Speeches

The EU School Scheme only reaches 1 in 4 schoolchildren and many of those keep going to school because of the scheme. This is why we need to make sure that the budget of the scheme is increased and that it reaches as many children as possible, especially those from vulnerable backgrounds. For this to happen, NGOs could play an enabling role and cooperation between them, schools and authorities must be facilitated. Furthermore, we need quality products that are fresh, locally grown, seasonal and organic. By providing such products, not only do we support our local farmers, but we also provide healthy products to millions of children. The School Scheme could be a bridge between farms, schools and wider society, and this is why it is crucial to strengthen the educational component of the Scheme and to ensure a wider involvement of stakeholders in developing and implementing educational measures. Last, but not least, it is high time we started cooperating with candidate countries on this programme. The Commission could look into using alternative funds, such as the pre—accession financial instruments, to support the launch of a similar programme in countries like Moldova and Ukraine.

It has been 10 years since Romania officially met the Schengen accession criteria following certified evaluations, including by the European Parliament and the Council, in June 2011. However, accession is blocked for political reasons, which have nothing to do with predetermined criteria. Changing the rules during the game is unacceptable and should not be part of the tools used in a rules-based Union. That is why, as the European Parliament has reiterated on numerous occasions, supported also by the Commission, Romania and Bulgaria must be allowed access to Schengen as soon as possible. In fact, both countries have already successfully implemented almost all of the Schengen acquis for many years, and their contribution to border security is a public good that benefits the entire European Union. At the same time, the EU needs a reform of the Schengen rules to implement the lessons learned in recent years, where freedom of movement has become only theoretical due to both the pandemic and the hasty and uncoordinated decisions of the Member States. The EU must deliver a fully functioning Schengen area to European citizens as soon as possible, with Romania and Bulgaria as full members.

Madam President, first of all, I am glad that we have reached this agreement on the European Digital Wallet after three years. I think it is a tool that will revolutionize the way we interact with state authorities, but also with companies. We will be able to access public services and have all our documents at hand, directly on the phone. This means eliminating queues at the counters and wasted time. All this will of course be possible, respecting the highest standards of security and protection of personal data. Importantly, the owner of the digital wallet will have absolute control over their own data. In addition, it was essential for me that the digital wallet also included a free electronic signature for all European citizens. I am glad that we managed to have this in the final text. Thank you to all the colleagues with whom we have worked excellently on this text, but also to our teams who have spent many hundreds of hours in these negotiations.

Mr President, there have been many good ideas, but I want to mention only a couple of the ideas that were mentioned here. So the first one is that somehow citizens’ participation causes the fact that representative democracy weakens. It’s not real. This is not what we intend to transmit through this report, but the opposite. It is not by chance that representative democracy and the trust in political institutions is the highest in Member States where these kind of citizens’ participation mechanisms exist already. And my colleague Barry Andrews already mentioned that in Ireland the trust in public institutions is greater because we have this this mechanism of public participation. So our idea about creating this European Agora would follow up to the Conference on the Future of Europe, because, yes, we have to give an answer to the citizens. The citizens clearly said that they want to get involved more in the decisions of the Union. I think we need the citizens to get more involved in the decisions of the Union because we saw that they bring added value. They brought a lot of good ideas in the conference, such as competences on health, competences on education and so on. So these are ideas that are very good for our European democracy, and I think we should be at least as courageous here in this House as the citizens were in the Conference on the Future of Europe. Thank you very much, and I wish to thank also my co-rapporteur, Niklas, and of course, the shadow rapporteurs and the Commission.

