Speeches

Madam President, Commission President, Vice—President, President, dear colleagues, the cost—of—living crisis affecting our European citizens unfortunately persists, and we are therefore concerned that the European Council conclusions fail to prioritise the support for our citizens and the cushioning of the crisis’ social consequences. While we support the European Council’s efforts to safeguard Europe’s industrial and also technological base, we urge the European Council not to neglect strong measures for households to bring the bills down. The Socialists and Democrats believe that especially our vulnerable citizens must be protected from getting their electricity and their gas disconnected. No one should have to live in a cold home in the midst of this winter. More broadly, we need to strengthen European fiscal capacity, support employment and equality, as well as to facilitate investment to accelerate the just transition. Better working conditions for platform workers, a strengthened framework for fair taxation and an economic governance that foresees a permanent fiscal capacity inspired by Next Generation EU will support social and economic progress. We expect the Council to work on these files with urgency and with determination. ‘ And now more than ever, it is crucial that we remain all united in our unprecedented support to Ukraine. We should push for qualified majority voting in foreign policy decisions to respond to Putin’s attempt to undermine our unity. Russia’s disinformation campaigns and attempts to interfere with our democratic systems, as well as the corruption allegations, show that we need vigorously to defend our democracies from external threats and we welcome the proposed joint actions. We must equally stand firmly behind a European perspective for Ukraine, for Georgia, and for the Republic of Moldova. In the Western Balkans we must accelerate the enlargement process and we must prove our credibility. We therefore welcome the decision to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Further, we would like to reiterate that for the Socialists and Democrats, the rule of law is not negotiable. We deplore the practice of some Member States that threaten to deploy vetoes on essential files to achieve a softer approach on the rule of law, and for my political group, it is also very crucial to uphold our core values when it comes to migration. We reject the narratives of fear, and we want to finally advance on finding sustainable solutions based on solidarity and the individual right of asylum. Madam President, this Parliament and our Union must remain strong and we must remain united to face all these challenges.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, many reports have been voted on in this Chamber concerning the rights of people with disabilities, whether it is a harmonised approach to the definition of disability, company quotas for greater inclusion, or good social security coverage for people living with disabilities. The European Parliament calls with one voice for concrete actions to put an end to the social injustice suffered by people with disabilities. It would be unacceptable if none of our calls or promises were translated into concrete actions under this mandate. I therefore turn to the Commission: work hand in hand to ensure that this legislative proposal on the establishment of a European Disability Card is adopted during this parliamentary term. There is a need for a multi-tasking map, which is not limited to the benefits of transport, but also extends to culture, leisure, sport, education and employment, and an inclusive map, which takes into account the type of disability through differentiated pictograms and QR codes, thus facilitating contacts of people with sometimes non-visible disabilities with front-line rescue services. What is at stake is our credibility vis-à-vis our voters. Thank you to Mrs Pelletier for her excellent report. I trust the Commissioner that this file will move forward quickly and intelligently with us.

