Roberta Metsola (Malta, 1979) is the third woman to hold the Presidency of the Eurochamber. Coming from the EPP family, she studied law at the University of Malta and was one of the first students in her country to take part in the Erasmus programme. He was the first representative of the community leadership to visit Ukraine after the outbreak of the invasion. He had to deal with the scandal known as “Qatargate” over the alleged bribery of several socialist MEPs, including MEPs’ vice-president Eva Kaili. Today the constitutional committee will vote on a reform of the rules so that cases of this kind do not happen again. Though she admits she would have liked to “go further,” the European Parliament wants to scrutinize more than 5,000 meetings and events that have so far escaped its scrutiny. Metsola welcomes LA RAZÓN, along with other international media, to his office in the European Parliament in Brussels, at the start of a particularly busy political course that will culminate in the European elections in June.
Is the 2030 date set by the Council President for Ukraine and the Western Balkans countries to join the European club realistic?
The European Parliament has expressed itself very clearly. We were the first to talk about the accession process of Ukraine and Moldova. Based on my experience in a country that has waited ten years to join the European Union, if you give the green light for the next step, the next step will be given by the other party. Therefore, we have made it very clear that we would like the accession negotiations to start as soon as possible this year as well, especially if we receive a positive recommendation from the European Commission in October. The December European Council must be about enlargement. As for the date, we also have to be prepared, because this system for 27, which works or not depending on how you look at it, has to work for 32, 33 or 35. No one in this European Parliament is going to say to a country like Ukraine that it is suffering from the bombing that is waiting for it, and this is not the right time. The pre-accession phase should not be underestimated: access to roaming, internal market, quotas… If you ask me about the Western Balkans and Moldova, I think that the European Union is safer if all countries that take steps get an answer. If not, the population will look the other way, and that is the danger in many places. For example, when it was decided in December not to allow Bulgaria and Romania access to the Schengen area without borders, this is one of the reasons that the extreme right is now at 28%.
But will the institutional framework of the EU be ready in 2030? Should the unanimity rule end?
For the European Parliament we should have started a year and a half earlier because when the conference on the future of Europe ended there were many promises to our citizens to start immediately which were not kept. But I would like to believe that this will start soon. The last time it was 20 years ago with the European constitution was very painful. But we should not start with the question of unanimity. If we want to fail, we simply have to start with the unanimous debate. I would say: what about our domestic market, will it benefit or will it adapt to new partners as it grows? how the free movement of people is being affected by a major movement at Europe’s external borders, how some countries benefiting from funds can become net contributors; How long can we expand our data roaming network or discuss Moldova apple quotas and tariffs? This is how we must move forward, as a continent that is strong because it has harnessed forces it had not previously discovered and the will for unity that we are already living with the pandemic and also with Brexit.
Do you sense European fatigue in supporting Ukraine?
We’ve talked about this since the beginning of the war. It was first said in the summer, but I don’t see it yet. Firstly because of the Ukrainians and their way of dealing with the conflict and secondly because we are looking to the future in terms of reconstruction, sanctions and the provision of weapons such as drones or the situation in Belarus. There can be some fatigue depending on geographical remoteness, but I’ve been to Portugal and Ireland and only see them at the end of the political spectrum.
The German economy is cooling off. Some members of his party are calling for a regulatory pause to boost growth.
Every country I travel to asks for something different in terms of moratoria, exemptions, tax rules, etc. The prime ministers of European countries tell us that they cannot let Euroscepticism grow. They asked me before the summer about the Conservation Act and whether it was right or wrong, but the reality is how it is in the Environment Commission and the plenary session and we cannot cross a line that people are asking us to don’t cross it, and I think we’ve crossed it in the past. Before the European elections, I am always asked the same questions: the major legislative projects, their costs and effects. We must invest in our European industry. I was in Slovakia and they didn’t understand the legislation (on emission limit value) Euro 7 because it would mean job losses in the country.
How do you see the alliances after the European elections? Will the European People’s Party manage to reach an agreement with the ERC Conservatives (the group of Polish Conservatives and Vox) or are they too Eurosceptic? In some cases they advocate the repatriation of some European powers.
It’s the classic conservative view, as is the case in Britain, for example, and it’s not just about the Eurosceptic forces. Pro-European Conservatives say not to go too far in competitions, and Belgian and Dutch ERC Conservatives agree. There are clear political differences between the European People’s Party and the ERC, and that will not change, but if we look at the vote on Ukraine, the Conservatives are on one side with the other. There are differences on the rule of law issue and many differences when we talk about social issues. And on social issues, there is a large majority from center right to left, and that will not change.
How do you see the rise of populism in the face of the next European elections?
I believe that populism must be fought and not ignored. In the past, Euroscepticism grew because centrist parties cast their votes and both the PP and the Socialists had to ask themselves why we lost power. We need to start talking to our companies about being ambitious about climate protection, but that doesn’t rule out economic growth, we can’t always assume that we’re going to get bigger and bigger. From the left’s perspective, we need to talk about where the sections of the population that feel marginalized and ignored are located. My choice has always been to give this narrative examples of what can be done, but also to admit when something doesn’t work and make sure everything isn’t perfect. Many people feel let down by political leaders.
Abandon or betray.
If citizens think that all politicians are the same, why are they voting? I worry more about people who don’t choose than those who choose extremes.
What do you think of the immigration debate and mandatory refugee quotas?
My suspicion is that in the May polls, immigration and possibly the economy in certain countries will be the top concern. We need to find a policy that defines who is eligible. We could avoid forced resettlement if we had a system that solves the impossibility of applying for asylum from outside European territory, which is not the case with us yet. When we are clear about who can and cannot come and they face an efficient return process. Right now we’re doing fewer expulsions than we did five or six years ago and it was only 36% then. You also have to be strict with human traffickers.
What position will the European Parliament take on respect for the rule of law and the problems in Hungary and Poland?
Discussions are going on, we will see what the Spanish Presidency does in the General Affairs Council, but we are waiting for a decision in the coming weeks or months on the disbursement of the next appropriations. This Parliament prides itself on being the defender of the rule of law and I can assure you that the European Parliament will be tough and will ask the questions it needs to ask.
There are many rumors about a second term for Ursula von der Leyen and also about you. Would you like to be the next President of the European Commission?
I won’t speculate, I think Ursula is doing a great job and we need to be convinced that the EU has a leadership role at all levels. This Parliament is also very proud to be part of that leadership when it is time to accelerate or pause, depending on the occasion. There are always rumors but for now my focus is on getting re-elected at home to win my seat as it doesn’t happen automatically.