The canapés, juices and biscuits are already being served when Roberta Metsola arrives at the bandstand in Jardim da Estrela to talk about European policy with some 40 young people. The journey was short, because hours before he was in the Assembly of the Republic, right next door, he met the President of the Parliament, Augusto Santos Silva, Edite Estrela (Vice-President) and Luís Capoulas Santos (President of the European Parliament). Affairs Committee).
And on arrival at the site, there was no shortage of young people in the yard. Cases of Fernando Ruivo, 26, and Maria Faro, 23, who, DN, said it was “very positive” to have initiatives like this. “The chosen location, and even the format, ultimately provides more relaxation and more convenience,” adds Maria.
The session, moderated by Henrique Burnay, lasted about an hour and many topics were covered in this conversation. The first applause of the morning came in the form of thanks, requested by the moderator, after he noted Metsola’s role as leader of the European Parliament by “being one of the first people to go to Kiev, still in the early stages.” of the conflict” – something Carlos Moedas had already done the day before, when he received the European manager in the Lisbon City Council.
The crowd’s buzz came right in the opening round, when one of the participants questioned the President of the European Parliament about Portugal’s alleged lack of pro-European openness when it voted against the creation of transnational electoral lists. This after Metsola assumed in an interview with Lusa the day before the official visit that Portugal is “extremely pro-European” and that it could become a leading nation in the EU. The President of the European Parliament maintains her position (“Portugal is the most pro-European Member State”, she replies) and adds another topic: “People voted less than we would like and that number [de votantes] should increase, but that is also my responsibility. Also because there are policies that are thought to be only national, but come from decisions taken at European level, by faces elected here.”
According to the leader of the EU’s largest political body, there is room to do more at European level, especially in the area of public and humanist policies. “What I’m trying to do is bring out the more humanistic values that were passed down to me growing up. There are laws on the table. Are they always enforced? No. And so it’s easier to say we need more laws or more money, but that’s not the solution. We must have an effective and coherent policy and a solidarity mechanism that works”, he considers. So what can the European Union do? “Give answers and don’t hide behind bureaucracy and we have to show that there will always be a solution to problems,” he believes.
According to Francisco Ruivo, “the president’s speech was delivered today” [sexta-feira] raised expectations for the State of the Union” (14th), as he believes that “policy makers seem focused and motivated to solve some of the problems arising from the war in Ukraine, such as the rise in the cost of living , prices and inflation”.
Metsola defends joint price intervention
After selfies and the farewell in Jardim da Estrela, the program continued with an intervention at the end of the Estoril conferences, where the European leader defended a stronger EU presence in the fight against the current energy crisis.
In line with what he defended in the morning, Metsola reiterated that there are decisions that can be made “now” and cannot wait. “We can act together to mitigate the impact, whether it be creating caps on bills, setting pricing systems or lowering the price of electricity and gas,” he defended, concluding: “If there ever was a it is time for more Europe, it is here and now. Europe must rise to face the challenges and the only way forward is when we are united.”
Source: DN