Mr President, first the Coman—Hamilton case in 2019, and now the Baby Sara case. How many European Court of Justice cases do we need to guarantee the mutual recognition of administrative documents and parenthood between Member States? How many court decisions will be needed for children’s rights to be respected in Europe? This is not merely another LGBTIQ question, but concerns the rights of children and European citizens, which are openly flouted by some of our governments. And despite the adversarial stance of these nationalist and populist governments, the reaction of the European Commission, which is responsible for protecting the core values of the EU, has been rather weak. ‘Human rights apply to all EU citizens in all their diversity’, this is, in short, the tenet that the Commission has promised to defend since the beginning of this mandate. These words must be translated into legislative texts and into sanctions against those who choose to undermine them. And when I see the relentless fight of rainbow families for the respect of their rights, I am both inspired and I am mad. Inspired for the fortitude for these families who persevere through their struggle, even though their struggle often looks like a battle between David and Goliath. And mad because our institutions do not adequately support them in the fight for their rights. When I entered politics, I made a pledge to myself: I will always stand by the most vulnerable groups, no matter how much time and energy I will have to expend for their causes. In this battle, you can count on me. I’m happy to see that, as a co—chair of the LGBTI Intergroup, but also as an S&D member of this House, I am not alone. I can count on the Queer community, but also on our allies in the Parliament and beyond. Here are my questions: is the Commission ready to use legal tools to ensure enforcement of free movement law? What actions will the Commission take to ensure that a national measure does not preclude implementation of judgments and to make sure EU law is not violated? Dear Council and Commission, on which side of the fight do you want to be? Recognising diverse families benefits everyone, and it takes no one’s existing rights away. Europe must guarantee all children to see their family acknowledged and validated by law. By the way, baby Sara is not a baby any more – she will turn three years old, and is still undocumented.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, it is a sad fact that only 30.6 % of board members in our largest companies are women, knowing that girls do better in schools than boys and knowing that in the European Union 60 % of new graduates from universities are women. Many studies show that gender quotas are the most effective instrument for increasing women’s presence on company boards. Voluntary regulations without sanctions does not work. Therefore we Socialists and Democrats are pleased that we finally, after 10 years, adopted this Women on Boards Directive. This directive will improve gender equality by ensuring that at least 40 % of non-executive director posts or 30 % of all director posts are occupied by the underrepresented sex and this by 2026 through transparent, clear and neutral appointment criteria. This directive also rightly foresees dissuasive penalties for non-compliance and it’s a great success for us Socialists and Democrats. Our fight against gender inequalities can no longer wait and it will go on. I call on more men, I call on all men to speak up for gender equality and fight the patriarchal model that subsists in our society. Gender equality is a recipe for prosperity. This directive is not only good for women, it is good for the progress, the sustainability and the success of our European companies and economy.

Mr President, let me start by thanking Evin Incir for this excellent report on racial justice. And it is right that the report mentions cases of double standards and discrimination at the EU borders based on skin colour, including recently against some people fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine. Therefore, the call for equal treatment at the European Union’s borders is so important. And this is not only a call of the European Parliament, but also to citizens during the Conference on the Future of Europe, and the Migration Working Group demanded this. I want to thank Commissioner Dalli for the Commission’s commitment to the Union of Equality. The European Parliament is an ally supporting all the Commission’s equality strategies, be it the anti-racism action plan, the gender and LGBT equality strategy, the EU Roma strategic framework, the disability strategy. We are also an ally when it comes to intersectional discrimination, and it is therefore important not only to address intersectionality in documents and in speeches, but also in EU legislation. And here I urge the Council, which is unfortunately absent today, to stop banning intersectionality. To fight racism and discrimination in the European Union, we need our Member States on board.

Dear President, Commissioner, Deputy Prime Minister and colleagues, hate speech, especially when coming from public figures, leads to hate crime. This must stop. Last Wednesday it was Matúš and Juraj who were brutally murdered by a far-right radicalised student in Bratislava. Today our thoughts are with their families and friends. Next week, anyone belonging to the queer community – one of your kids, one of your grandkids, someone from this Parliament – could be a victim of a coward homophobic or transphobic crime. In too many Member States, far right, conservative and populist parties and religious fundamentalists spread LGBTIQ-phobia, copying the Kremlin’s narrative. They scapegoat and publicly target the LGBTIQ community to divide societies. This must stop. And therefore, I urge the Commission to take concrete sanctions against Member States not complying with EU values. I call on the Council to finally unblock the horizontal anti-discrimination directive, to come forward with an agreement on the Gender-based Violence Directive and to unblock the inclusion of hate crime and hate speech to the list of EU crimes. I encourage the Members of the Slovak National Parliament to establish – just like recently in Hungary – an LGBTIQ intergroup to work closely with civil society and monitor discrimination, hate speech and hate crime. LGBTIQ rights, just like women’s rights and children’s rights are human rights. (The President cut off the speaker)

