Debate contributions by Stéphanie YON-COURTIN

Madam President, Commissioners, imagine a dark and hostile jungle, a jungle where every child is left to himself, alone, without landmarks, exposed to danger. This jungle is the digital world. Today, many children have their first smartphone at age 9, their first social network at age 11. They stumble upon pornography, the glorification of extreme thinness, violence, sexism. They are trapped in algorithms, addicted to "likes" and scroll to infinity. Parents are destitute and families are overwhelmed. What about platforms? They manipulate every click to feed our children's addiction and make even more money. So what do we do? We, our response in the European Parliament, is the establishment of a harmonised European digital majority with an age limit for accessing risk platforms, age verification and coaching of influencers in particular. We do not want to ban to ban, but to protect children and accompany parents. It's not an option, it's a duty. The protection of minors online is a public health issue. So let's end with the digital jungle. Our children deserve a safe world. Dear Commissioners, let us act, let us act!

Madam President, Executive Vice-President Virkkunen, ladies and gentlemen, last week, France discovered with horror that child-like sex dolls were on sale on Shein, accessible to all, all over Europe. This is only the tip of the iceberg. AliExpress, Temu, Wish...: all these platforms are full of illegal, dangerous products – sometimes even weapons – in total violation of our laws. We adopted the DSA with a very simple principle: What is prohibited offline is also prohibited online. So why do these platforms continue to thrive with impunity in our markets in Europe? Executive Vice-President Virkkunen, the European Commission must move from words to deeds. It has all the tools. Formal investigations need to be completed, fines imposed and even suspension of all these suspicious platforms. It is time to act now. I want to welcome the responsiveness of the French authorities, who have obtained the immediate removal of illicit products sold on Shein. Europe needs to send a clear message: our European market is not a dumping ground for digital crime, it is not a no-go zone, and if some platforms persist in flouting our rules, then yes, Europe will have to shut the door on them permanently.

Mr President, Executive Vice-President Ribera, ladies and gentlemen, this is a serious time. Since Donald Trump's return, our European digital rules have been under threat. We are now under double pressure, from the United States, which wants Europe to bend to the Big Tech law, and from the European Commission, which seems to be shaking when it comes to enforcing its own laws. Beyond the diplomatic issue, this is a worrying sign of a politicization of competition law. And if we submit our rules to foreign political dictates, then Europe will lose all its strength and it will lose what makes its strength, the European and sovereign rule of law. I want to welcome, Executive Vice President Ribera, your decision to sanction Google. Multi-recidivist, this GAFAM has been condemned several times already, and this time to nearly 3 billion euros for abuse of dominant position in online advertising. But it is not just a fine, it is proof that European law applies to everyone and without exception. But it will be necessary to go further, faster, to impose the divestment of part of Google's activities if necessary, and thus bring structural remedies to the height of the damage caused to the market. Commissioner, do not give in, resist all internal and external pressures and enforce the law, the whole law, just the law. The time has come to protect our businesses, our citizens and our media and our democracy, and it is time to build a truly independent European competition authority that can stand up to anyone, including the United States. Go ahead, act, go ahead, you have our support.

Mr President, Vice-President Virkkunen, is there still a pilot on the plane of our European digital sovereignty? Does anyone really hold the controls to avoid the digital Europe crash? Let me doubt that. Our ambitious regulations are now under attack from all sides, first and foremost internally. For the past six months, you at the Commission have been telling us that TikTok and X have violated the Digital Services Act (DSA). But when will you finally punish them? With regard to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), how much longer are we going to apologize for applying our own rules or selling them off against lower tariffs? You have just recalled the importance of DMA and DSA. Assume them, defend them, talk about them publicly. Where is the European leadership that made us a global reference to impose a fair digital space? Let us not forget the attacks from outside, with Donald Trump and the oligarchs of big tech companies dreaming of seeing our European model of fair competition fall. Today, Apple and Google are publicly trampling on DMA to continue killing competition. Tomorrow, it will be all the big tech companies that will try to re-establish the digital jungle to take over the whole European cake and crush our own companies. Give the European Commission the means, all the means, more means, speed, courage to act. Behind these rules are 450 million consumers, thousands of European businesses and small businesses that we need to protect and support. It is time to act, at the risk of Europe dying. Let's apply our rules, all our rules, just our rules, not the law of the strongest. With the digital omnibus, let’s simplify when necessary. Never at the cost of our principles. Never at the cost of our values. Never at the cost of our Europe.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in France a farmer commits suicide every two days. It is a cry of warning, a cry of despair to which we must respond. Our farmers can no longer: too many rules, too little income, too much injustice in trade negotiations. Of course, the texts we are voting on this week are a first response: more simplification, more protection, more recognition of work. But we still have many more battles to fight. As far as Mercosur and the United States are concerned, our trade agreements must not be made by sacrificing our agriculture, but by accompanying our threatened sectors. For the next CAP, the budget decrease of 20% is not acceptable. We are ready to commit ourselves to ensuring resources that meet our goal of food sovereignty. It is often said that our regions have talent. At home in Normandy, this talent tastes like milk, cider and seafood. So if you like them, you have to protect them. Because we are proud of our local production and the professionals who work hard to feed us, and it is for them that we have to fight.

