Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am trying in a minute to dismantle the lies of the right about the action plan for the conservation of marine resources. You're lying to the fishermen! It is a distraction from the responsibilities of national governments, such as the Italian one. This plan calls on the Member States to comply with the European directives of 2020 and 1992, the Habitats Directive and the Marine Framework Directive. In Italy, fishermen already do not fish in marine protected areas and do not trawl, they already do not fish in Natura 2000 sites to protect the seabed. Rather, where is the maritime spatial management plan to stop new drilling? Because while it is true that it is not only fishermen who are responsible for defending marine ecosystems, it is also true that we must therefore stop fossil fuels. So be consistent! Where are the EMFF calls to give legal landing points and fish markets to fishermen? Where is the money to modernize their boats and decarbonize them? Why does the money for the fishing stops come only after two years to the same fishermen? Take your responsibilities and tell the fishermen the truth.

I would like to ask my colleague, who has been in government for months now, what she really intends to do for the fishermen. Stop telling them lies! Do you know what the Marine Framework Directive, which has to be respected since 2020, is? Do you know what the Habitats Directive, which has been in place since 1994, is? Rather, what does your government want to do with the EUR 43 million from the EMFF that we risk losing? Where are the EMFF calls to give fishermen real landing points and fish markets? Where is the redundancy fund for fishermen? What does this government intend to do for a Member State that is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and also lives on fishing?

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the practice of finning costs the lives of over 100 million sharks every year. Every year, more and more species are threatened with extinction. Every year this cruel practice deprives our oceans of an important predator for the health of marine ecosystems. Despite the Green Deal commitments to protect the marine environment, the European Union is still responsible for 45% of shark fin imports by major Asian markets. How much longer will we allow the European Union to be complicit in a cruel and unsustainable practice? How long will we betray the objectives of the Green Deal? We call on the Commission to listen to the voices of over one million citizens and to put forward a proposal to put an end, once and for all, to the trade in shark fins.

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, two years ago in Porto, the Heads of State made great promises about the need to strengthen the social dimension of Europe. Two years later, there is no concrete measure to respond to the rampant poverty, the erosion of the purchasing power of millions of families, the growing gap between territories. It is crucial for us European Greens to review the Stability and Growth Pact; It is enough to strangle development and convergence with austerity measures. Tax rules must be used for green and social investments, in essential services such as health, school, sustainable transport. Otherwise, the territorial and social divides will continue to grow. We immediately need a European directive on minimum income above the poverty line, because it is an effective measure against poverty. Just as there is an urgent need for a European directive to ensure that traineeships for our young people are paid and of good quality, to put an end to abusive practices throughout Europe and to stop the brain drain. Only if we return to investing in people can we create a resilient and sustainable society, also and above all from an economic point of view. The summit at the end of May is an important occasion: review the Treaties and put social rights at the centre. Europe has a future only with a new and ambitious social pact, it is the only possible response to the crisis we are experiencing.

Madam President, the revision of the CO2 emissions trading system should have been an opportunity not to be missed. With this agreement, the electricity sector, heavy industry will emit 62 % less CO2 by 2030 than in 2005 and the allocation of revenues from the auctioning of allowances will be spent exclusively on climate investments. But industry will continue to benefit from free allowances until 2034, while, with the extension of the carbon market to transport and heating, citizens will pay as early as 2027. This is a profoundly unfair measure, which will create greater disparity between the countries of the European Union based on their dependence on fossil fuels and their wealth rate. Compensation of the social fund is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough to protect vulnerable households. The European Union, by persisting in its liberal approach to the energy transition, is making a regrettable mistake. Of course, carbon must come at a cost, but it cannot be done on the shoulders of citizens who are not responsible for the climate inaction of their leaders. The Green Deal must be a social pact and we will continue to fight for that to happen.