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, we need to invest in our workforce. And when it comes to the digital and environmental transition, our human capital must be at the heart of all our action. For my political family, the Socialists and Democrats, this is self—evident. But all too often, curiously, we find that others seem to backtrack or to oppose such policies. What more noble cause is there than to invest in the people that make up our society and work for our common prosperity? And that means investing in all our citizens, women and men in all their diversity, persons with disabilities, minorities, vulnerable groups and people who were granted temporary protection. And there will be no better moment to invest in our human capital than in these challenging times. Delaying our action will lead to a loss of trust, not only into our common European project, but also in politics at national level. It is therefore crucial that the excellent report of our S&D colleague Alicia Homs calls for minimum income, universal access to health care, affordable housing, the implementation of the child guarantee, the prolongation of SURE, the social rescue facility and fair and progressive taxation. These are concrete actions to support our human capital in these difficult times. We cannot afford to leave anyone behind. Until now, our citizens have been resilient. It is time to learn from them, to truly listen to them, and to make our proposals a reality for all.

Madam President, more than 87 million people in our Union have some form of disability and they still face considerable barriers in accessing too many areas of life. Accessibility is an essential precondition for everyone to enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms. Therefore, the aim of the European Union must be to identify and to overcome all gaps and inconsistencies in the current legislation and standards, and to create an accessible environment for all. In this regard, I am looking forward to the upcoming Commission initiative related to rules for applying for the disability card in order to facilitate mobility of persons with disabilities within the internal market. Creating the AccessibleEU Centre is the right step in the right direction, but we also must make sure that each Member State will correctly implement the existing and forthcoming accessibility requirements in order to overcome existing and possible further fragmentations in the single market. To achieve our goal we need appropriate financing and also the provision of the adequate human resources, and it is also important to establish inclusive national accessibility hubs to facilitate the coordination among relevant stakeholders. Madam President, we can be proud of this Parliament that in many, many committees we highlight the promotion of the rights of people with disabilities.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, first of all, let me thank the rapporteur Mr Berendsen but also the IMCO rapporteur, Ms Carvalho, and colleagues in IMCO for the good cooperation we had. I am glad that the European Parliament will call for developing a more resilient, sustainable and also efficient single market that can better tackle supply disruptions on critical products such as food or pharmaceuticals. A resilient single market prevents over—dependency in energy and raw materials. For the Socialists and Democrats Group, it is also important that we call for an ambitious single market emergency instrument to ensure the resilience of the single market in a time of crisis. At the same time, I also have to underline that this should not undermine the effort to improve the single market in non-crisis contexts. We also underline the need to accelerate the green and the digital transition and we highlight the importance of public procurement which reflects economic, social and environmental considerations to support the twin transition. And finally, of course, we did not forget to mention the importance of investing in innovation, research and development, and to address the skills mismatch, gender gap and precarious working conditions.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this morning the President of the Commission, Mrs von der Leyen, recalled the importance of the media, the opposition and civil society when a state is in danger of switching to totalitarianism. For almost a decade, this Parliament has consistently called for European action in Hungary to uphold the independence of the media and the independence of the judiciary. It is important to support the counter-power in the face of a deviant government. In Hungary, when it is not the cause of women, it is the cause of LGBTI rights that is instrumentalised to pit individuals against each other, to divert attention from the proven corruption of Orbán’s relatives. And Europe in all this? Rather than seeing her as an ally, Orbán accuses her of all evils to hide her intentions belonging to a world of the past. This attitude is abominable and cannot remain without reaction on our part. Europe must act and live up to its ambitions. The Commission’s words on the rule of law must be followed by concrete action. My political group calls for the principle of conditionality to be strictly applied and for the European Parliament, the only European institution composed of directly elected members, to be involved in the process and monitoring of the application of the facts.

