The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on Thursday met, in the Capitol Hall of the Banat Philharmonic in Timisoara, with 800 pupils and students from the western part of the country, with whom she had a dialogue about Europe and the current challenges facing it.

The head of the European Parliament spoke about her professional and political career, about the European challenges, then answered the questions of the young people, emphasising the importance of observing European values.

Metsola reiterated the EU's unconditional support for Ukraine and encouraged young people to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Erasmus programmes.

At the end of the meeting, Roberta Metsola stated that she would not forget the images of Sunday evening, after the presidential elections in Romania, when 'hope was celebrated.'

'I will never forget the images of Sunday night, with the flags in this city [Bucharest - editor's note] celebrating hope. And I think that in those moments, you can show the world, you can show the rest of Europe that hope is very bright here, that Romania is at the very centre of Europe and that wherever you go in your Romania, Europe is there. It will not be easy, if I may dare say so. Politics in this country is never easy. Can I say that? Well, in no country, actually. (...) I think we have also seen an increase in the number of voters from one round to the next. And you have also seen that people have started to talk more about what they want to do and how they want Romania to look like,' said Roberta Metsola.

The president of the European Parliament was invited to Timisoara by mayor Dominic Fritz, who will present her with the Timisoara Prize for European Values, the highest distinction of the municipality, which honours personalities who support European values, on Thursday afternoon.

The Timisoara Prize for European Values is also accompanied by a cash prize of 30,000 euros, which comes exclusively from sponsorships from local companies. This year, the cash prize will not be collected, and will be reallocated for the 2026 edition.

The Timisoara Prize for European Values, now in its second edition, is awarded to international personalities who actively support the fundamental values of Europe. This year's laureate was chosen by a jury made up of prominent figures from the Romanian cultural, diplomatic and legal scene. Metsola was appreciated for her firm leadership in times of crisis, her unconditional support for Ukraine and Moldova and her continuous efforts for Romania's accession to the Schengen area.

The jury members are: Iulia Motoc (The Hague), judge of the International Criminal Court; Cristian Macelaru (Koeln), musical director of the Orchestre National de France; Simona Miculescu (Paris), ambassador, president of the UNESCO General Conference; Anca Miruna Lazarescu (Munich), director and screenwriter; Adriana Babeti (Timisoara), writer and literary critic, and Dominic Fritz, mayor of Timisoara.

The event is organized by the Municipality of Timisoara through Visit Timisoara, the city's promotion association. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Otilia Halunga, EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)