Mr President, not only does the Meloni government stand in the way of rescue at sea, laying the foundations for massacres such as that in Cutro, it wants to abolish the special protection of migrants, it means criminalising ten thousand persecuted and tortured in their own countries. The Italian right-wing government is in good company to violate the founding principles of the European Union. I am referring to Greece's pushbacks at sea with Frontex's consent. I am referring to the violence and arbitrary detentions in Hungary, Bulgaria and Croatia on the Balkan route. And finally there is this inhumane idea of building walls at borders with European Union funds. Yet Weber, the president of the EPP, the promoter of this idea, as a German, should know well that walls, when it comes to human beings, are not built, but are broken down. We need to save lives at sea, we need legal entry, we need humanitarian corridors, we need a compulsory distribution mechanism between countries. We need to ensure access to the asylum and reception procedure. We need real cooperation with third countries and not the shameful agreement with Libya. So what is the point of declaring a state of emergency for a phenomenon that is structural? 40 years of emergency? It's actually a diversionary tactic. Talking about reception and integration is the only way to turn migration into an opportunity.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, thank you, Commissioner, for your words. Italy's far-right government lashes out against the LGBTI community to hide its inability on so many other issues. A fury that in its ideological fury reaps innocent victims: the children. And then one prefers to deny the reality, that of their existence, that of their parents, that of the love that makes them families like all the others. To the problems created by the lack of a law that protects them are added the obstacles created by an inhuman and meaningless choice, which already pushes the mayors in Italy to create further discrimination between families and families, between children and children, when instead only their rights should prevail, and always. My colleagues and I, together with the Commissioner in her work, will use all the legislative instruments at our disposal to defend citizens from your odious rhetoric and there will be consequences for your actions. Playing on the skin of children is a choice that will not be forgiven you.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the surreal right-wing controversy against minimum income is clear proof that the social pact no longer exists. We Greens simply call for a European directive that raises the minimum income above the poverty line, so that it becomes an instrument of true social inclusion and not of mere survival. Adequate minimum income must be accompanied by an ambitious system of active policies to tackle growing poverty even among working people. It is not acceptable that in Europe governments like the Italian one use disgusting rhetoric to distract citizens, to turn them against each other to hide its incompetence and its true intentions. The truth? Reducing the number of beneficiaries and the total amount of income has only one objective: to force the most vulnerable to accept precarious and poorly paid jobs. Have the courage to say it, though.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, Council, the social pact between the institutions and the citizens is broken. Rules at European level are incapable of responding to the social crisis and, indeed, in their rigidity, frustrate the efforts of recent years for a real economic, territorial and social recovery. The European Semester, as well as the Stability and Growth Pact, are now outdated instruments that represent an obstacle to social convergence. The principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights have remained a dead letter. That is why we Greens call for a reform of the economic governance framework, mandatory targets for poverty eradication and social exclusion and an assessment of the social impact of Member States' plans and of the money allocated by national governments. Without the necessary fiscal space to return to investing in education, health and inclusion measures, such as minimum income, there can never be a just transition. Starting again from social justice is the only possibility we have and we Greens have clear ideas: We need reform.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission and President Von der Leyen are announcing an industrial plan for the Green Deal and the transition to zero emissions, avoiding relocations. However, the plan focuses on increasing state aid for energy-intensive industries. I want to bring you here to the plenary, take the opportunity to talk to you about a particular case. In Italy, in Taranto, the government allocates hundreds of millions to keep the steel mill that pollutes under the law active. And it's not a paradox. It is the dramatic reality, because in the last ten years all governments have decreed the possibility of producing polluting and operating even away from the judiciary, while a judgment at first instance already identifies in the process "Environment sold off" precise responsibilities. And what is happening today? The Meloni government introduces a penal shield. You understand correctly, for those who will manage the former Ilva there will be a criminal immunity. We can continue to produce with impunity. Yesterday, in Taranto, citizens, ecologists, stakeholders, clean industrialists rebelled by taking to the streets, while the control units of the Tamburi district denounce dangerous spikes in the level of benzene in the air. Benzene is a carcinogen. In Taranto health continues to be sacrificed on the altar of profit and moreover helped by the State and at this point helped by Europe. If the industrial plan for the Green Deal starts from the same premises that have condemned my city, it will not only be the Taranto people who will cry, it will be the whole of Europe. Give a meaning to the Treaties, give a meaning to the European directives, stopping once and for all the activity of these plants.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this Christmas millions of children in Europe will be fighting cold and hunger. Their parents will face a terrible dilemma: Warm up your home or bring a hot dish to the table? All this happens while multinationals speculate undisturbed on energy and food prices. What should be essential rights, guaranteed to all, have instead become luxury goods and, thus, more and more people slip into poverty. The Child Guarantee is a request from this Parliament to ensure fair and free access to early childhood education services, quality education, health care, healthy eating and adequate housing. We asked for 20 billion more for the 2021-2027 period, but, on the other hand, we have 18 out of 27 states that have delivered the national plans. Some are still missing. Addressing child poverty requires a systemic approach. So, in the immediate future we propose to ban domestic evictions and energy disconnections; taxing the non-profits of those who speculate on food and energy – I am referring to large-scale retailers and energy companies – to support families and children in difficulty with this money; introducing a minimum wage to combat the phenomenon of the working poor; concentrate the resources of the NRRP but also of European and national funds in the most disadvantaged areas of the Member States. The UNICEF report, for example, raises a cry of alarm for Southern Europe and, for example, for Italy: 46% of children living in the south are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, compared to 19% in the north. The child guarantee is just the beginning of a real "European social deal", to re-found Europe on the concept of human dignity that we very often forget.

