14
Jun
2023
Watch
Preparation of the European Council meeting of 29-30 June 2023, in particular in the light of recent steps towards concluding the Migration Pact (debate)
Mr President, with a year to go until the European elections, two-thirds of Europeans say they will go to the polls. That was more than five years ago. We found that the EU is seen as relevant, but that citizens in many Member States intend to vote anti-EU. Real breakthroughs must therefore be made at this summit to convince citizens that the EU matters. For example, I expect a strict 11th package of sanctions against aggressive Russia, which includes not only all names, but also diamonds. We also need to adopt a new strategy towards the dominant China. We need to create a defence union and a European army. Finally, we need to finalise the migration pact. After all, people expect answers. Let us also protect children who are fleeing, who are not explicitly mentioned in the migration pact.