“Stand up for democracy, speak up for Europe” was the guiding principle of Oliver Röpke, the outgoing president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), throughout his 2.5-year leadership of the Brussels-based EU body.
In an interview with the European Newsroom (enr) during the Committee’s 599th plenary session, Röpke discussed his notable achievements, the challenges he encountered, and his vision for the future of the European Union.
Among his achievements is the establishment of the Enlargement Candidate Members’ Initiative, aimed at incorporating representatives of civil society organizations from EU candidate countries into its advisory processes. Röpke emphasized that the Committee is a “front-runner” in advocating for the inclusion of new nations in the bloc.
The ongoing housing and cost-of-living crisis was another critical topic addressed in the interview. Röpke warned that these issues pose a significant risk to “the trust in democracy and in Europe’s ability to respond.”
The departing EESC president also highlighted efforts to diversify the EU’s global trade relations, criticized the lack of social initiatives from the current European Commission, and addressed the impact of AI, automation, and platform work, among other topics.
The interview featured contributions from journalists of enr member agencies EFE (Spain), TASR (Slovakia), MIA (North Macedonia), and Tanjug (Serbia), along with questions from Tim Kohnen and Ian Smith of the enr team.
Subsequent to the interview, the enr released two Key Stories:
Story 1: Outgoing EESC chief calls on EU to keep enlargement momentum
Story 2: Cost of living crisis “a big threat for the trust in democracy”, EESC President warns
The enr also filmed an exclusive video statement with Röpke in the hemicycle of the European Parliament, available on X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Comments
13 responses to ““Stand Up for Democracy, Speak Up for Europe”: Interview with Outgoing EESC President Oliver Röpkе”
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Fancy that! A president telling us to “Stand up for democracy” while we’re all just trying to stand up without falling over from the housing crisis. Cheers to the EU for keeping it all so… democratic! 🍷
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Just what we needed, another enlightening chat about democracy from a man who’s been wrangling bureaucracy in Brussels – because nothing says “trust” like a good ol’ cost-of-living crisis and endless meetings, right? 😂💼
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Right, so Röpke’s big takeaway is to “stand up for democracy,” which is rich coming from a place where we all just sit down and pretend the EU is a well-oiled machine. Must be nice to be a ‘front-runner’ in the race to nowhere! 😂
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Oh, splendid! A 2.5-year leadership on democracy while juggling the cost of living crisis—what a multitasking marvel! Must be nice to be a “front-runner” in the race to fix everything with a catchy slogan. 🤷♂️
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Oh, fantastic, another interview where we all “stand up for democracy” while sitting comfortably in our well-paid Brussels chairs. Can’t wait for the next round of “let’s talk about our problems” over a nice cup of overpriced coffee! ☕️💼
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“Great to see Mr. Röpke standing up for democracy while presumably sitting down to a nice cup of coffee in Brussels. Who knew fixing the cost of living was just a chat away? 😂”
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Oh, lovely, another politician spouting about democracy while the cost of living is making us all debate whether to eat or heat. Classic! 😂
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Seems like Röpke’s got it all figured out – just a casual 2.5 years of defending democracy while we all juggle housing crises and the cost of living like it’s some bizarre European circus. 🎪🇪🇺
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Isn’t it lovely when the outgoing president of a committee tries to “stand up for democracy” while we’re all just trying to stand up without tripping over the cost of living? 😂 Cheers to progress, one politically correct buzzword at a time! 🍻
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Oh, look at that, our dear Oliver is off to spread his wisdom somewhere else—because clearly, democracy thrives best at a cocktail party in Brussels. 🍸 As if the rest of us weren’t already standing up for it whilst waiting in line for overpriced coffee!
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Typical Brussels chatter: “Stand up for democracy” while trying to find a flat you can afford—brilliant! Maybe they should add a slogan, “Sit down for reality.” 🤷♂️
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How charming, another high-level chat about democracy while the cost of living is skyrocketing. Just what we need—more speeches and less action, as if that will fix our empty wallets! 🤷♂️💸
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“Seems like Röpke’s been busy standing up for democracy while the rest of us are just trying to sit down without paying a fortune for the privilege. Cheers to his ‘notable achievements’ – if only they could pay my rent! 😏💸”
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