You're accusing us progressives of being accomplices and smugglers. Then we await your complaint. If you accuse us of being accomplices of smugglers, we expect you to file a complaint with a number of European, national and Italian Courts of Justice. He has to accuse us with specific acts and facts. It must also tell us whether there are NGOs that have been condemned by some European Court of Justice, by some judges, because they are accomplices of the smugglers and accomplices of the deaths at sea. Do you have this confidence? Do you have any data? Do you know if there are any criminal convictions for NGO ships? Otherwise he's just making propaganda and useless accusations.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, on 11 November a patrol boat of the Tunisian Coast Guard rammed a boat with migrants on board: Three children died, drowned. In 2020, one of the leaders of the Libyan Coast Guard was arrested by the Tripoli authorities: He was one of the bosses of human trafficking. And it's just two cases. And it is with the money of European taxpayers that we finance the coast guards of North Africa: in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt. And with what results: The number of dead rises. Dear colleagues, this is our failure: We fund human traffickers or infamous Libyan prisons. But we do not discuss this failure, no, we discuss NGO ships. Someone withdraws the phantom theory of pull factor. Where is this pull factor? Where is this false report by Frontex that knows Minister Tajani in Italy, but that we do not know and that we have no right to see? The legality of the activities of NGOs is questioned. But they are all accusations denied by international law and in fact. NGOs operate in full compliance with international maritime law. Those who do not are the governments that reject boats, that leave them adrift at sea for weeks, like my government in Italy. NGOs do the only thing possible in line with European values: saving lives.

(IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I must thank my colleague, Mr Pisapia, and the colleagues who have worked on this document, because in order to negotiate effective recommendations, despite attempts by the right to include misleading messages, to criminalise solidarity and therefore the work of NGOs at sea as a factor of attraction, it took a great deal of work and great courage. With tomorrow's vote, it must be clear what our position is. So-called Libyan coastguards are responsible for intercepting migrant and refugee boats and illegally detaining them. Investigate the atrocities and mechanisms for monitoring and accountability, and then we must stop funding and cooperating with those in Libya who are accused of serious violations and involvement in human trafficking.

Commissioner, the proposal does not take into account the incalculable costs of climate inaction. How much does it cost Member States to postpone from year to year the investments needed to tackle the climate crisis? How much does it cost not to invest against, for example, hydrogeological instability, the renovation of water networks? It is obvious: The costs of repairing damage rather than preventing it are much higher. So, Commissioner, is there any intention on the part of the Commission to push towards this type of investment?

