Key events
Bas Eickhout, for the European Green Party, said that he is aware there is cynicism, but that it’s because of young people that Europe acted on the Green Deal.
We are at a crossroads of continuing the Green Deal or going back, for a strong Europe or divided Europe, he said, arguing that this election matters. Choose courage, he told the audience.
Maylis Roßberg, for the European Free Alliance, said in her closing statement that she needs candidates to remember they are deciding the future of the young generation.
Asked about whether she would work with the European Conservatives and Reformists group, Ursula von der Leyen said:
It depends very much on how the composition of the parliament is and who is in what group.
Ursula von der Leyen insisted she would not work with the AfD.
Anders Vistisen, for the far-right Identity and Democracy Party, said he has not spread misinformation and that others did not want him on stage.
“I’m not the enemy of democracy, free debate and freedom of expression, that’s you when you talk to the tech giants to limit my freedom of expression based on my political opinions,” he said.
Nicolas Schmit, for the Party of European Socialists, said that “migration has been transformed into a toxic subject by the extreme-right.”
There is a need to fight smugglers, he said.
He also said humanity and human rights are fundamental.
On migration, asked about deals with third countries, Ursula von der Leyen said the EU has nothing to do with the UK’s Rwanda policy.
Europe fulfils its international obligations, she said. “We Europeans are the one who decide who comes to the European Union, and under what circumstances, and not the smugglers and traffickers,” she said.
Agreements with countries such as Tunisia and Egypt is about “investing in their economy” and creating legal, safe pathways, she said.
Bas Eickhout, for the European Green Party, criticised organisers for placing the issue of migration along with defence and security.
As long as we are not making sure we are standing up for human rights and creating solidarity, there is no European solution, he said.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe party, said that “it’s really strange, that Viktor Orbán went to the toilet for 10 billion euro”, in a critique of current unanimous voting rules on foreign policy issues.
Asked about EU policy toward Israel, Ursula von der Leyen said:
I have been in the Kibbutz Kfar Azza right after the attacks and I have seen the bodies. And I have been very clear in my interaction with the Israeli government that Israel has the right to defend itself within the limits of humanitarian law and international law.
And I have been to Rafah, the border crossing point, and I must say, to see how many innocent civilians are dying, especially children, is unbearable, and it is unacceptable.
And therefore we need a cease-fire. We need a cease-fire now. And we need the release of the hostages now. And we need to sit down and work on a two-state solution because this is the only solution that will bring peace to the region.
Asked if an invasion of Rafah would be a red line, von der Leyen said she’s never drawing red lines but that it would be completely unacceptable if Netanyahu would invade Rafah.