Debate contributions by Sara MATTHIEU

Mr President, colleagues, workers ask me what future there is for industry in Europe. I understand that question very well. Just think of the 3 000 people who lost their jobs as a result of the closure of Audi Brussels. Had Audi listened to its employees asking for affordable electric vehicles instead of expensive SUVs, they would still be making cars in our capital today. Everyone is talking about ‘competitiveness’ here, but the current simplification and demolition agenda has not yet created any jobs. A competitive industry requires skilled workers to help shape change. We must not just accept the decline of our industry, but must come up with a European transition plan, together with workers and trade unions. We must strive for a fair transition that puts workers first and creates jobs. That is why I ask you, colleagues, on behalf of all those millions of workers in Europe, to support this report. Support our call for binding legislation for a fair transition!

Madam President, colleagues, some already suspected it was dangerous in 1906, but it took us a hundred years to ban it. I'm talking about asbestos. 80 000 deaths every year in Europe alone. And right now, we're making the same mistake with PFAS, with forever chemicals: they're in your blood, they're in your children's bodies. So, what is the Council's only priority for the chemicals industry? Weaken REACH to boost competitiveness. Seriously? Have we learned nothing? REACH should become our safety net. It should ensure that chemicals are actually tested before they enter the market, like we do with medicines. But let me be clear: we need to fight for good jobs in clean industries that will last. But we can't build that future by repeating the mistakes of the past. A strong chemicals sector and the protection of public health – they are not opposites; they should be partners. So, dear Commission, we should be strengthening REACH and not weakening it.

Mr. President, which one of you has an oil sheik in the family? No one. But who has someone in the family who has solar panels on the roof? Almost everyone. Ordinary people opt for their own green energy, reducing their energy bills by EUR 450 per year and becoming independent of oil and gas. Tens of millions of Europeans are already doing this, not because politicians prescribe it, but because they want it themselves. The success of the climate summit does not start in meeting rooms, but simply on the street, where people opt for green energy. Right-wing politicians, however, are holding you back: They continue to pump subsidies into fossil fuels and listen slavishly to Trump, who wants to keep us dependent on his gas. Soon, world leaders in Brazil will be faced with a choice: Do they listen either to the fossil lobby or to those tens of millions of people who are already doing their best for the climate today? Let Europe lead the way with ambitious climate targets and a tripling of renewable energy. Not for the profits of oil sheikhs, but for you.

Mr President, colleagues, this Commission made us a bold promise: to secure both economic prosperity and the climate and environment. So the clean industrial deal is what we need to protect us against bullies like Trump, unfair competition and climate change. But what I have seen lately is predominantly the dismantling of climate and environmental policies. Do we really think that Europe is going to catch up with China by simply deregulating? Listen to what European businesses are asking us to do. They want urgent leadership to translate the 90 % climate target into action, with strategic investment programmes in circular and in cleantech, with demand creation using public procurement or the greening of corporate fleets, with affordable, clean energy and electrification to cut costs and boost our independence, and, of course, with fairness to ensure that this benefits all workers. Now, we expect a lot from the upcoming proposals of the Commission, like the IDAA, like the circular economy act, like the quality jobs roadmap. But, dear Commission, it is time to deliver.

Mr President, dear colleagues, by 2027 there will be 19 electrical models under EUR 25 000 on our market – those are affordable cars, European cars. I am talking about Volkswagen ID.2, Renault 5; not some distant dream, but on our road, in your driveway. So here's the choice, and I think it's a pretty simple one. Option A – you spend EUR 25 000 on a car produced in Europe that actually strengthens our industry. You plug it in with renewable electricity that we produce right here in Europe. So that's EUR 25 000 that actually stays in our economy, that supports our workers, that strengthens our green industry. Or, option B – you buy a combustion engine and watch EUR 25 000 on fossil fuels literally go up in smoke over the whole car's lifetime. That's petrol, that's diesel, straight into the pockets of the oil sheikhs and Putin's war chest. Now, here's what I find absolutely fascinating about the right-wing parties that never stop talking about sovereignty, about autonomy; they are the ones desperately clinging to the biggest drain on European purchasing power in history. They want us to keep bleeding billions abroad for oil. You can't make it up. That's not even following ideology, they are just protecting yesterday's industry. The ones that didn't see the future coming while the world has moved on. So, colleagues, let's choose clean air, let's choose green jobs, let's choose made in Europe.

