Speeches

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, Rapporteur and colleagues, in order to reach our climate targets, we must work to decarbonise the transport sector, as we know it is the only sector where emissions have increased. At the same time, it is important to remember that the maritime sector, like aviation, they are global industries, so unilateral changes that could hinder the competitiveness of European companies must be avoided. There are also challenges, as we know, regarding the availability of renewable maritime fuels. As such, I am glad that the Parliament’s position here is ambitious but also realistic. It is vital that we progressively increase the share of low-carbon fuels, respect technology neutrality and ensure necessary incentives for funding research and development in this area. While we are creating these Europe-wide regulations, we must take the special conditions of Member States also into account. For Finland, this included the compensation formula for ice navigation. I commend the rapporteur and my colleagues for taking this into consideration and including it in the final report.

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the European economy. But right now, their situation is alarming. The fallout from the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine, together with increasing administrative burdens, means that the situation for SMEs is only getting worse. Simply put, our SMEs are not getting the support they need. This is why we need a dedicated SME envoy in the Commission to defend SMEs and make sure that all new legislation is SME—friendly. We also need to implement the one-in, one-out principle like the Commission has promised many times, so that SMEs are not overburdened by new rules and regulations that would hinder their growth and innovation. It’s regrettable that the Commission has dragged its feet for so long in this matter. While I also welcome President von der Leyen’s proposed SME relief package, it is simply not enough. It is the time for the Commission to bring forward a comprehensive SME package that addresses these issues. Strong SMEs are key for new innovations, economic growth and the green transition in Europe. Now the Commission must get to work and act for our European SMEs.

Mr President, Commissioner, many European countries were far too dependent on Russian energy, and now we see that it is not easy to replace it. Today, energy demand is much higher than supply in the EU, and that is what this crisis is all about. The most important thing now is to be able to reduce consumption, just as the Member States have already committed themselves to gas. We also need to be able to reduce consumption peaks and reduce the entire electricity demand in order to get more capacity. At the same time, we need to encourage investment in all our own low-emission energy sources. The idea put forward here by many colleagues that the sustainability criteria for forest energy or hydropower are now being tightened up and questioned, on the one hand, and that we are now discussing yield caps for different forms of energy, on the other, is quite ill-suited to that. This is not very inspiring and encouraging for investors. It is precisely these investments that should now be mobilised. As far as the electricity market is concerned, it would now be essential to be able to separate gas from the rest of the electricity price, because that is the problem. And Germany should keep the third nuclear power plant running.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, deforestation is a very big problem worldwide. We know that the world's forest area has decreased considerably over the last decade, and the main cause of deforestation has been population growth and the consequent expansion of agricultural production. EU countries import around 10% of the world's deforestation-causing products, which is why we can do a great deal here to combat deforestation. The EU is a big market with global influence. We are currently in the process of having a very large number of legislative procedures at EU level aimed at influencing the use of forests. And now the most important thing is to ensure that these are consistent and that we avoid excessive duplication of regulation. What is very important is that everything is now based on a careful impact assessment – all the actions we propose. And, just as the rapporteur, Mr Hansen, said here, we must be very critical of the proposal that, for example, the financial sector should now be included in this legislation, because it is not part of this deforestation legislation. The concern here is that the financial sector could not possibly provide services to the wood industry at all. Similarly, excessive burdens on SMEs must be avoided.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, audience, it’s a great pleasure to speak about cycling here. Not only because, personally, I like cycling very much, but also because I see that cycling has great potential in our transport system and especially in urban mobility. When we speak about decarbonisation, we know that cycling can contribute to significant reductions in CO2 emissions and air pollution and help also reduce dependence on fossil fuels, contributing to our climate goals. In addition, it has many other benefits, such as less road congestion, and it improves health for individuals too. So cycling can therefore greatly improve the quality of life in our cities. Cycling-friendly infrastructure, including street design and parking facilities, is key to increasing cycle use in urban areas. So cycling should be recognised as a transport mode at EU level. Including cycling in the revised Trans-European Transport Network and sustainable urban mobility plans could help to increase the share of cycling in EU cities. When we speak about digitalisation, cycling and public bike-sharing are also generating lots of data and various services. Therefore, cycling data should be integrated into the standardisation and harmonisation of multimodal and real-time transport data.

Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, the Three Seas Initiative is a great example of cross—border cooperation in the areas of transport, energy and digital infrastructure to achieve interconnections. It is now extremely timely and important for Europe to invest in modern and mass connections that combine digitalisation, clean energy and transport. We know that this is crucial for both an efficient single market as well as the international competitiveness of the Union. Like it was said here already by my colleagues, the Russian attack on Ukraine has highlighted the importance of connectivity and infrastructure for the security of supply and public security. EU funding should be directed more towards the building and maintenance of cross—border infrastructure in the European Union. Therefore, I am regretting that the Connecting Europe Facility funding did not receive more funding from the Member States. In particular, I want to mention the military mobility part, because the war in Ukraine highlights how military troops and equipment should be able to move more efficiently across the EU. This, in turn, requires more investments for infrastructure from the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, it was an important step from the summit that Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Georgia under certain conditions, were granted candidate status. These countries have shown a strong desire to join the European Union. Ukraine is currently fighting for freedom and democracy. It must be supported by all means. We must also support the path of these applicant countries towards membership of the European Union, as well as the path of the countries of the Western Balkans. It is clear that membership as such requires major reforms and major progress from all sides, but the European Union also needs to reform. We will soon have a dozen applicant countries and it is clear that the European Union must strengthen its economic structures, strengthen the rule of law and increase its own foreign policy decision-making capacity in order to be ready for this enlargement. It is a great pity that the Member States have not taken up this Parliament's initiative, which calls for reforms in the European Union.

Mr President, Commissioner, in order to get rid of fossil energy, Europe needs to invest in all low-emission energy sources, including nuclear power. Already today, half of Europe's zero-emission electricity comes from nuclear power and we know that the need for electricity will only increase in the future. It is therefore appropriate to support the Commission's approach here, which considers that new investments in nuclear power, as well as extensions of operating time under certain conditions, are sustainable investments. That is the right line to take, but I also understand well those colleagues who are concerned about the final disposal of nuclear waste in countries where it has not been solved, and it should also be solved. In my own country, Finland, is the first country in the world to arrange the final disposal of nuclear waste. It was decided 30 years ago. Nuclear waste will be buried in the bedrock, and that area will be taken into use in a few years' time. The Commissioner has also visited. These solutions are needed.

Mr President, dear colleagues, Commissioners, as the ITRE rapporteur, I would like to thank all the colleagues for their excellent cooperation on this DSA. The DSA sets landmark standards for a safer and more transparent digital space for users, and also a level playing field for businesses. We can also say that it puts Europe to the forefront in regulating the online world. As ITRE rapporteur, my focus has been especially on the ICT industry innovations and small and micro—enterprises. It is important for European businesses, especially for our SMEs, that we ensure that they have now a level playing field and fair competition. And we have to make sure that European values and rules are also respected in the online world. At the same time, we should encourage companies to scale up, innovate and invest in Europe. Our SMEs and start-ups play a crucial role in creating Europe’s digital competitiveness and growth. Regulating the digital market should not set obstacles for growth. So that’s why we must ensure that the smallest enterprises are not faced with too heavy an administrative burden. Necessary flexibility and legal certainty is needed for SMEs to operate and grow. So I think we have now a very balanced outcome of two regulations here, DSA and DMA. On behalf of the ITRE Committee I would like to thank all the colleagues and rapporteurs and shadows and all the institutions for this work.

