Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, after lengthy negotiations, we are finally going to adopt today a Euro 7 standard with which we must all be very satisfied. A sensible proposal with realistic implementation times and that improves air quality. Fine particulate matter – the most harmful to health – is regulated for the first time, as are brake and wheel emissions and battery durability. And this does not entail more costs for citizens or unnecessary extra investments; without ending small cars and without impeding European competitiveness, which is at stake, as we saw last week, because of unfair competition from China. We therefore ask you to support this proposal because the European Union can no longer turn its back on citizens who need to replace their old, polluting cars with clean, affordable ones. The European Union cannot put more sticks on the wheels of a sector that needs to transform very quickly, invest in technology and win the electrification race. Health, the economy, jobs and our strategic autonomy are at stake today.

Mr President, Commissioner, today we are giving the green light to the Artificial Intelligence Act, a law unique in the world. A law that allows or prohibits its uses depending on the risk to people and provides for penalties for non-compliances. A law that includes transparency criteria so that we know if a text or a photograph has been generated or manipulated artificially and to ensure that the data that has been used respects copyright. In short, with this law, we European citizens can be sure that our fundamental rights are always respected. But we should not talk today only about risks. This technology offers great benefits for society and 80% of uses are low risk. Protecting citizens' rights and promoting innovation must be compatible in the European Union because otherwise we will drive innovators out of Europe. We now have a good umbrella law. We have said here that this is the beginning. Flexible agile sectoral regulations must be developed so that our companies can adapt to the speed of this technology. Not over-arranged. It is, in short, about taking advantage of the benefits of artificial intelligence, not being slaves. Because it's about Europe leading the race for artificial intelligence because we're risking our competitiveness.

Madam President, Commissioner, today is an important day: we passed innovative legislation that will improve health care for all European citizens. With this health data space, patients will be able to access their medical history or e-prescription anywhere in the European Union. And, for that, we have introduced guarantees so that they do so with maximum security, privacy and confidence. The citizen will have control of their data and will be able to restrict or decide who can access them and for what. It is an interoperable health data space that will enable better diagnostics and reduce testing costs and duplications. But, in addition, the potential is enormous if this data – securely, anonymised and with the patient’s consent – is made available to medical research. It will be a giant step to accelerate the development of new medicines and clinical trials, and a critical mass of data at European level is vital for rare disease research and for saving human lives. Europe makes a difference today.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in recent years we have passed a lot of legislation in this Parliament to make the European Union a benchmark in the fight against climate change. But let's not fool ourselves: this transition will have a social and economic impact on the day-to-day life of citizens, on the way our industry operates, and will affect some regions unevenly. For example, regions that are heavily dependent on the automotive sector, which is facing unprecedented transformation, are at risk of losing jobs, economic activity and population. It is our duty to redesign the future of cohesion policy and the Structural Funds to provide financial support to those most affected by these transitions. Something that the Committee of the Regions has long been asking of us and that we are going to vote on today in this Parliament's report: support to retrain workers, to transform businesses, especially SMEs, and to prevent the relocation of our industrial fabric. Thank you very much to all those who have made this report possible; I ask you for a positive vote.

Mr President, Commissioner, without lithium, there are no batteries, and without rare earths, there are no wind turbines or electric cars. China controls 98% of these lands, using them as a Russia-style geopolitical weapon with gas. Without secure supply, there is neither energy transition nor strategic autonomy in Europe. Therefore, this law that we have processed in record time is very welcome. We need more alliances with reliable partners like Chile. It is also important to accelerate permitting and map strategic reserves in Europe. But it's not enough. In Spain we have lithium and rare earths, but, as elsewhere in Europe, they cannot be exploited because of social opposition to these projects. It is not enough to ensure maximum environmental and sustainability guarantees. We also have to involve local communities in these strategic projects and not only extract resources from them, but also keep their territory with added value and quality jobs. Also, as we have called for in this Parliament, we need more efforts in the recovery and recycling of waste from these raw materials.

