, political, financial and moral support. And I am proud that in that moment of truth, Europe did not turn away. We stood tall and we stood fast.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, We understood what is at stake because we remember what it is like to live unfree and under oppression. And while we will always push for peace, we know that it must be a real peace, a peace with justice, a peace with liberty, a peace with dignity. There is one quick way we can achieve this, and that is by Russia returning to its territory sooner rather than later.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Until that day, we must be ready to do what is necessary to ensure the survival of Ukraine. And here, let me thank your country. Let me thank Croatia for your leadership, for your solidarity, for your empathy with all those fleeing war. The bottom line is that for there to be peace, there must be a Ukraine and there will be a Ukraine that will soon, I hope, officially open EU accession negotiations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And the European Union must be ready. And again, that will take an act of political courage. It will take leadership, and it will mean reform. An EU of 27 will have to reform itself in order to remain effective as a club of 30 or 33. Change is never easy, but it is necessary.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And we know it is not only Ukraine that is looking to Europe, but Moldova and the nations in the Western Balkans who have been promised progress for far too long. And they will look to this country as a blueprint on how best to move forward. And together, we must be able to regenerate our political project to ensure that it is fit not only for the next wave of challenges, but for the next generations of Europeans.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Reforming our economies, reinforcing our security and protecting our way is what the twin digital and green transition is all about. It is how we return to growth and futureproof our economies. But we can only do that if we are able to keep the people with us. If we listen more and will listen harder, if we explain what we are doing better and if we are able to cushion the social and economic impact that these decisions could lead to.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, We have to be able to convince people. 17,000 Croatians have experienced our flagship exchange programme, Erasmus. They are the best ambassadors of the capacity of Europe to bring people together, to broaden horizons, to give to the younger generation what joining the eurozone and the Schengen area will give to the entire country.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Croatia's economic transformation will mirror that of the European Union as a whole. And we can and we must create the right framework for sustainable growth, for prosperity. And that means balancing fiscal flexibility with prudence. That is how we can ensure that our economies are able to pay back our debts and return this project stronger than we found it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And to do that, we need to reinforce the political centre and push back against the narrative that allows people to find false comforts in the political fringes. Croatia's GDP has grown extraordinarily in the past years, and that matters. That gives opportunities. And Europe has helped. But Europe is doing even more.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Last week in Strasbourg, the European Parliament voted on the world's most advanced artificial intelligence legislation. Our groundbreaking A.I. law will allow us to be world leaders in digital and tech innovation based on EU democratic values. Because Europe has the ability to set the tone worldwide and lead responsibly, because our laws and we don't say this enough, we don't say this clearly enough. Our laws impact people's lives. And we need to say that more. Dear friends, I am here exactly one year from the European Parliament elections to listen to what Croatians want from their union, to show that Brussels is not a faraway entity. No decisions are taken without you. In fact, many are led by you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And our challenge is to burst through the so-called Brussels and Strasbourg bubbles and to take Europe to every village and every town in our union. And I am convinced we can do that. Next year's election will also take place in the new climate of disinformation and malign actors trying to undermine our democratic processes, because there are many for whom the very existence of the European Union is a threat.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Because ours is a superpower of values. And we must protect that legacy by countering the hybrid threats where we see them. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I understand that Europe is not perfect. I share many of the frustrations with some of our processes. But at the end of the day, I know that Europe is worth it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, I know that we stand as a beacon for freedom, for equality, for rights, for prosperity, and for solidarity among people. And I want people to believe again, as Croatia did ten years ago. I want them to understand the potential of this project to solve issues, to find solutions to intergenerational problems that face all our societies.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, To help pull people up and give nations hope. Because we know that a little hope can go a long way. Croatia's investment in energy security will also mark your future. Last summer, you opened the Pelješac Bridge with the benefit of one of the largest ever EU investment in infrastructure.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, It linked the region of Southern Dalmatia with the rest of Croatia and with the rest of the European Union, and it has tangibly improved the lives of so many. And symbolically, it represents all that Croatia has been a bridge builder between people and crystallises our joint commitment to bring people together.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, That is Europe. A Europe that cares. A Europe that cannot be taken for granted. We will not be remembered for the challenges. We will remembered for our collective response. And I am proud of how Europe has stood up and continues to stand up in unity. And I am confident of the project that we will return to voters in less than one year and ask them to judge.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, So the message that I want to bring to Croatians, to you, is that Europe matters. That your vote, your choice matters. Your voice matters. And against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and global conflict between democracy and authoritarian regimes, more than ever, Croatian citizens must make their voice heard.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, The European Parliament belongs to Croatians as much as to anyone else, because Europe is worth your time, your energy, your belief. So thank you, Croatia. Thank you for ten years of European membership. Thank you for helping to build bridges. And thank you for your commitment to Europe.