Speeches

Mr. Speaker, my friends, every week the financial markets break new records. In both Paris and Frankfurt, money is flowing. Last year, more than 100 billion was distributed to shareholders by the CAC 40 in France – 100 billion is 40% more in four years. But, in all our countries, citizens can no longer cope with soaring prices and cuts in public budgets. There is no money for farmers, no money for hospitals, no money for education, no money for the climate, while the number of billionaires has tripled in a few years. It’s obscene, and millions of us are telling ourselves that. When I was a kid, the average income tax rate was 50% in Europe. From 50%, it fell to only 19%. Does this benefit investment and employment? No, of course. Germany is in recession, and France is almost in recession. My friends, it is urgent to stop this race at least so-called fiscal and social. It is urgent to make those who never pay pay pay pay. You have to choose: Is Europe at the service of billionaires and bankers, or is Europe at the service of the common good? It is up to us to decide, in the European elections on 9 June.

Mr President, my friends, Yitzhak Rabin was right: we must fight terrorists as if the peace process did not exist, but we must continue to build peace as if there were no terrorists. Yitzhak Rabin, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces who became the Nobel Peace Prize, was right: We must act, act forcefully to fight terrorists, but we must continue to act so forcefully to build peace. Thirty years after the Oslo Accords, which were aroused and negotiated through Europe, there is an urgent need for our Union to take a new initiative to ensure security and peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people. Europe must do everything possible to secure the release of all hostages, but it must also impose a ceasefire on Netanyahu. Yes, a ceasefire. Adding deaths to deaths, adding hatred to hatred will in no way improve security, neither in Israel nor in our countries. On the contrary. My friends, this is a picture of a child who died on the other side of the Mediterranean. Was he Palestinian? Israeli? He was a child. He was only a child who wanted to live, play, laugh with friends and family. It is time to listen to what the mothers of Israel and Palestine are telling us. We do not want hatred to prevail. We want peace. It is time to listen to these mothers. We need a ceasefire. The ceasefire is urgent and indispensable, but it will not be enough. There have already been dozens of ceasefires since 1948, which are still too short-lived. To prevent the horror from happening again, to stop the terrorist drift, we need to go beyond a ceasefire, we need to address the root causes of the conflict. With the United States and Arab countries willing, Europe must organise a peace conference and engage politically to implement the two-state solution called for by the UN since 1967. Europe must also make a financial commitment, because without the Marshall Plan, without the billions that the US gave to France and Germany after 1948, it would probably never have been able to break with the war. To break with the logics of terrorism, to break with the logics of hatred, to avoid a flare-up in the Middle East and in our countries, Europe must take a very strong initiative – a peace conference – and commit itself to it politically and financially.

Madam President, my friends, in Manipur in north-eastern India, violence has left more than 120 people dead in the last two months. 120 dead. 1,700 houses were destroyed. 250 churches were destroyed. Not one or two churches, 250 churches were destroyed. And 40,000 people are displaced because they fled the violence to save their lives. This is absolutely dramatic and the Indian government is doing nothing to stop this violence. Since coming to power in 2014, Prime Minister Modi has been implementing a Hindu national ideology, the consequences of which are increasingly dramatic for those who are part of a religious minority, but also for many journalists, for many of those fighting for fundamental rights. However, when he comes to Western countries, Mr Modi presents himself as the heir of Mahatma Gandhi. The great soul we all admire. It takes time for meditation. He asked for a world day of yoga. When he comes to the West, he seems a gentle and benevolent man. But in India, millions of Muslims and Christians suffer martyrdom because the government does not respect any of their fundamental freedoms. The situation is very serious. And that is why, tomorrow, the European Parliament wants to vote on this resolution, a resolution supported by five groups, a very broad gathering. A very clear resolution that denounces Mr Modi's nationalist discourse. A resolution calling on the government to respect the fundamental freedoms, freedom of expression and religious freedoms of each and every citizen. A resolution calling for an immediate end to the violence and for humanitarian aid, observers and journalists to be allowed wherever necessary. We call on the Indian government to accept democratic functioning, not to criminalise those who criticise the government, it is the game of democracy. It can also be seen that the number of NGOs that can work in India has been divided by three in a few years. The government is trying to suffocate civil society. That is why the European Parliament is calling on the Indian government to leave oxygen and space for democracy. My friends, there is no economic development without democracy. This is why our Parliament calls for the full integration of respect for human rights into the EU-India partnership, including in trade relations. It is marked black on white in our text. We insist that the issue of human rights is not put under the carpet when one or another of our leaders goes to India. We demand that all our leaders speak systematically and publicly about respect for human rights during their visit. No one is proposing to break off relations with India. India was once a very large democracy. It needs to become a real democracy again. That is why we propose a regular dialogue between this Parliament and the Indian Parliament.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, millions of people in all our countries are suffering from soaring prices. There are bakers who put the key under the door. There are thousands of families who have to choose between heating up normally or eating normally. For many, the situation is really dramatic and there are companies that relocate to the United States because energy is cheaper there and because Joe Biden gives massive subsidies. Other emergency: To fight climate change, we must isolate all our homes, invest in public transport, help our farmers. To respond at the same time to the social crisis and the climate crisis, it takes budget, much more budget. This is why the European Parliament is calling for a decision to finally create a tax on speculation before the end of June 2023. This is the request of the whole Parliament, for a simple reason: the financial transaction tax is the only solution, the only financing proposal mature enough to reach an agreement in the coming weeks. And it is the one that can earn the most, up to 57 billion a year. Today, only France blocks enhanced cooperation. That is why, from this Parliament, I want to call on Mr Macron. Mr Macron, you say that you want a more ambitious European budget. You say climate is your priority. Please finally accept a tax on speculation.

