The future of Europe is in the hands of Europeans - Metsola in Parma  

Thank you. Good evening.
Dear students,
Dear Francesca, thank you. Your speech filled me with pride: it is because of strong women like you that the future of Italy and Europe is bright, so thank you, Francesca.
Dear President Azzali,
Mayor Guerra,
Rector Martelli,
President De Pascale,
Members of the European Parliament, 
Distinguished guests,
Dear friends,

I am very moved to take the floor in this magnificent room which symbolises just how vibrant a cultural force Parma’s Teatro Regio – one of Italy’s most prestigious theatres – truly is.

I would also like to pay tribute to my predecessor, the late David Sassoli. I can only hope that he’d be proud of our parliament and of the work we are doing.

Dear students of the European College of Parma, I am an alumnus of the College of Europe in Bruges. Though I do not wish to start a debate on which city has the better university, I will concede that Parma and Italy have the better food.

Before I begin my keynote speech in earnest, I just want to say that talking to students always brings back memories of my own time at university. I was still a student when I first ran for the European Parliament, much to my parents’ dismay. They wanted me to get a stable job, but I felt a calling. A sense of duty. I was brimming with ideas and hope. I wanted to make a difference. And I was keen to shake things up.

Twenty-one years on, I still feel that calling every day. That sense of duty has only grown since the electorate delivered its verdict in the European elections held almost a year ago in June 2024.

The message from the ballot box could not have been clearer: voters felt that too much was being asked of them and too quickly. They felt taken for granted. Ignored and unappreciated.

The Europe they believed in – and which inspired you and me to choose this academic path – was established to make people’s lives easier. Over time, however, Europe has come to give the impression that the means are more important than the end. Too many people feel left behind and are struggling to make ends meet. Too many businesses are drowning in red tape and beset by rising costs. And too many young people are out of work or left wondering whether they will ever be able to afford their own home – I know many of you share these concerns.

We have often emphasised the righteousness of the European cause without ever managing to clearly explain how this translates into tangible solutions that make life better and fairer for people.

And yet the warning signs were there. Two years ago, the Conference on the Future of Europe brought to light the need for reforms and major change, but its findings have been cast aside and all but forgotten, leaving parties on the fringes of the political spectrum to capitalise on this malaise and turn it into votes. Rather than countering these movements with ideas and solutions, we have all too often either ignored or underestimated them.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I firmly believe in the European project. I believe in what we have done so far and in what we can achieve together in the future. You will not find anyone more pro-European than the President of the European Parliament.

But being pro-European does not mean that we cannot ask questions of ourselves. On the contrary, being pro-European means having the intellectual honesty to really think things through, to listen more and to change course when necessary. I will not just stand here and claim that the solution to our problems is to do nothing, because it isn’t.

As Mario Draghi put it, such an approach will only result in ‘the slow agony of decline’. One of the reasons why I came to Italy to talk to people like you is that this country has always understood that we have to adapt to change. It is no coincidence that our common European project traces its roots back to a document that bears the name of Italy’s capital. The signing of the Treaties of Rome on 25 March 1957 was emblematic of the forward-thinking mindset of great people like Alcide De Gasperi and Altiero Spinelli. 

And let us not forget later European pioneers like Sofia Corradi, who is affectionately known as ‘Mother Erasmus’. These were women and men who dared to challenge the status quo, who envisioned something that did not yet exist and then made it a reality.

There was nothing preordained about these achievements. It took political will. It took courage.

And they pulled it off. Europe has charted an extraordinary path, taking it from the single market to the single currency, from the direct election of Parliament to the gradual enlargement that has united people and countries that were once separated by walls and curtains.

Enlargement was not just a process of geographic expansion, but also a way of reaffirming the shared values of peace, democracy, rights and cooperation. For decades, we kept pace with that original vision, and were able to deliver on what we promised.

But Europe cannot survive on nostalgia alone. It is not enough to keep the memory of our past alive: we must renew our commitment to Europe and its future and gather the strength we will need to face the challenges of tomorrow.

It is now time to step up and make the urgent changes that our citizens are calling for. I believe that my role as President of the European Parliament is to rebuild trust, renew the sacred pact between the institutions and the citizens, and to place the EU back in the hands of Europeans. I know that many of my Italian colleagues here today agree with me.

Our citizens aren’t being unreasonable.

They want a Europe that works, that makes their day-to-day lives measurably easier. They want Europe to take the lead, drive change and pave the way by creating quality jobs, broadening horizons and giving people a genuine chance to build a future for themselves. Citizens want a Europe that can protect our borders, our values, our people. Most of all, they want peace of mind. At a time of global geopolitical and economic instability, they want to know that they can count on Europe to stand up for itself and hold its ground.

