Thread by @DaveKeating

The closing ceremony of the #CoFoE conference recommending 🇪🇺 treaty change has started with an interpretive dance recital and I’m really confused. audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/ebs/live/2

Now Guy Verhofstadt is speaking in French and I’m really confused!

Never seen him speak in anything other than English in this hemicycle.

Now he’s speaking English.

“In contrast to what we may think, people don’t fear change,” Verhofstadt tells national EU governments. “On the contrary, they urge us to reform the 🇪🇺union, and they want this to happen now.”

“In 2019 when the idea was floated for this conference, the world was a very different place than the world we are in today” says Verhofstadt to the national leaders.

“Since 2019 we have had a pandemic…and now 77 years after WW2 we have again a devastating war on European soil”

“Whatever the result of 🇺🇦war, the world of tomorrow will be a different place,” says Verhofstadt. “It will be a world dominated by empires: 🇨🇳🇷🇺🇮🇳🇺🇸.”

“In such a world order, only Europe as a bloc can survive. Only united can we protect the interests of our citizens”

“European integration is no longer a choice, it’s become a question of necessity, a question of survival” says Verhofstadt

“These recommendations from citizens offers a roadmap to that, to avoid that we become irrelevant or even disappear. A Europe that is sovereign is possible”

“There is no time to waste, let’s be loyal to the outcome of this conference,” Verhofstadt says, looking at #Macron.

“Let’s implement its conclusions as soon as possible, because it’s the will of the people. Let the will of the people prevail.”