• 4 months ago
In this edition of Brussels, my love?, we meet the new and familiar faces starting work as Members of the European Parliament.
Transcript
00:00Hi there and welcome to Brussels My Love, Euronews's weekly talk show about all the
00:17news bubbling in Brussels and of course beyond. I'm Maeve McMahon and this week I'm coming
00:22to you not from Belgium but from Strasbourg here in France where the European Parliament
00:27met for the very first time since elections back in June. Thank you so much for tuning
00:33in. Well coming up on the show this week it's like Freshers Week here in Strasbourg. Almost
00:37720 newly ordained MEPs have checked in. Nearly six in ten are fresh faces from jockeys to
00:45former ministers. These legislators have had mixed careers and now they might get the chance
00:50to influence the EU's future. We take a look at how the new Parliament could look including
00:55with two new ultra-conservative groups. And new Parliament but same challenges. The Guard
01:02may have changed but they still have the same issues on their shoulders. Incoming MEPs still
01:07have unfinished businesses left to complete that couldn't be finalised under the last
01:11mandate. From boosting defence to animal welfare we see what they can achieve in a world of
01:17fast moving crisis. A really warm welcome to our panel Isabella Lövin, Swedish MEP
01:22from the Greens. Fidias Panayiotou, Cypriot independent MEP. And MEP Sigrid Fries with
01:30Renew Europe from Denmark. Welcome to Strasbourg. So lovely to have you with us here on the
01:35show. But before we get your first impressions let's just tell our viewers why this week
01:39Strasbourg was different. It feels like the first day of school. Around 720 MEPs descended
01:49upon Strasbourg this week to begin or continue their journey as European lawmakers. From
01:58climate change to AI regulation those MEPs will have to negotiate and vote laws and hold
02:04officials in the European Commission to account. Racing between Brussels and Strasbourg not
02:12to mention their constituency back home. MEPs can work as much or as little as they
02:17want. The harder they slog the bigger footprint they might leave on the EU statute book. But
02:27there's plenty on their plates. An ongoing war in Ukraine. Political instability in France
02:32and a controversial and unpredictable Hungarian presidency in charge of the council for the
02:36next six months. So there you have it. There'll be a lot to be done. But first congratulations
02:45on your election. I'm looking forward to seeing you here in the next couple of years. You're
02:49back though. You've been a minister in Sweden. You've been a journalist an author. What brought
02:53you back. Well I want to make a difference. And you actually can make a difference here
03:00in the European Parliament. That's really something that is very important to highlight
03:06because I think many of the voters around Europe think that it's impossible to make
03:11any difference. But I have the experience from last time I was here that we could do
03:16a lot of difference when it came to the fisheries policy for instance. And to make a difference
03:22of course you need friends. You need a network. So have you made a lot of new friends this
03:25week. Yes I did. And I really enjoyed to meet some of the new colleagues that I'll
03:30be working alongside with for for the next five years. I agree with the intro that it's
03:34a bit like the first day of school. You're trying to find your way around. Find which
03:38seat is yours and who will be your your neighbors. Who will you be sitting next to. And only
03:44I think for my first day of school back in Denmark there was not as many journalists
03:49and not as many lobbyists as as here in Strasbourg. And that's true. It is an interesting place
03:54to be. And Fidesz congratulations as well to you. You're famous. I'm delighted to be
03:58here with three beautiful women. It's exciting politics with more women. Well you're fascinating
04:06in the sense that you are a YouTuber and you're well known. Everyone knows you now in the
04:10corridors of Strasbourg and Brussels. You've been putting clips out and viral clips. Even
04:15you hitchhiked your way here. Yes but I don't know anything about politics. This is what
04:19this was the claim in Cyprus. And it's very interesting because I was the most voted person
04:23in Cyprus. And I told them guys I don't know but I will improve and I will learn. But because
04:28I had a YouTube background I was successful in my business and all this stuff they trusted
04:33me and they appreciate kind of the honesty more than the positions and the experience.
04:38So here we are. And it's very exciting. Here you are. Well congratulations. And maybe you
04:42can give some tips to others here trying to communicate the European Union. I think European
04:46Union has a big problem with the communication. I think it's a big black box as Europeans.
