Welcome to conference on. Nobody has talked more about reforming the e. U. Than Emanuel Merkel why should anyone listen when hes making such heavy weather of reforms in his own country. Why 1st youve been reforming from for more than 2 years with steady paff. The country is in chaos their country is not in care of there is no threat anymore are in real with all Public Transportation and there will be the most ambitious pension systems reform for the kids with wish which will pass in the parliament in the next few weeks people have died in the instructions paris has wreaked of tear gas for weeks on end youve had gigantic disruptions in transport so the worst transport disruption since the 1960 s. Are you talking about that obviously im talking about paris you dont seem to come often to paris are i do i have my family in paris yes there with our from protests that suppression tradition birds are 0 to 700 people injured across the country 17 and a number of policeman injured among them and some casualties were due to this yellow tackett protest movement are you see it throughout the word right now middle class is wondering whether globalization is good or bad for it for them and they need to get off it and they got a month from the government they got said until the 1000000000 euros program that he catered at increasing wages and increasing Public Services and they found out that the president has an increasingly authoritarian streak and 2 years report by the National Ombudsman spoke of an unprecedented number of preventive arrests so the long with the decline of Public Service is a policy of strength and security and repression taken root is a path work is ations from the official watchdog charge with the sending the rights of french citizens and i strongly deny it we are in a democracy you can make saddam are up to one you think he makes it or i think well he 3 theresa. It and i would like to us a little of the notice elsewhere is where people are that free to protest or to deny whats happening and the government isnt much good if you just dismiss it when he says it are this is my writing this on this is it i decline of Public Services the undermining of fun being mental rollers im not in the government im an elected member i have 23 elected members of my party here in the European Parliament i have as much freedom of expression as any french citizen we are in a democracy where in a country where we have rule of law every problem has been or is being investigated with independent judiciary i would love to see it as open as balanced and with such a rule of law in other places in the European Union i think you should focus on whats happening in poland on whats happening in hungary rather we talk to pose but were talking to you about france and youre still a member of the president s party home oshane are still one of his most vocal cheerleaders so thats why im putting these points to you especially when both the u. N. And the council of europe weighed in against what they saw as disproportionate force against demonstrators on the streets of fronts there was this proportion of the violence in my country and there were casualties caused by. Blockades by yellow vests can should we forget about that should we forget about the number of traits of a sin with which closed because of this unrest i will never because i was elected by my fellow Citizens United knowledge was addressing the points the many people have raised the paris think tank for instance General Assembly leap so last year the clampdown on Civil Liberties was part of a consistent pattern since mr michel took office and i deny it because there are freedoms they are respected they are protected for in. And freedom to go on strike thats fine thats even constitutional in my county but frank freedom not to go on strike should be protected as well and freedom of movement should be protected as well you want to see the powers of police increased as they were october 27th in the new deterrent or substantially increase police in february 28th in the immigration or reduce the rights of migrants and Asylum Seekers in october that year the Supreme Court refused to halt the creation of a biometric database containing detailed information of all french citizens as surveillance and these are measures that are causing concern one prominent lawyer and long time supporter actually im assuming across france or soon will put it bluntly said fundamental rights are under attack while our i know mr question well i know the n. G. O. S he is dealing with on refugees because im dealing myself on a private basis on the rights of refugees are but please are fighting against terrorism the 1st freedom of my fellow citizens is security and my country was struck again and again by terrorist attacks should we are 30 as we were before and so we are doing nothing this is not a nobody asked you to do nothing this was last seen not to want to undermine fundamental rights and liberties thats now not in a fight you can always go to the court and you always have your rights protected i know what my fellow citizens want they want to cure it. More than rights more than for no sense they want both of them and we protect both of them. Does mr mccraw believe he can have greater success on the european stage with reforms than hes had at home time after time people claims the need for new organizations in the its a bit like picking random tickets out of a hat isnt it reforms to immigration defense trade a European Agency to protect democracy European Council for interior security European Climate Bank and the reaction from the rest of europe was resulting silence