Madam President, well, I'm not sure where all the colleagues are, but I'm glad to be here. Commissioner, Parliament. Mr President, the carbon border tax ensures that large polluters pay, and promotes fair competition, because it also applies to non-European companies. The step-by-step reduction of free emission allowances generates billions of much-needed revenues. Indeed, Europe currently has an investment gap of EUR 344 billion to become climate neutral. We are not going to pay this bill to our families, but to the big polluters. We need to invest that revenue smartly to help our industry become greener. However, we also need to properly address implementation; This is why we are now reducing the administrative burden, without sacrificing climate protection. Finally, I have one clear message for U.S. President Trump: Europe sets its own rules. We don't allow ourselves to be dictated by bullies. All attacks on this carbon border tax can therefore be stopped. We are not going bougeren.

Mr President, I have a question: why are the conservatives trying to sabotage Europe's fight for more economic and strategic independence? This law saves precious materials from old cars, and it's a good and well‑needed initiative. European industry, Member States, big names like Letta, like Draghi – they all agree: keeping the resources in Europe breaks dependence on bullies like China, like the US, and it supports our SMEs in the recycling sector. What I don't get is why the EPP would present a report sabotaging key ambitions on circularity. They don't want the talk when it comes to circularity; they claim to defend the SMEs, but they actually sell them out exactly the way the far right does. We will keep fighting for more ambition when we're having our upcoming negotiations with the Member States because, colleagues, we need to do better than this.

Mr President, colleagues, Europe has a unique opportunity to protect itself against aggressors like Putin or economic extortionists like Trump. We must stop our addiction to fossil fuels and turbocharge clean tech manufacturers here in Europe, because every month that we delay, it costs our European citizens more. It costs them in their energy bills. It costs them in jobs that are lost overseas. It costs them in economic vulnerability. But the good news is, clean tech already is the major driver of our economic prosperity today. These industries drive 30 % of total EU growth and grew twice as fast in the last decade, creating millions of green jobs. But we need a more targeted action to become the world leaders against these Chinese competitors. So that's why we are calling for a dedicated action plan. We need to build up our European clean tech and get the funding before China dominates the market. We need to buy European to ensure a stable and predictable market demand. And we need to shield our industries from unfair competition, from inefficient use of resources and from trade wars.

Mr President, dear colleagues, Europe can't win by playing yesterday's game. If we stick to fossil fuels, we are always going to lose to cheaper competitors, like the US or China. But we can lead the world with clean tech and with renewables. In 2023 alone, they created one third of EU growth and millions of green jobs. So this, colleagues, is our moment. We need to maintain jobs and economic security right here in Europe, and we need to protect ourselves from climate disasters. We need to protect ourselves from unfair trade practices. That's really what the Clean Industrial Deal is all about. That's why the 90 % climate target to 2040 in the strategy is such a big deal. That's why massive electrification, renewables and circularity should really be our investment priorities. But, colleagues, these transitions must also work for the workers. Supporting our industry to decarbonise? Yeah. But tie it to fair wages and to workers' rights. No corporate handouts without high-quality jobs.

Madam President, dear colleague, I think it's very important that this Commission understands that the only way that this transition, this decarbonisation of our industry, is going to work is if it has a social component. Yes, some parts of it will be a Member State competence, but, for instance, when it comes to the handing out of European subsidies, where we need to do it to support our industries in that decarbonisation, it can't be a blank check. So for me, it's super important that the Commission does take this responsibility when it comes to social policy.

Madam President, six months ago, a major steel producer in my home country, Belgium, said that it would delay a EUR 1 million investment in green steel production. That's really a wake‑up call, because it's exactly that kind of investment that we need. Really, the switch to green, to recycled steel, that's a vital opportunity to create jobs while avoiding climate catastrophe. It's good to see that the Green Industrial Deal and the Steel and Metals Action Plan will indeed help to drive down the energy costs, the network tariffs, and to tackle, for instance, circumvention risks when it comes to CBAM. I'm very glad that Commissioner Séjourné mentioned the recycled content targets, but indeed we need them sooner than later. I have to say, once again, that I'm also disappointed when it comes to the social dimension of the plan. There is no mention of social conditionality; there is no mention of the just transition. We really need to get the workers on board, so I'm counting on you to make that happen.

Madam President, colleagues, in these challenging times, doubling down on the Green Deal is the key factor to save our competitiveness, to create more jobs, to reduce energy prices for our industry and for our families. And let me tell you why. When autocrats like Trump, like Musk, like Putin, are trying to bully Europe into submission, sticking to an agenda of deregulation, of slowing down our energy transition will only play into their hands. What we need is Europe to make massive investments – investments that will make us the global leaders for green steel, for cement, for wind turbines, for heat pumps and all of that made in Europe. I'm pleased that the Clean Industrial Deal does set out the first steps for us to get there. I'm also disappointed – I can't hide it, Commissioner – you didn't even mention the chapter on social and just transition and I think it's quite telling when it comes to the ambition that this Commission is setting there. So this is something we need to rectify – I'm counting on you to do so.

