Speeches

Madam President, many things have changed in recent years in the countries of the Middle East. It has gone unnoticed, but do you know who accompanied the emir of Qatar on the front line during the inauguration of the World Cup? Well, it was Mohamed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia, and not two years ago only that Saudi Arabia was leading the largest known blockade in the region against Qatar. The Abraham Accords have brought the Arab and Jewish world closer together than ever before. And those who have not signed those agreements hold weekly negotiations with Israel. In just two years we already see spectacular results, so imagine if Parliament supported them and spread to the rest of the Arab countries. We are talking about a real paradigm shift in the region. The Middle East is changing. A new window of opportunity for stability opens. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel, Morocco, Egypt: They all know it. And the European Parliament should really facilitate that change. So, if we really want stability in the region, the European Union must accompany, support and push forward. The future of Yemen, Syria or Palestine is to achieve cooperation between all the countries of the Middle East and that is where they have to find us: supporting them.

Mr President, Commissioner, this debate comes at the very moment when thousands of petrol stations in France are totally undersupplied due to a strike that threatens to paralyse the country. And what shows, once again, is the enormous dependence on fuels. When there is no affordable and reasonably priced fuel, our economies shrink and social tension increases. That is why, ladies and gentlemen, we should ask ourselves two questions. One: Is Europe ready to give up fossil fuels altogether today? Clearly not. And two: Should Europe develop a large-scale alternative fuels market to complement supply and replace oil in the future? Of course I do. But that market isn't created overnight and electrifying our fleet isn't either. Therefore, we must stop looking for culprits and find solutions. We need investment, we need legal certainty and we need time. For this very reason, ladies and gentlemen, let us act with prudence or else we shall be left alone. We will be left alone and, what is worse, who we will be affecting, and in the first instance, it will be our citizens, and we should supposedly worry about them. In addition, those who would suffer the most would be those who have the least economic capacity, and that is not fair. So, ladies and gentlemen, let us act prudently and surely we will act well.

Madam President, Commissioner, today we are defending the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. Today we defend Bishop Rolando Álvarez, Assistant Silvio Báez, the Sisters of Charity of St. Teresa of Calcutta and the thousands of anonymous priests who are only trying to give hope to a people whose dictator wants to steal. Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have persecuted, imprisoned and expelled all political dissent in Nicaragua and now want to subjugate the Catholic Church. This is what we are talking about today. We speak before the blackest summer in the history of the Church in Nicaragua. Unfortunately, today, once again, for the second time in less than six months, we denounce a ruinous and petty fact that only dictators of the Ortega type are able to overcome: to put an end to the last loophole of freedom for human beings, to put an end to our dignity. The persecution of the Catholic Church has continued to grow in recent years and this is the first time that we have seen a majority church in a country fall victim to repression in the eyes of the entire international community. The Church of Nicaragua is the last institution standing and with legitimacy to oppose the totalitarian project of dictators, as is the case of Ortega and Murillo. That is why, ladies and gentlemen, the resolution that the plenary must approve cannot remain exclusively a denunciation against the repression of the Church. It's not just that. Bishop Alvarez represents much more. It represents a people subject to the designs of a dictator. And for that reason, all those whom Daniel Ortega has taken away his voice will speak today through this Resolution.

Thank you so much for your question. Well, let’s talk about some figures. You don’t say that only 2% of CO2 emissions are because of the aviation sector. And we have to allow that the industry can rise to that goal. If we are doing alone without counting with that industry, we’ll be alone and it will be possible to democratise, obviously, this situation. Not only the use of the flight – the aviation sector is not only for tourism, it’s as well for business, it works for small and medium companies to allow them to show their products. It’s as well for healthy situation. Therefore, many questions ... don’t do populism with that, use the right figures – only 2% of CO2 emissions are due to the aviation sector.

