This is Europe's moment - President Metsola opens European Parliamentary Week  

Dear President Demetriou, dear Annita,
Dear Speakers and Deputy Speakers,
Dear colleagues,
 
This is one of those moments. When, years from now, people will look back and ask: when Europe was tested, did we rise to the occasion?
 
Across our Union - and I am sure you feel this in your respective national chambers - people feel that something is shifting. They feel it when they sit at the kitchen table at the end of the month, trying to make the numbers work. They feel it when energy bills rise again, when rent climbs higher, when the weekly shop costs more than it did just a year ago. They worry that their children may not have the same opportunities they themselves once had. Small business owners feel it acutely: costs are up, competition is tougher, and sometimes the rules feel heavier than they should.
 
At the same time, war continues on our continent. Tomorrow marks four years since Russia invaded Ukraine, four years that have completely changed how we think about security and reminded us how fragile peace can be. In fact, tomorrow we will have a special extraordinary session in the plenary and President Zelenskyy will address us. 
 
And all of this is happening as the global economy shifts at extraordinary speed, with others investing heavily, moving very fast, and shaping the future of technology and industry in ways that will define the next decades.
 
So I wanted to set the scene by saying all this, because the challenges are many. But I would say that our resolve to meet this moment is greater.
 
Just a few days ago, at the informal leaders’ retreat and again at the Munich Security Conference, the message was clear: Europe can no longer afford to drift. Small adjustments won’t cut it anymore. The “era of half-measures” is over. This is a time for decisions that match the scale of the challenges we face together.
 
And I believe Europe is capable of that. We proved it during the pandemic. We are proving it every day in our support for Ukraine. Because when we act together, Europe can move mountains.
 
In each of those moments, it was our democracies - all together - that carried us through. It was national parliaments and this Parliament taking responsibility, taking sometimes the most difficult, unprecedented decisions when it mattered most.
 
And this week, here in the European Parliament, together with you, we can all show once again that parliamentary democracy can deliver.
 
So, with that, let me warmly welcome you all to the European Parliament for this 15th European Parliamentary Week.
 
Dear Annita, I thank you and your colleagues at the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus for coordinating this week with us. Annita and I have been friends for years, we have worked together constantly, faced common challenges, have had similar debates, whether in this Parliament and yours, as I can say for all of you.
 
And when, on 1 January, Cyprus took on the Presidency of the Council, it could not have taken it at a more challenging time. Under President Christodoulides, and with your Parliament fully engaged, you have provided steady leadership, and I want you to know we truly appreciate the cooperation we have.
 
This week, we are joined by well over 200 participants, including over 120 Members from 27 national chambers across the European Union, as well as from four candidate countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia - and also from Norway. 
 
Each one of you brings with you the experience of shaping national budgets, scrutinising reforms, of explaining European decisions to people who expect answers. You know - and you feel every day - how policy translates into daily reality, how choices made here in Brussels and Strasbourg, and in your own capitals, affect people in towns and cities across Europe. You know what works on the ground and what needs to change.
 
And that connection is so important. And that is why we invest so heavily in it.
 
Because what we are discussing is whether Europe can make life more affordable, whether we can bring greater stability to energy prices, whether we can create conditions for businesses to grow here in Europe rather than elsewhere, whether we can invest in skills so that workers are prepared for change and nobody is left behind.
 
In this Parliament, we are pushing to complete the Single Market. We are pushing to remove the barriers - so many of them - that still stand in our way. We are working to strengthen our Energy Union so supply is secure and prices are more predictable. We are cutting unnecessary red tape that holds back entrepreneurs and innovators. And we are shaping a long-term budget that supports our regions, that backs our farmers, and equips the next generation with real opportunities.
 
But none of this will work in isolation. And for this we need you, completely. European decisions only work if they reflect national realities. Each election after election, we learn this more and more. You are that bridge. And over the next two days, your discussions will help shape how we move forward.
 
So this is no ordinary week, for more reasons than one. 
 
I mentioned the special sitting tomorrow of the European Parliament. This will be a moment to reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine, and to show that when Europe is challenged, it stands together and it acts together. All of you are invited to follow that sitting from the tribunes. And I truly hope many of you will join us as we mark that moment of unity and resolve.
 
Colleagues, this is truly Europe’s moment. 
 
The people who placed their trust in us when they went to the ballot box, they are watching what we do. They expect us to act, and we cannot afford to hesitate. So over these next two days, let us match words with action, and show that when Europe is tested, it rises to the occasion.
 
So now, it is my true honour to give the floor to my dear friend, to the President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus. Dear Annita, the floor is yours.