I go on to say: My friends, it is not necessary to have unanimity, it only takes enhanced cooperation to create the speculative tax, which would give 57 billion every year and allow us to avoid social chaos and climate chaos. So I do not know what is expected.

Madam President, dear friends, we are facing two crises that can have catastrophic consequences if our policies and budget, our MFF, are not up to par. The first crisis is the spike in prices linked to the war in Ukraine. Tonight, millions of citizens are going to be cold on their way home. Millions of our friends will be cold. Millions of women and men have to choose every day between heating the house normally and shopping normally to feed the family. If the energy price stays too high for too long, there is a risk of catastrophic relocations. The other crisis is climate change. In 2022, heatwaves, fires, wildfires and floods claimed tens of thousands of lives around the world. The common feature of both crises is the need for money and budget. To address the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the US has put $400 billion in subsidies on the table for the Inflation Reduction Act. And could we not do the same, to help all families and businesses that need it and to finally finance Europe’s strategic autonomy? Many countries do not agree with a European plan and block by saying that we do not know how to reimburse Next Generation, the plan we adopted to deal with COVID-19. Good news, the European Parliament proposes solutions for the three problems: If we finally create the speculative tax, which Parliament has been calling for for years, we could have $57 billion every year. If you have 57 billion each year, you can repay Next Generation – 12 billion each year for 30 years. You can finance a plan to fight inflation and you can finance a climate plan – 37 billion each year. My friends, it is urgent to fix the tax on speculation. (The President interrupted the speaker)

Madam President, dear friends, dear colleagues, when I arrived at the European Parliament today, I was outraged by the weight of the lobbies, who succeeded in corrupting some of our colleagues. Shame on them! However, when I left the climate summit, I was outraged by the weight of the oil lobbies, who obtained that there was not a word, not a line on the end of the new oil drilling. Frans Timmermans said: The only important step forward of this COP is a new fund to help the countries most affected by climate disasters. This is a very important step forward, and Europe has come a long way in this direction. But there is a risk of a deep break between the countries of the North and the countries of the South if this remains a new promise and if there is no money. Vulnerable countries can no longer promise, they want action. Good news: Parliament has been proposing solutions for three years, including a small 0.1% tax on speculation, which could bring in €57 billion every year. Just after the COP, I was able to meet António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, and María Fernanda Espinosa, the former President of the UN General Assembly, who told me: “This tax is not a financing solution, it is a reconciliation solution between North and South.” Yes, a reconciliation solution. So, to avoid chaos, it is urgent to create this tax and have an agreement before the next COP.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, dear Elisa Ferreira, this summer we went on the ground with Katalin, with Marie, with Malta. We spent nine days in Uganda and we saw and heard from people who witnessed gross human rights violations. I am still very upset about that. We have seen and heard from peasant families who have not been able to use their land normally for four years, but who have not received the money Total had to give them. And if parents don’t have money, children can’t go to school. Older people do not have access to health. And if there is no money for all children, we will send boys rather than girls, and that increases discrimination. The urgent resolution we worked on with Tomáš, whom I thank, together with Katalin and Malta, whom I also thank, and their teams, this resolution that we are going to vote on tomorrow concerns more than 100 000 people in their daily lives. Today, 100,000 people are suffering, many of them, and potentially more than 40 million others, who would have serious problems with access to water if this EACOP pipeline were to break due to earthquakes or other reasons. And those who fight there do so with incredible courage. It's unbelievable. And I am proud that our Parliament has come together today to make their voices heard. Sometimes we are divided, as in all parliaments. But Tomáš, as you said, today we are gathered to bring the voices of those who are suffering and who want to fight for human dignity. We can be proud that our Parliament, in its resolution, has the voice of Yosh, the very respected old gentleman in his village, who spent more than 50 days in prison without any valid reason, just because he wanted to assert the rights of the peasants in his village. We can be proud to bring the voice of Frédéric, Fred, who was one of the peasants who came to testify in Paris before the courts. His only problem is that he testified before the French courts. And when he came back, he said in front of us MPs, in front of the cameras, he said: I'm hiding. Because of Total, I hide with my family. His wife was feeding their baby. I'm hiding with my family because of Total. When I returned from France where I had testified, someone called me and said ‘If you win your case, you will be killed’. If you win your case, we'll kill you. Ladies and gentlemen, it is essential that this resolution be voted on and tomorrow we can call on those in Uganda and Tanzania to say that Parliament is united in fighting with them and with them for fundamental rights and for the future of the planet.

