Xavier BETTEL is the sixth EU leader to debate the future of Europe with MEPs and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, during the EP plenary session (28-31 May 2018) in Strasbourg. Statements by Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), Maria João RODRIGUES (S&D, PT), Hans-Olaf HENKEL (ECR, DE) and Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE).

VERHOFSTADT, Guy (Renew, BE)

RODRIGUES, Maria João (S&D, PT)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

HENKEL, Hans-Olaf (ECR, DE)

future of the European Union (T)

EU - Luxembourg (T)

BETTEL, Xavier (LU)

Debate on the Future of Europe with Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister: extracts from the statements by the political group leaders

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, In a year&rsquo;s time European citizens would have voted a new European Parliament. Nobody can second guess what shape it will take, it will be different to this Parliament. For some of my people it is also a concern, I know that Xavier will agree with me on this. Let&rsquo;s stand up against the ramped populism that we are seeing in Europe in all countries including mine.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, As for foreign policy, I broadly agree with the Prime Minister, however, in the light of recent governments I want governments to agree on a perfectly straightforward principal. On foreign policy if we have to be efficient and Xavier called for that, Europe must from here and onwards have a qualified majority. We can&rsquo;t lead the world if we aren&rsquo;t hobbled by unanimity.

SOUNDBITE (German), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), We hear the Liberals clapping for lowering taxation, but we only talk about lowering corporate tax and ultimately companies move to countries that have the lowest taxes. But as they pay VAT people will go to super markets, workers can&rsquo;t benefit from this tax lowering so we are not talking about cutting taxes across the border, it&rsquo;s about tax fairness. Companies should make their contribution in a fair way.

SOUNDBITE (French), Maria Jo&#227;o RODRIGUES (S&amp;D, PT), I would like to make the following point that is the truth that we have being going through a very difficult period, a crisis indeed. Now perhaps feelings are a bit more positive, but what we are seeing at the moment in Italy does shows how fragile our situation is. Because, I think, the history of Italy in a few words shows the following and that is that Europe in the way it works at the moment does have some serious differences, and we have the situation in Italy which shows a luck of hope in the future.

SOUNDBITE (German), Hans-Olaf HENKEL (ECR, DE), Prime Minister, you rightly said that you were not directly affected by the war or the post-war period. Mine was a different situation. I lost my father in the war and I am happy that we&rsquo;ve had peace in Europe now for so many decades, but that has actually nothing to do with the Euro it&rsquo;s something to do with democracy. There&rsquo;s never been a democracy that has attacked another and that&rsquo;s what we have to take care of not the Euro.

SOUNDBITE (French), Guy VERHOFSTADT, When there is a problem in one of the Eurozone countries or in the big Eurozone countries there are also problems in the Eurozone. This is for the simple reason that the monetary union is incomplete. That&rsquo;s the truth Mr. Henkel, we haven&rsquo;t done the whole job. It&rsquo;s the only currency in the world behind which there is only a monetary authority, the European Central Bank. There is no political authority and no budgetary authority. That&rsquo;s the real problem.