04:51We don't feel Europeans. We feel more. I feel more Cypriot than European. And I don't know
04:56what is happening here in the parliament. It's complicated. It's complicated. And we're
04:59explaining it week by week. Well here on Brussels my love. But we can actually just take a look
05:03at some of the content you've been putting out since becoming an MEP. I'm only 24 years
05:08old and I just got elected in the European Parliament. I have no political experience
05:13in the past and I'm sure I would make mistakes along the way. The best way to not make any
05:17mistakes is by not trying at all. And perhaps sometimes I will vote for the wrong things
05:24or I might say the wrong things. And maybe sometimes I will take the wrong decision.
05:30But I want you to know that my intentions will always be to make this world a better
05:36place. There you go. Maybe you have some tips for Fidesz. Yes. I would love some tips. Well
05:43I think you mentioned one. Networking is extremely important because you can't make any difference
05:47here at all if you don't have a majority behind you. But of course I think it's also
05:52very important to communicate with the voters with journalists and be kind of the link.
05:58But to the extent that Fidesz you've actually been asking your followers online how you
06:03should vote. Yes. Can I. I will take a second and ask them guys should I vote for Ursula
06:09von der Leyen. Yes or no. And 250000 people voted in the poll and the majority 75 percent
06:17voted that they don't want Ursula von der Leyen. So I find it a bit strange that the
06:21actual European people don't want Ursula von der Leyen but we might give her the majority.
06:28And you trust your followers. It's interesting. What would you say to that Sigrid. Yeah I
06:33think it's a really interesting way of doing democracy in a new way. But I also feel that
06:38there must be some kind of core values or principle inside of you that would make it
06:44hard if your followers had a completely different opinion than you. If you had maybe a human
06:51rights vote on whether it should be improving rights of minority people for example. I would
06:57want to vote yes no matter what my Instagram followers or YouTubers for that sake would
07:04want to. So I think that there are some core at least for me some core principles that
07:08I wouldn't want to change. And I think because it's been five years that she's been in the
07:13presidency. So we know kind of her past. I think that people are clever enough to judge.
07:18And we need to ask politicians to a lot of the times give the will of the people not
07:22only our personal opinion. So I think it's a mix of what I agree with you basically.
07:27And the question of which group to join. You also asked your followers and they told you
07:32not to join any group. Yes they told me not to do this. People don't want me to join any
07:37group because I was elected. I was the first independent ever in my country. I was the
07:41most voted person in my country and they wanted me to come here and not join any political
07:47group. And this is good because if you join a political group they might filter you slightly.
07:53So I want to be 100 percent honest and say the truth to people even though you can probably
07:57argue that being in a group it's easier you get more done. You have more visibility.
08:02A lot more done. I mean we're legislators here so we're trying to find the best way
08:08forward on the issues where we really feel that this is important like climate change
08:14by bringing back the health and life to our ocean or preserving the rule of law and democracy
08:21and all of that. And to do that you have to be present on all the meetings you have to
08:25have positions you have to have collaboration with with all the other groups in order to
08:30have a majority. So that's. You can go against your group sometimes. You don't always have
08:34to get whipped into place by your group. But Sigrid again it's your first time here as
08:38well in the European Parliament. What do you want to get done. What will be your focus.
08:42So my number one priority is fighting climate change to ensure a greener and more sustainable
08:49future for Europe and for the for the next generation of Europeans as well. So I have
08:54on my wish list I have to stop the import of Russian gas and oil into the European energy
09:00system. I have to. I really want to work on the reforming the cap the agricultural sector
09:06to get them to contribute more and to restore the balance and the nature of the biodiversity
09:11in Denmark where I'm sure you're in the right group then because you could be up for some
09:15clashes with many in your group are very pro business. They want to see a pause on regulation
09:19when it comes to climate. No I think it's very important to say that fighting climate
09:23change can easily go hand in hand with ensuring competitiveness as well. I think if we don't
09:28fight climate change change climate change we're European businesses will be looking
09:33into a not so bright future. So I think it's also important in terms of the of ensuring
09:38Europe's growth and economy in the world. And I'm sure as a green and a former climate
09:43minister you would agree with that. But let's just show our viewers out there what the actual
09:47new European Parliament looks like because of course we know who won these elections
09:51it was the European People's Party and they came up there with 188 seats followed by the
09:56socialists with 136 seats. And then the new group Patriots for Europe the group set up
10:02by Victor Orban of Hungary. They got 84 seats followed by the conservatives and reformers
10:08the party of Georgia Maloney came in fourth there with 78 seats the liberals and fifth
10:13with 77 seats. And then of course the Greens bit low down there in the bottom. You lost
10:17a lot of seats. You didn't do so well this time range. No especially not in France and
10:23Germany but we did very well in Sweden and also the Nordic countries. So there was the
10:28biggest kind of biggest have a lot as well doesn't it just shows that your countries
10:32are fixed in the economy where. Yeah. And also we see more diversification in the green
10:37group now. It's not only like the central European European countries but also the eastern
10:42European countries many of them and also Italy for the first time. So we see the green
10:48movement kind of growing in many ways. And I think we also have very very experienced
10:54MEPs. Were you a former commissioner for the environment. We have a former commissioner.