Mr President, the price of a flight between Frankfurt and Palma de Mallorca on 1 August is already over €400. There are several causes, undoubtedly: the international situation and the increase in prices of changes, which increases the cost and a lot. In 2022, a quarter of the cost of total operations is due to fuels. Given this situation, we could probably think that fuel prices would promote the industry to do its best in that regard. As we say in Spain, they forcibly hang. It's a matter of life and death. But I believe that we have the opportunity to make the necessary virtue and develop a European market for sustainable, competitive, affordable and also accessible fuels. And let's not do it out of legal imperative. Let's also do it hand in hand with the sector. In that sense, we need public-private collaboration, we need incentives, we need investments and we also need flexibility so that we give industry – not criminalise it in the first place – the resources and time to be able to do so. In short, otherwise, if we do not do any of that, the increase in prices will multiply and we will do the opposite of what we want, which is the no, in this case, democratization of flights. Finally, I would like to thank and congratulate my colleague Søren Gade, the rapporteur, for his excellent work, precisely in that regard. (The speaker agreed to respond to an intervention under the "blue card" procedure)

Madam President, Mr Vice-President Timmermans, this is not a debate on environmental protection or sustainability, because we all agree on that. This debate is about whether their measures improve the quality of life of our Europeans or whether they will lead to economic and social ruin. And I'm sorry to tell you that, outside of this bubble, our industry is dying. And, with a war, much more. You know perfectly well that this legislative package was created in the offices with the sole purpose of generating slogans on Twitter, ignoring that, behind the decisions that are made here daily, the lives of thousands of citizens who can close their companies are at stake, who can lose their jobs because for some it is simply more important to put a green sign behind each of the legislative packages that this Commission approves. You know perfectly well, too, that many of our companies are not able to adapt, but not because they cannot, but because technologically it is unfeasible. They can't. And I could give you many examples, but one is bleeding: the case of the port of Algeciras, in Spain, which is wounded to death simply because the decisions that are going to be made here are not based on technique or scientific evidence. That is precisely why, ladies and gentlemen, we must bear in mind that our decisions are extremely important and that not a single hashtag Not a Twitter slogan can be worth more than our own industry.

Mr President, Commissioner, it is clear that Putin's war is not only being waged in Ukraine and that the European Union has more than enough mechanisms to further weaken the Moscow regime: sanctions, sanctions and more sanctions. But we must not forget that all this has a cost and that it can place us on the edge of the economic abyss and also suppose the collapse of our own energy system. Sanctions, which are absolutely necessary, have consequences for our logistics network, for our supply chain and for our transport. Every day they increase more and more the price of fuel and gas, in an exorbitant way. Ladies and gentlemen, let us put an end once and for all to dependence on Russian gas and oil, but let us also prepare for the storage of that gas and oil in the medium and long term, especially in the winter. For this there is a solution, a viable alternative solution, 100% European and strategic, which also counteracts Putin's supply cuts and allows us to end our dependence on Russian gas. That solution is Spain. Spain has a gas and oil storage capacity unique in Europe, gas and regasification, capable of importing liquefied natural gas from any other market and becoming the gateway for gas to Europe. It has six unique gas plants in Europe. However, there is a bottleneck: the lack of connection beyond the Pyrenees in what is the European Central Connection System. What is needed is called the "Midcat Project". Ladies and gentlemen, political will is needed in times of crisis, and just as we call for sanctions, which are absolutely necessary, we cannot dare to ask European citizens for unnecessary sacrifices, especially if we have not done everything humanly possible to make that happen. Ladies and gentlemen, we have not yet tried everything in this case. Precisely that opportunity for Spain and for Europe is the Midcat project. Ladies and gentlemen, we can no longer blame others. It depends on the political will and it depends on us.

Mr. President, the infamy of which Vladimir Putin is capable knows no bounds. The Russian army has targeted the Ukrainian civilian population and its artillery fires indiscriminately at humanitarian corridors. To such an extent comes the cruelty, that the Red Cross discovered, yesterday, that the evacuation routes from the city of Mariupol were full of mines. Attacking civilians is simply a matter of war crime and the European Union must ensure that those who commit these heinous acts sit in court one day precisely to be tried. But, until that day comes, we must help Ukrainian civilians defend themselves. That is why it is absolutely outrageous that, to this day, there are still Members here, in this House, who oppose helping Ukraine with weapons. Ladies and gentlemen, let us not be cowards with words, but courageous with deeds and give Ukrainians the weapons they need to defend themselves. Oh, oh, oSlava Ukraini!