Mr President, Commissioner McGrath, ladies and gentlemen, the OECD's latest deal was clear, yet: Multinationals have to pay where they make their profits. This is a matter of tax justice. But since Donald Trump's return, the global balance has wavered and multilateral negotiations have stalled. Europe can't keep lowering its head every time Trump raises his tone. Time is no longer about fear, but about courage and action. Taxing digital giants is not just about collecting money, it's also about digital sovereignty. Colleagues have already reminded us of this, but it must be said again. But that doesn't stop with the taxation of big tech companies. Trump defies all our digital rules. Rules that protect 450 million Europeans, and all businesses, all citizens, without exception. So Donald Trump's United States sees our regulations and values as attacks and responds with tariff blackmail. It can't last any longer. Big tech companies cannot continue to defy our laws, weaken our businesses and put our citizens at risk. If Trump wants to play cowboy, Europe must remember that here it is sheriff.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are returning from the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, where Europe led the way and assumed its role as the world's leading maritime space, but that was only the starting point and we must now move from the pact to action. For this, we first need a method to turn the overall strategy into local actions. The pact for the ocean must be rolled out in our coastal regions in consultation with the professionals of the sea, fishermen, scientists, all the actors on the front line of the ocean, these actors of our territories too often excluded from the international mass. The pact must, of course, also involve us, the Members of the European Parliament. From the ocean act to the blue omnibus, through fisheries policy or maritime spatial planning, we will be essential to build a powerful and coherent legislative pact that adopts a true general, transversal, holistic and inclusive vision. We therefore call on the Commission to present an action plan and a timetable for implementation in order to implement the commitments. Finally, in order to be credible, we must also match our ambitions. Without funding, the pact will be limited to a simple declaration of intent. That is why the pact must be supported by an ocean fund and dedicated objectives in the next multiannual budget. With the Pact for the Ocean, Europe is giving itself the means to become a true ocean union and we will be there to make it a reality, in particular to defend our fishermen and the people of the sea. So, Commissioner, we are counting on you and you can count on us.

Madam President, Executive Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, competition policy is our compass for keeping Europe's economy open, fair and innovative, but to remain on the world map, it must be modernised. Regardless of attacks across the Atlantic: I would remind you that in the digital world, the rules of the game must be clear and are not negotiable. Executive Vice President Ribera, don't shake, otherwise the same tech giants will devour our market and businesses in Europe, including in the artificial intelligence sector. Faced with global distortions, Europe must no longer be naive. Foreign subsidies weaken our businesses and distort competition; We must fight them firmly. At the same time, it is time to use state aid strategically to make our green transition a success. However, competition policy is not only an economic issue, it is also a lever for sovereignty. It must support the innovation and competitiveness of our strategic industries, including defence. A more proactive approach will allow us to strengthen our strategic autonomy. Competition is a lever for competitiveness and innovation, and for this the European Commission needs not only the right legal tools, but also the human resources needed to apply them effectively. A strong competition policy is a policy of power for Europe. So let's give him the means to act now and really.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, at the beginning of this week in Paris, an SOS was launched for the ocean. It is a signal to come to the rescue of the ocean, the blue lung of our planet that stands at the crossroads of many global rivalries. Europe will arm itself with a pact for the ocean, but this must not end up in a bottle at sea. We expect from the Pact this holistic, strategic and integrated vision that has always been lacking in our European maritime policies. We need a roadmap that will involve all actors at the same level. There will be no ocean pact without our fishermen, without our shellfish farmers, without our aquaculturists, without our scientists, without our marine professionals. On biodiversity, the blue economy or maritime security, this global pact must also be implemented at local level, while respecting our territories. With this pact, Europe must become the captain of the global ship that will launch from the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice next June. Ten years after the Paris climate agreement, it is high time to seal a Nice agreement to save the ocean and take action. We are counting on you, Commissioner, on President von der Leyen and on the Commission as a whole.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today 440 million European consumers rely on us to guarantee their rights in a changing market. Every day, Temu, Shein and others flood the market with cheap, often unsafe, non-compliant or counterfeit, and dangerous products. Meanwhile, on TikTok, we find apprentice influencers, sometimes teenagers from their rooms, who sell you financial investments or cosmetic surgery. While television advertising is framed, this online influence, sometimes very risky, escapes all control. At the same time, large platforms are perfecting manipulation techniques, deceptive interfaces, such as false countdowns, which create a sense of urgency to push to purchase, or infinite scrolling, designed to keep our children and ourselves taped to the screen. Result: Our choices are no longer ours. Europe has already laid down rules, but they need to be applied effectively and more needs to be done: protect consumers everywhere, all the time, in a digital market that knows no borders. Consumer protection is a concrete step forward for Europe, which we no longer even see, as long as we take it for granted. Let's not let digital create a no-go zone or second-class consumers. We therefore need to move forward on ambitious digital fairness legislation that protects consumers in the digital environment of the 21st century.