Mr President, it is good that Europe is ambitious in climate policy. It is the only way forward. We should be ambitious, but also realistic. Carbon leakage must be avoided to preserve European competitiveness. Environmental, economic and social sustainability must all be taken into account. If implemented correctly, the Fit for 55 package can both reduce emissions and also generate growth. We need technology-neutral legislation which encourages investments in all kinds of viable clean energy solutions, such as nuclear and bioenergy. The ETS should remain as a market based tool to guide these investments. The main focus of the package should stay on stopping our dependency on fossil fuels. This is the most efficient way to reduce emissions. Carbon sinks play an important but limited role in the process. LULUCF targets should be supported as proposed by the Commission. At the same time, we must enable sustainable use of forests and recognise also the possibilities of bio-based solutions in replacing fossil based materials.

Mr President, dear colleagues, the Russian attack on Ukraine has profoundly highlighted the importance of democratic values and freedom of expression in society. In a society based on the rule of law, the freedom of expression is a cornerstone. For a functioning democracy, it’s essential that those holding power can be scrutinised and criticised for their actions. The media has a key role in this. It is the watchdog of democracy. Media freedom is essential for democracy to succeed. The Pegasus spyware cases are concerning examples of illegal, targeted surveillance. It’s extremely important that we recognise such matters of illegal surveillance that are increasingly used, as they have significant effects on the right to privacy. The revealed Pegasus illegal surveillance cases are not only devastating on the victims, but they also affect the development of democracy and the rule of law. The misuse of spyware against journalists, defenders of human rights and the opposition affects everybody who wants to critically examine their government, protect democracy and the rule of law. They are cyberattacks against democracy and violate the fundamental values of the European Union. We must not stand by and watch such violations of democracy emerge, but take action against illegal surveillance, support the victims of such cases, and protect our fundamental rights.

Madam President, every day we Europeans keep funding Putin’s war by importing Russian fossil fuels. This is completely unacceptable, unsustainable and also an immoral situation. Since the beginning of the EU energy union and the Russian occupation in Crimea, there have been efforts to decrease our energy dependency on Russia. However, the direction has been the opposite. The energy dependency rate is now at a record high level. This is a huge failure. The EU Member States should now unite on energy policy in the same way they have united on security and defence in the past weeks. The Member States should together stop Russian gas, oil and coal imports to Europe as soon as possible. The only sustainable way to ensure stable energy prices and security of supply in Europe in the future is to encourage investments in all viable clean forms of energy production, including nuclear energy. We can’t afford to miss the decarbonisation benefits of any available alternatives.

Mr President, Commissioner, now that the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for two years, we need to assess where the European Union has succeeded and where we need to improve for the future, because it is unfortunately quite clear that this pandemic will certainly not be the last. Vaccines have often been introduced here today. From the outset, the European Union started investing heavily in vaccines and pharmaceutical research, which has been very important in reducing serious illnesses and deaths. In addition, large joint procurements carried out on behalf of the member states also helped the smallest member states to get the vaccines into use immediately. Another major success, in my opinion, has been precisely the single COVID certificate, which made it technically very functional. This is evidenced by the fact that more than 60 countries have already adopted this certificate. The issue that has failed in this respect has already been raised in previous speeches. Different Member States have used the COVID-19 certificate in a very different way and have constantly changed the rules related to it. As such, the certificate has facilitated travel and helped many Member States to keep services open and organise events safely, but the ever-changing rules have made this very difficult for citizens to predict, and as we have a single internal market and a single European Union, we need to better ensure that Member States coordinate their actions together and that our common rules work across the internal market. Only then will we be able to operate efficiently and safely in the future.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, there are major shortcomings in the transport of animals. This is reflected in the work of the committee and in this report. In particular, there are two major problems, one of which is in the regulation governing the transport of animals in general, which was adopted more than 15 years ago. Since then, the world has changed. More research has come. The legislation needs to be updated, in particular to better take into account the species, size, age of the animals, feeding needs, watering, temperature. Legislation therefore needs to be reformed. Another major problem is that it seems that the Member States do not monitor properly or very poorly the implementation of the legislation. It is, of course, a matter that affects both animal welfare, but it also creates unfair competition when some do not comply with the rules. This is also a big financial issue, with millions of animals being transported within and outside the EU each year. That's about 10 billion euros of money. Financially, it is about big things. It also appears that vehicles used for transport and their requirements need to be revised. There are also major differences between Member States in terms of the requirements imposed on vehicles and, for example, ships in general are not even designed for the transport of animals. The report also makes it clear that, although EU law also applies to transport outside the EU, in practice this is not controlled at all. That is why I personally support the line that we should not accept that animals are transported from the EU to poor conditions, but rather that we should transport meat and genetic materials instead of live animals.

