Xavier Bettel in Strasbourg for the 70th anniversary of the European Parliament

During his visit, Xavier Bettel met the President of the European Parlament, Roberta Metsola. He took the opportunity to congratulate the President for having organised this ceremony to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the institution which, after its beginnings in 1952 as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, and later the European Parliamentary Assembly, became the European Parliament in 1962. The Prime Minister also pointed out, that Luxembourg has been proud to host the Secretariat General of the European Parliament for 70 years. It is this Secretariat General that supports MEPs on a daily basis and enables the European Parliament to play its full role in the institutional machinery of the European Union.

Their conversation also covered European and international political issues, including the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its implications for European economies and energy security.

Afterwards, Xavier Bettel was invited to give a speech during the solemn ceremony in the hemicycle together with his Belgian and French counterparts, Alexander de Croo and Elisabeth Borne. During his speech, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the role of the European Parliament as the epicentre of European democracy and stressed that "we may be different, we may have different opinions, we may have different origins, but this richness is not a limit. It is the richness of our European continent, this diversity. And don't let it be destroyed. And if we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the European Parliament this year, this diversity must remain our strength. Let us not be divided, be it at the level of the European Council, at the level of the Parliament or at the level of the European Commission.

The Prime Minister ended his visit to Strasbourg with a lunch with the six MEPs from Luxembourg during which he congratulated them on their work. They took advantage of this meeting to discuss issues on the European and international agenda.  

Press release by the Ministry of State