10:58We have several former ministers as well especially from the Nordic countries. The Dutch Greens
11:05went very well as well. So it's a mixed picture. But I think what we also managed to do now
11:12is to have a lot of influence now when the president is elected and whatever program
11:19is going to come after this. And yes what would be your priority here when it comes
11:23to substance and committees. Did you have time this week to decide on which committee
11:27you'd like to be in. Yes. By the way I want to say that that part is that a new and the
11:32Greens I was I was between those with which I saw that the cooler part is I think in the
11:37parties in that I didn't do well though in the elections. So according to the voters
11:41out there. Yes. But yes it's a bit tough that you are when you are an independent because
11:47I need to fight a lot to get the stuff. But when you are in the group it's easier to get
11:51the committees. So why don't you join a group. You can join chief to get the committees I
11:56wanted without being also in a group. So I got the calm. I forgot the certain names of
12:05the committee is the acronyms. Welcome to Brussels. Yes. You're going to have a lot
12:08of acronyms in your life. OK. You're going to go to my social media and you're going
12:14to see the acronyms as well to find them. But yes I got I was trying to get culture
12:19and we want to do petty as well. So you can't impede it. So. And the other thing that with
12:25petty is interesting because I'm a YouTuber and I have millions of subscribers. So maybe
12:30petty you can request that from European Union so I can promote stuff to the public so they
12:36can request stuff and we can hear the will of the people and change things here together
12:41with the people. And as an MEP of course you can invite people you can bring people from
12:45your constituency as well to the institutions to show them as well exactly what goes on
12:50here and just on these two new groups the Patriots for Europe and the Sovereigness.
12:55How do you think things could change inside the parliament with so many voices now in
12:58the right. I think I don't know what it used to be but for me as a newcomer I was actually
13:04quite surprised to see how tense it was when we were in the hemicycle this morning for
13:08example how there were accusations from the far right towards the left like the this the
13:15the room was I would say kind of hostile. And I think for me at least it's not something
13:19that I'm used to seeing in a room of politicians. I'm used to saying that there can be different
13:25opinions. We don't have to agree. Actually the whole point of politics is that we don't
13:29agree. We have different views on the world. But the feeling inside the hemicycle when
13:36things got really heated I was kind of surprised. You were surprised. I guess we're going to
13:40see more of that though Isabella. Yeah I'm afraid so. I really expect that. But on the
13:47other hand we have a majority for kind of pushing forward with the Green Deal for instance
13:54for environmental policies and all that that we need to do as you mentioned. It's absolutely
13:59vital that we don't backtrack on the climate policies now during these five years. This
14:05is really a crucial time to move forward. Also on oceans also on rule of law. We don't
14:11know what happens in the elections in the US now and later in this year. So the EU will
14:17be very very important. And I think we have the center. The center has held and for now
14:24the Patriots for Europe the group of Viktor Orban is being a little bit left out for example
14:28when it comes to getting the vice presidency here. They weren't too happy about that about
14:32being left out of business. And we can actually hear from a member of the Patriots for Europe
14:37now an Italian MEP. Take a look. If the Patriots group is the third largest group in the European
14:46Parliament it's not because we decided so but the voters did. So to go against the will
14:51of Europeans and the will that was democratically expressed by millions of European voters I
14:55think it represents a huge assumption of responsibility as well as a lack of respect.
15:01Then politically it amazes me that the EPP continues to lend itself to these games of
15:05the left wing groups. All these attitudes on the part of the electorate have led to
15:10a growth of groups calling for an alternative Europe. So not listening to their voice slapping
15:15in the face to the people who voted for us. I think it represents something very very
15:20dangerous.
15:21The Italian MEP there Paolo Borcia not impressed that his group is being left out in the cold
15:28but in the reality is that his group is referred to by many here as the friends of Putin. Fidesz
15:34would you have an opinion on this?
