President Metsola: “Örebro shooting was a senseless act of violence”

“Europe mourns those who have been lost” in Örebro

Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk of the Verkhovna Rada to address MEPs to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

International Holocaust Remembrance Day: interruptions to solemn sitting were “disgraceful”

President Metsola opened the 10-13 February session with a minute’s silence for the victims of last week’s shooting in Örebro - the worst in Sweden’s history.

Örebro Shooting

Calling on MEPs to observe a minute’s silence for the victims of the mass shooting at Risbergska school in Örebro on Tuesday 4 February 2025, President Metsola called the tragedy “a senseless act of violence that claimed innocent lives, shattering families, and scarring communities. Europe mourns those who have been lost, and our thoughts are with their loved ones, with all those who have been injured, and with the people of Sweden in this moment of profound sorrow.” She added that “hatred and violence have no place in Europe. The values that unite us - peace, democracy, and the dignity of human life - will always prevail.”

Three years since Russian invasion of Ukraine

President Metsola marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by saying that “Ukraine remains resilient. And this Parliament stands with it.” President Metsola informed MEPs that Parliament will welcome Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk of the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday 11 February to mark this sombre anniversary.

Interruptions during International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Referring to interruptions that took place during Parliament’s solemn session on 29 January 2025 to honour International Holocaust Remembrance Day, President Metsola extended her deepest apologies for the “disgraceful” incident. “The gravity of such behaviour cannot be overstated. It is a stark reminder of why remembrance is not just a symbolic act, but a fundamental duty that this Parliament – that we all must – uphold,” she said. “The appropriate consequences will be drawn after the relevant procedures are followed. I thank all of you for being present that day.”

Changes to the agenda

MONDAY

Parliament’s statements on the Situation in Sweden in the midst of the recent mass shooting in Örebro, with one round of political group speakers, is added as the first point today.

TUESDAY

A formal sitting with an address by Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is added at 12:00. As a consequence, the voting session will start at 12:30.

THURSDAY

The order of debates in the morning is changed as follows:

the debate on EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement is taken as the first point on the agenda, whereas

the debate on Threats to EU sovereignty through strategic dependencies in communication infrastructure follows as the second point.

Request by several committees to start negotiations with Council and Commission

Decisions by committees to enter into inter-institutional negotiations (Rule 71) are published on the plenary website.

If no request for a vote in Parliament on the decision to enter into negotiations is made by Tuesday at midnight, the committees may start negotiations.