Mr President, as the rapporteur for the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), I would like to thank all the colleagues from other committees, rapporteurs and shadows, for their good cooperation on this dossier. In the ITRE report, my focus as the rapporteur has been on ICT industry innovations and small and micro-enterprises. It is important for European businesses, especially for our SMEs, that we ensure a level playing field and fair competition and make sure that European values and legislation are respected in the online world. What is illegal offline should be also illegal online. This also means that businesses from third countries should follow European rules when operating in our digital markets. Our SMEs and start—ups play a crucial role in creating Europe’s digital competitiveness and growth. When regulating the digital market, we should make sure that we are not setting obstacles for growth. We should encourage companies to scale up, innovate and invest in Europe. In particular, we must ensure that the smallest enterprises are not faced with excessively heavy administrative burdens. Flexibility and legal certainty are necessary in order for SMEs to operate and grow. Therefore, in the ITRE text, we also introduced various exemptions for small and micro—enterprises.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs. I am very pleased that a partnership has now been established under Horizon Europe, specifically in the field of metrology, i.e. measurement science. I believe that this is a very important opening for Europe, because measurement science is, of course, an essential basis for all our scientific research and innovation, so that we have reliable and comparable data. This is very important for the quality of the research. We know that, at the moment, metrology in the Member States of the European Union is very fragmented. We have a lot of expertise, but now we can put it together. This funding, EUR 300 million, for the European Union is quite an important opening because, as the Commissioner said here, our rival regions, above all the United States and China, have increased their funding very strongly specifically for metrology. But when we look at European funding, it has been quite unchanged for these research institutes, so it is important, in that sense, that we now bring together the know-how and start to fund this big, because it is important, as Mr Carvalho said here. Reliable measurement science is needed to support research in areas such as the green and digital transitions. This will ensure that in 2030 we have metrology solutions that are among the best in the world and capable of meeting complex measurement challenges and the needs of new technologies. This is a very good goal behind this partnership, and it will also enable us to better design and implement the necessary standards and rules.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, only by investing in research and development will European industry remain successful and competitive, and we will be able to face major global challenges. I find it quite successful that this way of allocating EUR 20 billion of Horizon funding to joint projects between businesses, industry, research institutes and science to address precisely these major challenges in the areas of transport, health, energy, circular economy and digital technologies. Such partnerships have proven to be a very good way of pooling knowledge and eliminating overlaps and, of course, will improve access to cutting-edge research projects, especially for small players. I am particularly pleased that the negotiations have now succeeded in introducing reforms that can reduce administrative burdens and bureaucracy, which aim to increase the proportion of women in science and also, above all, to promote the participation of SMEs, given the great innovation potential of small businesses. Through these partnerships, they will get involved in these good projects.

Mr President, Commissioner, the green transition requires really large investments from industry and society. The Commission has estimated that reaching the increased 2030 climate targets alone will require up to €350 billion of investment every year. This means that industry, businesses and especially SMEs need support for this big transition. I welcome these openings from the Commission, which propose that subsidies be extended to, among other things, clean transport. Similarly, it is now particularly necessary to focus support on improving buildings and environmental performance and on improving the efficiency of district heating. This is evidenced by the major energy price crisis that many countries are currently experiencing. Rather than providing assistance for individual gas bills, it is much more efficient to significantly reform both energy efficiency and heating systems as a whole. The companies involved in this clearly need support for this, and I particularly welcome the fact that support bonuses are being proposed for SMEs on many points.