Madam President, Commissioner, in the United States, Donald Trump dreams of being the president of crypto. As a result, the cryptosphere is inflamed, a cryptocurrency created in its image and another dedicated to Melania, the bitcoin that flies and the resignation of the president of the American Financial Markets Authority. During this chaos, in Europe, we made a different choice: regulate to protect. With the MiCA Regulation, we laid the foundation for a secure cryptocurrency market, imposing robust measures against money laundering and terrorist financing, such as identity verification and reporting of suspicious activity. Because yes, cryptocurrencies have advantages. They offer new investment opportunities, encourage young people to come and invest, and provide vital support in the face of corrupt systems or in war zones, as for the Ukrainian diaspora. But they must not become a global jungle at the service of fraudsters and criminals. To those in Europe flirting with US bitcoin leaders: Do you know that their real goal is to bypass our official currencies, starting with the euro, and sabotage our monetary system in Europe? Funny sovereignists. As with artificial intelligence or minimum taxation, Europe must push for a global framework. Cryptocurrencies should not become an eldorado for cheaters, but a tool at the service of all 2.0 investors. Commissioner, take action now to adopt minimum global standards as soon as possible. It is about the sovereignty of Europe, the sovereignty of the euro and the protection of our fellow Europeans.

Madam President, the Digital Services Act (DSA) is an essential tool to ensure that our digital space remains a safe place. But its effectiveness is based on its strict application: that of our rules, that we, representing 450 million European citizens, have set, and which apply to all platforms that operate on our market, regardless of their nationality. Mr Musk and Mr Zuckerberg, who are blowing Donald Trump's ear to deregulate and who are threatening Europe with reprisals if it dares to sanction. Yes, everyone is free to think and express themselves freely, no matter what the European pseudo-sovereignists say, who confuse censorship with the fight against information manipulation. But when a platform becomes a tool of interference and hatred, it ceases to be a social network and becomes a political weapon. If some platforms do not want to hear it, then it is their responsibility. Their algorithms can no longer be black boxes to amplify disinformation or polarization. Enforcing the DSA means protecting our European values, the diversity of our opinions and, precisely, our European sovereignty. This is a clear signal: In Europe, citizens’ rights outweigh the interests of a handful of digital oligarchs. So, Vice-President of the European Commission, don’t have your hand shaking: enforce the law, the whole law, just the law.

Mr President, Commissioner, the Romanian presidential election highlighted a serious danger for our democracies: the meteoric rise of a candidate chosen by a foreign power, Russia, whose candidacy was stimulated by the algorithms of online platforms. False accounts, hidden political influencers, manipulation campaigns: Romanian citizens have been fed continuously by shadow influencers who manipulate information and opinion. Election manipulation, even 2.0, is not a technological innovation: it is a direct attack on our democracies. These practices show a blatant disregard for EU rules and an inability to ensure the transparency that the DSA requires. Great power implies great responsibilities, and when a platform becomes a tool for interference, it ceases to be a social network and becomes a political weapon – and that cannot be accepted. The integrity of our democracies is at stake. TikTok cannot wash its hands. Europe is not a playground for merchants of chaos, and I look forward to the results of the investigation launched by the European Commission today to act and sanction TikTok to the extent of the harm.

Madam President, Commissioner, in order to become more competitive, we must allow our European businesses to innovate. But if public money is scarce and banks don't finance risk, who can our companies turn to? The financial markets, yes, but which ones? Today, Europe is not up to the task. Our nuggets have no choice but to finance themselves across the Atlantic: the United States invests on average six times more in start-ups than in Europe. To guarantee our strategic autonomy, our continent must regain control of key sectors such as technology and defence. So it's time to move up a gear. This means, first of all, more targeted and substantial public investment. Let us empower the European Investment Fund to do more and do better. It financed more than 350 000 SMEs in 2023 and will make available a fund to finance European tech champions. It is also necessary to stimulate private investment by creating a European capital market. Let's remove obstacles for SMEs with simpler and less burdensome rules, let's make Europe a breeding ground for innovation. Only by unlocking our potential will we create European innovation superstars.