Mr President, Commissioner, in exceptional situations, exceptional solutions. That is what many of us defended when we launched the COVID certificate with a single objective: re-establishing mobility in Europe after months of paralysis and closed borders. Even so, many Member States and many European regions have made inappropriate use of the COVID certificate. Some governments, for example, have put in place absurd restrictions on the pretext that, if the European Union approves the certificate, from here on, any measure is valid and useful. Fortunately, after many months of uncertainty, today we can say that the epidemiological situation has changed, for the better, substantially. We must therefore adapt to a scenario that is evolving favourably and in which exceptional measures, such as the COVID certificate, should not be prolonged beyond what is strictly necessary. So, after having passed the worst of the pandemic, after observing the evolution of the virus, after seeing that there are countries that have withdrawn the restrictions without this translating into an increase in infections and, also, after seeing the latest assessments of the WHO, we must now focus on returning to normality as soon as possible. So it's time to remove restrictions.

Madam President, we still do not know for sure what will happen in Ukraine in the next few hours. But we do have one thing clear: We Europeans have woken up from a lethargy that lasted thirty years, where we thought that a war in Europe was simply impossible. And that possibility, unfortunately, is very real. Russian blackmail is not done against Ukraine or NATO, it is done against the European Union and against the principles and values it represents, principles that are also shared by our Ukrainian partners and our American allies. And, in that sense, these values that Putin faces and that, above all, those he has declared war on for many years, also have their enemies in the European Union itself. Yesterday, the communist deputies of Podemos, who are part of the Government of Spain, decided to vote against, not to support the economic aid that Europe wants to give to Ukraine. Communism, a criminal ideology laundered in Spain by some collaborators, but criminalized in Europe for its bloodthirsty totalitarianism, is, precisely today, Putin's greatest accomplice in the face of a time when democracy needs it most. Mr. Borrell, thugs like Putin face each other. I know that this is his wish and he will always have us by his side.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, at the moment a good friend of mine, José Daniel Ferrer, is torn between life and death in a prison of the Cuban regime, and, like him, hundreds of political prisoners whom the dictatorship wants to bury alive. Mr Borrell is not present here today in this debate, but yesterday he said, speaking about Nicaragua, that there were no dictatorships of either the left or the right, there were simply dictatorships that had to be fought democratically, and I cannot agree more; That is why I do not understand why in the case of Cuba it is so difficult for Mr Borrell to understand it, and not only for him, but also for other Members - as we heard a few minutes ago in this very House. In Cuban prisons, hundreds of brave people face death daily for the only criminal act of defending freedom, defending democracy, defending human dignity and human rights. Don't Cubans deserve to enjoy the same rights we demand of ourselves and others here in Europe? That is why, ladies and gentlemen, I ask all of you to support this resolution, to support Democrats like José Daniel Ferrer and also to support all those whose release we hope will happen quickly and demand today.

Mr President, Commissioner, paradoxically, the European Year of Rail has been for some citizens and territories of the European Union the year of the dismantling of the railway, and it is that some citizens of some Member State, specifically Spain, and specifically Cuenca, have practically all this year 2021 with a poster like the one I am going to show them at the train stations that says the following, and I read verbatim: Until further notice, and due to the poor state of infrastructure derived from the temporary Filomena and Hortense, the service is suspended for the medium distance between Cuenca and Utiel. Well, ladies and gentlemen, taking advantage of this situation, the Government of Spain has recently announced the definitive closure of the rail service when only two things are needed: maintenance and, most importantly, political will. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, I take advantage of this debate on the European Year of Rail to urge the Spanish authorities to rectify and propose a specific and alternative mobility plan for the province of Cuenca that does not go through the dismantling of conventional trains, something that is quite the opposite, the opposite, to what our Commissioner has defended, who says that this year, the European Year of Rail, should be the year to have more and better trains.

