Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a few quick remarks at the end of this European Year of Youth. I have toured many schools, I have opened European workshops, places of encounter and confrontation where to build an active and responsible participation, I have listened to many young people and I have felt in them the ever stronger need to know their emotional self. If politics really wants to affect the growth of our young people, it is necessary to promote a school that knows how to adopt a formative evaluation attentive to faces and emotions rather than to cognitive products and processes. It is necessary to re-establish an authentic dialogue with young people and to do so we must sit among them, because they are tired of being told "you must be more competent, you must be responsible, you must be able to plan for yourself, you must be resilient". I tried to sit among them and confront them, I understood many things, but one of them: They are young people who would like a school based on deep emotions and authentic relationships and not just on mere knowledge or sterile grades, which have little to do with their emotional self. I promised them that this school is possible, with patience and courage we will continue to build it together.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, the deaths in the Mediterranean Sea, the walls on the Hungarian border and the inhumane treatment of refugees on the border between Belarus and Poland are black pages of European history that have sent the wrong message to the whole world. Europe is not the one that turns its back on the next. Europe welcomes almost 24 million citizens born in third countries and gives them hope for a better future. But now we have to face the fierce competition from Britain, the United States, Australia, but also from other emerging countries that are taking many young talents away from Europe. This must be fought because it removes oxygen from our ability to grow in areas that are fundamental to our future. Just to name a few: IT, science, health and tourism. So, if we want to be truly competitive and attractive, we need to reform the Single Permit Directive so that we can welcome deserving young people without constraints. Less bureaucracy, fewer barriers, more work, more rights. Only in this way will our Europe become a hub opportunities. Are we ambitious? Yes, we want to be, we can be.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the pandemic and the changes in the world of work require the European Union to strengthen the tools for retraining in order to be able to seize the best opportunities offered by the ecological and digital transition. Micro-credentials can contribute to the process of up-skilling e re-skilling staff with a view to digital and green skills, as well as can contribute to the reskilling of workers, provided that there is a clear definition that ensures their quality, portability and transparency. However, it should be stressed that micro-credentials should only be a complementary tool and cannot replace traditional VET pathways. Formal education must remain a public good. We therefore advocate a holistic approach to education to enable students to acquire social and civic skills and not just knowledge relevant to the short-term needs of the labour market.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, two weeks later we were again called upon to agree on changes to introduce more flexibility in the use of European funds for the emergency that the Member States are experiencing as a result of the conflict. Clearly I will support this request, but I would like us to question the adequacy of the European budget and its rules to deal with these emergencies. We are clearly facing a conflict that we were not prepared to face. It is therefore desirable for the European Union to have a rapid and efficient response system, including for future emergencies. We must be able to create a mandatory and automatic system of relocation for refugees, inspired by the principles of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility, and able to come to the aid of frontline countries. We need immediate measures to integrate refugees into the education and health systems of the Member States but, at the same time, we need to be able to deal effectively with the economic and energy repercussions on European citizens. For this reason we cannot waste time, hard work awaits us so that we do not find ourselves again unprepared to face the evolution of other conflicts.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, ladies and gentlemen, the key question in this debate is: What does it mean to be an active citizen today? Does it mean turning our backs on the children, women and elderly fleeing the war in Ukraine? No. Does it mean wasting the resources of our planet? No. Does it mean promoting referendums against minorities, such as the LGBT community, or not protecting the weakest people in our society, such as the disabled? Absolutely not. President, since the Five Star Movement was born in 2009, it has always aimed at a yes-policy. We are a community of citizens born from the guarantee of values such as active citizenship, which are those of participation, direct democracy, peace and the defense of human rights. We will never betray these values and we would also like the European Union to do so by investing more in the first educational agencies: family and school. Today, more than ever, it is important to strengthen respect for human dignity, social justice and cultural diversity in our society. Let's do it for our children. Let's do it now.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, since the beginning of the war, in less than a month, one in two Ukrainian children has left their homes and is now displaced. The European Union is today, and perhaps will be in the coming months, their only home, the place where these children can live safely, sheltered from bombs. We therefore have a great responsibility because it is up to us to save families, the elderly and children who die of hunger and cold in the besieged cities. Because it is up to us to help the Ukrainian people who are defending freedom and democracy from Putin's murderous violence. Because it will be up to us to help rebuild Kiev and the other Ukrainian cities destroyed by Russian bombs. Every frame of this war hurts our gaze and annihilates our feeling of humanity. But we have to be different. We Europeans must bear witness to the importance of the individual's sense of responsibility for social, cultural and political life. "I care" said Don Milani, for whom he was the beacon of life, the only light in the darkness of inhumanity. Europe demands, indeed demands from Russia, the opening of real humanitarian corridors, because it is the duty of all to keep civilians out of this conflict. First the refugees are safe and then the ceasefire and peace. The path of diplomacy is the only one that can avert an escalation of violence with unimaginable consequences. We need to act fast. We are asked by the millions of children who ask us: "why?".

