During the plenary session (16-19 December 2019) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs celebrate 10 years of the Lisbon Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the key reforms that enhanced democracy and strengthened Parliament, while expanding European citizens’ rights.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

Lisbon Treaty (T)

Commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Lisbon Treaty and the legally binding Charter of Fundamental Rights: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, On this anniversary, I would like to renew once again our commitment to a solidarity based and free Europe. We have to continue to think of our future together. We have to walk hand-in-hand. Through the major turnout. At the last elections, our citizens gave us a clear message they want to contribute more intensely to the European project.

SOUNDBITE (French), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Our union is like a reed which bends but doesn't break. New challenges are not blocking it, but are helping it to move forward because it draws its strength from the principles and values of its treaties and the European people. Our union is not a given. It is undergoing constant construction. It's a choice that we renew each day. That's its beauty and its singularity. I am convinced that we haven't yet used all of the possibilities in the Lisbon Treaty.

SOUNDBITE (French), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, We are impatient today. There are so many challenges ahead of us. Climate. The digital agenda peace, security, defense. The ability to speak together with a strong voice on the international scene. More than ever. I share with you the belief that we have reasons to be confident, reasons to be optimistic. A new institutional cycle is beginning. A parliament,which is here, which is mobilized. I understood looking towards a future, ready to debate, ready to shoulder its full responsibilities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), EPP group leader, As Giscard d'Estaing opened the European convention. He said, let us dream of Europe. And I would say, let's dream again. As our community develops, we must answer fundamental questions now. What are the main areas where the European Union must act in the future? We must carry out a competence check in the European Union. The European Union must focus only on issues where we have really a positive impact to citizens daily life.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Iratxe GARC&#205;A P&#201;REZ (S&amp;D, ES), S&amp;D Group leader, Last week, we looked at possibilities of overcoming the requirements for unanimity to move towards a carbon for neutrality by 2050. We hope very much that the number of areas covered by unanimity can be reduced so that we can act in time to face the challenges that we are looking at. We're beginning a new political cycle and it's time to be bold. Europe is not what it was 10 years ago. We can talk about the climate emergency. We can talk about gender violence, refugees knocking on the doors of Europe with the hope of being able to have a future, child poverty. So many questions which we need to work on.

SOUNDBITE (French), Pascal DURAND (RE, FR), In this conference for Europe, we shouldn't ignore citizens, we have to bring them into the European project and ensure them that in the 21st century there will be European citizenship. It's not just going to be 27 different national citizenships from each member state, there is something above that, and it's the European general interest.