Politics

Luxembourg’s Prime minister: Do not fall prey to populism

Published

2 years ago

May 16, 2023

Xavier Bettel (Prime Minister of Luxembourg) delivered an impassioned address, urging MEPs in the face populism, global and internal challenges, to defend the fundamentals that are the foundation of the EU, namely freedom and respect.

He stressed that the EU must remain open to the world, as well as its own members, despite the high geopolitical tensions that encourage protectionism. “Our problems are the same.” “Protectionism makes you poorer”, said Mr Bettel.

The Luxembourg Prime Minister called on lawmakers to protect freedom and the internal market when drafting new legislation. He also called for a ‘truly common European immigration policy’ based on the European Asylum and Migration Pact. He also took aim at those who seek to undermine the rule-of-law in the EU. He said that the rule of law must remain the backbone for the EU, and be used to defend the rights of minorities.

On the war in Ukraine Mr Bettel called for the EU to remain united against “Russia’s unacceptable aggression”, while delivering weapons, financial aid, reconstruction efforts, and accompanying Ukraine on its road to eventual EU membership.

Reactions of MEPs

MEPs welcomed Prime Minster Bettel’s commitments towards building a more egal Europe, defending rule of law within the EU, the European Green Deal, and institutional reforms in relation to the upcoming European Elections. Some MEPs warned the EU was at a crossroads due to the Russian war in Ukraine. They called for Europe’s own, independent military force and more European sovereignty, based on unity. Others voiced criticism about Luxembourg’s corporate income tax regime.

Background

This was the ninth “This Is” Europe” Plenary debate following Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda On 14 March 2023 and debates in 2020 with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Micheal Martin, Ireland’s Taoiseach, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin You can also find out more about the following: Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob.

Source link

Author

Daniela Daecher

Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

View all posts

Politics

Child protection: Council and Parliament strike a deal on a law to make toys safer

Published

12 hours ago

April 11, 2025

Hollywood Life Reviews Team

child-protection:-council-and-parliament-strike-a-deal-on-a-law-to-make-toys-safer

DISCLAIMER OPINIONS: The opinions of the authors or reproduced in the articles are the ones of those stating them and it is their own responsibility. Should you find any incorrections you can always contact the newsdesk to seek a correction or right of replay.

DISCLAIMER TRANSLATIONS: All articles in this site are published in English. The translated versions are done through an automated process known as neural translations. If in doubt, always refer to the original article. Thank you for understanding.

DISCLAIMER PHOTOS: We mostly used photos images that are readily available online, from free sources, or from the people promoting the news. If by any chance it happens that we have used one of your copyrighted photos, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will take it down without question. We do not make profits as this is a not for profit project to give voice to the voiceless while giving them a platform to be informed also of general news, and it is completely free.