Mr President, good morning, ladies and gentlemen, good morning, Mr Vice-President of the European Commission. The European Parliament will approve today these two complementary budgets. Budget 5, which allows humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees living in Turkey, and Budget 6, which will buy 200 million doses of vaccine to help countries in the South fight the scourge of COVID. Parliament approves these two budgets, of course, but we are very, very worried about what will happen next, because in order to finance these two budgets, we had to scrape all the funds from the drawers available. There is no room for manoeuvre for the next six years of the Multiannual Framework negotiated just one year ago. To finance these two budgets, we have exhausted all the resources available to deal with unexpected crises. Both crises were expected. We knew a year ago that there were 2 million Syrian refugees who needed help. We knew a year ago that there was a virus that killed hundreds of thousands of people and that vaccine doses would have to be funded. We knew that and did not anticipate anything. When we see what is happening in Kabul, Taiwan or elsewhere, are we sure that in the next six years there will be no need for help for new refugees? When we see the new epidemic wave that is hitting all our countries, are we sure that, for six years, there will be no need to finance new doses of vaccine? When we see the worsening climate change, are we sure that there will be no need for massive aid to help this or that population hit by this or that disaster? Again, it is very worrying to have exhausted all the room for manoeuvre foreseen for seven years already in the first year. This is not serious. This is why the European Parliament urges the Council of Heads of State and the Commission to immediately resume negotiations to raise the ceiling for Heading 6 and to make progress on new own resources. We all know that negotiations must start soon to allow for the creation of the Social Climate Fund announced by the Commission in July. We all know that the financing of the recovery plan is completely to be found. Parliament therefore solemnly and urgently calls on the Council to negotiate on the creation of new own resources that increase our capacity to act without taxing Mr and Mrs Tout-le-Monde. Mr President, Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, we are all aware of the climate emergency. Last summer, there were 700 deaths in Canada due to the heatwave. There were 200 deaths in Belgium, Germany, due to flooding. To avoid the chaos that comes, we must avoid the blabla. It is time to declare war on climate change and precariousness. Yes, declare war! It is the only war that will not cause any casualties and will save millions of lives. It is the only war that can bring people together instead of opposing them. But the nerve of war is money. And if we don't have money, we stay in the blabla. And now I have bad news, I just said it: At the moment, we have no money. If inflation is taken into account, the 2022 budget will be smaller than the 2019 budget. And to finance supplementary budgets 5 and 6, all the room for manoeuvre available for the next six years has just been destroyed. So if we do not find new resources very quickly, within a year or two, when there is a new crisis – refugee crisis, climate crisis, health crisis – every time we look for money, we will have to say ‘sorry’. Sorry, but Europe is dry. Sorry, we have no money. Is that what we want? My friends, solutions exist. A year ago, on 13 November, Parliament approved a report – I will give it back to you, Mr Vice-President – proposing solutions to finance a real climate plan. Five solutions have been put forward and, among them, the most effective solution – one of the most efficient in terms of volume and the most mature – is the taxation of speculation, which could bring in up to 57 billion per year – 57 billion per year! And three weeks later, in the multi-annual budget package, the European Commission added ten lines, validated our analysis and stated that it was desirable to reach an agreement on the financial transaction tax before the end of 2022. A year ago, the European Commission said: “It is desirable to reach an agreement on the FTT before the end of 2022”. A year later, the financial markets are at an unprecedented level, but trading is blocked – by France, alas! My friends, what shall we say to our children? We leave you an unlivable world because we did not have the courage to tax speculation? We let the climate go bad because we didn’t want to oppose a few billionaires? Our children will hate us and they will be right. My friends, let's wake up!

