Debate contributions by Tonino PICULA

Of course, thank you for the question. Reality, facts show that the US and EU economy combined matters 40 % of world GDP. I do not think that President Trump will do anything which might hurt American business interests. So I do hope – and I believe that there will be a rational approach towards the European Union – that he will not be very harsh in planning his next moves. If you don't know, I would like to remind you that, unfortunately, we did not succeed to settle some disputes with the Biden administration, and we got only a truce until March of next year, so we in Washington got approximately half a year at least to avoid open trade war. But, nevertheless, the European Union must be ready for a different course of action.

Madam President, High Representative, dear colleagues, the election of Donald Trump most probably will have enormous repercussions. It will not affect only EU-US relations, but it will also define what we want from our Europe. It will face us with many challenges, economic, trade, military and defence-wise. That is why we need to be more prepared than we were eight years ago when 'Trump Part 1' happened. It's important to monitor whether the new American President will try to translate his harsh rhetoric and announcements of radical moves into the content of his new mandate. Dilemma remains: how to cooperate with an administration so preoccupied with dismantling multilateral order while the European Union is the most remarkable multilateral community? Let's stay united, just as we were when Brexit took place, when we showed that remaining united is our biggest strength. That's something we have to repeat once again if needed.

Dear President, dear colleagues, on November 1st this year there was a terrible, tragic incident in Novi Sad in the Republic of Serbia when a concrete canopy collapsed at the main railway station in the city. This unfortunate event resulted in the loss of fourteen lives. The railway station has been under reconstruction for the past three years. Investigations into the causes of the collapse are currently underway. After the tragedy, citizens staged protests to pay tribute to the victims, demanding justice and accountability for the tragedy. Dear colleagues, we mourn the victims of this tragedy in Serbia and pay tribute to them.

Mr President, colleagues, fighting interference and disinformation does not stop at our borders, as all sorts of authoritarian regimes are increasing their activity in our immediate neighbourhood. Russia, with its ongoing military presence in Transnistria, is a destabilising factor per se, meaning that the hybrid warfare to put Moldova under the Kremlin's control should be unacceptable for all pro-European democratic forces. Let me remind you that for supporting Moldovan EU aspirations, the economic and energy security is crucial in all these efforts. The recently signed Security and Defence Partnership is a welcome framework for our support. I also call on the Council to adopt targeted measures against pro-Russian actors involved in hybrid attacks against Moldova. As for the European Parliament, we need to increase our own resilience throughout this mandate and adopt new and innovative approaches, continuing the legacy of the INGE Committee in these new, even more troublesome geopolitical circumstances.

Mr President, dear colleagues, in the last two and a half years, the European Union supported Ukraine substantially more than many would have predicted. However, our to-do list is still very long. The start of the new legislative mandate is an opportunity to live up to the existing commitments, but we must continue to improve the efficiency of our sanctions and our military and economic support. There cannot be any fatigue in delivering our support when the immediate threat is still present. Trade with Russia should be avoided while the aggression is ongoing. Better burden-sharing between the Member States is also needed. Due to the issue of restrictions on the use of Western weapon systems against military targets on Russian territory, Ukrainian operations are subject to international law provisions and, as such, should be enabled. Ukraine must be given a fair chance in this war to fight for their country and our security.