Welcoming more than 1,200 young people at the European Parliament, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola addressed the European Youth Forum Level Up event in Brussels. In her speech, she encouraged young people from across Europe to bring the promise of Europe wherever they go.
© European Union | The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola with young people at the Level Up event in the European Parliament in Brussels
Good morning,
Nice to see you here, nice to have this room so full. Welcome to the European Parliament. It is a real pleasure for me to be able to welcome you to this Chamber.
This is the House of European democracy, that is not just any word. It is really the House where democracy matters. And there is nothing that motivates me more in what I do than when I speak to younger people.
Because yours is the generation that is proud of what we Europeans have achieved, that is honest about our failings and the occasional frustrations of our processes, but above all, you are motivated and willing to make things better. To introduce change. And your role in shaping our common future is essential.
This is the reason why we decided that 2022 would be the European Year of Youth. A year which has, and continues to, empower and invest in the young people of Europe. But it is also our way of strengthening the role of young people in decision making, both at the national and European level, with more opportunities to speak directly with decision makers, like we have seen in the Conference on the Future of Europe.
I believe that this year has been a good example that we want to listen to you, that we want you to shape the future that you want to see in Europe. That we want to act and do things together with you. And yet I feel just as strongly about the fact that this must only be the starting point. Commitments taken and promises made need to be delivered.
I assure you that the European Parliament, which is the institution that I have the responsibility - not only the privilege but also the responsibility to lead - has every intention of doing that.
Today, in this House, you are here, over 1,200 activists from all over Europe. You will spend the next two days in workshops, learning, practicing, exchanging and connecting. The first thing I would like you to do is when you look around you, you make sure that you do not only sit next to people you already know. Make sure you don’t only sit next to people who come from your country.
You are surrounded by the most motivated and engaged Europeans. A generation of change-makers. But to do this, you have to be ready to stand up for the values that you believe in, to take matters into your hands, to serve, and to lead, and to make a real impact in your communities.
LevelUp! accelerate change. This is what should be used to bring your activism to the next level. And use this opportunity to meet as many people as you can, to boost your skills, to support others who you have not met before in improving theirs.
This project is the highlight event of the European Year of Youth, and the result of a long-lasting opportunity between this house, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Youth Forum. I spent a lot of time in the European Youth Forum a few years ago. And it is also an example of the real commitment that this house has made to young people.
In the last several years, we have significantly expanded our youth offer, the activities and opportunities we offer to young individuals, organisers, educators, disability activists.
Perhaps you noticed when you crossed the Simone Veil Esplanade when you entered the building, there on the skywalk you can get a glimpse of our youth programs, like the European Youth Event that we organised last year - again we will have one in 2023 - or the youth seminars. Now you can also get an overview of all the opportunities that the European Parliament offers for young people on our online youth hub.
But today is about your own skills and your own growth. Because levelling our competences is now more important than ever in Europe. I hope that whatever you gain here in the next two days, you will take back home, you will share it with your friends, and together put it into practice. Because ultimately, citizens are at the core of our European democracy, and without your continuous engagement, its power becomes fragile.
I started by saying that this is a house of democracy. Without democratic exercise, this house would not exist.
You are now. You deal with yourself now. And you hold me accountable now. And my colleagues, and your representatives, who you vote for, you hold them accountable today. If you are not satisfied with what they are doing, you run yourselves. You want to complement what they are doing? You run yourselves. And then you find yourself in a situation where you have to come up with a programme, where you have to show how Europe has broadened the barriers and has overcome the limits for everyone, that it has given à level-playing field for everybody. That it can still give a level-playing field for everybody who live in countries who want to join the European Union.
Use this opportunity today, so that you can spread and share the belief and the promise of Europe. To do this, I ask you to fight for the promise of Europe and to bring the promise of Europe wherever you go.
Thanks a lot and have fun.