Our response must be to build a wiser, stronger, more secure Europe.

A wiser Europe is one that is aware that individual freedoms and social security systems depend on our ability to remain competitive.

We cannot have one without the other. We need a Europe that takes an axe to red tape. A Europe where businesses can grow and create jobs, where innovation is prized and start-ups are given the leg-up they need to establish themselves and thrive. 

This is what that the EU’s simplification agenda is trying to achieve – and not an EU which, wittingly or otherwise, places its own farmers, companies and citizens at a disadvantage with respect to those outside our continent. Our priorities are not irreconcilable and can, in fact, be mutually supportive if we strike the right balance.

Adopting this approach can help us build a stronger Europe in which it is understood that many small entities can be a genuine force if they work together. Achieving this means completing the single energy, telecommunications and defence markets and, above all, establishing the savings and investments union. Europe should be the kind of place where ideas can become companies and capital is accessible. A place where we can learn from failure, pick ourselves up and try again and again. We can no longer afford to sit idly by.

The Europe we need is one that knows that alone we may be small, but together we are powerful.

The digital transformation and artificial intelligence have already ushered in the next industrial revolution. I attended Confindustria’s General Assembly this morning and visited Bologna’s Tecnopolo a few hours ago.

I can safely say that anyone who doubts Europe’s talent, skills and potential would change their mind if they came here, to Italy.

However, if we truly want Europe to play a leading role in AI, pharmaceuticals, space and climate innovation, we must give engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs the tools to make it happen.

Strengthening Europe from within is crucial – but this also needs to result in external security. At a time when the US is reasserting its influence, China is consolidating its position and emerging countries such as India are expanding their reach, Europe cannot afford to be sandwiched in between them.

Our overall economic approach has always been predicated on openness, fairness and rules. It is better for everyone to profit than for everyone to lose, even if some lose less than others.
Turning our alliance with the United States into a rivalry is not in our interest. Our businesses are as integrated as the lives of Americans and Europeans are intertwined. There will, of course, be discussions and disagreements, but we must continue to build together, to find an agreement, and remain friends and allies.

But we must not be naive; we have learned the hard way that we cannot feel secure if we rely on only one alliance, no matter how strong it is. Being resilient means having many strong alliances.

That is why we need to strengthen ties with partners like the United Kingdom, Canada and countries in Africa and Latin America, and work together with them to spur investment and establish strong trade relations. As important a topic as migration is, it cannot be the only area in which we cooperate with external partners.

This approach will make Europe more secure. After all, without security, we have nothing.

For too long, we have regrettably relied on others to protect us. But the ‘peace dividend’ era is over. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine has brought this home to us in the worst possible way. All Member States now know that Europe needs to take charge of its own defence. Parliament too is aware of the fact that Europe needs to grow in order to be secure. And a secure Europe is one that understands where its strategic interests lie. Peace doesn’t just happen: it has to be worked for, protected and defended. This reminds me of my meeting with Pope Francis, whose loss we all mourn. He was a humble man of principle who was committed to what he believed in. Having met Pope Leo XIV at his inauguration last week – where he called for global peace and unity – I can say that he has the same clarity of conviction as his predecessor.

Europe must be brave in word and deed. That is why it is crucial that we step up our efforts to support Ukraine in order to obtain a just and lasting peace – a goal we must also strive towards when addressing the situation in the Middle East and the tragic plight of Gaza.

A secure Europe is one that does not tolerate injustice. It dismantles criminal networks, protects its borders and manages migration flows by being fair to those who are truly in need, firm with those who have no right to be here and severe with those taking advantage of the most vulnerable. When it comes to migration, we must never forget that we are not dealing with numbers, but with human lives, with women, men and children who dream of a better life.

Finally, if Europe is to become wiser, stronger and more secure, it must also learn to act faster.
When we welcomed President Mattarella in Brussels last week, he said that Parliament was ‘the centre of gravity connecting the institutions and citizens’. This is a responsibility that we do not take lightly.

Over the past three years, Parliament has enacted major reforms so that it can better respond to its citizens’ needs. This was not easy, but we are well aware of the fact that Europe would be nothing without Europeans.

We must now become even more efficient. If we want a truly democratic and responsive EU, we need to strengthen Parliament’s right of legislative initiative, and we need to do so now.

This is our only hope of building a Europe that is wiser, stronger and more secure, and of placing the EU back in the hands of its citizens.

Non est ad astra mollis e terris via: there is no easy way from the earth to the stars. 

Simplicity has never been the name of our game, and the road to Europe was certainly fraught with obstacles.

It is precisely by tackling the toughest challenges that we can change the world. Let us keep changing it together.

Long live Italy and long live Europe.

Thank you.

You can read the President's speech in Italian here.