Mr President, Commissioner, the price of electricity in Spain today reaches its all-time high of EUR 291 per megawatt day; Gasoline in November reached figures not seen since 2012: currently filling an average tank in Spain costs 75 euros, 15 euros more than at the beginning of this year 2021, and, just as a result of the increase in fuel, the costs of a carrier in Spain this month are 800 euros more than last month; and we close this year 2021 with unprecedented inflation for decades, and that means that citizens have less purchasing power, and obviously there is greater poverty in Europe, and our citizens must pay much more for transport and for moving around and they must also pay much more for everything they are using, those goods and products they use every day. Precisely for this reason, from Europe we have the duty to act to stop this escalation that impoverishes our citizens, and one way to do so is not to aggravate the situation from the European institutions, making sure that legislative measures, such as the emissions trading system, do not result in additional costs for the energy sector and the transport sector, which ultimately we pay and all our citizens pay: therefore, we cannot burden our citizens with the cost of green policies which they ultimately do, at the worst of times, in the pockets of the citizens; therefore, ladies and gentlemen, let us be responsible, not only do we not shoot ourselves in the competitiveness of our companies, but we do not shoot ourselves in the pockets of our citizens.

Mr President, Mr Borrell, my worst fears – of which I have been warning in this House for more than two years – have been fulfilled: Ortega has managed to plunge Nicaragua into a repression that has not been known since the worst times of Somoza, but now the question is how we help Nicaraguans recover democracy, and the answer is also very simple: By simply giving them back everything Ortega has stolen from them, which is nothing more, among many other things, than the right to express oneself freely in transparent and fair elections, and to achieve this we cannot continue to make the same mistakes. Ortega is a criminal and as such must be treated, and we must give Ortega where it hurts the most, which is nothing more than in the pocket, in his pocket and in that of all his frontmen who are also here in Europe. Let us also sanction Ortega once and for all, as I have been demanding for almost two years, but let us also focus on the international financing of the regime: We must freeze the disbursements coming to the regime until we make sure that democracy has already returned to Nicaragua. Ladies and gentlemen, Ortega must know that we will not be shaken by the pulse when it comes to confronting one of the worst dictatorships in the world.

Mr President, Commissioner, thank you very much for your appearance, although I regret that the person who is not here to give explanations is the Commissioner responsible for the matter, in the face of an unprecedented freight transport crisis for which she is directly responsible. Ladies and gentlemen, all over the world and in Europe, we are in the midst of an unprecedented supply crisis that affects the entire logistics chain and, with it, millions of people, millions of companies, millions of European consumers. This crisis is the set of a series of factors, from the fall in production in key sectors to the difficulties faced by maritime transport or also road transport. These bottlenecks coupled with the sharp rise in energy prices, especially for gas, but also for oil, are directly affecting the growth prospects of our economy. That is why, from my group, from Renew Europe, and as spokesperson for this Committee on Transport and Tourism on the subject of the liberal group, I have asked the European Commission to appear in this House to give explanations on a problem that requires one thing: to act. It is true that this is an issue that is influenced by numerous market forces, such as overdemand or limited supply. But even so, problems are not solved by magic. We, who are here today, are the ones who have the capacity to support our companies, especially when they are faced with problems that they cannot act on and that they cannot solve on their own. We cannot stand here and watch as there are no containers, freight prices rise exponentially, or companies struggle to get their products and the most essential raw materials. That's not what we're here for, ladies and gentlemen. We are here to provide solutions, solutions to a global crisis, solutions to a situation that threatens the shortage of thousands of companies. And especially when we're about to start the Black Friday, the Cyber Monday or the Christmas campaign. That is why we need to push for an international response framework to the supply crisis that avoids these bottlenecks in the future and also makes us less dependent on Asia and, in particular, China. Secondly, we must boost European investment in transport infrastructure that facilitates movement and delivers products faster and cheaper. Finally, we must strengthen our road transport, rail, but also road transport, which has been unjustly criminalised by some and is suffering from a pressing lack of labour. The economic difficulties that are being experienced by Spanish, Bulgarian, Romanian or any other country in the European Union, aggravated by the increase in fuel prices, deserve not only our recognition, but also special attention from the European institutions. I'm done. Mr President, Commissioner, let us learn from the mistakes of the past and not wait for crises to resolve themselves. Otherwise, we are sure that the crisis will disappear, but with it our companies will also disappear. And I can assure you that we cannot afford that.