Mr President, the European Union has actually achieved quite a lot of the goals that were set for the Energy Union at the time. Emissions have been reduced, renewable energy has been increased, energy efficiency has been improved, but instead we have not succeeded in reducing energy dependence. On the contrary, Europe's dependence on imported energy has even increased. This is particularly true of natural gas, where Russia has a considerable share, and the decision taken and the construction of Nord Stream 2 will only aggravate this situation. Nord Stream 2 runs counter to all the objectives set for the Energy Union. Of course, the increase in energy prices we are witnessing today calls for rapid action in many Member States. It must be able to help citizens and businesses in a difficult situation, but in the long term the only way to improve the situation is to increase investment in renewable energy, diversify energy sources and also invest in nuclear power, which currently produces half of Europe's zero-emission electricity. Within Europe, we need investment in self-sufficiency and diversification of energy sources, as well as investment in increasing regulating power and storage, and in ensuring that energy flows better from one Member State to another, so that no Member State is dependent on an individual energy supplier or energy source. We must continue to make these investments in modern infrastructure.

Mr President, international interest in the Arctic is constantly growing and must therefore be given a much stronger role in all the European Union's policies. In the European Parliament, when we talk about the Arctic, we often focus only on environmental and climate policy, which is very important, but it is great that this report sees the opportunities and challenges of the Arctic much more broadly. The potential of livelihoods, transport and infrastructure and the need for sustainable investment in the region are also on the agenda. It offers a lot of opportunities. Climate change in the Arctic has long been seen as a difficult problem. Over the past fifty years, climate change has progressed three times faster in the Arctic than in the rest of the world, and its effects are visible everywhere, including through rising sea levels and different weather conditions. Therefore, the fight against climate change is important for the Arctic region, and it is particularly effective there to reduce emissions of black carbon, or soot. At the same time, climate change has meant that the Arctic is now much easier to reach. This is reflected in the fact that maritime traffic in the Barents Sea and the entire Arctic Ocean has increased and continues to increase as ice conditions change and new sea routes open up, and has increased interest and competition in the region. More and more countries and companies outside the region want to take advantage of its potential. This is also of great importance in terms of security policy, as has already been pointed out here, and it is important that the European Union does not remain a bystander here.

Mr President, Europe needs more skilled labour from the rest of the world. This requires faster and smoother pathways. It is a good and welcome step that the blue card is now being renewed. We know that until now its criteria have been so high, both in terms of the level of training required of the talent, the level of pay and the employment relationship, that very little has been done with the Blue Card, and few even know about its existence. I hope that the renewed Blue Card will work better and will be a really smooth, fast and efficient way to get to work in the European Union when it comes to high-level talent. We need to reduce the bureaucracy involved. It has already been pointed out here that in many Member States it currently takes months, even more than a year, to get a work permit in the country. In this respect, it should now be possible to speed up the Blue Card in such a way that we commit ourselves in the Member States to allowing applicants who have arrived in a few weeks with a Blue Card to enter the labour market. It would be an effective way to renew access to employment.

