Welcoming Members of national Parliaments to the European Parliament for European Parliamentary Week, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said that people want to see action, not words. "They want to see solutions, not excuses. And they want to ultimately feel that their vote makes a difference."
Dear Marshal of the Sejm of Poland, dear Szymon, Dear Marshal of the Senate of Poland, dear Małgorzata, Dear Speakers and Members of Parliament, Dear colleagues,
It is truly a pleasure to welcome you all to Brussels for the 14th European Parliamentary Week, and the first under this new legislature of the European Parliament. This is the largest gathering of national and European parliaments - and this year we have a fantastic turnout, with over 140 Members from 34 chambers from all Member States, as well as Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Türkiye, and Norway. So thank you all very much for being here.
And let me give a special thank you to Szymon and Małgorzata, and to your colleagues from the Polish Sejm and Senate, for co-organising this event with us under Poland’s Presidency of the Council. When we met in Warsaw last December, you gave us - me and my colleagues, and the leaders of the parliamentary groups - a very warm welcome. And now it is truly my pleasure to welcome you here today.
This gathering could not be more timely. People across Europe are looking to us - to parliaments - to deliver. They want to see action, they do not want to see words. They want to see solutions, not excuses. And they want to ultimately feel that their vote makes a difference.
Last June, when we ran for the European Parliament elections - they were my fifth elections - and everywhere I went, the message was the same: people are worried about the cost of living, people are worried about jobs, and people are worried about security. They want their leaders to move faster, be bolder, and get things done.
In the past month, we have seen the new Trump White House issue a flurry of executive orders, and the contrast with our cautious, consensus-driven processes here in Europe could not be starker. Whether we agree with what is happening across the Atlantic, or not, the perception is that things are being shaken up.
As lawmakers, we have too often allowed the ordinary business of politics to appear slow and stagnant, as if nothing could ever get done. And by doing so, we have left a space to those on the fringes to present themselves as champions of speed and direction.
So let’s be clear: parliamentary democracy is the best model we have. But it is up to us - collectively, all of us - to prove that it works. And that means cutting through the noise, pushing past political divides, and focusing on what really matters: our long-term success.
We are the world’s largest single market. We are a global economic powerhouse. We have a highly skilled, highly educated workforce. Our levels of inequality are among the lowest, and our life expectancy is among the highest. But we cannot be complacent. The challenge now is to secure these gains for the future.
We know what needs to be done - Mario Draghi, Enrico Letta, and others have laid it out. Now we need the political courage to do what is necessary. That starts with creating the best conditions for business and innovation to flourish. Overly-complex laws - however well-intended - often end up hurting the very people and businesses they are trying to help. In the last few years, if you look just at the last mandate, we have passed 13,000 pieces of legislation. This is compared to 3,000 in the United States. This is simply not sustainable.
So instead of focusing on more rules, I say we focus on better rules. The Simplification package that is coming up soon - are we are waiting for it from the European Commission - we expect it to cut red tape, so that our companies can scale up, not get bogged down by bureaucracy. It is not just us saying it, everybody is saying it: Member State by Member State, wherever you go. This, together with the Competitiveness Compass and the upcoming Multi-Annual Financial Framework, we have a chance to boost Europe’s economy, to create quality jobs, and to make people’s lives easier. We are the co-legislator here. So as co-legislator, we will do our part to push for real change. Which is what our voters asked us to do, when they placed us in these positions last June. They voted, ultimately, for a new way of doing things.
The Single Market is Europe’s greatest success story, but in key areas - like banking, capital markets, and energy - we still have 27 separate markets. And that fragmentation is holding us back. If we want to be able to compete globally, we need to integrate further. Because only that integration will keep prices down, and get private investment up.
Growth also means strengthening ties with others, starting with our closest neighbours - many of whom are in our room today. Every enlargement has brought challenges, but also economic benefits. And yet in the last decade, the European Union has lost more Members than it gained. This is something we need to reflect on, this is something that we need to answer for. It is our responsibility and duty to do so. Because if we stand still, others will fill the void.
The European Union is one of the most open economies in the world, and trade has been a major driver of our prosperity. Trade wars benefit nobody, but we must be ready for any scenario. Europe must use its global weight to unlock new trade deals that expand our markets and create win-win opportunities.
Dear colleagues,
I have been a member of this European Parliament for eleven years now. And I must say I am proud of how far we have come. But I have also seen what happens when we take our voters for granted. This Parliament has seen what happens when voters are taken for granted. We cannot keep going as before, just because, as we like to say often in Brussels: “that’s the way things have always been done."
People don’t want empty words. People want action. And there is no better opportunity for us to do this, than for you to spend the next couple of days with Members of the European Parliament coming from your country, or coming from a neighbouring country, or Members that you have never met before. But you will see that the challenges are the same. Wherever you come from, and whatever your background. I think at the end of the day, our citizens want proof that, through dialogue and compromise, we can build a better future. That is our challenge. That is our responsibility.
The choice ultimately is ours, and the time is now.
Thank you.