Mr President, Commissioner, after lengthy negotiations we will be able to vote on a coherent and balanced Euro 7 standard that takes into account the health of citizens and improves air quality. Our proposal reduces NOx emissions by 60% in trucks, 33% in cars and – for the first time – particulate pollutants from brakes and wheels, as well as increasing battery durability. As I say, it is a sensible proposal, with realistic implementation times for the industry and, what is very important, without entailing more costs for consumers. Because I remember that what socialists and greens are asking for here increases the price of precisely the lowest-end vehicles and puts more sticks on the wheels to renew the fleet of vehicles so old that it circulates on the roads in many European countries. Not only that: its proposal also puts at risk the manufacture of smaller vehicles – precisely those made in Europe – and thereby thousands of jobs, for example in Spain. We therefore ask you to support our proposal, which is good for the environment, good for citizens and also good for Europe's competitiveness.

Mr President, Commissioner, we are bringing a very important debate to this House because the shortage of medicines, such as antibiotics or medicines for children, is a recurring and chronic problem. And the situation is getting worse and worse. But, in addition, the European Union is already dangerously dependent on very few manufacturers and regions, especially China and India, and we suffer a constant loss of competitiveness in a sector in which we have been leaders. We are on our way to a vulnerable situation. And we cannot limit ourselves only to mitigating the current shortcomings: We need to prevent it. The Commission has already recognised that this area is key to our strategic autonomy. What we are asking for is action; What we are asking for is a clear policy to support innovation and the production of essential medicines. made in Europe. This is not only key to our resilience to future crises, but will also accelerate access to treatments for our patients, ensure the sustainability of our health systems, drive a biotech sector where Europe was a leader, and create jobs and prosperity for all.

Mr President, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence has shown us only the tip of the iceberg of this technology. The potential and business opportunities that open up are unprecedented. The use cases are so broad that no industry is going to be left out of this revolution. But the threats are also evident. If not properly regulated, we are jeopardising intellectual property, fundamental rights or even democracy and the rule of law. Here in the European Union we have been courageous and anticipated the risks with the Artificial Intelligence Act that we have passed in this Parliament. But it's not enough. The impact is global and international cooperation is essential. Europe needs to lead in developing international standards and codes of conduct that are joined by partners who share our core values and principles. The exponential speed of this technology is demanding it.

Mr President, Commissioner, we have made no progress since the last debate in this House on SMEs, and our economy and competitiveness depend on those 25 million small and medium-sized enterprises, many of them micro-enterprises, which generate innovation, growth and jobs in Europe. Today we are failing them and we need action now. We need and urgently need the revision of the Late Payments Directive, because today we demand that they pay on time, but we do not care if they will collect or if the current legislation is respected. We need to simplify the bureaucratic procedures, because more and more papers and records are required of them, and we have to see how the legislation affects them. By when a new law only if an old one is removed? By when? Finally, we need simpler mechanisms to access European funds, which are now a pipe dream, and to access funding. In short, Commissioner, we need concrete measures now.

Madam President, today we are addressing a critical issue: how to make the European Union more attractive to businesses and investors in a globalised world where the US and China lead us. We cannot limit ourselves to being mere spectators, nor is it about competing in grants and subsidies. Europe has always been a reference in innovation and technology, with leading companies in the automotive, pharmaceutical and renewable industries. We cannot lose this strength. We need to invest more in R&D, skilled labour and digital infrastructure. We also need to address all the remaining challenges, such as excessive bureaucracy and fragmentation of the single market, and conclude the capital markets union at once. It is essential to create a regulatory environment that does not choke companies and that all decisions made are accompanied by a rigorous impact assessment. Because I am concerned that many times the legislation that we pass here is conceived as alien to the reality suffered by SMEs and companies in our countries. We have to turn it around with sensible policies and simple processes because that is also what Europe's competitiveness depends on.

Mr President, Commissioner, this is historic legislation. Europe is a pioneer in having an artificial intelligence law. A technology that can bring many benefits, but also poses clear risks in fundamental rights, security or disinformation. That is why I welcome the approach taken by this law, because I believe it is vital to distinguish between technology and use. We do not condemn artificial intelligence itself, but risky practices. We are very clear about what is unacceptable for Europe – prohibited, intrusive and discriminatory uses – and that exceptions should only be granted under judicial authorisation. We want safe and transparent systems subject to rules, limits and accountability for high-risk uses such as health, environment, transportation, education or justice applications. We are also clear that we need a flexible law, which incentivizes innovation, gives certainty to companies and can be quickly adapted to the spectacular advance of technology, as we have seen in the development of generative AI with GPT Chat, where time is pressing for us to establish transparency and safe use requirements. Today in Europe we are taking an important step. This law will help citizens build trust in technology and position us at the forefront of artificial intelligence.

