Robert METSOLA, EP President, and Luc FRIEDEN, Luxembourgish Prime Minister hold a press conference following Frieden´s official visit to the European Parliament in Brussels. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check agaist delivery.

Brussels

press conference

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

EU - Luxembourg (T)

FRIEDEN, Luc (LU)

president's agenda

Press point by Robert METSOLA, EP President and Luc FRIEDEN, Luxembourgish Prime Minister

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Good afternoon to you all. Let me start by saying how pleased I am to host to the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden, at the European Parliament today. Welcome, Luc. We know each other for a long time. Happy to have you now as Prime Minister around the European Council Table.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, The Parliament's position is known. Ukraine is part of Europe, and its security is also our security. So starting accession negotiations would send the positive signal that is needed and is deserved. We also talked about enlargement in the wider sense here. The position of the Parliament, which I communicated, is about the European Union needing to reform and get ready for a future union, whether it is of 32, 33 or even 35.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Last point about the next few months ahead. We are entering the last legislative sprint as we approach the end of the mandate. We spoke about the upcoming European elections, the need to encourage people, especially young people, to vote. These elections matter. Europe matters, and we are giving a chance to European citizens to be able to have a say on what direction the EU should take in the coming five years. Coming off the back of a difficult five years before, but one where we have shown the unity that we have needed and the decisions that needed to be taken. So that's in essence what we discussed. And I give you the floor now Luc.

SOUNDBITE (English), Luc FRIEDEN, PM of Luxembourg, Thank you very much dear President, dear Roberta. When I was appointed Prime Minister, only 12.5 weeks ago, I said in my first speech to Parliament that for the new Luxembourg government, Europe is key and therefore I would make my first foreign trips to the European institutions. I delivered on that first promise. And that's why I'm very happy to have met today, just now, the President of the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (English), Luc FRIEDEN, PM of Luxembourg, Indeed, we already worked together many years ago when I was Minister of Justice, and then and now I meet somebody who is strongly convinced about European integration. That's something that binds us as persons, but also binds our institutions. The new Luxembourg government believes that Europe has been invented as an alternative to war. Europe has been invented to increase peace, stability, prosperity. And we know in Luxembourg the importance of the single market and the free movement of people, goods, services. All that. We will be there on the side of the European institutions, of the European Union, to strengthen that in the years ahead.

SOUNDBITE (English), Luc FRIEDEN, PM of Luxembourg, That's why I gave this message to the President of the European Parliament, to the President of the Commission, and the President of the Council. So that is the philosophy of the government that I have the honour to lead. The two political parties in the Luxembourg government share that view on Europe. Now this has to be implemented into various policies. I am aware that the issues in front of us are not easy, but with that philosophy I think we will move forward.

SOUNDBITE (English), Luc FRIEDEN, PM of Luxembourg, We will discuss, and we have discussed now and in the coming European Council, the enlargement of the European Union. Enlargement is necessary to ensure that we keep this peace and stability. At the same time, the more members you have, you need to deepen the European Union. That, by the way, has also now changed since my last time in government. Enlargement and deepening goes hand in hand. This is not an easy process, but I think we need to keep the European Union and therefore sometimes amend the rules or look for ways to improve our functioning to achieve certain goals.

SOUNDBITE (English), Luc FRIEDEN, PM of Luxembourg, It is with that spirit that I look forward to working closely with the European Parliament. The President mentioned that Luxembourg is one of the host countries of the European Parliament, and we are very proud to be one of the capitals of Europe. And I can tell you that we will do everything that the working environment for your people, for your institution in Luxembourg, will the best one. And we are in a friendly competition with other places in Europe. That's very fine like that. But we want them, the civil servants of the European Parliament in Luxembourg, to be happy and to find an environment in which they can exercise their work well in the interest of all the citizens of of Europe. So you continue to be welcome.

SOUNDBITE (English), Luc FRIEDEN, PM of Luxembourg, And finally, I, of course, invited also the president of the European Parliament, if time remains before the very important European elections, to visit once again, Luxembourg. And you're always welcome Roberta in Luxembourg.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Thank you very much. Questions.

Q&A Questions about the Spitzenkandidaten system and the cooperation between the new Luxembourgish goverment and the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, -

SOUNDBITE (English), Luc FRIEDEN, PM of Luxembourg, -

Q&amp;A Questions about reforming the European Union, amending the Treaties, and discussing these topics before the European elections.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, - 