site.btaEuropean Parliament President Metsola: We Need More People to Run for Office and Shape EU

“We need more people not just to get involved and vote but, also to run for office, and to help share and shape our Union” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Wednesday at the opening of a meeting in Brussels with the heads of the European national parliaments. Bulgaria was represented at the meeting by National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan.

“Every morning we wake up to news reminding us how fragile democracy is,” Metsola added. “The war on our continent rages on, geopolitical pressures continue to grow, and the freedoms that we thought were permanent are increasingly tested. Meanwhile, disinformation continues to twist our shared reality, and more and more people across our continent are questioning whether democracy still works, whether to vote, and whether democracy is worth the effort.”

“It is up to us to prove that our European democratic way can still deliver for them,” Metsola urged. She noted that European parliamentarians have a responsibility to meet the expectations of the people.

The EP President also urged European politicians to recognize that younger generations first learn about political issues through social platforms. “We must get better at reaching out to them and make greater efforts to combat polarization and populism,” Metsola said.