This week, Federico Quevedo interviews Antonio López-Istúriz, Secretary General of the European People’s Party to talk about Roberta Metsola, the newly appointed President of the European Parliament.
Fallecimiento de David Sassoli
López-Istúriz has words of recognition for David Sassoli. The President died last week from an “immune system dysfunction” caused by legionella, which kept him in hospital for several weeks. This was confirmed by sources in the European Parliament and months ago by Sassoli himself, when he seemed to have overcome the illness.
The People’s MEP said of Sassoli that “he belonged to a very moderate left, he was a man of consensus who did not have an easy presidency because of COVID-19”. He also added that “he reached great agreements within the Parliament”.
Roberta Metsola, a strong contender
As López-Istúriz says, the vote for the presidency of the European Parliament was scheduled for this week, but also for other internal bodies. For the Presidency, the European People’s Party put forward the candidacy of Roberta Metsola, “a woman with an enormous political pedigree”, according to the Secretary General.
Metsola faces a Green candidate who was a former minister in Sweden and who, according to López-Istúriz, “has not made a good impression due to her lack of knowledge of European policies and the workings of the Parliament”. In addition, the European Socialists and Liberals have confirmed their support for Roberta Metsola, who, if the negotiations are respected, will be the next President.
The challenges of the new presidency of the European Parliament
According to the General Secretary of the European People’s Party, “COVID-19 has affected a lot and the pandemic has been used to control”, as has the European Parliament. López-Istúriz urges that “the role of co-decision-maker of the European Parliament should be restored in order to control”. He also said that “there will be a committee on COVID-19 that will evaluate how governments have reacted and what they have done”.
There is also the ‘Debate on the Future of Europe‘ which, according to the MEP, is “very interesting” in order to “bring the European Union closer to the citizens“.
BREAKING NEWS: Roberta Metsola was elected on Tuesday 18 January as the new President of the European Parliament.
Through ‘El Balance’, a program hosted by Federico Quevedo on Capital Radio, Influence Spain is able to expand its network of contacts within the national, regional and municipal spectrum.
