• "Let the hope of 500 million Europeans dominate the fear of 28 states on the defensive"
• "We are in Europe, we are Europe, we make Europe," he proclaimed. 'I will try it from the Catalonia Europe Foundation establishing connections, promoting knowledge ..., and putting them at the service of a country strategy, from which the country decides'

Today 21 December the office of the European institutions in Barcelona has hosted the last event of Ernest Maragall as MEP, an assessment of his work in the European Parliament during the two and a half years he has held the position. They have heard it, among many others, Amadeu Altafaj, Delegate of the government before the EU; Maria Badia, Director General of Exteriors; Jordi Solé, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and of the EU; and Jordi Sánchez, president of the ANC.

Maragall was elected as an MEP by the ERC-necat-Yes coalition, which presented the last Europeans and has served as such a half-term, as he himself announced in 2014, when he agreed to share it with Jordi Solé of ERC, who takes over next month. January.

In a dialogue with the journalist Carme Colomina, Maragall has reviewed the major issues that have occupied her as a member of the budget commissions, ITRE (industry, research and energy) and the EU-Turkey mixed commission. The Catalan politician has also played a prominent role in the work of the culture and education commission (with the approval of his proposal for the expansion of Erasmus + vocational training students as a key tool to fight against youth unemployment) and in the special commission created to fight against tax evasion, avoidance and money laundering.

The last blow of effect of the group of the Greens has been the denunciation of tax avoidance of Inditex, a research work promoted by Maragall in the struggle to demonstrate the framework of fiscal engineering that allows to avoid taxes to large corporations with the approval of some member states of the EU, 'A formally defensible attitude, but not legal and less morally. It is another example of explicit abuse of legality. '

Despite admitting that the outlook for the upcoming European elections is quite disappointing 'We are in the 33rd or 34th years' Maragall has reaffirmed himself as deeply pro-European' The only response to the current situation is political leadership and European consciousness. It is necessary that the will and hope of 500 million Europeans dominate over that of 28 states on the defensive, true champions of fear '.

Europe lacks a political subject to lead its future, and this is the cities as an entity of real sovereignty. There is political expression to set in motion a new dynamic between the European Parliament and city-regions that overflows the power of states for practice. It is a new project of shared sovereignty, and that is where the future of the Union lies. "

The MEP ended his speech with a promise: 'We are in Europe, we are Europe, we have Europe proclaimed. 'I will try from the Catalonia Europe Foundation establishing connections, promoting knowledge ..., and putting them at the service of a country strategy, of which the country decides'.

Europe needs us, I know it seems pretentious but I am totally convinced, "he said. I sincerely believe that if at this moment someone represents hope for the European Union are processes like Catalan or Scottish, possibilities of cession of sovereignty against immobile states'.