President Metsola welcomes the accession of Bulgaria and Romania into Schengen

EP welcomes Romania and Bulgaria into border-free Schengen Area

Call for sanctions for perpetrators of violence against Georgian protestors

Minute’s silence for victims of cyclone in Mayotte

Anniversary of the Strasbourg terrorist attacks

President Metsola opened the 16-19 December plenary session in Strasbourg by praising Georgia’s protestors, and marking the cyclone in Mayotte with a minute’s silence for victims.

Opening the December plenary session, President Metsola said she was pleased that Romania and Bulgaria will finally join the Schengen free movement zone on 1 January 2025. She said that Parliament, the staunchest and most vocal ally in the two countries’ efforts to join Schengen, has always understood that a stronger Schengen means a safer and more united Europe, adding that “with this historic decisions, we are showing what a united Europe can achieve, bringing people closer together, breaking down barriers, and making the promise of Europe a little bit more tangible for everyone.”

Georgian election protests

President Metsola expressed the EP’s solidarity with the people who have taken to the streets of Tbilisi to protest in recent weeks, following the country’s disputed parliamentary election. “To the people of Georgia, we see you, we hear you, and we stand with you,” she declared, calling for decisive action from the EU – including sanctions against those responsible for perpetrating violence against peaceful protestors. She has invited former Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili to speak at the European Parliament at a future session, adding that, “together we stand with Georgia in its journey towards Europe, and our door will always remain open.”

Strasbourg attack

Marking six years since the terrorist attack in Strasbourg took the lives of five innocent people, President Metsola remarked upon the “extraordinary courage” of Italian journalist Antonio Megalizzi and Polish journalist Barto Pedro Orent-Niedzielski, who prevented the attacker from entering a crowded part of the city.

Cyclone in Mayotte

President Metsola presided over a minute’s silence for the victims of the cyclone that ravaged the island of Mayotte this past weekend. The thoughts of Parliament are with the victims, their loved ones, and “all those showing extraordinary courage in the face of this challenge”.

Changes to the agenda

Tuesday

A Commission statement on the situation in Mayotte following the devastating cyclone Chido and the need for solidarity is added as fourth item in the afternoon. As a consequence, the sitting is extended to 23:00.