15:36I voted on the issue about Ukraine and I am I vote I abstain from the vote from the paper
15:43that they gave us. I found the paper to be not. They don't they want to they want to
15:49keep continuing. I want more peace talks. So that's why I abstain.
15:54So would you agree with the fact that Victor Orban who holds now the rotating presidency
15:58of the council that he went to Moscow to speak to Putin.
16:01Well that's a very complicated topic especially for me as a newbie here in politics as I said.
16:07But I made some podcasts that the three hours long that you can go and see them and see
16:12here my opinion is so complicated topic and that's why.
16:17Well it's complicated but it's also very serious. I mean this is it's a very tense moment right
16:20now in the European Union. We even saw the commission boycotting the rotating presidency
16:25because they believe that they can't visit. Normally for example the whole commission
16:30would visit Budapest and you know business as usual it should be. But after this peace
16:36mission there's a lot of mistrust now.
16:39Yeah I mean clearly Orban has abused the European presidency by going to Moscow going
16:47to China and kind of presenting himself as representing the European Union in a way and
16:54saying that he wants to push forward in certain foreign policies that is not agreed by the
16:59other member states. So I think that's very very serious. And we are questioning if he
17:06if Hungary in this way can continue to be the presidency of the European Union.
17:11And normally of course the prime minister the president of the country holding the rotating
17:15presidency comes and gives a speech in the parliament. So it remains to be seen whether
17:19that speech will take place in September. But we just wanted to bring in some voices
17:23from Hungary of course that holds the rotating EU presidency at the moment and hear if people
17:27there even knew the parliament session was taking place in Strasbourg this week and if
17:31they even care. So our correspondent Zoltan Sibuschagy sent us this update. We talked
17:36a lot of pedestrians but we met just with three opinions or they don't know anything
17:41about the European politics or they don't want to talk about the politics because they
17:46are not brave enough or they totally believe for Viktor Orban the prime minister and they
17:52believe that Brussels is the enemy. What they need to stop. Zoltan Sibuschagy their reporting
17:59saying that Brussels and Strasbourg is the enemy. I mean this is the kind of perception
18:03that many people have. Yeah and I think that's that's kind of worrying. But I think we also
18:08saw in Hungary the rise of new parties opposition party challenging the views of Viktor Orban
18:15and I think it's important to to to underline that he does not represent the whole of Hungary.
18:22And there's also a part of the Hungarian population that wants a different way and we have to
18:26really stand firm on that. And you were nodding along there as well. Yeah I mean but it's
18:33also a classical way of trying to to get support is to kind of look at some someone else outside
18:41being the enemy. So look at the whole Brexit discussion. Now the UK has left the European
18:48Union but nothing of what the Brexiteers were promising the British people has been realized.
18:55They don't have these millions of pounds to go to the National Health Service or whatever or they
19:00don't have their own fishing waters the way that it was portrayed. So I think this is something
19:06that is classical that you use someone else as a scapegoat. And the European Union in many
19:13countries is used as that by some parties. And they urgently need growth in the UK. They do and they
19:19wouldn't be better. I mean if you look at the UK and you look at the Hungary it's not like Hungary
19:23would be better off without the European Union. I think that Hungary and the Hungarian people is
19:29benefiting a lot from from being part of the of the European Union and being part of this common
19:35future that we share. Okay well on that conclusion we can bring this conversation to an end. Thank
19:41you so much to our guests for being with us and stay with us here on Euronews. Don't go anywhere
19:45because in just a minute we'll be telling you how the ongoing war in Ukraine has overshadowed
19:49this session here in Strasbourg. See you soon.
19:53Welcome back to Brussels my love. I'm Maeve McMahon broadcasting from Strasbourg where MEPs met for the first session of this mandate. And although this week was all about getting MEPs registered, kitted out with their office keys and signing up to committees, the reality is there's a lot of unfinished business they will have to pick up in September. According to Parliament data there's 174 legislative
20:23procedure files left over from the previous mandate. For more on what exactly is at stake we spoke to an EU policy specialist Andrea Renda from CEPS. There's a lot of legislation that is still pending good implementation and enforcement. They need to do this in the green and in the digital domains. Second they need to express full support for Ukraine immediately. Third thing is understanding and giving a new configuration to the Green Deal. Final thing that I would say is the defence side. For the first
20:53time the EU has the imperative of trying to do without the US or to be more on its own feet when it comes to defence and security and how to interpret this and with what kind of money. Where does the money come from. Where does it go. How to coordinate the action of the member states. So Andrea Renda there speaking to us earlier this week in Brussels focusing on that point that there is a lot of legislation that still needs to be done but also a lot of legislation that needs to be implemented because that's of course the key. But that's the hard part. Right.
