Debate contributions by Paulo CUNHA

Mr President, Madam Vice-President of the Commission, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, Europe is experiencing a context of widespread threat, disrespect for the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples, disregard for secular trade relations, and even dishonesty at that level. It is in this context that we must take on a real challenge to promote internal cohesion, to be able to be even more united and to be stronger by virtue of the union that we all obviously seek. That is why we must, in the first instance, deepen the single market, a market of 450 million inhabitants, in this area which is the European Union. But we must also look for other ties, other markets, other business contexts. The relationship with Mercosur is a good example of this. But it is also, as the President of the European Commission has said, to achieve other markets, other trade relations. But above all, we must not give up what are European pillars and values and ideals: respect for democracy, individual and collective freedoms, the rule of law and, above all, the fundamental rights of peoples. It is in this context that we must call on all our energies so that, as a European continent, we can meet the challenges and create the conditions for the European model of life to be the winning model on a global scale.

Madam President, Commissioner, when we talk about deepfakes, we're not just talking about technology or digital rules, we're talking about violence. We are essentially talking about women and children whose images are appropriated without consent and used as tools of humiliation and abuse. This is not a virtual phenomenon, it is violence. Sexual exploitation through deepfakes They are a form of aggression and should be treated as a crime. The fact that these images are generated by artificial intelligence does not reduce the severity of the act or the suffering caused. On the contrary, it amplifies it, making it replicable, persistent and difficult to eliminate. Digital platforms cannot continue to amplify illegal content and profit from its dissemination while hiding behind a false neutrality. Whoever distributes has to take responsibility. Today, the European Union has clear rules to combat these abuses. What is at stake is not the absence of a legal framework, but its firm implementation. We expect a concrete, urgent and effective response from the Council and the Commission.

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, I congratulate the European Commission on the proposals presented here today, proposals which bring simplification in the first place. Simplification, because we are talking about better access, lower costs, which greatly facilitates access, essentially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Then it brings predictability, because in this way economic agents know what they can count on and, thus, we have fostered innovation, entrepreneurship and the risk associated with this sector. Thirdly, it brings autonomy to the European Union. And it brings autonomy because digitizing means that we have better conditions for carrying out economic activities. It promotes smart specialisation, artificial intelligence applied to very relevant sectors such as health, education, precision farming, among many others. Finally, it brings balance. Balance between progress and respect for values, respect for principles, respect for fundamental rights. Madam Vice-President, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this is how we build a Europe that is more competitive, more innovative, more autonomous and more respectful of people.

Honourable Member, in the expectation that you will bring to your communication the answer I give to your question, I must tell you that what is happening today is absolutely unprecedented and I expected the honourable Member to acknowledge this new fact. For the first time in history, the European institutions attach importance to the housing issue. It is true, and I have just said it, that actions are needed, but before actions are needed the signals, the evidence, the affirmation of public policies. And this is being done.

Madam President, it is commendable what is being done in the European institutions about housing. First, the creation of the Housing Commissioner, then the housing committee in the European Parliament and now, at the last European Council, the consolidation of European affirmation in such an important sector. What we have just seen are very relevant signals about European concern about a topic that speaks so much to European citizens. It is not a problem for the poorest countries, it is a problem for all citizens living in the European Union. It is the recognition that we are talking about an important issue from the point of view of competitiveness, justice and intergenerational coexistence. But more than signs, we need actions, concrete actions with results on the ground: more public investment is needed around housing; less bureaucracy is needed; more and better technology is needed; create conditions for the construction process to be more successful, for the construction time to be shorter, for the materials used to be more sustainable. We need European citizens to have better access to housing, recognising that this topic is absolutely essential for its realisation. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a matter for all of us and, fortunately, the European Union is embracing it.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the fact that each of the 21 Portuguese Members is here today is largely due to Francisco Pinto Balsemão. Yesterday, we heard about your sad departure. Founder of the Social Democratic Party, former Prime Minister of Portugal and current State Counsellor, he is an inescapable personality of Portuguese history. It played a key role in the 1982 constitutional revision, which paved the way for Portugal's accession to the so-called European Economic Community. His courage, uncompromising defence of freedoms, frankness, entrepreneurial spirit and service to the country are personal and character characteristics that have marked and will decisively mark the past, present and future context of Portugal. He always left, in every epoch and circumstance of national life, the mark of his audacity and vision. He was the founder of a newspaper in the dictatorship and later of the first private television in our country. He took a little bit of us with him, but he left us a lot of himself, to Portugal, but also to the whole of Europe.

