Luxembourg PM Says Diversity is Strength at 70th EU Parliament Anniversary

On Tuesday 22 November 2022, Luxembourg's Prime Minister and Minister of State, Xavier Bettel, travelled to Strasbourg, France, to participate in the solemn ceremony on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the European Parliament.

During his trip, Prime Minister Bettel met the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. In particular, he took the opportunity to congratulate the President for having organised this ceremony to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the institution which, having made its debut in 1952 as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, and passing through the European Parliamentary Assembly, became the European Parliament in 1962. The Prime Minister also made a point of emphasising that Luxembourg is proud to have been able to host the General Secretariat of the European Parliament for 70 years. It is this General Secretariat which supports MEPs on a day-to-day basis and which enables the European Parliament to fully play its role in the institutional workings of the European Union (EU).

Their conversation also focused on European and international political issues, including Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its implications for European economies and energy security.

Subsequently, Prime Minister Bettel was invited to deliver a speech during the solemn ceremony in the hemicycle together with his Belgian and French counterparts, Alexander de Croo and Elisabeth Borne. During his speech, the Prime Minister reiterated the role of the European Parliament as the epicentre of European democracy and underlined that "we may be different, we have different opinions, we have different backgrounds, but this wealth is not a limit. This is the richness of our European continent, this diversity. And don't let it be destroyed. And if we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the European Parliament this year, this diversity must remain our strength. Let us not allow ourselves to be divided, whether at the level of the European Council, at the level of the Parliament, at the level of the European Commission".

Prime Minister Bettel ended his trip to Strasbourg with a lunch with the six MEPs from Luxembourg during which he congratulated them on their work. They took advantage of this meeting to discuss topics that are on the European and international agenda.