Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said that the transatlantic bond matters more than ever. "When we lead together, we change the course of history. And we can do it again now," President Metsola said.
Thank you to the Council on Foreign Relations for having me today, and for continuing to support, again and as always, open, informed debate.
The European Parliament is deeply committed to strengthening the transatlantic bond. And I wanted to start with this because this is mostly the question I’m asked, every time I come. We share a history, our common values have shaped the globe, and the outlook for the future must remain in lockstep with each other.
That is a statement that I would not have had to make, not so long ago. It was a given. Something so obvious that it barely needed mentioning. But the world has changed. Things we took for granted are under question. Truths that we thought to be self-evident are up for discussion. The signs are there, and we must be ready to face this head on.
Around the world, we will keep seeing strongmen being pitted against strong elections. We see solid institutions viewed as a hindrance, rather than a virtue. Multilateralism and cooperation painted as weakness, instead of the strength we know them to be.
The way that has guided the West and our transatlantic relationship for the last 80 years is shifting, and we absolutely cannot bury our heads in the sand.
On the contrary, we must stand up and show the value of democracy to deliver tangible change for people who feel disengaged, disenfranchised and disappointed in politics. That’s part of the role of the European Parliament, which I lead, in today’s world. It is the same issue facing your Congress. It is a challenge we understand, and one we are determined to meet.
Because the truth is, more people live in countries where they can’t choose their leaders than in countries where they can. Today, only a quarter of the world’s population lives in a democracy, the lowest in half a century. That is the reality.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, we thought that liberal democracy had won. Maybe we were too confident, too complacent. We thought democracy no longer needed to be defended. That history had somehow moved on.
Most importantly, I think we stopped teaching people with the urgency that it required.
But when Russian tanks rolled into sovereign, independent Ukraine on 24 February 2022, that illusion was shattered. It became existential.
We were reminded, brutally, that peace can never be taken for granted, that freedom must be defended. That if we don’t stand up for our way of life, others will step in, offering a very different vision, based on a very different set of values.
That day, for us, changed everything. And Europe and the United States responded as one.
But if 24 February was a moment of unity, it was also a very big wake-up call. For too long, Europe had relied on others for its own security. On America. That is changing.
Since 2021, EU defence spending is up by more than 30%. Almost all EU NATO members now meet the target of 2% of GDP, and many have already gone beyond it. Just last week, NATO Defence Ministers agreed to work towards 5% of GDP overall: with 3.5% on core defence spending, and 1.5% on infrastructure and resilience.
We regularly ask Europeans across all 27 countries what they think, where we’re going. Where they think we should do more, where they think we should do less, what are their challenges. Today, in the last survey we conducted, the result was stark: two-thirds of Europeans wanted the European Union to play a greater role in protecting them. And at the European Parliament, we are responding: by driving joint defence procurement, by investing in industrial capacity, and by cutting red tape. Not to duplicate NATO, but to reinforce it. Because we know that a stronger Europe means a stronger Alliance.
Of course, security, today, is about more than just weapons. It is about disinformation, it is about foreign interference, and the deliberate erosion of trust. This is part of our daily reality now.
Disinformation is one of the most serious threats we face. It chips away at confidence in our institutions, it deepens divisions. And it’s getting smarter. So we have no choice but to get smarter too. That is why the work of organisations like the Council on Foreign Relations matters – not just to shape debate, but to cut through the noise, to challenge our assumptions.
But politics of course cannot only be about managing threats. It also has to offer hope.
Hope for those still living under oppression, who look to the European Union and to the United States as symbols of freedom.
The European Parliament has always been the voice of those who believe in Europe’s power to change lives. It was never about making everyone the same. But it was about creating opportunity, and a shared sense of belonging. And we come together in believing that it is that same spirit that must guide us now.
We have proudly stood for humanity, but sometimes our efforts haven’t always come through in the way we would have liked. That’s true for many politicians in Europe, in the US, and around the world. Particularly when we look at the Middle East post October 7th.
It is easy to understand the feelings of helplessness, of anger, of grief and pain felt by so many. Their horror is real. And we absolutely cannot allow the gap to grow between the answers they demand, and the solutions that politics can offer.
It is not always easy to explain the small, sometimes painful steps we take to save lives. That we are the number one provider of humanitarian aid. That the EU – through our brave EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) – was critical to supporting the last ceasefire, and getting so many sick and wounded children out of Gaza.
We need to speak more clearly about what we can do to stop the bombs. About the urgency of getting more aid into Gaza, and ensuring its distribution. About the hostages – including EU nationals – still being held by Hamas. About the role of Iran. About rising antisemitism everywhere. About the new generations of extremism that we see. About what happens the day after, reconstruction, and the need to support legitimate leadership while disbanding Hamas, and offering security to Israel.
Peace is not an abstract concept. It is something we are asked a lot: what do you mean by peace? What do you think when you use the word ‘peace’? Sometimes in a way that does not lead to peace. It only works if it’s more attractive than war. And we must show people that peace is not only possible – but that it is desirable. The best driver against radicalisation is hope.
For us, a two-State solution that gives that perspective is the way forward. It is what the European Parliament has always called for. We understand that Hamas can never be part of that. They offer only bloodshed, not solutions. That is why we have always been careful not to equate the terror of Hamas with all Palestinians.
As President of the European Parliament, I went to Kfar Azar – one of the kibbutzim that lost so many of its residents. I went to the Nova festival place with bodies still on the ground. I entered Gaza with our aid trucks as we pushed for more. I’ve sat down with Israelis in Jerusalem, and Palestinians in Ramallah. I’ve cried with hostages that were released, and hugged relatives of those who could not be released. I hugged teenagers who saw their homes destroyed and their friends killed.
There are people who want to find solutions, and I am proud to count the European Parliament among them. And we will always be a place of dialogue that brings people together, and we are ready to play that role again now.
The answers we need are not in Facebook likes or re-tweets – but in hard work, in dialogue, in diplomacy.
Even then, we may fail. But if there is even one chance that our efforts could help – even a remote one – it would be a dereliction of duty not to try. And I’m in politics for this reason, to take those chances.
I was in Ohio two weeks ago, in Dayton, to mark 30 years since the Dayton Accords – a reminder of what Europe and America can achieve when we lead together. When people do take chances. But being there also brought something into focus: the growing gap between people and politics.
Many have lost faith. They want change. And when mainstream politics fails to offer answers, people start to look elsewhere.
That disillusionment isn’t unique to the United States. It is growing across Europe too. We just marked one year since last year’s European elections, where we all got elected to the European Parliament, 720 of us. In those elections, what we call ‘the political centre’ held – but only just. Voters are restless, and they’re right to be. It’s our job to show that democracy works – not just on election day, not just in principle, but in practice.
That means delivering. Especially for young people. They didn’t live through the Cold War. They’re not asking abstract questions. They’re asking very concrete ones, about their future: Can I find a job? Can I afford a home? Can I build a life?
And if our political system does not offer credible answers to those questions, real ones, deliverables ones, then no speech will convince them that democracy is the answer.
That is why, in conclusion, I would say that this transatlantic bond – that we have, that we treasure, that we cherished, that we’ve believed in, blindly, all these years – matters more than ever.
Because yes, we are the world’s two largest economies. Fully integrated, interdependent. But more than that, we are two parts of a single democratic community, shaped by common sacrifices, rooted in shared values, and committed to building a better future.
When we lead together, we change the course of history. And we can do it again now.
Thank you.