Madam President, in an ever-changing world, Europe faces one of the greatest tests of its cohesion and its ability to protect those who live in it: management of migration. Why do we need to talk about migration at the next European Council? Because this is the theme that defines the European Union's ability to protect its borders, assert its sovereignty and manage citizens' trust. The balance between humanity and security is crucial today. We need a common policy that ensures safe and legal routes of entry, controlling external borders and combating criminal networks exploiting human despair. Only with rigour in access, welcoming those who comply with the rules and demanding the exit of those who do not, can we assure those who remain the dignity we want for ourselves. Portugal has shown that it is possible to reconcile responsibility and solidarity. It has hosted, integrated and actively participated in European patrolling and border protection missions. But no Member State can face this reality alone. Europe needs more coordination and a shared strategic vision, uniting migration, defence and security policies. That is the real European response. A Europe that protects, welcomes and acts together.

Mr President, first of all I would like to say that I agree with my predecessor's statements on the subject. And today the problem only comes to this plenary, it only comes to this Chamber and the issues of housing only reach the sphere of the European Union because governments like the one you supported in Portugal, for almost nine years, have done nothing for housing.

First of all, I want to welcome you back. Maybe it's better news for us than for you, but it's good to go back to your famous blue cards. Contrary to what the honourable Member suggests with his question, I must tell him that what we have just heard from the President of the Commission is good news for small and medium-sized enterprises. First of all, speeding up, setting specific dates for the implementation of the single market, the so-called 28th regime, harmonisation at European level, breaking down barriers, creating the energy market, access to clean energy are all excellent news for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, the real challenge before us is to turn the programme that the Commission is presenting into concrete results that actually reach European families and businesses. We need a more competitive Europe that invests in innovation and is not in line with the decline of our industrial base. But competitiveness is not an abstract concept, it is the difference between a Europe that leads and a Europe that watches. To lead, we need to revitalise the single market with absolute priority, where small and medium-sized enterprises have fewer administrative barriers and more predictability. Only a competitive European economy can ensure social cohesion and respond to external challenges. As Draghi rightly pointed out, Europe's internal barriers amount to tariffs of 45% for industry and 110% for services. Tariffs that we regrettably impose on ourselves. In the energy sector, it is important to ensure affordable and stable prices, accelerate electrification, strengthen grids and interconnections, and provide certainty for those investing in renewables and industrial modernisation. This is the only way to lower bills, reduce external risks and create skilled jobs. The European Union must be more practical than programmatic, more useful in people's daily lives and will only be so if it solves their problems. Housing is one of those problems. And here the European Union has an opportunity to show its usefulness by helping Europeans to have more affordable homes.

Madam President, Prime Minister, Commissioner, Europe cannot be a spectator of its own future. You have to lead. The many thousands of Portuguese living in Luxembourg prove that the European project works when it is based on opportunity, work and dignity. They are living proof that mobility is a force, not a threat, and that Europe is stronger when it welcomes with rules and integrates with respect. But Europe needs more ambition. Today, global competition takes place in space, technology and security. And here, Luxembourg and Portugal can be at the forefront. With the Azores space port, the Atlantic can be the new engine of European strategic autonomy. Today, to lead is to innovate. It is innovation that we must unite with sovereignty, growth and security. Europe must be freedom with responsibility, unity with purpose and ambition with a future.