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, the Committee on Budgets voted unanimously, with four abstentions, on the draft amending budget to effectively implement this post-Brexit adjustment reserve. This reservation, Pascal has just explained, will make it possible to help very concretely all our citizens and all small businesses that are affected by the consequences of Brexit. Thank you to all those who negotiated this agreement. It was complicated, but Pascal said the main thing, it’s a good deal. I will not add much and we have no problem supporting it. But after Brexit, what plans to relaunch Europe? What are the plans to bring Europe together and relaunch it? Will Europe empower itself to succeed in the post-Brexit era, to succeed in the European Green Deal? 75% of young Europeans find the future frightening. It is a survey that has been published today in several European countries. 75% of young people find the future frightening. Because of climate change, 56% believe that humanity is doomed. 39% of young people in our countries are reluctant to have children. They are right to worry. We are European leaders, will we finally meet their expectations? We know that there are solutions, concrete and credible solutions, and I will come back to that. But what are we waiting for to implement them? More than 700 deaths this summer in the heatwaves in Canada. Dozens of deaths in floods in New York and its region. We've all seen these horror scenes in New York. More than 200 deaths in Belgium and Germany due to floods, monstrous forest fires in Turkey, Algeria, California, Greece. This summer again, climate change has caused hundreds and hundreds of deaths, tens and tens of thousands of victims. And the report that IPCC climate scientists have just published shows that these deadly extreme climate events are going to be more and more frequent, more and more numerous, more and more serious in their human and economic consequences. And the IPCC shows that we are only a few years old. There is still room for success in the European Green Deal. It is still possible to win the climate battle, but we only have a few years left to do so. Ten days ago, together with other Members, I asked for the IPCC leaders to be heard in plenary by our Parliament. I regret that for the moment no date has been set for this dialogue with IPCC climate scientists, which could be very important. Yesterday, the World Bank announced 200 million climate refugees, 200 million climate refugees by 2050. We are not able to break the CO2 and methane curve. The World Bank, which announces these terrifying figures. Let us look at the faces of 200 million men and women, young and old, who will have to leave the region where they were born in order not to die. So what are we waiting for? To avoid chaos, yes, the Green Deal can be the big project to rebuild Europe after Brexit. But we must give ourselves the means to win the battle. And to do that, we must act much more radically, act much more ambitiously, at least in two areas: the area of regulation and the area of funding. On regulatory issues: You may have read the report published by the International Energy Agency – 400 pages – on 18 May 2021. The International Energy Agency calls for an immediate halt to all new oil and gas exploration projects. The International Energy Agency calls for an immediate halt to all new oil and gas exploration projects. It is feasible, it is urgent, it is the International Energy Agency that tells us. And unfortunately, in the latest proposals of the European Commission for the climate plan, there is no line on this absolutely fundamental issue. To win the battle for climate and jobs, billions would have to be put into isolating homes, using public transport or developing renewable energy. 5 million jobs can be created in Europe with a real Green Deal. Last November, our Parliament voted on concrete solutions to finance the European Green Deal. We're not going to ask every family to find 40,000 euros to isolate their home. We are not going to ask every SME to finance the transformation work. Hundreds of billions of aid are needed. The European Parliament voted on five proposals. The most ambitious, the fastest to put in place, is a small tax on speculation. I'll remind you of the numbers. Despite Brexit and the economic crisis, the speculative tax would bring in $60 billion every year. We all voted on this last November. We can also create a tax on billionaires. The newspaper Forbes It tells us that the number of billionaires has tripled in ten years and that, since the virus hits, in one year, the 20 richest billionaires have earned 600 billion more. We can probably ask them to make an effort. Unfortunately, last week, in hearing the European Commissioner responsible for the budget, we all understood that all these negotiations to find new resources have completely stalled. This or that Head of State had blocked the negotiation in order to please the banking lobby. In France, it is the same people who told us in July that there is no money for a real climate law and the same people who block negotiations at European level to tax speculation. This double discourse becomes unbearable. My friends, I think there is something obscene about telling us that there is no money for the climate, no money for jobs, no money for health, when financial markets have never been at such high levels and a small tax would bring in $60 billion a year. It's time to get back together. We are facing a vital emergency. This is a vital emergency. Making a success of the climate plan, making a success of the Green Deal is not just another project. Our children will hate us if we stick to hollow speeches. Our children will no longer want to talk to us, our children will throw stones at us and they will be right. My friends, it's time to react. 56% of young people believe that humanity is doomed. 75% of young people, of our young people, of our children, see the future as frightening. It's time to blame them. It is time to show that hope is possible and it is time to change the game. In 1950, it took Adenauer and Schuman two weeks to create the Coal and Steel Union. Now is the time to create a climate and employment union. This is urgent. Let's go!