Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council, hold a joint press conference after Roberta METSOLA received the Grand Decoration of Honour at the National Council. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

press conference

official visit

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

EU - Austria (T)

Vienna

president's agenda

SOBOTKA, Wolfgang (AT)

Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council

Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council Dear Madam President, The reason why we are presenting ourselves to the public today is a very, very gratifying one. In a solemn ceremony, we were just able to award [...] the President of the European Parliament. Madam President stands out and has particularly earned this prize because she maintains close ties with Austria, has been there several times and has also taken on the Austrian positions of the Parliament and of the Parliamentarians with great understanding.

Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council She combines national interests with European interests and knows how to make the weighting very clear. She has shown that small and medium-sized Member States also have the same opportunities as the big ones. And that it is essential, that we at European level try to strengthen common ground. For her it was always a major concern to strengthen European integration, European unity.

Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council [...] Democracies woldwide are under big pressure. And therefore it must be the concern of all parliamentarians to strengthen democracy, to make their work visible and also to raise awareness of the role of parliaments. At the same time, however, to make it clear that it depends on citizen participation. Our democracy lives from that and our visitor center show this very, very clearly that when people participate and get involved, that is the driving force and also the center of democracy.

Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council - What makes me particularly happy and I am very, very grateful for: She has taken up and supported our thoughts on combating anti-Semitism and has supported it very, very respectfully. The fight against anti-Semitism and the "We Remember campaign" she has supported with great passion and expressed in her speech today once again. She stands up for [...] reforms, transparency and the integrity of parliamentarians and Parliament as a whole.

Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council [...] It is her position, that concerns the equality of all genders, in particular women, that has driven her forward. I believe that her commitment to this issue has been shown in a particular way, that she has repeatedly supported women, but has also encouraged them to take on functions. She is a bridge builder and a very respected president, which her re-election has recently shown [...]. It is her personal commitment to bring these connections to life.

Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council In this regard, President Metsola has not only stood up for Austria, for the individual Member States, but also for a Europe that can also have global political significance, when it acts together and in unity. For her it is also important to give Europe a strong, in this case strong female voice, in an international context.

Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council Thank you so much! It is a great pleasure for me and for us to give you this prestigious award, it is the highest award that we can give [...]. This medal honors the European Union, Austria and off course honors you, as its representative. With that in mind, once again, a big thank you.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament Thank you very much and good afternoon. It is very great to be back in beautiful Vienna in this house of democracy. I would like to thank President Sobotka and the Austrian Parliament for awarding me with the [...]. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to accept this prestigious award for strengthening European democracy and putting Europe at the service of Austria. I thank President Sobotka for the honor and his friendship and guidance.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament As President of the European Parliament, my aim has always been to try to listen to everybody's concerns and build bridges. This is what our union is about : balancing various interests, experiences and giving a voice to every country, regardless of size. In Europe, the size of ideas matters more than geographic realities.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament Democracy means dialog, dialog between our national parliaments and the European Parliament. Dialog between ud, political representatives, and citizens who elect us. Last June, more than 3.5 million Austrians went to the polls to make their voices heard in the European elections. We have listened and we will now turn their messages into concrete political action that delivers for all people.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament Over the coming weeks, the European Parliament will scrutinize the commissioners, designate the candidates for the new European Commission, amongst which there is Magnus Brunner. In public hearings, we will check every candidate's expertise and commitment to the issues that matter most to the Austrian people, the rising cost of living, the state of the economy, democracy, rule of law, migration and security.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament This is to showcase how we, together with national parliaments, shoulder our responsibilities and shape a Europe that is ultimately aimed at being safer, more competitive, more innovative and more resilient, one that leads, protects, and ensures no one is left behind. Thank you very much.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament Well, I will tell you by saying what I said on the day of the European elections were against all expectations. It was clear that the center, what we would call the constructive pro-European majority of the House, would hold. And it held it held as soon as we came back from elections, even though this is a different parliament to the previous one it held for the election of the President of the European Parliament and it held for the election of the President of the European Commission.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament The next few weeks and months will continue to tell whether that can still hold. What I can tell you about myself is that, of course, I represent and I seek to unite the majorities. I seek to work with those who want to build and not those who want to destroy.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament And there is no doubt that that majority that I've just mentioned will be needed in the next months, whether it is for the big decisions on, for example, the vote on the College of Commissioners or for the legislative decisions that we will need to take on climate, on migration, on social issues, on the protection of minorities, on tolerance.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament All of this to say that rather than look at what could happen, we look at what we need to work for, and I include everybody. And I will definitely seek to ensure that in the decisions that we take, the concerns of the Austrian people are voted on by the pro-European, constructive majority that I've just mentioned.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament So as you just said, it will be a debate and it has been foreseen to be one European Council that also focuses on migration. It was to be expected because this is a few months after the adoption of the Asylum and Migration pact, which is no small feat. That was, in effect, the antidote, I would say, to what we thought would lead to a bigger rise of the extremes if we had not adopted the asylum and migration pact.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament Now, what does this pact seek to do? First of all, it seeks to be fair with those who are eligible for protection. It is firm with those who are not. It is harsh with those traffickers and smugglers who seek to profit off the most vulnerable on the planet.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament Where do we still need to work? We still need to work hard on returns. We still need to work hard on our neighborhood policy. And we still need to, perhaps most importantly, ensure that when we talk about the securitization of the external borders, we keep intact the Schengen area. And I say this because this is the fundamental basis of the decisions or the responses that individual governments could take or are taking.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament In the context of what you mentioned in Poland, discussions that we have seen in the Netherlands, in Germany, but also in Finland last year because of a fundamental principle. We have created a system for protection of lives, for the betterment of humankind.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament But that is, as is the case at the moment in Poland, that is exploited by those who don't want it to work, by those who want to abuse the system. What we see, and of course, we need to look at the proposal from Poland over the next few days and I have no doubt that it will be presented is potentially the possibility for security to look into the crossings across the extended border.

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament And that is something that dominated the discussion around the hybrid threats between Poland and Belarus, between the Baltic countries and Belarus a few years ago, between Finland and Russia. It also led to decisions which are similar, for example, during the pandemic when for health reasons that was considered security. So we will have to see. But I can also say that from a European Parliament point of view, we are always going to look at the protection of the Schengen area and that would mean securitization of the external borders without which neither will work.