to this proposed arm im not sure we are talking about the same word about my country or about here rob youre obviously very anti mccrone thats all right thats a surprise because i thought that was fair internalization but it is not that your right or right its my its my duty to put the other side to you your micro supporter and putting the other side to you ask the growing thats where you see things that are necessarily where other people turn a little but thats all right i dont deny it and 0 to learn to 1st answer at less or go to reforms in france yes they are working we are the 2nd most attractive kountry in the European Union for Foreign Investors we have one of the highest growth rates in the European Union we half the number of unemployed which is the really creepy thing steadily we have 3 terms the unemployment number of germany thats right but we dont have many jobs when we talk about jobs which we talk about jobs will full pay thats her choice and we are still fighting against one point and we are changing the rules for apprentice for instance and it is working and considering the European Union you mentioned the climate bank this was something i was complaining for in favor of when i was the head of the list of what they thought in the European Union election and now this isnt a program of this. This from the lion her new green deal includes a European Climate Bank includes. A 1000000000000 euros in the coming 7 years to finance green projects so this is precisely what we have were advocating for and this is precisely what the European Union is indicating committed to but there was a huge backlash against you climate proposals wasnt there when the yellow vests protested against the new carbon tax which was introduced trying to get the troops to change their behavior people in rural areas it was deep in the tax had to be abandoned or are you handled were throughout europe you have. Claims for a more through and vibrant meant a more anti Global Warming policy and at the same time people feel not in my backyard not on my our fuel expenses we face it every single developed country to advancing it sucks you know but we have a burden raising the tax but we are working was the European Union with the commission on a mechanism providing for our protection of European Companies compared to 30 kountry companies if they dont respect the same and fire imminent rules they should pay for that difference there is no reason to impact or companies for a nickel for regulations that we are choosing on a room in europe with your Independence Advisory Council on climate this report last june strongly suggested your record didnt match the promises youve made tell me of 11 single european country matching the result with the promises every counter is lagging with some time to figure out the stuff and you so you and theres a variety of climate thats a tragedy and one on target and thats why i mean this European Parliament is a. You rob ian on ther we couldnt we cannot have one member state taking decisions and another going and a different path we have to take common objectives and abide by them we have to have objective worked 420342050 we are in the process of doing it but then rose if you were serious about the environment you would halt this incredibly wasteful process of convening the European Parliament for one week every month in strasbourg and the rest of the time in brussels why not have the parliament in strasbourg all the time i agree i mean you know but at the moment this is hugely damaging for the environment and hugely costly to the european taxpayer but its frances vanity project its into treatment. And its germans vanity projects you have the European Central bank in frankfurt and inflection of advantage of projects to have premises in luxembourg with the whole European Parliament doesnt get up like a travelling circus and some people have said once every month how do you know the cost of over 100100000000. 00 euros a year have you asked the cost of having premises in like fender in frankfurt and in many other places in europe that doesnt justify this. Might to more than just specific interest you must you want your crap to stay in brussels bubble. Cut from the reality of the ground cut from Member States is that what you bought is that what citizens have been voting for for them they are telling us please go to Member States please get out of this but because married to strasburg once a month im not telling you that. In my country it is only done in your butt but at the cost of between 11000. 00 listening to my voters between 11019000 tons of extra c o 2 emissions every year just to make this stunt possible you know every time you dont know what a program on your smartphone you are participating and Carbon Emissions and thirdly you are doing it yes well have to change our habits but why are you finger pointing the heart of european democracy where we have the council of europe where we have the you open court you dont really matter right you dont need to go to strasburg once a month yes we can stay in strasbourg i agree the european concern have to somebody from this group said it was time for any peace to get their own house in order and the travelling circus no organization can honestly claim to be serious and tackling Climate Change and still maintain the work of working which is so manifestly destructive to the environment while i hope that you dont rob a conservative group also notice is that poland one of its main supporters as far as lagging far behind in terms of a mission and still denying the need for our Green New Deal lets talk about Foreign PolicyEmanuel Merkels