Statement by Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President. On Sunday 9th June 2024, the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels transforms into a press room on the occasion of the election night. Over several hours, journalists from all over Europe follow the results thanks to national estimates and exit polling data. From 6 to 9 June 2024, around 360 million Europeans are called to the polls to elect the 720 members of the next European Parliament. The constitutive session of the newly elected Parliament will take place in July, in Strasbourg. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

KANKO, Assita (ECR, BE)

2024 European elections (T)

European Elections Night 2024 - Statement by Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President and Q&A

SOUNDBITE (Original), Neil CORLETT, Head of the Press Unit at DG COMM of the EP, So the next group I would like to invite onto the stage is the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. Miss Assita Kanko, Vice-President of ECR.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President, Good evening everyone. I would like to start by saying that when the true aspirations of citizens are ignored. When the change they need in society is not happening. And when nobody wants to acknowledge them, then it gives, unfortunately, more space to extreme movements. That's why we need to listen to the citizens. That's why I put a lot of hope in the upcoming Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President, I would like to thank you all for being interested in the European Parliament. We do not have this opportunity every day. And I would like to thank you for being present tonight, that late. What I hope is. Is to have center-right policy in this Parliament to address key issues that really worry our citizens. What are these issues? Questions of defence security, matters of migration policy, European values.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President, These are all items that really are important for our citizens. So when they go to vote, they expect solutions. They expect us to find a way to actually understand them and solve real problems with concrete solutions. Unfortunately, many citizens are regularly disappointed.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President, Today we are waiting for the results. We do not have all the results yet in Italy, but also in Belgium. For example. We are waiting for the final results after 11 p.m. But we hope they will give us the opportunity to shape center-right policy, and that ECR will be part of a majority in this Parliament to address key issues that are important for our citizens. Thank you.

Q&A, The first word by M. Von der Leyen tonight is that her group is the bastion against the extreme right. Do you think dialogue with the EPP and Von der Leyen is still possible for your group?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President, Just to to rephrase it, to make sure that I understood your question, you are asking if working with Von der Leyen will be possible for my group. Okay, well, we still need to have election results at 11 p.m.. That's one first fact. And second, we have worked very well the past five years, including with Von der Leyen. So depending on the program, we will see. But I do not see anything having prevented us in the past to do so.

Q&A, Do you think that the ECR group could become the third force? Are you looking at any extra allies, such as Viktor Orbán, to join your group and push you into third place and give you a bigger stake in the Parliament?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President, I think there is a clear point also to be made in this Parliament. It's not always when you are very big that you are the most powerful. And as I've been shown in a lot of coalitions in different countries. In fact, ECR has demonstrated quality of work and power in this Parliament, despite being not one of the biggest groups. So having talented members who actually work very hard.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Assita KANKO (ECR, BE), ECR Vice-President, So when we look at what is going to happen after we have the results. The first priority, in my opinion, is not to become the biggest or bigger and bigger. It is to see how we can actually work as we are now, and take into account the results of the elections. You know, it's important to take that into account because citizens have voted. And we will see what kind of voice they want, how they want us to hear. And based on that, we will see how things will move on.