Mr President, dear all, this historic directive introducing an adequate minimum wage and strengthening collective bargaining in Europe is a very important step towards a more social Europe. And my political family, the Socialists and Democrats, we do not stand alone in this fight. We have the trade unions on our side, but not only them. We have the citizens on our side – in recent Eurobarometer polls this is proven. And also the participants in the Conference on the Future of Europe want a stronger social Europe. Some 24 million citizens will directly profit from this directive. And Commissioner, you are right to mention the essential workers, many of them women, because they deserve it. Let us not forget that adequate minimum wages, strong collective bargaining and strong trade unions are crucial elements for any recovery strategy. They are tools to fight against social dumping. They are tools to fight against wage dumping. And they are tools to reach upward convergence in Europe. And all this is not only good for the people, but it is also good for the economy. Now it is important that the Member States will swiftly transpose and implement this directive. Many thanks to all who participated in this important work.

Mr President, dear colleagues, as S&D IMCO shadow rapporteur, I will focus on the internal market and consumer protection aspects of this report. Strengthening consumer rights both online and offline, contributing to the Green Deal objectives and sustainability policies, as well as strengthening the internal market by addressing unjustified geoblocking or territorial supply constraints are just some of the good examples in our work. We also find it very progressive that the report addresses the shortcoming in the Internet of Things market and touches upon foreign subsidies. At the same time, I also have to underline that the IMCO Committee correctly pointed out several other important issues in its opinion, such as that competition policies can contribute to the energy union, but this does not mean to facilitate the creation of industrial giants. For us, it was also a key issue to tackle killer acquisitions and to highlight the role of the DMA in this regard, but also to clearly state that merger control should be assessed by the rules of the Merger Regulation. Finally, I also want to underline our suggestion that calls for further strengthening the role of the European Consumer Centres Network. With all respect, I suggest that we should vote for this report and thank the two rapporteurs for their work.

Madam President, in the beginning the Conference on the Future of Europe was very abstract and very slow, and it only gained momentum because of the fantastic dynamic in the nine working groups, where finally all components came together to debate. Citizens from the European and national panels, colleagues from the national parliaments, MEPs, representatives of civil society, social partners, regional authorities, Council and Commission Members, all were able to join forces to reach compromise, to make Europe stronger, more resilient, more sustainable, and more social. Yes, and these citizens represented all the citizens because there was a recent Eurobarometer poll where nine out of ten Europeans said they want a more social Europe, so they were representative of these citizens. The dynamic of the working groups also translated later into the plenary and last Saturday we concluded this unique democratic process with this fantastic 56-page document containing 325 concrete proposals endorsed by all components. Now action is needed. Of course, we must deliver on the citizens’ requests, and this requires, of course, policy change, legislative acts and in a few cases also treaty change. And therefore we need to convene the Convention as this excellent joint resolution with debate suggests. To conclude, I think we proved during one year that representative democracy and participatory democracy can go hand-in-hand, and we must continue this exercise.

Mr President, secure tax revenues and fair and simple taxation are crucial underpinnings of a strong recovery. They contribute to achieving our far-reaching ambitions, including social justice. All Member States must continue to fight against tax evasion, tax avoidance and tax fraud because that undermines tax revenue needed to build a better future for our citizens and hinder fair competition and functioning social systems. We should also ensure that our tax systems do not disproportionately tax labour, and therefore we need a fair balance between taxation of labour and capital, and we must ensure that multinational companies are properly taxed. I fully support the efforts to update international tax rules, notably through the two-pillar solution of the OECD/G20 agreement. Better cooperation between national tax authorities and increased transparency will also be necessary. The excellent report we debate today proposes pertinent recommendations to the Commission on fair and simple taxation. I am concerned, however, that future good initiatives risk getting stuck in the Council. We should therefore consider rethinking the requirement for unanimity on tax matters in the Council, as the citizens who are participating in the Conference on the Future for Europe recommend us in their written texts.

