Roberta METSOLA, EP President arrives to the European Council meeting on the 15th of December. She gives a doorstep, mentionning the Qatargate and the investigation ongoing on the corruption case in the European Parliament.

Brussels

statement

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

president's agenda

European Council meeting 15 December 2022 (T)

European Council meeting (15/12): doorstep by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

Arrival of Roberta METSOLA, EP President to the European Council meeting

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President Very important summit, last one of the year. Ukraine remains at the very top of our agenda. We will continue to push for a decision on a price cap on energy. I will welcome the entry of Croatia into the Schengen area and the euro zone. I will deplore the decision that was not taken with regard to Romania and Bulgaria. I will also, of course, talk about the criminal allegations involving the European Parliament, which are a blow to democracy and a blow to everything we've worked on for many, many years. It takes years to build trust for just a moment to bring them down. So my message will be that there will be no impunity. There will be no sweeping under the carpet. There will be no business as usual. I will do everything I can together with my colleagues in order to restore the position of the House of Democracy as co-legislator, as an institution that takes decisions, that is clean, that is transparent, and that is not for sale t...

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President Well, there are many, many tools in place that are used regularly. We're talking here about criminal corruption. We're talking about a situation where there will always be somebody willing to pay and somebody willing to be bribed. The minute that we got the notice from the police authorities and the judicial authorities, we acted immediately with unprecedented speed. The immunities and privileges were immediately lifted with regards to one member, one vice president of the European Parliament. The decision also was unprecedented speed to vote. That person out of office was taken within days. This is perhaps my message that everything will be done properly with speed, with openness, and in full observance of the law. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. We will work hard.