The EPP Political Assembly was concluded yesterday after up to 150 delegates gathered in Malta at the Nationalist Party’s Headquarters to discuss key issues about Europe and the group’s policies. Here are some of the highlights of the two-day conference.
In his opening remarks to the conference, EPP President Manfred Weber said that war in Ukraine is the most important European issue right now and a new administration in the US is raising a lot of questions. The EPP President hopes that Europe can convince the US administration about the gravity of the situation by pointing out that North Korean soldiers and Iranian missiles are being used against Europeans inside Europe. He also said that the EPP does not recognise the recent elections in Georgia as fair. The following he reiterated that Ukraine must win the war against Russia for the sake of Europe.
Nationalist Party and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech stated that Malta bears a disproportionate share of the burden of illegal migration. He emphasised that Europe should adopt fair and effective policies that balance compassion with security while ensuring that every Member State shares responsibility. He also said that inflation and economic stagnation threaten stability and policies need to foster sustainable growth.
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko applauded the decision to uplift restrictions on the use of Western-made long-range missiles on Russian soil, saying that the use of these missiles is very effective and Ukraine has already used them to eliminate at least four ammunition depots and several command points on Russian territory.
Popular Lebanese and Maronite politician Samy Gemayel was invited to the conference. His brother, Pierre Gemayel was assassinated 18 years ago by Hezbollah. Samy Gemayel said that his brother was killed for standing up for the sovereignty of Lebanon which for the past twenty years was hijacked by Iran. He also said that Iran turned Lebanon into its own base in the Mediterranean and Lebanon’s worst fear is if Hezbollah and Iran keep using Lebanon as their base and prolong the war with Israel. He insisted that the EU should not accept any deal that allows Hezbollah to remain operational in Lebanon and both Israel and Iran should be pressured to stop fighting in Lebanon.
One of the working-groups lead by MEP David Casa focused on media and freedom with EPP urging the Maltese government to implement the European Union’s Anti-SLAPP Directive (Daphne’s Law) in full. The Nationalist Party is also proposing legal symmetry in libel cases between the plaintiff and the accused.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola met with the conference delegates at the Grandmaster’s Palace, where they were given a tour of the building by Maltese tour guides.
The opening speeches of the first day can be found here.
Newsroom
Leave a Reply