Madam President, the review of the EU’s economic governance framework must come up with an ambitious proposal that recognises the need for far—reaching investments. The European Semester remains far from being obsolete and will remain a crucial instrument for Member States to coordinate economic, fiscal, social and employment policies. However, it should also be more than that. We must generally move away from an obstinate focus on quantitative growth and budgetary orthodoxy. The Recovery and Resilience Funds and the national recovery and resilience plans already show that well-designed instruments can bring about lasting change. We should learn the lessons and transform the European Semester into an instrument to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth, meet environmental and social objectives and improve the well-being of our citizens. This means integrating the pertinent environmental and social indicators related to the Paris Agreement, the SDGs and the European Pillar of Social Rights. The European Semester can be more than a somehow dreary bureaucratic process. If we democratise it, ascribing a clear role to social partners, involving other relevant stakeholders and claiming a stronger role for the European Parliament throughout the process, then we can find solutions to the real problems on the ground and we will be able to adapt to the new sad reality with the war on our eastern border.

Mr President, the Socialists and Democrats welcome that today we can take another step forward in the protection of workers from exposure to harmful substances, which can cause cancer, infertility and many chronic diseases. We are also happy that beating cancer is at the top of the European agenda. We expect the Commission and the Member States to be ambitious in their measures against cancer at the workplace, and we are really looking forward to the updates of this directive because there is a continuous development in scientific research and we need to make sure that we protect workers accordingly. We should also not forget about asbestos, which causes 80% of occupational cancer. I remind you that this Parliament voted for a strong resolution on asbestos, calling for a European strategy for the removal of all asbestos. Therefore, we also call today on the Commission to be ambitious and to quickly revise the Asbestos Directive with an exposure limit for asbestos to be set at 1 000 fibres per cubic metre. To achieve zero asbestos, we need a comprehensive approach, including an EU framework directive for national asbestos removal strategies, mandatory screening of buildings, provision of sealing and encapsulation of asbestos-containing materials, and, very importantly, better recognition and compensation of asbestos—related diseases to all exposed workers. I would like to finish by thanking the rapporteur and all the colleagues who worked on this important work today.

Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank our rapporteur, Mr Sadowski, and also the shadow rapporteurs for the constructive negotiations and the good compromises. I believe that we achieved a correct balance between economic freedoms, social rights and the interests of consumers, workers and businesses, as well as the general interest, instead of focusing only on the economic benefits that the single market can grant. We have a text that remains focused on Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) competences, and we always draw clear distinctions between justified and unjustified barriers. We also find it crucial that we clarified what gold—plating means, and that the report correctly distinguishes it from setting of higher standards that go beyond EU—wide minimum standards for environmental and consumer protection, as well as healthcare and food safety. It is also extremely important for us – as is clearly stated in the text – that Member States keep their right to regulate and the pursuit of legitimate public policy objectives such as protection of the environment and consumer or employment rights. Let me also underline that we agreed to call on the Commission to propose ways to remove unjustified geo—blocking, and we made sure to have a clear reference to Territorial Supply Constraints, which are clearly hampering the development of the single market and its potential benefit for the consumers. I must also highlight that for S&D it was and will always remain a key issue that economic freedom cannot be put on an equal footing with fundamental rights. In this report, we also clearly stand against state—sponsored discrimination that can establish a non—tariff barrier, such as happened in the homophobic and transphobic Russian—style Hungarian law on LGBTI propaganda. I guess we all agree that we already voted a good report at IMCO level, but we also believe in the special protection of the public services, especially based on their general interest role, and this is why we intend to include this in the report by supporting Amendment 2. We are convinced that this report will serve to strengthen the single market, and therefore S&D will support this report.