Mr President, Commissioner, today we know that Putin's Russia is circumventing international sanctions and is involved in money laundering practices and financing activities that threaten our values and our collective security. In the face of opaque financial maneuvers and malicious interference by the Kremlin, we must act decisively. It is not only a question of financial security, it is a question of sovereignty and justice. We cannot tolerate Russia using our loopholes to launder dirty money, fueling criminal networks, pedophiles and terrorist groups, thus directly threatening our democracies. We have the opportunity to say stop! Stop illicit funds polluting our economies. Stop the financing of criminal networks at the gates of our Union. Let us protect our citizens, defend the integrity of our financial system and show that Europe is neither complicit nor helpless. I say it clearly: The European Union will never be a safe haven for Vladimir Putin's dirty money. The Commission must therefore put Russia on the EU list of high-risk third countries as soon as possible.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, more than two hundred: it is the number of European texts that have been adopted in the last five years. More than two hundred. While the EU wanted to protect its actors through regulation, this approach was ultimately quite counterproductive. Today, this regulatory millefeuille is heavy and very indigestible for Europeans. For SMEs, which represent 99% of European businesses, the administrative burden is an obstacle to their development and innovation, and for citizens, too much information kills information. They cannot be asked to read a hundred pages before every financial decision. Europe needs to change course. We must inject it with a dose of competitiveness, with simpler, clearer, more appropriate rules – and the solutions are already there. It is about taking action. First, by reducing the administrative burden by 25% to the benefit of Europeans, and then by requiring the European Commission to effectively apply the following rule: "A piece of legislation adopted, a piece of legislation deleted." Less paperwork, more simplification: This is how we will unleash our European competitiveness and concretely implement the Draghi and Letta reports.

Mr President, Commissioner, in order to build a competitive and fairer Europe, our businesses and citizens must be subject to the same rules of the game. However, today, at the international level, tax rules are biased in favour of the richest, because if they escape tax thanks to a more favourable regime or through tax evasion, it is the tax of households that fills the coffers of the State. Yet everyone has to pay their fair share. To restore social justice, the solution is simple: We need to change the rules of the game at the international level. How? By supporting the work of the G20 to finance a minimum income tax for the wealthiest. Taxing billionaires at a minimum of 2% would bring in up to $250 billion a year globally. At a time when Europe is seeking at least 800 billion euros annually to finance itself, the stakes could not be higher. So it's time to act. We have already done this with multinationals. So what are we waiting for to do it with the greatest patrimony?

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, at a time when all European citizens are calling for more tax justice, I am delighted that the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in favour of the European Commission. The European Commission – you know, Brussels, as some call it – well, it was the Commission that asked Ireland to recover EUR 13 billion from Apple. These 13 billion euros are tax advantages granted to the apple company which is worth 3 trillion on the stock market and which were in fact only illegal state aid. A violation of our rules which must ensure fair and equitable conditions between our Member States. Europe, which some describe as the champion of unbridled liberalism, is in fact hissing the end of unfair tax competition. Large corporations are not above our laws, even when it comes to taxes. This is a crucial judgment that shows that tax justice will not be at the expense of our single market, nor on the backs of European taxpayers, so I extend my congratulations to Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager and her teams.

Madam President, EUR 800 billion a year is the sum that Europe needs to finance itself, according to Mario Draghi. If today we have set ambitious European targets, the European Union's vital prognosis is on track. The pockets of the states are empty and we lack money. Mobilising private money will be key to ensuring a green, digital and secure Europe. How? By creating a real European financial market, this "savings and investment union", a necessity if we want to place Europe as a real competitor against the United States. Our role in the European Parliament is twofold. First, to rethink and simplify our rules so that our companies invest more, and also invest in us in Europe. Secondly, to make investment more attractive to citizens. If Europeans are known to save their money, they would have everything to gain by investing a small part of it. Creating a long-term European savings product would allow Europeans to access a better pension and become actors in financing transitions. We all share the diagnosis or almost, except the Eurosceptics, so it is time to act. Let us create a "Savings and Investment Union" to inject a good deal of competitiveness into Europe.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a week ago Elon Musk, the American billionaire and owner of X, called on Europe to get rid of itself, and I quote: "unnecessary rules". He was necessarily talking about the Digital Services Act, the DSA, which he felt was so complicated to comply with. Because yes, Mr. Musk, the DSA is like the Chernobyl cloud: It does not stop at the borders of Europe. The obligation to combat the pollution of hateful content has no borders. One year after the application of the DSA, which must make illegal online what is already illegal offline, it is unacceptable to see platforms used every day by millions of citizens thriving, amplifying content that fuels hatred, manipulation and radicalisation. This is true for the conflict in the Middle East, the US elections or this summer's demonstrations in the UK. Faced with a baroque alliance of American libertarians allied to patriots who have only the name, Europe must resist to implement this "dangerous" regulation of the online digital space. And to all those who doubt, those who cry conspiracy, I ask them: Ask yourself. Would you like your children to see this kind of content on billboards on the streets when they go to school?