Debate contributions by Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Mr President, Commissioner, trade should remain an area of cooperation and shared prosperity, not a geopolitical battlefield and economic conflict. But we must be clear: This dream world is an illusion at the time of the return of the belligerent imperialisms. Beijing, I regret, has just made a choice. A damaging choice is to target the European Union with unfair retaliatory measures. A reaction to the simple fact that Europeans want to enforce the rules, rules that China itself says it accepts. After targeting cognac, the increase in tariffs in retaliation for our pork exports is based on fragile foundations. A logic of political pressure rather than commercial justice should not be the basis for discussions and our relationship. It's not just about trade. It is a question of justice, solidarity, fairness. These measures will have concrete consequences: thousands of jobs threatened, farms endangered, in territories like my region, Brittany. We call on China to reconsider this decision, to engage in dialogue in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect. Trade disputes are not resolved through targeted sanctions, but through negotiation, balance and transparency.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this is not a deal. It embodies an ideology and a strategy, that of protectionism, that of unilateralism, that of authoritarianism: everything I reject as a politician, everything I fight as a liberal, everything I despise as a democrat. Commissioner, I appreciate your difficulty and your commitment to resisting. But the day after - for we are sure that Donald Trump will not stop there - do we want to give Europeans, once again, the image of weak leaders who give in to the White House narrative? This day after, it must be anticipated, because neither hope nor nostalgia will help us in the face of permanent blackmail; the day after, it must correspond to the strengthening of European unity, the acceleration of the exit from our dependencies and the use of the instrument on economic coercion. Because here in Europe, neither intimidation nor threats have a place. It is up to us to find our own choices, our own destiny.

Mr President, Executive Vice-President, every year nearly EUR 2 trillion in public procurement is mobilised in Europe and more than half of these contracts are still awarded on the basis of price alone. This model, not only outdated, is dangerous. The revision of the Directive is therefore a historic opportunity. It must mark a clear turn, making public order a strategic lever: economically, supporting our industries and European growth, empowering SMEs and strengthening the resilience of our supply chains; Socially, by integrating demanding criteria that value innovation, employment, respect for social rights; Politically, by affirming a real European preference to support companies, workers and territories. It is no longer a question of remaining prisoners of a short-term logic. Every call for tenders must become a building block for the Europe we want. A Europe that produces, innovates, protects. Changing our rules means giving public procurement the role it must play: an engine of sovereignty, prosperity and trust.

Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, the shock we experienced with the pandemic could have broken our cohesion. But we have built an unprecedented instrument of solidarity, a massive recovery plan financed by a common loan. This joint effort has injected more than €650 billion. However, as the rapporteurs have pointed out, obstacles remain. This solidarity mechanism cannot remain a mere parenthesis. It must become the foundation of a fairer Europe – by ensuring equal access to investments whether you are a farmer in Poland, a craftsman in Spain or a nurse in France –, greener – by financing building renovation, nuclear energy or sustainable mobility –, more competitive by supporting SMEs to innovate and create jobs. To do this, we need to simplify the formalities so that any small business or association can apply without red tape. We also need to accurately monitor the impacts of these devices. Because the Europe that protects is the Europe that is measured in the daily life of Europeans. The Europe that invests is the one that sees itself in classrooms, in strengthened health services or in local companies that innovate. This is how we are expected.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, heir to those who have lived through war and barbarism in the depths of their flesh, heir to the silence surrounding these buried and long-killed wounds, I commemorate today and with you, here in this Chamber in Strasbourg, the heroes whose names cross our textbooks and streets, like the anonymous people who remained in the shadow of the Second World War. To be heir to these deaths and traumas is to be given a sacred responsibility: that of never being a mere witness, neither in the present nor in the future. To be heir to those who have worked for freedom, a project of reconciliation, is to be given a demanding duty, that of never giving in to "double standards". To be heir to an anonymous woman, on 8 May 2025, is to make it clear, by standing before you, that this anniversary commits us, European parliamentarians. It is a call to face the brutal reality of the world, a call to fight in our turn for democracy, for freedom, for security, for universalism, and this for all our heirs.

Mr President, Minister, Commissioner, almost no country is spared, no sector is immune. Ideology lurks in the corridors of Donald Trump's White House, brutal protectionism, assumed, without rules or limits. Some here, embarrassed, struggle to hide a background of satisfaction. Their project becomes reality, zealously implemented by a foreign administration. Others would like to drag us into an endless escalation: customs duties against customs duties, trade barriers against trade barriers. The European Union, strong and united, has chosen another path, that of a targeted, proportionate response, suspended at this stage, so as never to remain opposed to dialogue. Commissioner, I will support you as long as you clearly and firmly defend international prosperity and European interests, and as long as you are ready to use all the instruments that we have shaped together. American protectionist choices are an opportunity to deepen our European industrial policy with massive investments, but also to strengthen partnerships, diversify our alliances and finally build a stable, just and sustainable economic order.