Mr President, it is an absolute illusion that putting the axe in our sustainability laws will solve the structural problems of our industry. Nevertheless, the Commission now wants to cut into what I consider to be essential protection of our nature and the rights of our workers. Why? Because the Commission believes that this will make companies more competitive. That's absolute nonsense. Deregulation does not provide much-needed investment in innovative, green, European-made products and certainly does not create jobs in Europe. Those who simply applaud this cut in legislation are not looking forwards but backwards, at a time when multinationals helped to destroy the environment, workers' rights and human rights with impunity. Just think of Rana Plaza, where thousands of workers lost their lives due to the negligence of the "fast fashion" industry. Let's keep our course. Reducing administrative burdens where possible? Yeah, yeah. But above all, let's stimulate innovation and sustainable investments instead of further elaborating our sustainability laws.

Mr President, dear colleagues, an ambitious climate policy. That is really the very best competitiveness strategy we have in the world. To those colleagues on the right that are the die-hard deregulators, I want to say that that is really the key message that I take away from the presentation of the Competitiveness Compass. Because we cannot allow Europe to miss this great opportunity like we have done in the past – when we built up our solar panel industry, for instance, only to just hand it over to the Chinese. Are we really going to make that same mistake when it comes to wind energy and when it comes to electrical vehicles? No. Because that, my dear colleagues, would be economic suicide and it would put even more European jobs at risk. What we really need are clear goals on sustainable and secure investments in our renewables industry, in our circular economy, in our workers that are the backbone of our industry. And that requires real funding. That really requires large-scale joint European investments, otherwise we won't be able to compete. So let's not fall in that trap of deregulation. Let's seize the opportunity for a fair and just ...

Mr President, colleagues, as we speak blood is being shed in eastern Congo. Rebels and Rwandan troops are terrorising innocent communities. There's mass rapes, there's killings, there's hundreds of thousands of people being displaced from their homes. And what fuels this devastating conflict? The very minerals in our smartphones, in our laptops, in the devices we use every day. How can we as Europeans look away when our hunger for critical raw materials is staining our hands with blood? The EU's recent deal with Rwanda isn't just a political misstep, it's a moral failure. I call for an immediate embargo on all minerals exported from Rwanda, and a suspension of the MoU, sanctions on Rwandan military leadership, and an immediate and unconditional withdrawal from both the M23 rebels and the Rwandan army from the DRC soil. We can't let our pursuit of critical raw materials turn ourselves into accomplices of warfare – we need to stop this war now.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the evidence is clear that the world is drowning in plastics. They're everywhere. They're in our oceans, they're in our bodies, and there are even microplastics in our brains. We're simply making too many of them, while we're actually making the problem worse here in Europe by still investing in major plastic factories like the Ineos factory in Antwerp. All that makes new plastics dirt cheap, and it keeps the fossil economy alive, but it also kills our struggling recycling industry that we really need. I was happy to see the Commission really supporting the coalition to reduce plastic production during the negotiations on the UN Plastics Treaty. However, petrostates like Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia completely sabotaged the deal. That's why, today, I want to ask the Commissioner what he will do in the short term here in Europe to stop the overproduction of plastics. Secondly, let's work on the alternatives. Let's make a treaty of the willing to prevent those petrostates taking all of us hostage and stalling our progress.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, President Trump just took the oath in Washington. One of the first things he will do is step out of the Paris climate agreement. The agreement must be signed by the CO2-limit as much as possible emissions from each country, and especially from the biggest polluters. Trump's irresponsible behavior has enormous consequences for our environment, for our health and for our planet. That is why Europe needs to lead by example right now, by staying on track for our 2030 climate goals and by setting an ambitious target for 2040. I therefore call on the Commission to put forward European levers as soon as possible to ensure that global climate ambitions are maintained. 2024 was the warmest year ever. We must therefore prepare for the consequences of this warming, with a legislative initiative on climate adaptation. We need to show leadership at the next climate summit in Brazil.

Mr President, three years ago a school under construction in Antwerp collapsed and the consequences were terrible. Five dead, nine seriously injured among the workers. It was a dark day for the Belgian construction industry. And those workers came from all over Europe and subcontracted, always by other companies. The victims who could recount it spoke about undeclared work, about unsafe working conditions, about bogus self-employment, about exploitation. And we know the causes. Because these companies always work with other subcontractors, who do not take it so closely with our social protection and always circumvent the rules. Social dumping is a disgrace, ladies and gentlemen, and at the same time it creates unfair competition for the companies that do follow the rules. That is why, dear Commission, I once again ask for clear legislation that limits the chains of subcontracting and makes companies truly liable for the entire chain. Let us finally put an end to modern slavery in the heart of Europe.

