Speech by President Séamus Boland, EESC plenary debate with Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament

EESC plenary debate on the 'State of democracy in Europe' with Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament

Dear Ms Metsola, esteemed Members of the European Parliament,

Firstly, I would like to congratulate you all on your successful election to the European Parliament;

Secondly, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to meet with us today – I am sure that your schedules are extremely busy!

Two centuries ago, the US President Abraham Lincoln stated that "The ballot is stronger than the bullet";

I would like to add that strong political alliances are also stronger than the bullet;

And we have recently witnessed the power of strategic alliances first hand, with the elections to the European Parliament and to the French National Assembly, both in this month of June;

Political alliances are of course formed for mutual benefit;

But they are also formed from a sense of common responsibility, a sense of shared interests, shared values, shared visions of the future;

And allow me to also quote the writer George Bernard Shaw, who stated that "We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future."

I believe that the EESC and the European Parliament both share a sense of common responsibility towards European citizens and communities;

It is a responsibility to build a more sustainable future, founded on greater political trust and the democratic principles of civil engagement;

And I believe that European and national politics are now at a turning point, where the chasm between the electorate and the elected has become dangerously wide;

So as President of the Civil Society Organisations' Group, I would like to call for a deeper collaboration with the European Parliament on civil dialogue;

Use us as much as you can: through the Committee you can reach thousands of CSOs, which are the bedrock of European societies and communities;

Let us improve the implementation of our Cooperation Agreement, work more actively and proactively together;

Shadowing the work of each of us with more exchanges and learning from each other!

Ms Metsola and other MEPs, history and democracy will not wait for us;

We have to take the steps towards citizens;

And we can do this best, working together as partners;

Thank you for your attention.