H.E. Ms. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, was awarded the 2024 Forum Europa Prize by New Economy Forum in a ceremony presided over by H.E. Mr. Pedro Rollán Ojeda, President of the Spanish Senate; H.E. Mr. Cándido Ponde-Pumpido Tourón, President of the Spanish Constitutional Court; and H.E. Mr. José Manuel Albares Bueno, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain.
During her speech, President Metsola expressed ‘optimism’ about the future of the EU, but said that the immediate problems of citizens must also be addressed so that they do not try to find ‘comfort’ in the ‘false narratives of the fringes and the extremes’.
He pointed out that some of these problems include access to housing, youth employment and the bureaucracy of EU institutions. In addition, he said that a ‘more competitive’ EU is also needed that ‘creates opportunities for everyone, one that leaves nobody behind’.
He also alluded to immigration, and pointed out that groundbreaking legislation has been approved in Brussels that will allow for a more robust and fairer system in this respect. For too long, she said, certain countries and places, such as the island of Lampedusa, had acted responsibly, and now legislation has been approved to tackle the phenomenon as a whole.
Regarding the possibility that Donald Trump's victory in the US might cause the US to focus on its ‘own interests’, Metsola said that this should not surprise us. However, he argued that "'America first' will never work if it means 'America only'’.