Mr President, dear colleagues, yesterday, during the State of the Union, we listened to President von der Leyen speak about transformation and reform. But the loudest part of yesterday’s speech was the one that we didn’t hear, the one about citizens and democracy. One could say it was more like a State of the European Union bubble. It was a discussion between us, more Brussels people and Strasbourg people. In order to transform the State of the Union we need to bring closer to the Union the citizens. And this is precisely the core objective of this report: to find ways of upgrading our European democracy and bringing the EU closer to its people. Indeed, our European democracy has been described by scholars in many ways, but actually few are positive. When people talk about the EU and its processes, they often think about ‘deficit’, ‘bureaucracy’, ‘impersonal’, ‘elitist’ or ‘something far away’. We even invented nice words to cover, I would say, our weaknesses, such as ‘failing forward’ or ‘sui generis model’. While I’m the first to defend the EU, I’m also the first to point out to its weaknesses, because, yes, the EU is not perfect. The EU’s institutional architecture is not fit for the 21st century, and we must admit that. We still think in terms of unanimity and we allow singular governments to take over the EU agenda for selfish national interests. The system in place is one in which one Member State can decide for 26. Unanimity does not strengthen our weakest members, but it weakens us all. Every day you come to work in this House and we vote on laws, but we cannot initiate them. This is not how a real democracy works. So what we say in this report is that we should make the necessary changes so that the EU becomes a fully fledged democracy on its own account: not a sui generis democracy, not something that falls forward just as a matter of gravity or inertia. To achieve this, we need to put Parliament at the centre of our democracy system. We need to become an authentic, bicameral parliamentary system in which the Council becomes a genuine upper chamber. And very importantly, we must put an end to the practice of the European Council tasking the Commission or even the Parliament to do this or that. The Commission and the Parliament are not the Secretariat of the European Council. On top of that, we must bring freshness in our European democracy. And I would say we need freshness in democracy in general. Because we not we have not refreshed and upgraded our democracy model for more than 150 years. We are no longer in the 1800s. Citizens are not engaged in our democratic life because they feel that their voice is not heard. It’s not me who says that, but it’s almost every Eurobarometer. This is why what we propose is to empower the citizens to actively contribute to the democratic life of the Union. And not only every five years when we have elections, but every year. And for that reason, we propose to create the European Agora, which would empower the citizens to be more active in our democratic life.

Madam President, dear colleagues, first of all, I am pleased that we are having this debate about how the European institutions are performing on Europe Day itself, and I think we should start by saying that, in general, our institutions are working well, as is apparent from most of the reports that we are discussing today. The European Union delivers results, delivers peace and welfare and continues to offer the European hope and dream that countries like Ukraine or the Republic of Moldova aspire to. I think it is our duty to say today ‘Thank you, Europe, and thank all those who believe and work for the European Union on a daily basis!’. Today, too, we must make it clear and clear that the European project must be strengthened. Europe is the scapegoat of those unable to make their own mistakes, Europe is the preferred target of extremists and populists, and Europe is often the main subject of fake news. Those who care about Europe must be much more vocal and say today more than ever that Europe is the future and that Europe must be ready for the future. We need to democratise the Union by giving this Parliament the right of legislative initiative. We must give up unanimity in the Council, which leads to the confiscation of decisions by populists. We need to follow up on the voice of the citizens we heard in the Conference on the Future of Europe: Skills in health, more participatory democracy are just some of their key requirements. Last but not least, we need to start a treaty-amending convention that adapts the Union to the transformations we are going through. Thank you and happy birthday, Europe!

Madam President, first of all, of course, I thank the colleagues in the team of rapporteurs with whom I have worked very well to have this text on the table today. A lot of the devices we use today produce data, from simple objects like smart bulbs, of course, to the most complex ones like cars or airplanes. At the moment we only use 20% of all this data. If users and companies had, they could use the full potential of the data, we could generate more than 2 million jobs in Europe and generate almost €300 billion more in EU GDP. This is also the purpose of data law. First, we are revolutionising the way we use technology and the internet for the benefit of consumers, giving back control of the data to those who co-generate it. All users will decide who they share them with, who they sell them to and how they use them. Secondly, we will be able to make better use of the potential of data to access better public services, and thirdly, we are creating a data economy that helps Europe innovate and take advantage of this huge potential of industrial data. I think that what we have on the table is a very good compromise and I think that we need to adopt it and have a strong position in the negotiations with the Council.

– Madam President, we have over 13 million mobile citizens in the European Union, one third of whom come from my own country, Romania. All these people can also be ambassadors of the European Union, because they are the ones who benefit most directly from the benefits of European citizenship. Unfortunately, only a third of them are aware of their right to vote or stand as candidates in local or European elections. That has to change. We need to better inform mobile citizens about their rights from the moment they register their residence and before each election. We need to remove all remaining administrative barriers and discrimination, and we need to lower the voting age to 16 in order to give young people the chance to participate in the democratic life of the Union as well. Only in this way can we improve European democracy and strengthen that common spirit of belonging.