Commissioner, we fear that the reform of the economic governance framework proposed by the Commission will not be sufficient to deal precisely with the times of social and economic crisis that we are experiencing. The territories, the Committee of the Regions, but also this Parliament, have called for the introduction of a golden rule for green investments. For years, municipalities have been unable to invest in the ecological transition due to stifling fiscal margins. That is why the national co-financing of cohesion policy must be separated from the deficit calculation. Then on the social side, where are the stimuli needed for massive social welfare programs or investments in public services that have now been underfunded for years? I think about health, I think about education. Finally, where is the factual response to the investment gap and territorial divide, which is growing within Europe's regions, but within the nations themselves? I am thinking of the South of Italy.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in order to achieve power, the far right has learned that it is necessary to wear the mask of moderation or normalisation, but lies have short legs. European citizens will soon realise your intentions: Facilitate tax evasion and instead take it out on the most vulnerable, import gas from dictatorships and then blame the Green Deal for all the evils in the world, defend multinationals when they escape to tax havens ravaging entire peoples and ecosystems, while at home you have only one obsession: Cutting public services, from health to education. As an Italian, as a European, I say forcefully that homophobia, xenophobia, the negation of the elementary principles of modern civilizations can never be normal. It will never be normal to point the finger at differences, at immigrants fleeing war and poverty. Human rights are not negotiable. We will not let our guard down, you will find us here in the square denouncing your hypocrisy and reminding you that you are the past.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, first of all thanks to Mr Alicia Homs Ginel for the fruitful work and collaboration with other colleagues, with whom we have worked really well. With these guidelines for Member States' employment policies, we propose to tackle inflation and its social impact. We can do it. We need a European plan for the training and retraining of workers, who invest resources in green job. It is the ecological transition that creates more and more jobs. Those who lose it (for example in a steelworks that closes) can find it in a company that installs solar panels, hydrolysers for green hydrogen, but it must be formed. We increase the European Child Guarantee Fund by €20 billion, ensure fair and effective access to health and education, adequate housing and healthy nutrition for all children. The Stability and Growth Pact must at least be suspended. Let's remember Greece, austerity, the "tears and blood" policies of the rigor hawks killed at least 700 children. Budgetary balance is not worth people's lives. Governments then introduce a minimum wage, counter labour exploitation and guarantee a minimum income. I also say this to those on the right in this Parliament, to the Melonians, to the Salvinians and to the Renzians who obstruct this project and these proposals, here as in my country, in Italy. The battle is unique: protection of social rights and protection of the environment.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, if you had to choose between heating or eating, what would you do? This is the question that millions of citizens across the Union are asking themselves. Millions of families are already living in poverty. Floating inflation and the energy crisis are likely to dramatically increase this number. Europe as a whole, from this House to governments, has an obligation to act to prevent a genuine humanitarian emergency and must do so immediately. The Council discusses proposals against the energy crisis, discusses price cap, levies on non-profits, market reform. All measures are right, but they do not meet the urgent need for help that comes from the most exposed citizens. The pandemic has taught us this: The way out of the crisis is solidarity. The divisions in Brussels must not be paid for by the people in distress. A common European fund is needed, with priority being given to helping families and micro and small enterprises. And, I would add, the Stability and Growth Pact: its suspension should be extended. States need the necessary fiscal space to finance substantial support packages. There's no time to waste. Winter is just around the corner.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, sustainable aquaculture is aquaculture that guarantees respect for the environment, human health and food safety. Far from the paradigms of intensive farming. Sustainability involves promoting low-impact, circular practices such as low trophic, multitrophic and organic aquaculture. Sustainable aquaculture ensures that feed production does not have a negative impact on food security in third countries. Finally, the request to exclude cormorants from the list of species protected by the Birds Directive is unacceptable. Instead, action is needed at the local level, refining existing solutions to allow the sector to manage any issues. We therefore invest in research, also with EMFAF money, and in assistance to operators in the sector, instead of launching a hunt for the species that would have very serious consequences on biodiversity.