21:23Well when it comes to the Green Deal we already have a lot of implementation in my country for instance Sweden. We have the industry that is already you know going for total transformation from fossil fuels to renewables. How did you get them on board. Sorry. How did you get them on board. Well I think in that case you know boring regulations you have to start with that and that gives them a level playing field. They know they have certain
21:53security. They know what is going to be expected. So first the Swedish climate law and then we have the EU law the climate law and the emission trading systems which means that you have to pay for your emissions basically. So that makes it more profitable for them to do the transition to invest in new technology instead of paying for the emissions here at the EU level. So we have steel without coal called the kind of old fashioned
22:23cold burn furnaces for for steel production. That is it's on its way out now in Sweden. And that is one thing that I think here at the European level we need to show these good examples that it's possible to do this. It's possible to implement.
22:38And Phineas what about your followers. What do they want you to get done here. Is there any topic that's burning inside them that they want to address. My
22:45followers. First of all I think they want to understand the European Union. And I'm just starting. So imagine now I get millions of views and I just started. So imagine in five years how popular I will be or how unpopular I will be if I make a lot of mistakes. But in my campaign Cyprus I didn't touch in a lot of topics I touch in one topic that I know. And it's education. Education is one of the most important things to have a successful economy and a successful country. And I think schools
23:14generally in Europe maybe exceptions with some countries. They kill creativity instead of me. So for example when I was at school I teachers making me hate history and history. Now I find it the coolest subject in the world. So I think it does the opposite that it should do. So I think I want to improve this. And that's why I chose the Committee of Culture. Excellent. And what about you. You said you'll be in the envy committee.
23:42It's not far from my full membership and then a substitute in envy. But just bring us inside your meeting. So the Renew Europe group like what's the tone inside there when it comes to the Green Deal. Getting it done. Well as you said that there are different opinions. I think a lot of us knows that fighting climate change is absolutely crucial to ensuring the future of Europe in terms of the citizens of Europe in terms of the nature and protecting the environment in Europe and also in terms of protecting the
24:12European economy ensuring the growth in the future. Because do some in your group not want to roll back the phase out of combustion engines. Sorry from 30 from 35. The commission had already decided to phase out the sales of of dirty diesel and petrol cars. But some want to bring it back.
24:29Well then I think you will have to ask them about this. I'm not sure which party you are referring to or which country in that sense. But I think it's better to bring them in this chair and we will. But I think for me I mean I come from a background in Denmark where I work professionally with the energy system of Denmark with our district heating with how we can free Denmark from still importing Russian gas into our systems how we can ensure that we are creating enough of our own sustainable and also affordable energy.
24:59So ensure that we can all be reassured that our money whenever we pay our heating bill at the end of the month or our electricity bill in the end of the month that we are not supporting the Russian economy whenever we are heating up our houses or we are charging our electronic devices. I think it's something that's really really impactful maybe even more impactful than we know. So energy policies it's not just it's it's about ensuring that a climate policies but it's also a matter of security.
25:29And defense. And I don't think that we are talking enough enough about this. And I know a lot of people want to be the energy commissioner. Right. That's another topic we'll be having very soon here. Yes. What to do to be the commissioner. I agree. I mean I think that's a very important point you made that you know climate policy and the Green Deal is not something apart from security policy today. It's about being independent from energy imports from both from Russia but also the Middle East and less democratic countries to be honest.
25:57And it's about food security. It's about also health because if you have a climate crisis which you already are starting to have that's going to impact people and it's going to impact people also outside of Europe and we'll have more immigration due to the unlivable conditions in many parts of this planet. So it's about security. So we have to make that kind of narrative or story clear to people that this is not something luxurious you know something that you can do if you like.
26:27A choice you can do. We need to do it for our own safety. But it'll be tricky with the Greens now having lost a lot of seats losing a lot of staff losing a lot of leverage in this house. Yes. But we have a very strategic position now in the parliament. I mean we're needed for for the center parties to to to actually achieve something. So I think we have to be smart and use our our knowledge and our experience in the best way possible. So you were convinced by Ursula von der Leyen.
