Debate contributions by Bruno GONÇALVES

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, taxing the super-rich is a matter of justice for the rich and the poor. Just take back the words of the unsuspecting Bill Gates, who a few weeks ago said that if he himself designed the tax system, he would be billions of dollars poorer. And that is enough to welcome this initiative of the Brazilian government at the head of the G20 presidency. Ensuring that the richest, with billions of euros of personal wealth, pay at least the same taxes as the poorest is as basic as it is trivial. There cannot be a set of rules for workers, middle classes and small businesses and others for multinationals and billionaires who choose rules, who comply or do not comply, where they comply and how much they pay. Because while it is true that globalisation has lifted millions of people out of extreme poverty, it is also true that it has contributed to accelerating inequalities and to living today in the most unequal society we have ever experienced. Dear Members, our success as a society is not measured by the individual success of those who are better off, but by the paths we have managed to create for everyone to have a better life.

Thank you for the historical revisionism. You mentioned Arafat; Too bad you didn't mention Yitzhak Rabin. The Middle East is now under fire and iron. Thousands of people lose their lives and the United Nations has prevented not only the path to peace of which it speaks, a sustained path and an immediate ceasefire. On the contrary, and meanwhile, the leader of his party calls for the resignation of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Israel declared it this week. persona non grata. Do you think that is the way to peace, Mr President? And I ask you very specifically: condemns or does not condemn the State of Israel for its action against the Secretary-General of the United Nations?

Mr President, Commission, ladies and gentlemen, EUR 13 billion has remained unpaid. This is the invoice of a single company, confirmed by the Court of Justice, as a result of illegal subsidies. While Europe loses competitiveness due to a lack of investment, as Mario Draghi warns us, some countries allow few companies to circumvent our law. I would like to ask: Are these €13 billion more valuable for a giant company with multimillion-dollar shareholders? Or are they more valuable to small businesses, to workers in our welfare state, from civil protection to healthcare? To put it in perspective, in my country, Portugal, EUR 13 billion would be enough for one year of the state budget in the area of health, to pay nurses, doctors, to treat people. Commissioner, who is not here, I would like to congratulate you on your courage. Political courage, which must be the spirit of this House of the European Union. However, we are aware that this is only the first of many steps we must take to combat tax evasion schemes. It's justice we're talking about.

Madam President, there are more than 40 000 dead, close to 100 000 injured. Day after day, unfortunately, the number of victims in Gaza continues to rise. Innocent civilians, whole families, little children. The Palestinians are being treated as mere collateral damage. And we're not just talking about Gaza. We are talking about the West Bank, where more than 9 000 people have been arrested in recent weeks. And people aren't just numbers. Today we have with us in the gallery the Saif of the West Bank, for years resisting oppression and illegal settlements. He always did it in an orderly manner. He has always done so in a peaceful manner. Unfortunately, peace, hope, we did not bring it and that is our debt of gratitude to these people. But it's much more than that. Our debt is about ending genocide. Our debt is above all about complying with international law. And it's not just us. It is the Secretary-General of the United Nations who is calling for an immediate ceasefire. It is the Secretary-General of the United Nations who says that we have gone too far. Now is the time to recognize the state of Palestine. This is the time to stand with the Palestinians, but this is certainly the time for action, let alone speeches.

Mr President, Portugal is on fire! And this was not the scenario that I envisaged for my first speech, much less in this plenary. Unfortunately, today we face a total emergency, a collective emergency that requires a great effort from all of us. I address this first word to the families of the victims of these fires, which are totally devastating. The pain and suffering you are going through is immeasurable and my solidarity is with each one of you. I also want to take advantage of this moment, this debate on energy, to express deep respect and gratitude to the firefighters, to civil protection and to all the people who are mobilising at the moment. We cannot ignore the reality that plagues us. The lives lost in Portugal due to the fires and the lives lost in central Europe due to the floods are a desperate cry that cannot be ignored. These tragedies are, unfortunately, proof that combating climate change is not a preference, it is a necessity. And in that sense, we need to start now also by fighting for more renewable energy, more renewable production, more resilience, less import dependency, more affordable prices for people and businesses, and a strategy to fight energy poverty. The State of the Energy Union is yet to be achieved, but we need to start now.