Swiss nightclub fire and Spanish rail crash

President Metsola first expressed grief at two very recent tragic events, first, the New Year’s Eve fire in Crans-Montana, in which 40 lives were lost, including many teenagers and children, and second, last night’s train collision in southern Spain, which has already claimed 39 lives and left many seriously injured. “All of Europe grieves with Spain” she said, before leading MEPs in a moment of silence to remember those lost.

35th anniversary of January 1991 events in Baltic States

Marking 35 years since the January 1991 events in the Baltic States, when people took to the streets to defend their independence and democracy and when many paid with their lives, President Metsola noted that the people of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia “know what is means to live on the edge of freedom”. “That reality shapes how they lead Europe’s support for Ukraine and strengthen our shared security” she went on.

Bulgaria joining the…