Lydia Pereira sees the European climate law as a fundamental step towards a healthier environment

Lidia Pereira has been a PSD MEP since 2019, when she was elected second on the Social Democratic party’s list. She is the youngest of the 21 MEPs Portugal represents in the European Parliament (EP), and this is one of the reasons why she is president of the youth European People’s Party (PPP). This European political family includes six MEPs from the SDP and an MEP from the SDS-PP. He spoke to Europa Viva on his bike on his way to the headquarters of the European Parliament.

In Strasbourg, Lydia Pereira usually travels between her hotel and the European Parliament headquarters by bicycle as it is a “fast, green, sustainable and practical mode of transport”. The environment was one of the topics of conversation. According to the Social Democratic MEP, the European climate law approved by this legislature “allows us to live in cleaner cities, have healthier food and greener transport,” she began with the mention. “These are important aspects that form part of the carbon neutrality commitment made by the European Parliament,” he added.

Lidia Pereira, an economist by training, is also on the EP Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, and a directive on combating shell companies was approved in this area. “This is the first step in the fight against these companies, which are thriving throughout Europe and the world,” says the MEP.

“This is a generational project”
He just recorded a video dedicated to youth for social networks. Do you think young Portuguese are alienated from Europe?
Young Portuguese, if they all voted, could elect nine MEPs, that is, almost half of the Portuguese delegation in the European Parliament. [21 eurodeputados]. Our commitment is to mobilize youth, because at heart Europe is a generational project.

What has touched you most as an MEP in this legislature?
The joint purchase of vaccines by the European Union during the pandemic allowed the Portuguese to return to normal life faster.

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Europe
Portuguese approves
About 80 percent of Portuguese people believe that the European Union has improved Portugal and their lives, but in our country’s last European Parliament elections, about 70 percent abstained. The next European elections will be held on June 9 this year. Portugal elects 21 of the 720 members of the European Parliament.

Places
Germany is the country that elects the most MEPs (96), followed by France (81). The least elected are Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta (six each).