Madam President, I want to thank our ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, and her office for her tireless fight for transparency. Transparency and information strengthen the rights of our citizens and let me remind you that without access to documents, there is no information and there is no transparency. And this becomes even more true in COVID times. Giving access to documents increases the accountability of all EU institutions. And the Council, which is absent today, has the worst record of transparency. We, as the European Parliament, must continue to keep up our pressure together with the European Ombudsman, with national parliaments and with the civil society organisations to change this. Our call for Council transparency is nothing abstract; it is also a demand from citizens. This becomes very clear in the citizens recommendations in the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe. EU transparency law is now over 20 years old, dates from a pre-social media and pre-smartphone era, it needs to be modernised, and it needs to be updated. The Commission must adapt this outdated regulation. Let me finish by thanking Emily O’Reilly once more for being a real influencer of change. And I also want to thank our rapporteur Ms Evi and the shadow rapporteurs for the excellent work they have done in the Committee on Petitions (PETI).

Madam President, let me recall, in this year of 2022, the European Year of Youth, that sexuality and relationship education in school is an international human right for children and adolescents. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children and young people have the right to receive comprehensive, scientifically accurate and age—appropriate sexual health education. Access to information on sexual and reproductive health, as well as sexual orientation and gender identity, plays a key role in preventing and raising awareness on sexual abuse and gender—based violence. It helps our youth understand sexual orientation and gender identity and to dispel common myths and stereotypes about LGBTIQ+ people. It equips children and young people with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will empower them to realise their health, their well-being and their dignity. It also develops respectful and positive social and sexual relationships. Curtailing comprehensive sexual education does not serve children or the interests of our society. Moreover, comparing sexual education with LGBTIQ propaganda, as the Hungarian and the Polish Governments do, violates human rights. Let us not forget that children’s rights, women’s rights and LGBTI rights are human rights, and they must count for all Europeans.

Mr President, unilateral national measures taken in response to the COVID—19 pandemic often hindered the free movement of goods and seriously affected especially small Member States, relying more on a proper functioning internal market. This is especially when we are talking about medicines and medical devices, for instance. But I also want to profit from this debate to recall that we should not forget barriers which already existed before the pandemic, such as the territorial supply constraints (TSCs), which can materialise through different practices, such as refusing to supply, or threatening to stop supplying, a particular distributor, limiting the quantities available for sale, inexplicable differences in product ranges and prices between Member States, or limiting language options for product packaging. Territorial supply constraints are hampering the development of the single market and its potential benefits also for consumers. Therefore, the Commission must come forward with adequate measures to eliminate them and, thereby, reduce barriers to cross-border trade in view to achieving a fully functioning single market.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in the face of the environmental and digital transition that our businesses and workers are facing, a new path must be opened to make this transition inclusive. This includes more democracy and transparency at work. Indeed, giving employees a voice will guarantee better support towards a just transition that will leave no one behind. That is why we Socialists and Democrats demand a reform that will ensure fair representation of workers in all their diversity on company boards in the form of quotas. In a social Europe, from upward convergence, corporate accountability in the face of social and fiscal dumping is also a crucial issue. A revision of the Directive on information and consultation of workers needs to be initiated, in order to strengthen workers' rights in relation to matters affecting the economic and employment situation of the company. Promoting sustainable governance practices is rightly mentioned in the report. A concrete example would be the setting of a maximum CEO-employee remuneration ratio. Finally, our Europe is part of a globalised world and must play an important role. We are convinced that Europe must be heard as a responsible partner in upholding its core values. That is why we Socialists and Democrats call for the swift adoption of new binding measures on corporate due diligence and accountability. Liebe Gaby Bischoff, vielen Dank für Deinen exzellenten Bericht über Demokratie am Arbeitsplatz! Dieser Bericht ist kein ‘Art for art’ oder Beschäftigungstherapie für dieses Parlament! Nein, er ist eine klare Antwort auf das Begehren unserer Bürgerinnen und Bürger. Genau vor einem Jahr haben in einer Eurobarometer-Umfrage 88 % der Befragten bestätigt, dass für sie ein soziales Europa persönlich wichtig ist. Das heißt, ein Europa, das für Chancengleichheit, do Arbeitsbedingungen und Sozialschutz sowie Inklusion sorgt. Wir wissen alle: Make Arbeitsbedingungen gibt es nicht ohne Mitbestimmung und Partizipation.