Madam President, Executive Vice-President, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, steel is the foundation of the European political project, which was cooperation for peace and the economic reconstruction of our continent. This raw material remains the basis of a historic industry, which must remain an industry of the future and has an impact on many other economic activities. The sector provides a foundation for almost 2.6 million jobs – direct, indirect and induced. Mr Executive Vice-President, you have presented the plan for industry, for steel and for metals. This is a good thing, as everyone has pointed out here. Our collective mobilization is crucial for this strategic sector, which faces many threats, and for which it is necessary to meet new challenges. We need to protect our industrial capacities and develop production within the European framework, which means lower energy prices. Mr Executive Vice-President, maintaining safeguard measures is your responsibility, especially since Trump’s trade offensive. Preventing importers from circumventing trade defence measures is a challenge on which we also expect determined action from you. Tackling Chinese capabilities is a priority, and as I return from Beijing, dear Stephane, I am even more aware of the urgency of a specific instrument, which can no longer be delayed, and for which we demand a strong initiative from the European Commission – not just announcements! As you said, Executive Vice-President: Steel is more than ever a foundation of the European Union. So we can't leave it in the past.

Mr President, Commissioner, empires are advancing, democracy is retreating. Even more serious, we face a relentless reality: our difficulty in demonstrating concretely how effective we are in building just policies. It is time to stop astonishing, condemning or congratulating ourselves. Enough hesitation and shyness. When will we fully assume our own security, ensure our prosperity and accompany the decisive transitions shaping the future of our societies? Democracy must be a resolute force for action, not an excessive slowness paralyzed by its own divisions and fears. Quick and concrete decisions are urgently needed to protect our ambitions and interests. Europe must become a power that can plan coherently and coordinate its efforts strategically. Commissioner, we will support all your actions to protect our economy from dangerous trade attacks, as well as your willingness to build new partnerships to strengthen international stability. At the same time, we have an urgent need to speed up simplification, to free up energy and strengthen our internal market.

Mr President, Minister, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, these 100 days have changed Europe and our history. From now on, Europe must not hesitate, wait or submit. The time for speeches and soft consensus is over. Faced with external predators and internal saboteurs, we no longer have a choice. Who wants a powerless Europe? Those who, in the name of deregulation, serve foreign powers, weaken our industries and destroy our sovereignty, like the Patriots. Others reject change, paralyse our progress and condemn Europe to wait-and-see, like part of the left. A weak Europe is a Europe that is silent. We refuse this resignation. We have started rearmament; we have laid the foundations for a strong industrial Europe; however, this is not enough. We must go faster, strike harder and impose our will. The time has come to assume our power and defend what belongs to us: a Europe that does not ask for its future but imposes it. Those who want to see it fall will find us on their way. History will not forgive a generation of cowards, so let’s act! Let's act now!

Madam President, Commissioner, German cars against French agriculture: some would like to reduce the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union to this divide. To my colleagues, especially in Germany, I tell you, I will not be complicit in this instrumentalisation. It is a heresy, an abysmal political weakness to nurture an exacerbated protectionism that only deepens divisions and prevents any evolution. It is not a fight between European states that we must amplify, but our credibility in building lasting and equitable partnerships with third states with whom we are already interacting and trading. It is not an opposition between sectors that is being debated, but our commitment to transforming value chains so that they are sustainable, resilient and secure. So, beyond the postures, many questions remain, including this one: Do we Europeans have the capacity to control the products that enter our market, trade agreements or not? So let's live up to all the stakes. Let us not allow sovereignty, sustainability, competitiveness to become vague concepts disconnected from the realities, from the lives of our industries, our agricultures, our fellow citizens.

I was expecting this question and I am expecting especially the little video behind it, lying, as you are accustomed to do, Mrs Aubry. I can't wait to see her and see what your collaborators will do on social media. But Madame Aubry, I assume everything I say: defending European interests, working on a trade policy that is evolving in conjunction with the European Commission, strengthening an industrial policy, working on competition policy – which, yes, I consider to be competition policy – and I do not follow a logic like you say: Oh, stop free trade agreements because they're bad! At some point, things have to change. You are always in opposition logics, you do not propose anything and you discredit France.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, all the signals sent by the Trump administration are clear. The pressure builds up. Imposing tariffs or using economic blackmail as a destabilizing tool may seem like an attractive strategy. Actually, it's a dead end. To launch an offensive against a historical partner is to open a conflict that no one knows when it will end. After the clashes, there will be neither a winner nor a profit. Neither states, nor industries, nor citizens will win, neither in Europe nor in the United States. But let's be clear: The real question for Europeans is not whether Donald Trump will carry out his threats, but when and how. And in the face of this, our worst enemy must not be ourselves. The European Union must respond firmly by remaining united and determined. We Europeans have the means to act and we will do so. Whether it is the imposition of tariffs, the use of the instrument of economic coercion or recourse to the WTO, nothing should be set aside, everything should be considered.

