As Economic Pain Bites, Roberta Metsola Urges People Not To Give In To ‘War Fatigue’
Admitting that inflation is fuelling a sense of “war fatigue” across Europe, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola urged EU leaders to do more to convince their citizens that adopting a tough stance against Russia is the right strategy.
“It would also be wrong to assume that public opinion will continue to drive our actions in support of Ukraine or to underestimate the extent of Russian influence,” Metsola told a European Council meeting yesterday.
“We have to acknowledge that inflation-fuelled fatigue is setting in, that we are seeing many cases where the resilience of our citizens to the social and economic impact is waning and we need to push back harder. We need to counter the Kremlin’s narrative not feed into the fears it spreads.”
Metsola said the blame for the inflation crisis doesn’t lie on the European Green Deal or even the EU’s sanction regime, but on Russia for having invaded Ukraine in the first place.
Roberta Metsola (left) with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas
“It is not the Green Deal pushing prices up or causing inflation to hover at close to 20% in some cases. It is not our sanctions that impact purchasing power. It is because the Kremlin wants more influence. It is because they want the comfort of vassal states. It is because they think democracy is a frail concept and weakens states. We know the opposite is true.”
She also blamed Russia for the food security crisis and called on EU leaders to “push back against false and cynical Russian propaganda blaming the looming food security crisis on Ukraine’s actions or EU sanctions”.
Metsola urged EU countries to speed up the delivery of military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine and advance on the next round of Russian sanctions, describing them as a “useful tool if implemented properly”.
“Sanctions are a useful tool if implemented properly, and here we need to start the next package, close loopholes, or extend where necessary,” she said,
Roberta Metsola with French President Emmanuel Macron
“And it is necessary, because Russia is gambling on us blinking first. They bet that the pressure that they fuel within our societies will break our unity and they will be able go back to the future of iron curtains and spheres of influence. Of ‘us’ versus ‘them’, of ‘might is right’. Europe has come too far to let that happen now, and pressure is growing on Russia too.”
Malta has so far supported the EU’s stance against Russia and has allocated several millions of public funds to cushion the historic rise in energy costs and stop fuel and electricity prices from increasing.
However, cracks have started appearing in the surface of late, with Finance Minister Clyde Caruana warning that the sanction regime is ultimately hurting European workers more than Russian nationals.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
Cover photo: Roberta Metsola with European Council President Charles Michel
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