Mr President, Commissioner, this is a scandal! Today, six Member States – Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Czechia – have still not ratified the Istanbul Convention, which protects women, girls and the LGBTI community. In addition, the Polish government is threatening to withdraw. This is why ratification by the European Union remains blocked in the Council. Refusing this life-saving convention is an insensitive gesture and a terrible cruelty to violence against women in Europe. Considering the increasing number of feminicides, I can only turn to these six governments and remind them that through their attitude, they have blood on their hands. We in the European Parliament cannot remain insensitive to this reality. That is why a very large majority, Commissioner, will take forward the legislative proposals that include the standards of excellence of the Istanbul Convention and the initiative to add violence against women and girls to the list of crimes enshrined in European law. Commissioner, count on us to overthrow patriarchy. Count on us to fight together against anti-gender movements and their ideology. They are the ideologues in this story.

Madam President, I have been in constant contact with young people for 15 days in the context of the European Youth Event and the Conference on the Future of Europe. One and the same observation: young people do not feel sufficiently taken into account in Europe. Precarity at work, difficulty in accessing affordable and decent housing, and so on. Europe needs to be more responsive to them. And yet, their message is clear. Social and ecological Europe must be brought back to the forefront. We need a Europe that can tackle environmental, social and digital challenges to provide opportunities for Europe's youth, rather than sinking into crisis. The ‘business as usual’ semester, the ‘austerity semester’, has only helped to increase disparities on our continent. It is a Europe that is refocusing on the human capital that we Socialists & Democrats are calling for. A Europe that offers young people a chance to build a dignified, prosperous and quality future for themselves. This is why there is an urgent need for the European Semester to give as much importance to social, environmental and digital issues as to economic ones. Financing youth is not going into debt, it is a profitable investment for all.

Mr President, in January 2011, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) came into force here in the European Union, but Member States, but also a little bit the European Union, have failed to fully promote, protect and assure equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities. Efforts must be made, and I am very confident that the new EU disability strategy, presented by Helena Dalli, after a participatory process, will ensure better social and economic inclusion. The report that we discuss today highlights the need for better monitoring of the compliance with the UNCRPD by the Commission, but moreover by the Member States, and I want to recall that we should not forget to include persons with disabilities in this monitoring process. The report recalls that 1% of petitions deal with disability rights when up to 87 million EU citizens have some form of disability; 1% is not enough, and it shows how difficult it is to make the voice of people with disabilities heard in this process. I am proud that my political group fully supports the annual workshops and hearings on the rights of people with disabilities organised by the Committee on Petitions, which allows close cooperation with the Commission, with experts, with the Fundamental Rights Agency, with the European Ombudsman and representatives of civil society, such as the European Disability Forum. It is only together that we will be able to achieve the ambitious aims of the Commissioner’s strategy. The excellent work of our rapporteur, Alex Agius Saliba, sheds light on the absolute necessity to ratify the optional protocol of the UNCRPD. It will allow individuals to submit communications to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on alleged violations of their fundamental rights by a state party to the CRPD. Five Member States and the EU haven’t ratified it yet, so we should stop being hypocrites. We all talk about participation, but we haven’t ratified the protocol which allows participation for individuals.

Madam President, in the European Union too many workers are living in poverty and they suffer because of social exclusion. Work, platform work included, must become the tool again for all to combat poverty. Today this is not yet the case. The growing digital economy has great potential for job creation, but these jobs must be quality jobs instead of precarious jobs. New forms of work must become a synonym of equal rights and better work—life balance. We Socialists and Democrats, together with the trade unions and civil society, will never accept that platform workers are a sub—category or a new category of workers. To prevent social dumping, platform workers deserve social rights, health and safety protection, fair working conditions and the right to collective bargaining – and therefore we need ambitious EU legislation. Here we have the opportunity to make social progress for the next generation by empowering platform workers. Our aim is a more resilient and a more social Union where vulnerable categories of workers have no place.