Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we have an important task today, and we have seen it from all the speeches we are making, whether in one direction or the other: The challenge is to combine the protection of biodiversity and wildlife with farming and livestock activities in Europe, an issue that is becoming increasingly urgent. For this reason, we welcome the Commission's initiative to have more and more precise estimates of the phenomenon, because before making any decision, it is important to know the state of the art. At the same time, we begin to give answers to our breeders as well. In Italy, for example, as a Democratic Party we presented last week a bill in which we ask for compensation in certain times for direct and indirect damage to farmers and ranchers and also funds for prevention interventions. We must find the balance of coexistence, avoiding turning it into a clash between human beings and animals. Because in some cases all this is already happening.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, many challenges have shaken Europe and in particular agriculture in recent years: climate change, pandemic, conflicts. And in this scenario, we have always said that the European Union must continue to maintain its central role as a guarantor of global food security. There is an indissoluble link between agriculture and the environment, and the effects of climate change today require us to pay attention to the ecological transition, but this transition cannot be achieved without the role and leadership of our farmers, the guardians not only of our territory but also of our health and of the planet. Their work is fundamental to attribute to our food those adjectives that are as beautiful as they are essential: sustainable, healthy, accessible, fair for consumers but also for farmers. The talent of young people and the competence of women to be involved more and more, technological innovation and short supply chains. These are some of the winning cards we need to bet on. We must combat the decline in pollinators and the loss of biodiversity, the real treasure we have. We must fight speculation and food waste, which is still too much. This report is a starting point. The road ahead is still long but must be traveled to the end. If we want to secure our food, and with it the planet, each of us must do our part.

Madam President, we all still have before our eyes the dramatic images of the flood that devastated Emilia-Romagna and, in part, the Marches and Tuscany. Images that cannot and must not fade, but the memory of what happened must turn into a practice of support for families and businesses and for these wounded but resilient communities. Whole sectors, starting with agriculture, need our help now. That "tin bota" resonates from Romagna to this House and it is up to us to work to ensure that through financial instruments of the Union, such as the Solidarity Fund, full support is given to such an important area also from the point of view of production. Once the emergency is over, reconstruction must begin. Here we play the game of the new Europe, that of NextGeneration and common solidarity, but also that of the Green Deal and environmental, economic and social sustainability. We do not have a second time, as unfortunately this tragedy reminds us.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, is there life beyond bees? The survival of four out of five species of flowering plants depends on pollinators, which contribute to the balance of our ecosystem. Environment, health, economy: it is also thanks to pollinators, if on our tables arrive products essential for a healthy and balanced diet. Less pollinators means less stability of the entire food supply chain and less productivity in the sector. Initiatives like this send us a signal that we cannot ignore: One in ten bees and butterflies is at risk of extinction. Biodiversity must be preserved, pollinator habitats restored, favourable farming practices promoted and more sustainable use of plant protection products provided, however, with viable alternatives for our farmers. The new Pollinators Pact, presented by the Commission, is an important step: But we need to act on all levels. I quote Spoleto, my city, Umbria: a year ago a bio-hotel was inaugurated and the goal is to become a city of bees. This is one of the best practices we often talk about. Each of us must do our part, only in this way will we be able to preserve our guardians of biodiversity.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, over the last year we have spoken a great deal and rightly about food safety. The Russian war in Ukraine has generated a global crisis, among other things also for mineral fertilizers, which puts the entire food chain at risk, reaching our tables with an increase in food prices. Gas accounts for around 80 % of the production costs for the manufacture of fertilisers. We can no longer allow this to be used against us, even as a political weapon. We need a coordinated European response that supports our farmers and reduces our dependence on imports, in the short but also in the long term. Biodiversity – as we always say – is a European treasure. We must preserve and increase it, just as we must also improve the quality of our soils. That is why we need a European protein strategy, which focuses on the cultivation of legumes, which are essential allies for greater nitrogen fixation and therefore for a healthy soil. Digitalisation, precision farming, dissemination and sharing: This must be the compass to guide us in the agriculture of tomorrow. Let us remember that in order to reap tomorrow we need to sow today.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honour for me to take the floor for the first time in this House today, a few days before 25 November, the International Day against Violence against Women. Violence against women, on the basis of which sexism and discrimination are rooted, is closely linked to an unsustainable social, labour, wage and cultural divide and, dear colleagues, is one of the most serious violations of human rights. From the protests of Iranian and Afghan women and all those women who rebel against illiberal regimes and situations of conflict for their rights comes a lesson of courage. Now it is up to us, we must work from here, from Europe, from the house of democracy, to remove barriers and obstacles and to overcome the challenge of gender equality, which is fundamental to combating violence against women. Every day, every minute, every second in which we postpone our commitment against violence will still be too long because it can negatively affect thousands of women in the world and often, unfortunately, cost them the same life. Let's not forget that.