26:57Have you had the chance to meet Ursula von der Leyen yet. Not yet. I'm not sure if she would like that. I'm making videos that people are voting against.
27:04But I want to come back to in the beginning. We said that it's a bit strange how polarized the parliament is inside. And I think we need a bit more love. We can fight without emotions about ideas and to know that and to not be so angry and all this stuff. So this is one thing that we need more love here in the party. We need more love and less hate on that conclusion. We can bring this conversation to an end.
27:33Thank you so much to our MEPs for being with us here and for their insights. And thank you so much for watching. As always. See you soon on your news.
27:40Welcome back to Brussels my love. I'm Maeve McMahon and I'm joined here in Strasbourg by Sigrid Fries, Isabella Löfven and Fidesz Panayiotu who attended the first ever Strasbourg session of their five year mandate.
28:00And the big task of the week here of course was to elect the president of the European Commission and the president of the European Parliament. And as expected the Maltese centre right MEP Roberta Metzola got the green light for two and a half more years as president. Five hundred and sixty two MEPs voted in favour. Did you back her. Yes we did. Yes. Did you. I abstained from the vote because I didn't think both of the candidates were good enough. And what about you. I supported Metzola. And why do you think she's the right woman for the job.
28:30Well so I think first of all I think she's played an important democratic role in her previous terms to be a strong voice from the European Parliament. And I also had the opportunity to meet her when she was in Denmark before the elections. I liked her views on involving more youth in politics. Her campaign for election rights for 16 year olds is also something I enjoy. So I like her democratic views. I don't agree with her on policies of course because she's more conservative and I'm more progressive.
28:58So on policy issues we have lots of difference. But I think that her democratic approach as to how to be in the role of president of the parliament I can support that. And trying to get the youth vote she even went on TikTok as a means to try and reach out and make these institutions a little bit more comprehensible. But to find out more on what she actually hopes to achieve I actually had the opportunity to speak to her. So take a listen now to the European Parliament president Roberta Metzola.
29:22I put myself yesterday for re-election in a very difficult time after a very difficult mandate which has taught us to be prepared for anything because the world is so unpredictable and unstable. But I think what I wanted to project is one of hope. Now it's up to us to deliver. In five years time we will need to look back and say have we delivered on their concerns on housing on agriculture on industry on competitiveness on migration on justice and security.
29:50If there's something that we've seen so far is that the politics of hope and whoever builds rather than destroys can win in this parliament. That did not change. And I'm hopeful after that. Would you agree with what you heard there. Does that convince you.
30:03I think it's hopeful the future of the parliament. I'm excited about this but I found some things that I didn't like come in the parliament. So for example we voted also for vice presidents and they sent us the 17 names one and a half hour before the elections. So how can you do a research for 17 names. There is some inefficiencies here that I think we can improve.
30:27No I think that's that's why you have a group. So you have all the people that you do all that hard work for hearing. See we need to tell you what to vote and you're voting. So if you want to be an independent to think and see. But as an independent Isabella's right you've got to do all the work yourself. Yes. Yes. And I'm waiting. But we are we have independence. So they need to give us the time. They need to allow us to work if we want. Right.
30:50I think that's interesting because I spend a lot of time in the campaign listening to people saying things are going too slow in Brussels or in Strasbourg. Why are you not keeping up the pace. Let's move faster. Let's move faster. But what I hear you say is actually that you think democracy would work better if maybe we slowed down a little bit and took some some more time to think.
31:09Especially this situation. Maybe sometimes like one and a half hour to research 17 names that impact the parliament. I think is just going back to Roberta Metzola. Isabella is she the right woman for the job. I wasn't the last mandate. But what I've seen of her so far she seems to be very skillful. She seems to have a lot of confidence in her own group but also in all the other groups. She made a quite good impression when she came to our group to explain why she wanted to
31:39be reelected as a president. And I think yeah she she has a way of really showing the solidarity with the whole of the of the parliament. But but also projecting some kind of a vision and hope for better democracy for for the democratic work here to function better. I think that's really one man as well who was pleased to see her reelection was President Zelensky of Ukraine because of course she was the first European leader to visit Ukraine after that full scale invasion.
32:09And I think she's going to be back in February 2022. But on that conclusion we can close this conversation. Thank you so much to our MEP guests for being with us. We'll see you again soon. And thank you so much for watching. If you want to reach out to us here at your news our email address is Brussels my love at your news dot com. You can also find us on social media. So don't hesitate to send us a message. See you soon.

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