During a 'This is Europe' debate with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Iratxe García, leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, highlighted the commemoration of the Schuman Declaration on Europe Day, which started European integration.
Iratxe García said:
“Today we commemorate our birth as a community to guarantee peace and freedom on our continent. The exchange with Chancellor Scholz in this chamber takes place at a time when Putin's war against Ukraine is entering a crucial phase in light of the announced Ukrainian army spring offensive. We want peace in Ukraine, but it cannot be peace at any cost. We do not want the peace of the defeated. We want a just peace founded on respect for International Law.
“For the Social-Democratic family, the European Union is first and foremost a community of values. This community of values today is questioned even by some Conservatives who have thrown themselves into the arms of the extreme right to attack the rights of women, minorities, immigrants and also the environment. We Social Democrats will keep saying loud and clear: We are not going to allow it. We will keep working for a Europe of solidarity, human dignity, freedom, equality and diversity.
"This May 9th, the EU could not receive a better gift than the commitment of the German government to continue unlocking resistance and reaching agreements in times of crises, advancing integration, breaking taboos, working for progress and defending our shared values."