Madam President, Commissioner, in recent years the European Union has been hit by crisis after crisis and I believe that we have shown flexibility and have been able to stand by those who need it most. Therefore, in the face of this new energy and inflation crisis, the flexibility of the Temporary Framework for State aid measures is very much needed. But we need to go a step further and take social and territorial cohesion into account in this review. What we ask for future standards de minimis is that there are special ceilings for less developed regions, depopulated, rural, transitional and outermost areas, as well as islands. If I refer to my country, I think of the Canary Islands, but also of the Balearic Islands. All these structurally disadvantaged areas need to have specific measures in place to be able to cope with the crisis and attract companies and talent. Therefore, they need specific thresholds. In short, it is a question of avoiding a Europe with first-class citizens and second-class citizens.

Madam President, Commissioner, as the High Representative, Mr Borrell, said, health is no longer just a matter for pharmacists and doctors, it is also a geopolitical problem. The pandemic has placed global health high on the multilateral political agenda. It has highlighted serious inequalities in vaccine distribution and the need for more effective disease surveillance worldwide and much stronger international cooperation mechanisms. So the strategy we are debating today must change the rules for the European Union to be a leader in global health and to act much more decisively. The threats of the future can be chemical or biological, or they can be silent pandemics such as antimicrobial resistance, and in order to prevent and combat them, we must act with a global approach, that of the One Health concept. We also need more European presence in the governance structures of a much stronger and more effective World Health Organization. And finally, we need resources: If we want a truly transformative global strategy, innovative financial instruments will have to be explored in collaboration with the European Investment Bank or the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Madam President, Commissioner, today we are voting on one of the most important rules of this parliamentary term: the ban on combustion vehicles from 2035, with all that this entails for our cities, but also for industry, a strategic industry that encompasses not only large companies, but small producers, and that has made Europe a world leader. That is why, for me, three points of what we are voting on today are fundamental. First, we need to give security to the sector so that it can direct its investments towards electrification. You do not have to change the rules of the game every five years, nor put more obstacles or more sticks on the wheels. I am referring, for example, to Euro 7. Second, this ambition is not understood if we do not guarantee recharging points. We need mandatory targets per country and we cannot reduce our ambition in AFIR. Thirdly, this whole process has to be done hand in hand with the industry and, therefore, it was very important to me that this regulation includes a review clause in 2027, where available technologies, annual progress and implementation are evaluated, and thus ensure, together with the sector, that it is feasible to reach 2035.

Madam President, Commissioner, today Europe sets its sights and ambitions on space. And we do so with an ambitious plan to deploy our own constellation of satellites. A project that will have, in security and connectivity, its two master pillars. It is about securing our sovereignty also in space to ensure that we do not depend on the infrastructure of third countries, as has happened to us in the invasion of Ukraine. With this constellation we will be able to give uninterrupted and secure access to telecommunications services and thus protect our critical infrastructures. We will also have our own eyes where necessary in times of crisis, whether natural disasters, diplomatic missions or military strategies. But, in addition, this program will allow access to broadband throughout Europe, avoiding that rural areas or those more remote are disconnected. Depopulation policies cannot be understood without a stable internet connection, via satellite, like the one we are proposing today. And finally, this will be an exemplary constellation in terms of spatial and environmental sustainability. It only remains for me, dear Christophe, to thank you for your exceptional work in making this constellation possible.

Madam President, High Representative, dear rapporteurs, as rapporteur for the opinion drawn up by the Committee on Gender Equality on the common security and defence policy, I have to say that it is disappointing that none of the proposals we have made in our committee have been included in this report. Equality between men and women is certainly one of the great priorities of this House, but we must lead by example and, unfortunately, in the area of security and defence, much remains to be done. We must take a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and exploitation, either on the staff of our cooperation missions or among the local population we are targeting. We have an ethical and moral obligation to carry out the necessary audits to ensure that those responsible for these inhumane acts are held accountable and, although it is an uncomfortable reality, we must root out these problems. As legislators, we can no longer look the other way.