Madam President, 2021 was indeed a difficult year, with multiple pandemic crises. The European Investment Bank has played an important role in supporting the supply of vaccines, health infrastructure and, of course, companies that have been severely affected. The crises, obviously, are not over, but on the contrary, have multiplied and that is why we still need the EIB to be at the forefront to support the European economy and, obviously, the green and digital transition. And, of course, we also need the EIB to continue and fulfil its traditional role as an investor in the infrastructure and cohesion of the Union. For all this, I believe it is necessary for the European Investment Bank to further develop technical assistance in the regions most in need, also to continue prioritising investments in health infrastructure to reduce inequalities between countries, to support investments in energy transition and autonomy, both in the European Union and in candidate countries facing major problems, such as the Republic of Moldova, to invest in food security, agriculture and rural areas. These are areas that are often forgotten and, of course, ensure a level of transparency and ethics in all areas.

Mr President, Austria's veto against Romania's accession to Schengen has created a wave of shock and frustration in my country. A shock to the monument of injustice done and a frustration because the European Union, in which they trusted, allowed such a thing. Unanimity is an anachronistic reminiscent of the beginnings of the Union that cannot function in 27 countries. Or, more specifically, it cannot work for the benefit of the Union, but for the benefit of populists and blackmailers. Because, yes, to be clear, unanimity means that the agenda of the Union is held hostage by the least interested in our common interest, as we have seen lately. There's no way we can tolerate this anymore. Unanimity is not democracy. Democracy is majority. Let us amend the Treaties to eliminate this abuse of the veto that the Union is sick of.

Mr President, the title of this report is very well chosen: "Let's join forces to improve legislation". I believe that in order to have better laws, we must first join forces with the citizens. And, rightly, it is no longer enough to involve citizens only once every 5 years, when there are elections. I think it is time to create a mechanism for permanent consultation with citizens that is part of the process of preparing the European Commission's work programme.

Madam President, it has already been said here, the last few years have been difficult and the European Investment Bank has done its duty to help combat the effects of the pandemic and now the war. The bank invested in finding vaccines and anti-Covid treatments, but also in keeping the economy on, say, the waterline. And thank you for that, Mr. Hoyer. However, there are a few areas where there is clearly room for improvement. We need more investment by the Bank in agriculture and rural development to ensure food security and the transition to green agriculture. We also need the bank to ensure a high level of transparency and ethics by adopting a transparency register and proactive measures to prevent conflicts of interest.

Madam President, 2020 has been a year of many challenges, including for the institutions and agencies whose work we are looking at today. The vast majority knew very well how to adapt to the pandemic and help Europeans, each in their own field. Problems have persisted and continue to persist. One that I would say is widespread is that of major geographical and gender imbalances at staff level, especially in management positions. We have this situation in several institutions, from the Commission, to Parliament or to the European External Action Service. I hope that this issue will be taken more seriously in the future and that the situation will be improved at the next discharge.

Madam President, there was a lot of excitement in this hemicycle a few days ago, when the conclusions of the conference were adopted. People hugged and congratulated each other after a year of work. A mother came with her baby a few months ago and told us about the future of Europe. It is precisely the emotion we need to give Europe a new soul and breath. For me, there are two lessons to be learned from this exercise in participatory democracy. The first is that it is time to make this direct consultation exercise with citizens permanent. The second is that we have a duty now: implement these conclusions of the Conference, including by immediately triggering a Convention.

Mr President, Commissioner, a few months ago I visited the high school I graduated from. Do you know what the students told me? They told me that they feel under immense pressure, because of the false standards that social media imposes, that they feel alone, because they have been too isolated in their homes because of the pandemic. We have known for some time that the age of speed in which we live, but also social media, comes along with stress and anxiety, with consequences for our mental health. But the pandemic and now the war have made them even worse. We need to take these issues very seriously before it's too late. Otherwise, we run the risk of having generations with chronic anxiety problems and social maladjustment. We need a European plan for mental health as soon as possible, which will help young Europeans in particular, but also Ukrainians fleeing in terror of war.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, European farmers are worried about fuel, fertiliser or feed prices, and citizens are rightly worried about food prices. At times like these, we realise how important it is to have a common agricultural policy that ensures our food security. We now have a duty to use all these tools at our disposal at European level and to support our farmers, not only to produce food for the Union, but also for other regions dependent on exports from war zones. We need to activate the crisis reserve to help farmers access fertilisers at a reasonable price; we need to grow every hectare left unused to replace exports from Ukraine and Russia; and last but not least, we need to help Ukraine with financial, logistical support and the establishment of alternative transport corridors.

