In the 2024 elections for the European Parliament Croatians should elect pro-European politicians who want to push the country forward, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in an interview with Hina ahead of her visit to Zagreb.

Metsola will arrive in Croatia for her first, two-day official visit on 19 June at the invitation of Sabor Speaker Gordan Jandroković.

“(My visit) comes at a time when we can really celebrate, first of all, the accomplishments of Croatia since becoming a member of the European Union… (the) fantastic decisions this year of joining the Schengen area and the eurozone. So my message will be… be proud of the accomplishments of your country,” Metsola said in the interview.

The EP President will hold talks with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday, take part in a conference on the tenth anniversary of Croatia’s EU membership and meet with young people.

On Tuesday, she is scheduled to meet with Sabor Speaker Jandroković and address members of the Croatian parliament.

“Croatia is at the very heart of the European Union. You can tell and feel the tangible impact and the transformational effect of EU membership, and this should lead you to be happy to vote in the European elections next year… Croatia has seats for members of the European Parliament. Those seats will be filled. Fill them with pro-European politicians who really want to push forward their country.”

Last week, a year ahead of the European elections set for 6-9 June 2024, the European Parliament published results of the Eurobarometer survey which show an increased awareness and interest of citizens in those elections.

The readiness to vote, however, varies across Europe. Interest in elections has increased in western member-states but is still visibly lower in eastern member-states.

Metsola said that one is yet to see what will happen next year but that over the past five years interest in elections has increased and the findings of the Eurobarometer survey are possibly due to the EU’s unbelievable unity, which helped establish, for example, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, without which the EU would have had difficulty overcoming the coronavirus crisis.

How was it possible to say ‘No’ to Romania and Bulgaria?

Metsola believes the weaker interest in European elections in eastern member-states is due, among other things, to some past decisions, such as the one to still not admit Romania and Bulgaria to the EU’s area of passport-free travel.

The decision not to admit Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area made those countries feel discriminated against, she says, noting that she understands the two countries.

“… how can you (say no to) these countries that have been at the forefront of making sure that they help with welcoming hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees?” she says, noting that Romania changed the width of its train tracks to enable the import of Ukrainian products and grain or export the desperately needed resources for Ukraine’s defence.

Metsola says that the European Parliament is a place at which all EU citizens can directly influence European policies, but she stresses that communication with citizens should be adjusted to each country’s needs and interests.

“I do not make a difference between old and new countries. I go to each country, I speak to young people and I say, you know, judge us on our results. The European Parliament is one where you have a direct influence. Don’t leave it in the hands of others.”

The 2024 elections will be the fifth in which she will participate and she says that she knows which arguments work and which don’t.

“Perhaps a mistake would be to think that … what works in Sweden will work in Croatia. Rather tailor-make our campaign in order for Croatian citizens to feel that it is not only their interest but also their responsibility to vote,” she said.

No division into old and new members

She believes that the feeling that the member-states are divided into old and new ones is no longer founded.

“Croatia as the newest member state is already ten years there for us, it feels like it has been there forever.”

Metsola, a Maltese member of the European Parliament from the European People’s Party, to which Croatia’s HDZ party also belongs, was elected EP President in January 2022 as the third woman to chair that EU body.

Even though she comes from a member country which has only six deputies in the EP, Metsola was given strong support in the EPP group, the largest in the EP, and was elected in the first round.

Deputies from smaller countries like Malta and Croatia are possibly in a more demanding position compared to big countries, but that does not impact their results, she notes.

“My analysis after 19 years in the European field is that small countries can really deliver successful presidencies because, first of all, you are used to working twice, three times or ten times as hard as larger countries. And also because you can balance different interests… larger countries trust you. The same (can be said for) the European Parliament.

“If you come from a smaller country because you work harder, you are entrusted with the big files, you manage to find majorities, you manage to negotiate,” she says.

“And I think we should be proud (about) what Croatian MEPs have managed to do and also (about) the role, irrespective of how small or big the delegation is, they take in their individual political groups.”

EP members have to balance the national interests and expectations of voters in their countries and the interests of the pan-European groups they belong to. Metsola believes that deputies from smaller member countries are successful in that regard as well.

“I would say it is perhaps easier if you are a large delegation coming from a larger country to impact or place on the table the position of that country as being the dominating factor for (an) individual group. But what I have seen now (having been a member of the EP for ten years) is that if you bring all the small delegations together, they together make more in terms of numbers than the larger.”

EP not “sexy” enough

Member countries participate directly in decision-making in the Council of the EU but the European Parliament, too, as a co-legislator, makes decisions on a large number of laws that end up in national parliaments.

Metsola notes that that fact has not reached a part of voters.

“Last Friday we have 10,000 young people in this house coming from all over Europe, absolutely… looking with optimism and hope to the future and what Europe presents for them (as potential).”

“It was amazing… When I left, I thought, How can I reach the rest?” she said, concluding that “we need to be more present on the ground, that our communication should not be too complicated, that we should learn also.”

The most ambitious climate proposals, the most avant-garde AI act will be voted on tomorrow in the European Parliament, and when we talk about migration and how we find EU solutions, they start here, she said.

“It’s not reported about enough because it’s not sexy enough. And I think that’s our job but I would ask also you to help us in making sure that those who are not here last Friday understand this. That means, yes, we need to do much better… And I’m optimistic that we will,” she said.

Grabbing the bull by its horns

Speaking of examples of policies in which the EP assumed the leading role in relation to other EU institutions, Metsola mentioned the policy on Ukraine and on enlargement, as well as the response to corruption scandals and the rule of law in member-states.

“First of all, on rule of law, if it were not for Parliament, we would not have rule of law, the conditionality mechanism against the obligations or… rights of national Member States to be able to receive funds in order for them to have the post-pandemic economic recovery,” she said.

“On Ukraine, we were the first institution to call for candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova… we have revolutionised our decision-making procedures where we needed to act with efficiency, for example, on ammunition supply. We are the ones applying rules that were never applied before,” she stressed.

“I was entrusted with the responsibility to take even difficult decisions. And therefore, when the corruption scandal hit us in December, I had a choice either to do nothing or actually implement all the rules” that were either “not being enforced or that we don’t have yet.”

“I think we should be proud that… we can be judged on the fact that we had the courage to grab the bull by its horns. I have been told countless… times (to go) slowly, and let time pass. It will be forgotten… I do not do that,” Metsola said, adding, “This is a mandate which I want to be remembered as one that faced adversity, but faced it with courage, determination and proper solutions that have not been found in decades. And we found them.”