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dear Constanze, thank you for this report and thank you for the work of these years. We are here to discuss the future of cohesion policy, direct access to finance for cities, GDP that can no longer be the only indicator, to review the Stability and Growth Pact and we should, here, declare compact to the Commission and the Council that cohesion policy is crucial for the energy transition of our regions and municipalities. Above all, cohesion funds are not an emergency instrument. However, there is one thing: With RepowerEU, with the silent assent of the Commission, the political groups and the Council, I fear, a wound, perhaps deadly, is inflicted on cohesion policy. Just finance fossil fuels, regasifiers and who knows what else. Doing no significant harm is a principle that should not be suspended. And then, no territorial constraint on the use of these resources, the beating heart of the principle of convergence and therefore of regional policy? And so, ahead, with transfers and derogations. In an emergency, we are asked to be accomplices. But we can't be: We Greens cannot be complicit in the destruction of regional policy.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the energy crisis is caused by a system that has been shaky for a long time and the war in Ukraine has only highlighted all its fragility, to the detriment of citizens and certainly not speculators. The European Union must now provide a concrete response to help households and businesses brought to their knees by rising energy prices. The Commission must now ensure that fossil fuel companies stop piling profits on citizens' shoulders. Member States are obliged to allocate the money recovered from non-profits to the most vulnerable households and businesses. To ensure a future for our children, however, we need a radical change, which is only possible by accelerating the transition to renewable sources and prioritising energy efficiency, without seeking gas elsewhere and without investing in nuclear power. There is no time and no money left to finance expensive and environmentally unsustainable fossil fuels. The transition to 100% renewable energy by 2040 is technically feasible, economically viable and, look at it, also cost-effective. If accelerated by pressing practices and policies, we can even accelerate to 2035.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, one of the most shameful pages of recent European policy took place in Strasbourg today. The whole right, from Berlusconi's PPE to the Salvini and Meloni groups, together with the liberals of Renzi's group, have decided to protect the interests of the fossil fuel lobbies and polluting industry and to blow up the Social Climate Fund, a fund aimed at helping the most vulnerable families and small entrepreneurs, those most exposed to high bills and fuel prices. We are talking about more than 40 billion euros, of which more than 10% would have gone to Italy, resources that would have financed subsidies and incentives for the weakest sections of the population. What we were asking for is that the cost of this fund be paid by those who pollute and those who are making gigantic extra profits with the price increases, i.e. by reforming the ETS system. But center-right and liberals have scuttled the reform and effectively blocked the Social Fund. Thanks to them the lobbies are celebrating today and will think they can continue to increase the extra profits. But let us not give up and we will continue to fight so that the poorest families do not pay the price of a failed economic model for the planet and for the entire population.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I voted in favour of the EU action plan for organic farming. This report unequivocally supports the development of organic farming. After environmental renunciations of the new CAP and while the war in Ukraine reminds us of the urgency of getting out of an agricultural model based on hydrocarbons for its fertilisers and pesticides, the European Parliament has taken the right position on the action plan for organic farming, a key sector also for my country, Italy. Our intensive model has exceeded the limits allowed by the environment and it is urgent to change our food model, to produce better and not necessarily more. This report is a further step in achieving the objectives of the Farm to Fork, defining economically healthy organic farming for farmers and healthy for consumers, while also supporting local production and short supply chains. This is the direction we must follow for our health and that of the planet.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I voted in favour of the report on the blue economy in Europe. Thanks to our amendments, we have succeeded in introducing effective protections for the marine environment, including the need to ban environmentally harmful extractive industrial activities, including drilling, in marine protected areas. Unfortunately, we have not been able to maintain the original text in which, for the first time, Parliament called for a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas. However, I am happy that this report highlights the importance of small-scale coastal fishing, recognising the need to protect the segment and promote its development, including by allocating a larger share of fishing opportunities. The text insists on ensuring decent working conditions, social security and representation in organisations and decision-making processes. The text also recognises the role of women in fisheries and aquaculture, but it is necessary to increase their visibility and ensure equal access to employment. The report is therefore certainly a step towards a sustainable and inclusive blue economy.