Madam President, Commissioner, the exceptional times we are living in call for exceptional measures. Firstly, no euro from the European Union budget should reach beneficiaries from Russia or Belarus. That is why we must establish a general ban on European money, including from cohesion policy, being able to reach companies or other beneficiaries in these countries in any form. Secondly, we already have hundreds of thousands of refugees in the Union and this number will rise to several million. We need to temporarily extend the eligibility of cohesion funds for projects to assist Ukrainian citizens, based on the rights conferred by the Temporary Protection Directive. Looking to the future, Ukraine will need reconstruction. We must support the creation of a reconstruction fund for Ukraine, including some of the resources of the Interreg cross-border cooperation programme.

Mr President, Commissioner, I believe that if we think about the future of agriculture, we must have three main objectives in mind: how we reduce emissions and pollution, how we produce healthier food, how we regenerate the countryside. The agreement on the new common agricultural policy that we have on the table is not perfect, but it responds satisfactorily to these challenges. Firstly, we have the greenest common agricultural policy in history with a 25% allocation for eco-schemes and an improved system of environmental and social conditionalities. Second, alignment with the strategy Farm to Fork It ensures that we produce healthier food by practicing less intensive farming. And here I want to emphasize one important thing. The key to healthy food is for the small farmers we have a duty to help more. We need to make more use of local products and develop short supply chains around small farmers, and the new CAP offers these opportunities. Thirdly, perhaps the biggest problem in the medium and long term is the ageing and depopulation of villages, and here I am glad that we have a 3% increase in support for young farmers, which I think is useful but not sufficient. That's why we need to invest more in rural and agricultural infrastructure, in public services to make villages and agriculture... (The president interrupted the speaker)...for young people.

Madam President, we throw away almost 100 million tonnes of food a year, while millions of people cannot afford a decent meal. We produce food per tonne, in intensive farms, while local farmers struggle to sell their products. We are constantly pushing the boundaries of the environment as we wonder why we have more and more fires or droughts. I think it is time to get out of this hypocrisy and accept that this Farm to Fork Strategy is not a fad, but an economic, climate and health necessity. We need to eat healthier, not more. We need to return agriculture to its natural environment, to environmentally friendly farms, while using the advantages of technology. We need to give more support to real farmers and small local producers. We must base future legislative proposals, Commissioner, on serious impact assessments and adapt future targets to the huge differences that exist between Member States in terms of pesticide or antibiotic consumption.

Madam President, we are in a period of reflection on the future of Europe, and I would like to say one thing to you: The Europe of the future does not have to be an ATM where you extract money without giving anything in return. European citizens expect something different from us, they expect us to build a Europe based on values, respect for democracy and the rule of law. That is why this respect for values must be a precondition, including for accessing European money or approving recovery and resilience plans. And our citizens expect one more thing: expects support to go through the big changes that will take place in the coming years. The green and digital transformation may sound good here in Strasbourg or Brussels, but in our villages and cities, it is causing unrest. That is why the Recovery and Resilience Facility must be about reforms and not about money. We must use the recovery and resilience plans to make the reforms we need, to make tomorrow's Europe better prepared for crises, for tomorrow's Europe to embrace these transformations of the economy and society, but leaving no one behind. I trust, Commissioner, that you will pursue these objectives both in approving the plans and in implementing them.

President Hoyer, we need the European Investment Bank to help Europe successfully go through the green and digital transitions, and we also need the EIB to continue to play its traditional role as an investor in the infrastructure and cohesion of the Union, and I believe that these two roles do not contradict each other, but must go hand in hand. And this is very clear when we talk about the Just Transition Mechanism, for which the bank has a great responsibility to assume. We must not leave mining areas behind, and for this we need the EIB both to ensure funding flows in this sector, but also to proactively help these regions through specialised technical assistance. Our farmers also need more attention. We see very clearly that the agricultural sector unfortunately has one of the lowest project success rates. But if we want agriculture to contribute to the ecological transition, if we want young people to return to rural areas, if we want healthy and affordable food, then we also need more support from the Bank for agricultural SMEs or young farmers to have access to funding and assistance, for example by extending the mandate of the Advisory Hub, including to agriculture and rural development.