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, ladies and gentlemen, the tragic days we are going through, with a violent military attack just a stone's throw from the heart of Europe, show how real the fear of the different is still. Those who do not align must be incorporated and normalized at all costs. Race hatreds that lead to the spread of thoughts of violence have their roots in countries where too often information management takes place only if it is complacent towards the dictator on duty. At a time when structural racism has become one of the main challenges on which the future of the Union depends, culture, education, sport and the media must be the lintel on which to build the future of Europe. Planting these seeds in European soil is the only way to one day enjoy the fruits and allow the new generations to grow in the certainty that only mutual respect allows society to progress. But this is a long path, full of obstacles, where a step forward can correspond to two backwards and where it is not allowed to surrender if not running the risk of sweeping away with a sponge a heritage of different histories and cultures but intertwined for centuries.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately we are facing a very complex situation. In addition to the late approval of the financial framework and its programmes, the pandemic situation has further slowed down the approval process of the Partnership Agreements. We are seriously risking under-execution and decommitment of resources at a time when we absolutely cannot afford it. The European Commission can do nothing and must do nothing, but it must immediately put in place instruments to prevent the disengagement clauses from rendering unusable the funds that our countries absolutely need, now more than ever. The Recovery Instrument cannot function without the support of cohesion instruments. The European Commission must help Member States not only economically but also with practical and effective support, so that the funds can really help economic recovery and cohesion. The discrepancies in economic development that still exist within the European Union are no longer acceptable. All the relaunch ambitions would not be credible with a cohesion policy already crippled at the outset.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, 2022 is the European Year of Youth. Yet this recognition I believe only happens on paper. This is demonstrated, for example, by the fact that more than half of traineeships are unpaid. Half of young Europeans who start a career do not receive a salary and this is called exploitation. And then we write a new page in European history, we create a mandatory legal basis for all Member States, ensuring fair compensation for apprenticeships, interns and all young people. We bring rights to all places where there is a young man. Each of us is called to do our part. For this reason I am carrying out on my territory a project for the creation of a series of real European workshops. The European workshops are places of meeting and discussion where to build active participation, venues where to promote opportunities, workshops and exchanges of good practices. The European Union needs its young people, but young people also need a new Europe.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Madam rapporteur, Madam Commissioner, cancer generates suffering, it tears families apart, it kills. Cancer is the disease of this century and the European Union must challenge it with all its might, as it did with the Coronavirus. We need concrete measures, more investment in research and no more inequalities in treatment. Everyone must have the same opportunities for care, and I am thinking in particular of children. The 10 flagship initiatives and the 32 support actions provided for in the European Parliament's report address the causes, such as smog and misfeeding, but we must avoid the easy slogans. Responsible wine consumption is very different from alcohol abuse. Let's focus on promoting new, healthy and balanced lifestyles, prevention, early diagnosis and quality of life for patients. 6 000 minors, 6 000 children, die every year in Europe of cancer. Today we dedicate to them this day, we dedicate to them our commitment as European legislators. Together we can defeat this terrible evil.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, ladies and gentlemen, the pandemic has had a devastating impact, especially on children and adolescents. The lockdown, the forced closure of schools and the suspension of educational services aimed at vulnerable young people have greatly multiplied their discomfort. The effects will unfortunately be found at all levels, from psychophysical well-being to the risk of having serious problems in learning and relational skills. For these reasons, we must work to ensure the success of 2022, the European Year of Youth, as an act for the future of our children. We will have to make sure that, from the first moment, they are the real protagonists, especially in the definition of the priorities to be achieved. For the initiative to be truly inclusive, it will not be enough to speak for young people, but we will have to speak with young people. And so, dear young people, do not be spectators, but protagonists of the story that you live today. Dirty hands, bite life, do not adapt, do not give up your goals, load yourself on the shoulders of those who do not make it. You are not the future, you are our present.

