European Parliament President on Vance's controversial speech: Europe is a continent of free speech.

The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, made an inaccurate assessment of the situation in his speech in Munich. Europe remains a continent of free speech.

This was stated by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in an interview with RBK-Ukraine.

She expressed her disagreement with Vance's evaluation of the state of democracy in Europe.

"Let me clarify this: Europe is a continent of free speech. Millions of Europeans grew up behind the 'Iron Curtain,' which deprived them of this freedom. We know what it means to live without freedom," Metsola said.

At the same time, she noted that the U.S. Vice President rightly pointed out that we are facing a new political reality where people are increasingly gravitating towards extreme political positions.

"We should ask ourselves - why? Perhaps we have become too complacent, believing that voters will always support traditional parties, regardless of the circumstances. But now we are witnessing a shift in trends," she explained, adding that this was already evident during last year's European Parliament elections.

According to her, it is crucial to analyze these changes, draw conclusions, and adapt in order to regain the trust of voters, so they will once again believe in the ability of traditional parties to improve their lives.

"The only way to counter simplified and manipulative narratives promoted by extreme political forces is to fulfill our promises by offering clear, concrete, and sustainable solutions. This is our task for the coming years," Metsola stated.

Vance's Controversial Speech

Recall that on February 14, 2025, U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference, where he made several critical remarks regarding the internal policies of European countries.

Vance claimed that the threat does not come from China or Russia but is found within Europe - in Europe's retreat from some of its most important values that it shares with the United States.

The U.S. Vice President expressed concern over the restrictions on free speech in Europe, citing the cancellation of the results of the first round of the presidential elections in Romania in December 2024 due to interference from Russia and China. Vance stated that such actions allegedly undermine trust in democratic institutions.

In this context, European politicians expressed concern regarding U.S. interference in the internal affairs of European countries.