EU Views: Esther de Lange
Name: Esther de Lange
Nationality: Netherlands
Occupation(s): Vice Chair, European People’s Party, European Parliament
Connection to Europe: Esther de Lange was born in the Netherlands and studied European Studies in The Hague. She participated in an ERASMUS exchange program at the University of Lyon in France. As Vice-Chair of the EPP she is responsible for relations with the national Parliaments.
Date of interview: March 4, 2017
In this episode Olya Yordanyan talks to Dutch politician Esther de Lange. De Lange focuses on the big challenges Europe faces, challenges she believes will require cooperation across borders. She stresses the need for Europe to reinvent itself: “We need a different Europe in the 21st century than we did in the 1950s and 60s.” The debate now, she says, is about global issues and Europe’s role in the world. Europe, she says, is stronger together. But people need a ”smart Europe.“ And Europe needs to find more ways to engage citizens at the local and supranational levels. The lack of leadership paralyzes citizens, she adds.