Mr President, Commissioner, we are at a very difficult time for Europe: high commodity energy prices, fierce competition from the U.S. and China, and an increasingly serious threat of deindustrialization. In this context, the responsible management of our waste is not just an environmental and public health issue. Encouraging their reuse and creating a market for recycling within our borders and not exporting the problem to third countries is a necessity for the European Union, which also depends so much on the raw materials of other countries. Waste is a tremendously valuable resource, with great economic and industrial potential if we learn to use it intelligently. I am thinking, for example, of iron scrap, so necessary to produce the green steel of the future. The regulation we are debating today is essential to reduce our dependence and make our production more sustainable and now a circular model. But I also believe that we must go further and, therefore, I believe that we must ensure, with effective controls and very clear criteria, that during all stages of waste management, we do not turn our backs on our standards with mass shipments to third countries.

Madam President, Commissioner Timmermans, accelerating the deployment of renewables is a matter of survival in the European Union. And removing bottlenecks and streamlining administrative procedures in permitting should be a priority. The REPowerEU plan is the answer. Today, a solar project can take up to four years to approve; one wind, up to ten. This is unacceptable in the current crisis. But beware, this cannot be done at any price. Simplification: Yes, but respecting environmental standards and, of course, without turning our backs on local authorities who now see how renewable macro-projects are decided without their participation. Priority areas should be identified and land with no environmental value and degraded soils in industrial facilities should be exploited. REPowerEU should also be the mechanism to modernise installations that will become obsolete, to incentivise self-consumption and also to resolutely support biomethane as local renewable energy, which brings jobs and industry to our rural areas.

Madam President, Commissioner, business confidence has plummeted and a third of the largest companies in Europe are planning to halt or reduce their production because of high energy prices. Moving towards a single energy market is now more necessary than ever. And for this we need two things: market reform and interconnections. Market interventions are undesirable, but it is more undesirable to leave citizens homeless and businesses stranded. Today the price signals are being lost and, in addition, we have the immense challenge of creating an electricity grid that absorbs all the renewable power that we will install in the next decade. Let's be brave to change what doesn't work. Regarding interconnections, we are late, behind the objectives we had and, in addition, it seems that we have not learned. We have just left MidCat and now we are replacing it with a much more expensive project that will not allow us to transport gas or renewable hydrogen until 2030, which does not serve us for the current crisis. Commissioner, the task ahead of us is enormous. It is urgent to take action. Let's get to work, because our citizens and our businesses can't wait any longer.

Madam President, Commissioner, today's adoption of REPowerEU by this House is great news; This is because it demonstrates our ability to react and puts concrete funds on the table to achieve two priority objectives: decarbonize our energy mix and cut ties with a criminal government such as the Russian one. We propose in five years what we planned to do in fifteen, but we cannot stay in the applause. No European at home will understand our satisfaction if they do not know if they will be able to heat their homes this winter. That is why we have fought so hard for REPowerEU to also support the most vulnerable households and SMEs, but we also need to think about the long term and anticipate the problems, because we know that the solution is to invest massively in renewables. But how to achieve a true energy union if we do not invest in interconnections? Is our network ready to support the increase in renewable power that we will live in this decade? How to avoid dependence on China when demand for raw materials such as lithium skyrockets? Addressing these questions now, Commissioner, will allow us not to have to put any more patches in the future.

Mr President, space is a sector of the future for Europe and for our industry. This resolution, together with legislation on secure connectivity, is a before and after for European space policy. More than 7,000 satellites and more than a million debris orbit the Earth and their number is constantly increasing. More than 30,000 additional satellites are expected to be launched in the coming years, with an increasing risk of collision. Space traffic management is therefore essential to ensure the safety of space infrastructure and operations, as well as sustainability. We need to strengthen our existing surveillance and monitoring capacities to preserve the strategic autonomy and competitiveness of European industry, while fostering international cooperation. We therefore call on the Commission to propose binding legislation by 2024 to manage space traffic and facilitate the governance of the sector. It's not science fiction. The space economy is a reality with tremendous potential. The security and defence dimension of space is, as the war in Ukraine has taught us, a priority for Europe. To bet, therefore, on a strong and viable European space sector is to bet on the European industry of tomorrow, on the security of our societies and on the development of a scientific ecosystem of excellence.

