Metsola: Europe must change or risk irrelevance, calls Gaza crisis ‘intolerable’
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European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Tuesday echoed Mario Draghi’s warning that the European Union risks sliding into irrelevance unless it changes course, but pushed back against the former Italian premier’s sharp criticism of Brussels.
“The EU’s economic strength and soft power are no longer enough. The status quo cannot suffice,” Metsola told an audience at the Meeting of Rimini, echoing Draghi’s call for renewal. “We are at a crossroads: either we change or we are destined for irrelevance.”
Still, she rejected Draghi’s recent remark from the same stage that Europe had been a “spectator” in peace negotiations over Ukraine. “The European Union has never been a spectator, and must never become one,” Metsola said. “If Kyiv is still free today, it is thanks to European intervention,” she added, with a note of pride.
Metsola, a center-right politician from Malta, called for deeper European integration, urging leaders to “have courage” and work toward a bloc that is “stronger, more united, more resilient and able to defend itself while standing as a global leader.”
On Gaza, she described the humanitarian situation as “intolerable” after the latest deadly strikes, including the killing of journalists. “We want the killings to stop, we want the hostages to be freed. We cannot be indifferent,” she said, promising a strong position from the European Parliament.
Metsola also defended the EU’s recent tariff agreement with former U.S. President Donald Trump, calling it “a step forward in our transatlantic relations.” She underscored that “there has never been a stronger alliance than that between the EU and the U.S.,” while noting that Europe is also seeking broader trade partnerships in Asia and Latin America.
“Europe’s destiny depends on all of us,” she said. “Let us never underestimate what we can become.”