Mr President, strengthening the European Research and Innovation Area is of the utmost importance for the competitiveness of the European Union as a whole. The current COVID-19 crisis has once again underlined the important role that science and research play in responding to the great challenges facing humanity. We have been building a common European Research Area for over 20 years, but there is still much room for improvement. I am particularly disappointed that we are still far from the level of investment that is needed, that at least 3% of GDP should be invested in research and development, as we have set ourselves a long time ago in Europe. More needs to be done now. Similarly, I would like to highlight in particular three areas where a stronger European impetus is now needed. The Commission communication is welcome, but more concrete action is needed. In particular, we need to improve the exploitation of research results. That's where we still have a big backwards. We must focus on strengthening excellence, quality-based research and its funding everywhere. Research careers and mobility of researchers within Europe and internationally need to be accelerated and improved, with a particular focus on women's research careers. And last but not least, academic freedom, freedom of science, must be safeguarded throughout Europe.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the co-rapporteurs, thank you all for the good cooperation in bringing this important regulation into force. We have really many years of negotiations behind us, and I am very glad that this week we can finally endorse this Connecting Europe Facility regulation, which will fund over EUR 30 billion in the next seven years for important cross-border infrastructure projects in both transport and energy and digitalisation. This is very important for Europe's competitiveness and the functioning of the internal market, that we have a modern, fast infrastructure that connects the European internal market and strengthens our industry and the capacity of our societies to function. The most important sectors for the European Union in the coming years will be precisely the acceleration of the Green Deal and digitalisation, i.e. Europe's ambition to become climate neutral by 2050. Of course, it means really big reforms and investments for both industry and societies. Modern, efficient infrastructure plays a key role in this, as well as in accelerating digitalisation. If we want industry and our societies to be competitive and, on the other hand, all businesses and citizens to have access to the opportunities of digitalisation, it means that investment in this sector is needed across Europe. After all, the Commission has estimated that as much as EUR 280 billion per year should now be invested, that the objectives of the Green Deal could be achieved and, in this respect, the Connecting Europe Facility and its added value can help kick-start these investments. A very big innovation, of course, with regard to this programme is that now at least 60% of all investments will be directed towards infrastructure that will specifically reduce emissions in the future, that is to say, this is very strongly linked to the achievement of climate objectives. Energy will continue to play a key role in the coming period. It is important that we are able to connect European energy networks, that we have energy flowing from one Member State to another, and that no country is dependent on an exclusive energy source. We have separately identified the most important projects in the field of trans-European energy networks, but in addition to this, this programme is now also financing cross-border renewable energy projects as a new element. This is a new element here. Similarly, as regards digitalisation, the programme will finance a fast, modern network across Europe. A particular focus will be on, among other things, 5G corridors, as well as the very high-speed connectivity required by different supercomputers, on the one hand, and cross-border cable connections, on the other. Investments in this area will also need hundreds of millions of euros in the coming years to keep Europe competitive in the digital economy. As far as transport projects are concerned, my colleagues from the Committee on Transport and Communications will open this up in more detail, but I am particularly pleased that rail investment is now a major priority, because it will also contribute to both fast and safe transport across Europe and, of course, to the achievement of climate objectives. Sustainable transport solutions across Europe and their support play a very important role in this. A particular focus in the coming years will be on achieving synergies, i.e. our goal is that now that Europe is investing in new, modern and high-speed infrastructure, we will be able to connect more transport networks, digital networks and energy networks, including by having an infrastructure for the distribution of alternative fuels along all major transport corridors and having very fast digital connections along all major transport corridors. This will precisely help us to have an efficient, well-functioning and modern internal market that will help our businesses and industries to compete internationally, but it will also help Europe to achieve the very ambitious climate goals we have set in the future. It must also be said that, while we can now rejoice that many years of negotiation are behind us and that we have reached an agreement with the Council and between Parliament's positions, the budget that was achieved here – more than EUR 30 billion – is, of course, a significant budget, but it would have been important for Parliament to have invested even more in digital networks, even more in transport infrastructure, as well as in energy infrastructure. These are really key issues for Europe's competitiveness, and it is a pity that the Council was not prepared to increase funding for the Connecting Europe Facility any further. Now, of course, it is desirable that, once the Member States have received a very significant boost from the Recovery Fund, the Member States should also now allocate funds to infrastructure projects that provide genuine European added value and are cross-border projects, because it is quite clear that investment in infrastructure is needed for Europe's economy, success and future competitiveness.