Мецола на G7

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola called for deeper cooperation between democratic parliaments as G7 Speakers and Ukraine gathered in Paris amid war, hybrid threats and growing geopolitical uncertainty. Metsola said the fundamental lesson behind the G7 remains as relevant today as when the group first emerged more than five decades ago: Even the world’s most powerful countries cannot confront major threats alone. “They need partners and they need people that they can trust,” she said. Metsola highlighted Ukraine as one of the clearest examples of what parliamentary diplomacy can achieve. She recalled travelling to Kyiv shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion to send a political message that Europe stood with Ukraine. She also underlined that the European Parliament was the first EU institution to push for sanctions against Russia and the first to call for Ukraine to receive EU candidate status. Metsola argued that parliaments can sometimes create political space that traditional diplomacy cannot. Because parliamentarians can speak across political divides, build relationships before crises erupt and maintain channels of dialogue when tensions rise, she said parliamentary cooperation can become a powerful form of international influence. “Some would call that soft power,” Metsola said. “But whatever we call it, I think it works.” She called for the parliamentary dimension to be strengthened alongside major international summits so that political commitments can be followed up and turned into practical action. Metsola also warned that democratic countries are increasingly confronting the same challenges: artificial intelligence, hybrid threats, migration, economic shocks, disinformation and declining public trust. Her message from Paris was clear: Democratic institutions need stronger networks, deeper trust and more practical cooperation before the next crisis arrives. #RobertaMetsola #G7 #Ukraine #Democracy #eudebates