Commissioner, depopulation is a problem that affects the whole of Europe, but especially countries such as Spain, where three out of four municipalities lose inhabitants. And I am referring not only to small rural municipalities, but also to medium-sized cities. That is why it was so important to me that the definition of depopulated area be included in the ERDF Funds Regulation, because that allows these areas to have a comprehensive action plan with which to revitalize them and attract employment. And to create jobs, one of the measures now accepted by the Commission is essential, which consists of allowing differentiated taxation, tax benefits to companies that are established in these areas. And I am talking, for example, about bonuses for workers. However, we see that Member States are not using this measure. In the case of Spain we have been waiting for ten months and I would like to know your opinion. And my second question concerns the Just Transition Fund, which is very important to prevent depopulation. We also see that some Member States have not yet submitted their Just Transition Plan. We are now in danger of losing an annuity. I would also like to know if this is so, if we can lose an annuity of these funds and what we need to do about it.

Madam President, first of all, to say that I find it outrageous that an escapee from Spanish justice speaks like this, in this Parliament, about Spain. And yes, Commissioner, I believe that we can be very proud of cohesion policy and that if we have learned anything it is that, in order to be useful, it must be flexible and find that balance between preserving its long-term approach to reducing disparities between regions and responding to unforeseen situations and crises, as we did with REACT-EU during COVID-19, as we did with Ukrainian refugees and as we must do now with inflation and the price of energy. That is why, Commissioner, I believe that there is an urgent need for a mechanism to support SMEs and families. And my other point is simplification. Because bureaucracy and the lack of qualified staff are leading to worrying situations, such as Spain, where we have yet to implement part of the funds for the period 2014–2020. We have not yet delivered the 2021-2027 operational plans and we may lose a Just Transition Fund annuity because we have an overflowing administration trying to manage Next Generation EU funds. Therefore, if we talk about the future, we must talk about simplification, modernization and establishing synergies so that the funds complement each other and do not overlap, as is happening now.

Madam President, Commissioner, we are facing a particularly harsh winter, and we citizens need certainty. Certainty that, no matter what happens, there will be no power outages in our homes or at jobs. And certainty that energy prices will not continue to run rampant. And we can't wait any longer. We need the Commission to propose a social shield now, and I am talking about direct aid, as was done during COVID-19, to help mitigate the meteoric increase in invoices and avoid the closure of companies. We also need to put forward courageous reforms, such as those in the electricity market, and there the 27 of us must work together urgently, but without blunders. And I say this because in Spain the gas cap has triggered our imports of Russian gas and now we are the consumers who are paying the compensation to the gas companies in our bills. And finally, we need interconnection infrastructures that today can be used for gas but that tomorrow must be used for green hydrogen. And European projects must be paid for with European funds. Commissioner, time is running out against us and we need courageous action now.

Madam President, dear Vice-President Vestager, colleagues, we run the risk that European values will be replaced globally, our companies will be marginalised and our living standards will be drastically reduced. These, as you know, are not my words, but those contained in the report that we adopted today after months of work in the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence. Fighting for the technological leadership of the European Union is not an option. Not only because our competitiveness depends on it, but because we cannot run the risk that others who do not share our values will end up imposing the rules on us. Europe is brave and setting global standards for artificial intelligence: Reliable ethics, at the service of citizens and focused on our democratic values. We will have the challenge of not over-regulating, avoiding duplication and a system of governance that avoids a fragmented market with 27 different interpretations. Our businesses, especially small ones, need a single market, without bureaucracy, that allows them to innovate and grow in Europe. That said, the report we are adopting today is more than a wake-up call. It is a roadmap with clear proposals that must accompany legislation if we are to compete for leadership. I am talking, for example, about the creation of a stock exchange similar to the Nasdaq, which helps our digital companies to be able to finance themselves quickly with European capital. I am talking about increasing public and private investments to reach at least EUR 20 billion per year. I am talking about investing in training to reduce the shortage of qualified personnel, but also so that workers know how to integrate technology into their day-to-day lives and free them from repetitive jobs that machines can do. Above all, I am talking about a European interoperable data space that frees us from foreign dependencies. There is an urgent need to make up for lost time to ensure that the enormous advances in artificial intelligence benefit society as a whole. And today we take a big step.