Madam President, Commissioner Breton, when many hotels, tourist establishments and restaurants on our coasts begin to close their establishments for the winter, many other entrepreneurs, self-employed and workers begin to raise their businesses to face and start a winter tourist season that will allow them to have many millions of tourists. However, there is an island in Europe where the tourist season that should start right now has completely vanished as a result of the eruption of a volcano: I'm talking about the wonderful Spanish island of La Palma. And this sector, in the case of the tourism sector of La Palma, faces the second consecutive sledgehammer after two years: the pandemic and the volcano. Approximately 60-80% of bookings in October, directly, have disappeared: What was going to be a season that apparently started with 70% bookings has gone up to 15%, and, above all, most importantly, no one knows what is going to happen next. The tourism sector in La Palma has gone from looking for reinforcements to face and reach a winter season as best as possible to simply being aware of what will happen to their lives and what will happen to their most immediate future at this time. For this reason, Commissioner Breton, the island of La Palma not only urgently needs to process the aid already granted by the Government of Spain or also to have the European Union Solidarity Fund, but also needs much more: needs a European response for tourism in La Palma, and we need it now, at the start of this winter season, and not a year from now; This is the moment of our responsibility, and that is precisely what the European institutions are supposed to be and are supposed to be for.

Mr President, Mr Borrell, there are few certainties in international politics, but this is one of them: the world is a more prosperous and freer place the stronger the alliance between the United States and Europe. When the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia sealed one of the most important alliances in recent decades, they did so behind the backs of the European Union. Staying out of the alliances that are being configured in the 21st century is the price to pay precisely for being more autonomous. Some, in Europe, believe that with China business policy can be separated and that is simply impossible, because, precisely, others have tried before us. This is the case with Australians, and their solutions and their approach to the United States show that equidistance with China is simply impossible. Mr Borrell, we should learn from experience and results and examples, rather than questioning the decisions of our partners. The Euro-Atlantic alliance has sustained the cause of freedom in the world for 70 years and its duty is to strengthen precisely that pillar, not to weaken it, not to weaken what we have already built together – I repeat – for almost 70 years.

Mr President, until now we have been hearing figures and numbers, but I want to tell you, in this case, about people and a specific name: Paula Torrens, a girl who was run over in Mallorca in 2018 by a person who did not have a circulation permit, who was drunk and who also went on the run. And, like Paula, there are more than 2,500 people who die annually as a result of people who are in command of a vehicle and who drive under the influence of alcohol. And that is precisely why the institutions must coordinate in all institutional areas, so that this does not happen and does not happen again. We are seeing how in countries such as Austria, Belgium or France, mechanisms with anti-start devices are being put in place; and in Spain, thanks to Ciudadanos, soon this will also be possible. And we see it now with the case of carriers, but we should also extend it to all types of vehicles, to prevent anyone drunk from being able to put themselves at the controls of a vehicle. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, we must show the European citizens that the Union cares about them and that we are also committed to protecting their lives, because this way the tragedy of Paula would never occur again in Europe.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, today I would like to address the members of the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left in general, to tell them to open their eyes once and for all and to accept and visualize what is the true reality that is taking place in Cuba. A few months ago, Díaz-Canel acted forcefully, in an absolute repressive manner against his own people. A form of repression that has not been known for decades. Politicians referents, as is the case of José Daniel Ferrer, have been missing for more than two months and there are hundreds of politicians who are still kidnapped. And, in the face of that situation, gentlemen of the benches that I have mentioned above, you still do not support the majority of this House in demanding a change on the island. Cubans don't have food, Cubans don't have medicine. Cubans literally drop their homes on their heads and you still do not support the majority resolutions of this House. What else do they need to wait for? It is time to act to avoid suffering. What more do you want Cubans to suffer in the face of this dictatorial regime? We have promoted and supported numerous sanctions against Latin American dictators, and also, even, in Belarus. What else do you guys need? Cuba will change. Cuba will be free, despite even some efforts by some members of these benches; And that change, they won't stop it. Therefore, I call you to open your eyes definitively, to support freedom because you have no more excuses.