Mr President, dear colleagues, let me say this very loud and clear – the Green Deal, that's our best strategy to regain competitiveness in the world. And that's not merely just our point of view. That's what all innovative companies and the trade unions tell me every day. That's what the Commission says – thank you, Miss Ribera. That's what all the impact assessments of the Green Deal policies say. Time and time again, ladies and gentlemen, we have seen that the benefits far exceed the costs. So I have to ask those sceptics of the Green Deal, do you truly want to jeopardise hundreds of thousands of jobs and investments and economic security? Do you really want the Chinese to take over our car industry and cleantech? I believe the answer should be a resounding 'no'. So forget about the status quo of the fossil-fuel industry. Instead of pulling the brakes, we should double down on investments in the green economy and make the workers the true winners of this transition.

Mr President, one in ten Europeans cannot heat their homes this winter. And it is the people who live in cold and draughty homes who are the most victims of those high energy prices. Europe urgently needs to step up the fight against energy poverty. And we need to do that by helping people renovate their homes and by switching to renewable energy, because the cheapest energy is the energy you don't use. We have to make sure that people get better thanks to European policies. The Social Climate Fund must support people financially to renovate their homes. But the amount is not enough and must be at least doubled. District by district we have to help people with a collective approach to renovating those houses, so that the energy bill decreases and people can have a warm home. I will continue to fight for a Europe that delivers for people, so that everyone benefits from the energy transition.

Mr President, when factories in old and polluting industries close, the workers are the first victims. In the past, this was downright chaotic. Workers were ignored and communities were destroyed, as was the case with the coal mines in Belgium. But now it has to be different so that employees become the winners of the transition. There are many new jobs in our market. For example, installers of charging stations or maintenance technicians of wind turbines. Give those employees security through good wages and good working conditions. This is possible, because today's factories are begging for workers with the right skills. But we see that employees are not sufficiently prepared for the work of tomorrow. This puts pressure on our prosperity. That is why I am putting on the table a directive for a fair transition. Enshrine the right to training during working hours and bring employers and workers together to manage that transition.

Madam President, dear colleagues, last month in this Parliament, we debated about the thousands of European workers at risk of losing their jobs in the car manufacturing industry. Today we're talking about the job cuts hitting the steel workers, for instance, in the Czech Republic, in Poland, in Hungary, all over Europe. So that's why we ask for a clean industrial deal that really unleashes an investment agenda in green technologies of the future; an act that solves the bottlenecks for affordable renewable energy; an act that creates demand for green products made in Europe; an act that ensures a level playing field for our European manufacturers; and all of this while ensuring social conditions for every euro of subsidies that will be spent. Because colleagues, workers need always be at the heart of our transition.

Mr President, our market is flooded with cheap junk from Chinese webshops, such as Temu, such as Shein, such as AliExpress. There are millions of packages: T-shirts for two euros, a football for half a euro. These are not durable and anything but safe. As a mother of a toddler, that scares me. After all, a sample shows that eighteen of the nineteen toys on Temu are downright unsafe. These Chinese webshops make a profit at the expense of the health of our children. In the meantime, our European companies that do follow the rules can no longer compete against dumped prices and unfair competition. It's time to protect consumers and our businesses from the cheap junk that Chinese web shops keep dumping on our market. Durability and good working conditions: It has to become the standard. And that is possible, with better and more targeted controls, with a stricter approach to infringements and with a tightening of the current rules. Dear Commission, work on that.

Mr President, colleagues, I am addressing you at a time when thousands of European workers are at risk of losing their jobs, and let me tell you, workers should not be the victims of the poor management decisions that some of our European car producers made, nor should the taxpayers or should the citizens. But here we are. And that's actually exactly what's happening right now in Europe – because for years they have fought tooth and nail to slow down the shift to electrical vehicles – to maximise on profits, to keep out competition, to keep Europe addicted to fossil fuels. Well, finally, it's time for a different approach. First, we urgently need to support the workers with social safety nets, with training programmes. Secondly, we need to prevent this failure from happening again by guaranteeing workers' participation and obliging companies to set up transition plans. And that's actually why we really need a just transition directive as soon as possible in the EU. Thirdly, it's not too late. We can still catch up with the Chinese on EVs, but we need to get serious. We need to double down on electrification, and that also means making EVs affordable through social leasing, that means corporate fleet targets, that means big investments as well in charging infrastructure. And fourthly, colleagues, let's stay strong on those tariffs on unfairly subsidised Chinese EVs. But that protection only makes sense if we keep our targets for cars on CO2 – because that's actually the best industrial policy we have for our car manufacturers. It's the only guarantee we have for the car manufacturing industry in the EU to survive. So, colleagues, let's stay the course and let's ensure that workers in the car industry still have a future in Europe.