Debate contributions by Gheorghe FALCĂ

Madam President, dear colleagues, as rapporteur from the Committee on Transport and Tourism for the 2026 budget, I am interested in transport capacity and increased logistical capacity for the better functioning of the internal market, but also for the support of poor and peripheral regions. At the same time, I am interested in European security and I appreciate the fact that the European Commission has increased in the 2028-2034 multiannual budget by 10 times the value of military mobility, which is why it must also increase from 2026, to be a steady increase. At the same time, I want the TEN-T infrastructure to have a dual role, that of civil utility and military utility for all segments of investment. In order to increase European security, we call for the creation of three maritime security centres in the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, to ensure monitoring, coordinated response and, under the leadership of the European Union and NATO, to provide us with very good security for our area.

Madam President, dear colleagues, I welcome this important report and congratulate my fellow rapporteurs on their professionalism and balance. It was a joint effort that shows that we can build development support together in Europe in times of crisis. The Recovery and Resilience Facility was and is intended to be a success story, but it is precisely to protect success that we need realism. As a person who worked for 19 years in the local administration, I know what it means to implement European funds. That is why I strongly support the proposal to extend the implementation period of mature projects by 18 months. And yes, we need more clarity, objectivity and transparency from the Commission. Finally, I welcome the possibility of creating a performance-based post-2026 prioritisation system that allows projects to be completed through other instruments. We need, with the contribution of this Parliament, a solid strategy for public investment after 2026, including in defence, but without sacrificing resources for health, education and cohesion.

Mr President, dear colleagues, the discharge process is not a mere formality. This is how we reaffirm the fundamental principle of our Union: responsibility towards citizens and public money. We have a duty to ensure that every euro in the European budget is built transparently, legally and with real impact. In particular, we need to focus on investment in military transport and mobility infrastructure, a strategic pillar for the functioning of the single market and the security of the Union. Extending the TEN-T network is not just an economic project, it is an investment in our collective resilience. In an unstable geopolitical context, Europe’s defence capacity cannot be delayed without a solid and integrated logistical base. We therefore call on the Commission to continue to improve the control and audit mechanism so that the funds allocated are used efficiently, without systematic errors. We have a historic responsibility. Transparency and efficiency are not optional, they are the foundation of our credibility.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Union is experiencing a period of accelerated economic transition, marked by digitalisation, automation and the green transition. These changes are not only challenges, and they are many and real, but also opportunities. So if we invest smartly in education and training, we can have an increase in skills in our society. What do we propose? 1. A much stronger and more direct link between education and business. Companies must be actively involved in defining curricula, in order for the training to be real and applicable, and this can only start from the bottom up, from the local level to the national one and then to the European one. 2. Support for entrepreneurs and SMEs in vocational education and training. My vision is that of an education based on the real needs identified on the ground by companies and employees. I worked 19 years in the local public administration, I saw what the role of universities, high schools, dual vocational schools means. We've taken over a city with 39,000 jobs. In 10 years we have reached 90 000 jobs, unemployment below 1%. That is why, if we want an innovative and competitive Europe, we must offer freedom and support to those who know the reality on the ground. This means modern and entrepreneurial education. That's what the future is all about.

Mr President, Commissioner, the Draghi report has shown us how vulnerable we are in terms of energy. This is why we need solidarity, but also a global strategy. In the face of the energy crisis generated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is imperative to work together, to support each other, especially between the states to the west and east of the European Union. Romania, a country on the border with Ukraine, has made and is making considerable efforts to support not only Ukraine, but also the Republic of Moldova, providing energy and logistical support. So far we have borne these costs alone. It is time to correct this situation. It is time to work in solidarity. It is not normal for the eastern states, which are at the forefront of this conflict and the most exposed, to pay a higher price for energy than the western states, and the price is even double. That is why it is time to support prosumers, to trust in nuclear energy, to let go of hydropower production, to interconnect the West with the East, to show solidarity.