Madam President, Mr Borrell, since February 2020 we knew that the United States was going to withdraw from Afghanistan. We also knew that there could be a collapse of the Afghan Government and we also knew that the arrival of the Taliban could occur precisely in that government that they now hold. And precisely because that had a great chance of happening, we in the European Union had more than a year and a half to make a forecast of those circumstances and not to improvise. And, precisely, Mr Borrell, you, who occupy that responsibility of being the high representative, are also responsible for forecasting a strategy, precisely to anticipate those facts that we already knew, a year earlier, that they were going to occur. And that is why, Mr Borrell, I want to ask you very quickly: Why didn't the European Union anticipate? Why didn't you define a common strategy precisely to avoid what we already know and know? If this crisis situation in Afghanistan has taught us anything, it is that the European Union needs to coordinate better, to coordinate with the United States, to coordinate with NATO and – most importantly – to coordinate among its own Member States. Precisely, Mr Borrell, that is one of your responsibilities. And here we are to play in that sense.

Mr President, Commissioner Vălean, if there is one sector that has been strongly affected by the coronavirus crisis, this is, without any doubt, the aviation sector. The fall in traffic due to the coronavirus will have dramatic consequences in the coming years and, above all, threatens the economic viability of companies, the jobs generated by and linked to air transport and, of course, working conditions. For this very reason, Mrs Vălean, in March 2020, from my parliamentary group – the Renew Group – we presented you with a very concrete proposal: a specific support plan for the transport sector. An ambitious plan that had a whole series of specific batteries aimed especially at the field of the aviation sector. And, for that reason, we very much welcome the fact that some of these measures were very well received and successfully implemented by your department. But, even so, fifteen months later we are faced with a similar scenario. The pace of recovery in the aviation sector is totally uncertain and, above all, requires strong support from the European Union to safeguard businesses and, consequently, jobs. That is why, today more than ever, we need a specific European plan for the recovery of the aviation sector, taking into account three basic pillars. First of all: public-private financial support; incorporating public-private partnerships, including in this regard, to meet the challenges of the future. Secondly: legal and operational certainty for the entire value chain of the industry, ending, of course, all abusive labor practices that are found, whenever that occurs. And finally, third and very important, fundamental: institutional support, political commitment. That is why we must stop criminalising a sector that is fundamental for territorial cohesion in Europe and that also contributes directly to one of the three basic pillars of the European project: the free movement of persons. Only in this way will we be able to safeguard jobs and, above all, the competitiveness of European aviation.

Mr President, Commissioner Reynders, since last Thursday, 1 July, the citizens of the European Union have had access to a tool that strengthens our Union and consolidates many months of work, precisely to restore mobility in Europe; a tool born in this House; a tool called a ‘COVID certificate’. However, despite its implementation, we continue to suffer today restrictions that complicate the life and movement of our citizens, especially now, in summer. A few weeks ago, Europe opened its doors again to the US market. But the same is not true on the opposite side. Travel from Europe to the United States has been blocked by the US administration for about fifteen months. I ask you, Commissioner Reynders, to keep pushing for our diplomatic efforts to also involve mutual recognition of both certificates; because the United States is as much an ally of Europe as Europe is of the United States. And there is no justification for us to be at such a disadvantage, especially given our efforts. That is why we must exert greater political pressure in that regard. That is why, Commissioner Reynders, with our entire group at your disposal, I encourage you to continue working, precisely in that sense of mutual collaboration between the United States and Europe for the sake of that joint certificate that allows us to operate.

Madam President, Mr Borrell, nine months ago I warned in this very House that neither Ortega nor Murillo had the slightest intention of negotiating; Their only goal was simply to entrench themselves in power. Almost a year has passed and what we feared has become a new reality, and Ortega has directly launched a total offensive against the people of Nicaragua. And every day, in addition, we wake up with new arrests of new opposition leaders, journalists, or simply members of civil society. Mr. Borrell, I ask you: What is the European Union waiting for to react? What are you waiting for yourself to react to? What good would it be for Nicaraguans to have sanctions applied in November if precisely this electoral fraud has already been consummated? And, for that very reason, Mr. Borrell, I repeat, I repeat, everything that I have demanded of you in the last year: effective sanctions against Ortega and Murillo and their entire criminal gang, the release of political prisoners, the non-recognition of electoral fraud and, finally, the immediate activation of the democratic clause of the Association Agreement. Nicaragua is going to become a new Venezuela. And we've already noticed all that. And simply one of the maximum responsible, in the event of not acting, will be our maximum representative. So we ask for immediate action for Nicaragua's freedom.