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, yesterday the United States invested Donald Trump as President. Eight years ago, it seemed like a historic accident. Today, the will of a people is upsetting the world, with a presidency marked by a brutal and hegemonic vision of power. To those who put hope in strategy, to those who think that submission offers protection, to those who believe that waiting is the best defence: Trump's United States will not give us any gifts, absolutely none. Blackmail, political, diplomatic, financial or commercial pressures: The standoff, amplified by figures like Elon Musk, requires a total mobilization, marked by courage and determination, to defend our ambitions and interests. Faced with a trade struggle and territorial ambitions, Europe must speak with one voice. An aggressive US administration will leave us no choice. The time has definitely come to choose our ambitions, our voices, our methods. We must stand together, be European and forge our future, without shyness or half-measures, but with full and effective mobilisation.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, our Parliament is installed, the Commission has taken office, and in a few hours the Council will meet with an agenda on Europe's place in the world. Europe is on track, but where are we going? In a world where empires are recovering – USA, China, Russia, Turkey – where is Europe’s place? We must be an actor, a shield for our citizens, and also a force that matters. Let's be clear: Being a market is not enough, it is no longer enough. One day, the storm will come. If we are not united and strong, we will be swept away. Europe must become a sovereign, strategic and bold power that acts for its citizens, meets their expectations and changes their daily lives. We must defend our interests, protect our industries, secure our resources, defend ourselves together. Now is not the time for soft compromises. It is time for action, unity and ambition. We must rise to the occasion, because our citizens demand it, because the world is watching us, because our future depends on it.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, today marks the culmination of a democratic process that is unique in Europe: hearing candidates and electing them in order to give the European Commission the legitimacy to act, in consultation with us. Not to hesitate, but to move forward, fast and strong. On behalf of the Europe Together delegation, which I chair, dear Ursula, I spoke with you during our exchange about our three priorities. Sovereignty: Faced with the threats of Moscow and the return of Donald Trump, Europe must assume its own security and advance on its common defense. Prosperity: As social plans multiply, we must massively support our businesses and invest in quality jobs for the future. Competitiveness: In the face of the United States and China, Europe, which is certainly no longer naive, must defend its industries forcefully and without complex. Madam President, we will vote for this College of Commissioners. Constructive, we assure you of our support. We will be partners, but demanding partners, because Europe remains one of the greatest political and historical achievements. But Europe must inspire, it must surprise, it must impose itself. So, together, let's work for that.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, two weeks ago we discussed here the future of our automotive industry, faced with the threat of Chinese subsidies. Today, we are looking at the steel industry, which is a key pillar of our economy. The reality is striking: Since 2008, steel production has fallen by 30%, resulting in the loss of 100,000 jobs. Why did we get to this point? Because China is flooding the market with broken prices, disrupting our industrial ecosystem. Global overcapacity and volatile energy prices further exacerbate this situation. We're waiting. How long will it take us to adopt robust defence measures? We must act to protect our jobs, to protect our know-how and to protect our future. A strong steel industry is not only possible, but also necessary. It is our duty to build an industry in Europe that invests and to have a Europe that values its workers. The time for hesitation must be completely over. I call on the Member States and the Commission to act urgently to defend this sector.

Madam President, yesterday our companies were leaders in the production of solar panels. Our automotive industry was going to be ready for the electric age. But today, where are we? Our solar sector has been devastated. The electric car automotive industry is on the same slippery slope. Our competitors are injecting billions, in dollars or yen, into the technologies of the future, while Europe remains paralyzed. Disunited and timid in the face of the onslaught of Chinese electric cars, our answers boil down to symbolic tariffs. We can no longer be satisfied with half-measures. Europe needs an ambitious industrial strategy. We must regain control of our strategic value chains, so that we are no longer dependent, reform the competition rules to create a framework that favours our European champions, and launch a genuine industrial plan through targeted investments in line with the needs of our companies. This must be our top priority. It is a matter of economic survival and sovereignty. Are the Commission and the Member States ready to adopt this logic? Do you have the political will to act with the same determination as our international rivals? Our future is at stake now, and certainly not with immobility.