phone policy because theres been a strong perception that he favors go it alone diplomacy instead of the multilateral initiatives that you was close to value one of your president s harshest critics here in brussels the green m. E. P. Philip blumberg skewes dream of being drunk on power and said you dont shape europe by bullying europe. Shit europe by building alliances this is what we saw in in previous decades with a very lively your rock well listen to on the your world stage it was so obvious that we were winning n. That we were united an official come on you are no united on russia policy on russia well since our policy and russia look at the normandy form and summit that we had in paris a few weeks ago what did get you we defended ukraines rights we favored an exchange of prisoners which had not taken place for months and news and we are fully in line with the your property and position on ukraine crimea i dont buy that on the rest just the council on Foreign Relations that a lot of people claims sumac and didnt even inform them ahead of time when he sent his foreign and defense ministers to moscow last september seem to be part of an emerging pattern of unilateral actions should you say the same one angle america all good to moscow to meet with of lead in your putin know they are playing their role france is an important member state of the European Union france has a permanent seat in the Security Council we have responsibilities with a friend European Values we carried a rope in voice and we have share european positions we are fully in line with as a boy while there is not the year there of a slice of paper between what was a borel is a vacating for and what we are pushing for bilaterally it strengthen europe it doesnt weaken it was wonder whether when mr all bar prefers to talk to put in or talk to other well and says that they are hungary and commissioner is at the service of a matron wonder whether he supports European Union policy last august mr merkel called for a new architecture in europe based on trust and security because he said the continent would never be stable without easing and clarifying europes relations with russia. Well you didnt spell out was how you base a new relationship with russia on trust and security when there isnt any and you suggested us or we are virtual and my our Political Party was hacked irish an activist during the president ial campaign when there was a chemical attack in full of kerry in the u. K. Who was pushing the other europeans for a coordinated onset it was a man like him and no one else we are perfectly aware of the threat of. Russia nostalgic of the path but then will it change geography what do we prefer to have russia turning definitely to china or to have russia and gate in the dialogue with the European Union and major concessions does that involve doesnt enjoy a country that both those International Borders shoots down commercial aircraft or as you say senses assassins to europe while to murder people for ethical weapons for instance i would have preferred not to theatre not trying to protect supported so heavily by germany because it deepens or dependent thing on russian gas thats a problem and we have to say that and then im back on fareed very bluntly its not a question of confessions its a question of having or a voice horace is a consistent voice that if we look at the question of enlargement in the European Union for instance in august. Sumac rome was the leader who told europe to really invest geographically in the west balkans warning that if it didnt the fate of that region could be decided by the u. S. Russia and turkey and then just 2 months later he effectively blocked or at the very least delayed those countries from joining the e. U. Doesnt fit does it contradiction its not the 1st time a few block eyebrow. Myself a year before we want our votes you can tell us short acting from from these other countries that are taking an interest in was balkans and then not isolated areas but and through i was still going to ship look at serbia serbia started in Succession Process that serbia distanced itself from russia not a 2nd. Do you think the. Exception that has hitchens are the magical recipe you have counter is to distancing themselves from russia look at hungary it has not worked we have to reassess the whole accession the consideration process it was not working we want to turn a blind eye and just considered that we have a policy when we have only bureaucracy now we have to be serious im dead serious about the importance of a european perspective for western balcones and because i believe in it i dont want to leave it to bureaucrats wants to be deeply involved in what we ask this countrys work to what will take them accountable war for the fight against corruption fight against organized crime the standard of the council on Foreign RelationsEuropean Council formulation said you french action may have actually weaken the e. U. s leverage in this region french veto of North Macedonia as well being is a session ago shoes and as a mix a completely changed the context for resolving bilateral problems in the west balkans once again look at serbia they are in the process they are negotiating they are opening chapters and closing chapters and they are closer than ever to moscow they are with something that is not working some people decide not to see it we decided to name it because we want to reform it if were serious about enlargement and we are serious its not just a slogan its not just to play nice and then go to some countries and try to make business its about giving one hand and then straight with the