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, ladies and gentlemen, the European Education Area must be established as a strategic tool for promoting inclusiveness and accessibility for all. In addition, it must be an opportunity to clearly recognise vocational training, as well as all other training pathways. These days I have been confronted with a training center of Apulian excellence, an example of good practice, able to contribute concretely to the construction of space, First and foremost making student and teacher mobility a reality; then enhancing the teaching profession in terms of initial education and professional development; and promoting digital skills as an integral part of future-oriented training. These, in my view, are some of the most effective measures to achieve a European Education Area that really wants to be accessible and inclusive.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, rapporteur, we need art more than ever. We need artists so as not to fall into despair. The arts are an extraordinary opportunity for encounter and dialogue, beyond cultural, social and ideological differences, because in the face of art man discovers himself similar to other men, sharing emotions, ideas, dreams. Unfortunately, the pandemic has exacerbated the already critical situation of the artists' sector, bringing to its knees a fragile system that needs to be reformed as soon as possible. There is an urgent call for the creation of a social status for artists, which is still lacking in many Member States, capable of protecting their professional dignity and adequately regulating their contractual situation. We can't afford to abandon artists. Today more than ever they are asked to give voice, images, sounds to our hopes and dreams, to be protagonists of our lives and our history.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, I regret to say that there will be no real protection of fundamental rights for persons with disabilities until their status is mutually recognised between the Member States of the European Union and until there is a cultural revolution in favour of difference. Without this fundamental step, all our efforts to ensure that countries correctly apply the relevant Community provisions will be in vain. For this reason, the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 calls for the full implementation of the European Disability Charter by the end of 2023. We must immediately expand and make this pilot project mandatory, together with the European parking card for people with disabilities. Only in this way will we have at our disposal a strategic tool to help people with disabilities to exercise their right to free movement, in a Europe without barriers, in a Europe without exclusions.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, by creating a reserve fund to mitigate the consequences of Brexit, the European Union has tried to react quickly and in solidarity. In the difficult negotiations, we ensured that the measures adopted were sufficient and appropriate, including by including precise environmental protection criteria in the final text. Our aim, at this particularly sensitive stage, will be to ensure that European companies can withstand the economic shock, even in the long term, by constantly monitoring the transition and acting swiftly through any future adjustments. Finally, our priority will be to continue to support companies facing the new ways of exporting to the UK and all European citizens who have decided to return to their countries of origin.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the floods and the scorching heat that hit Europe this summer are yet another proof of the devastating consequences of the ongoing climate change. What seems to be an exceptional phenomenon today risks, alas, becoming a permanent reality if we do not reverse course. In Italy alone, more than 500 fires have flared up, with huge costs for the extinguishing operations to be followed by those to rebuild flora, fauna and agricultural activities, in addition to the remediation operations of the affected areas. That is why the European Union must rise to the challenge, using all the instruments at its disposal to respond to the emergency, refinancing the solidarity fund and developing regional strategies for adapting to climate change. It is absolutely essential that these extraordinary expenditures are decoupled from the Stability Pact, so that they do not weigh on the budgets of the Member States.