AGERPRES special correspondent to Strasbourg, France, Ionut Mares reports:
A rise in the extremes should not be ignored, but countered by proving that the European Union matters, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said on Tuesday in Strasbourg, adding that she fears that decisions such as blocking the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area risk leading to the multiplication of those who want to destroy Europe, agerpres reports.
In a short Q&A on Tuesday with foreign journalists in the European Parliament – gathered for the first plenary session in Strasbourg after the summer recess – Metsola answered questions about the possible change of European treaties, the enlargement of the EU, the election to the European Parliament in 2024 and a rise in the extremes, and also about blocking the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area.
“The worst thing that would happen, especially for Romania and Bulgaria is that what happened in December were to be a decision not to allow Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area [and the same to] happen to countries that are either fighting a war, fighting our war. To have been waited for yes, only to be told no. How can we, ourselves as Europe, justify such a message to millions of people who look to Europe as their only hope?” said the president of the EP.
A decision like blocking the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area, two countries on which 12 years ago the European Commission and the European Parliament agreed that there is absolutely no legal, or political or anything obstacle to them joining the European free movement area, could lead to an increase of those who want to destroy Europe, Metsola warned.
She admitted that in many countries citizens have a sentiment of frustration, feeling ignored. “Why are we not talked to? (…) Why should we discuss changing treaties when I’m worried about heating my own house and that I can’t manage? I think our answer has to be that if our decisions are human-centric, if we remain the most ambitious continent on climate change and if can manage to create a safety net around our industries, our small and medium-sized enterprises, then we can have a proper European policy that our population can feel tangibly comes from Europe. And that’s the Europe I want to see,” added Metsola.
“I think we should not ignore the rise of the extremes. I think we should counter it. You counter that by proving that Europe matters,” Metsola added.
She said that after Brexit there was a fear that more countries might want to leave the EU, but that now such speech is no longer heard. “Why? Because of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, the way we addressed the pandemic, the way we got united like never before on energy procurement, gas storage, diversification [of power sources], investment in renewables, helping member states recover,” added Metsola.
She also pleaded for the European Union to be prepared for a ‘reboot and reform. “It’s not only about talking about the common agricultural policy or removing unanimity from foreign policy or how many commissioners each country will have. It is about an understanding of the political necessity, to realise that Europe is stronger and more secure both politically and economically, if it’s larger,” said Metsola.