Madam President, in the geopolitical complexity of the times we live in, those who expect easy and immediate solutions have not yet understood what world we are in. Europeans demand from us persistence in purpose, clarity in messages and effectiveness in actions. In Ukraine, the objective is clear: Peace, whatever it takes, whatever it takes. In the Middle East, there has been constant concern about the humanitarian situation, the search for peace and the defence of the two-state solution. The trade agreement reached with the United States is limited, but it is preferable to have no agreement at all. However, we must continue to seek a tax-free solution. In some areas, this first year in office has been the art of the possible, but in the midst of the demographic, climate and digital challenge, we need renewed ambition. In the context of global competition, we cannot let down our guard or give up what distinguishes us. We have a mission: defending the European model and ensuring the competitiveness of the Union. We will continue to take our responsibility: to contribute to a more competitive Europe, so that it can be ever more just and supportive.

Madam President of Parliament, Mr President of the Council, Madam President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, the June European Council was clear: Europe cannot be a spectator of a fragmented world. In Ukraine, our solidarity must not falter or retreat. Supporting their defence is also about protecting European security and values. In the Middle East, there must be an immediate ceasefire and full respect for international and humanitarian law. European diplomacy must be firm but never indifferent and the value of human life is non-negotiable. In internal security, we need more interoperability and trust between states, but also attention to what grows inside. Across Europe, signs of radicalisation and hate speech are spreading online, requiring a firm response, but also prevention. As for migration, the balance to which we must aspire is clear: safe borders, active legal pathways and integration with dignity. Let me also emphasise competitiveness as a cross-cutting axis. Only with a Europe that can innovate, create jobs and ensure a genuine energy union can we respond to a rapidly changing world. This is an imperative that we can no longer ignore. In a time of uncertainty, Europe must be a firm presence, able to protect without giving in to extremes and to unite without losing its values.

Madam President, the European Union must be firmer and act quickly towards China. Vital sectors such as textiles, metallurgy, plastics, automobiles, to name but a few, are experiencing an unprecedented crisis. While European companies comply with fair and demanding social, labour and environmental rules, Chinese companies take advantage of the flaws in our laws or ignore them altogether. With subsidies given by the State, abuse of exceptions de minimis, lack of reciprocity in access to the Chinese market, among others, are the unfair competition that closes companies, many of them small or family-owned, that eliminates jobs in Europe and that takes away essential resources and taxes to finance our social model. How do we want to talk about competitiveness if we allow our companies to be dragged down by unfair practices? The time of words has passed. We need firm and concrete actions to defend those who create jobs, pay taxes and sustain our European model that we value so much.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, energy security in the European Union is a priority. The war in Ukraine and the recent blackout on the Iberian Peninsula have made this very clear. The lack of energy interconnections affects our security and even our sovereignty, but not only. The competitiveness of our businesses and the well-being of our families are also seriously affected. As the report we are discussing here says, energy market integration could save up to €40 billion per year and, if there is a 50% increase in electricity trade between countries, the European Union's annual gross domestic product could grow by 0.1% equivalent to €16.7 billion per year. In addition, interconnecting the Iberian Peninsula with France will also help the integration of renewable energy, reducing costs and promoting decarbonisation. To achieve this, we need to reach the 15% interconnection target by 2030. We welcome the agreement signed between Spain and France for the Bay of Biscay interconnection project, but we need to go further. We therefore call on the French authorities to commit themselves to implementing this interconnection without delay, as well as the other two energy interconnections with the Iberian Peninsula. By doing so, we will be more sovereign, we will have more energy security and we will promote a more competitive and decarbonised energy market in the European Union.

The European Union, its institutions and, in particular, the European Parliament, have always been exemplary in upholding the rule of law, defending freedom, defending and protecting fundamental rights. Examples are and abound that materialize this dimension. The European Union is responsible for its actions and has, I repeat, been exemplary in the way it has implemented those same obligations. And this hemicycle where we are, this plenary that is taking place here today, has given enough evidence that we are on the side of the people, on the side of human rights, on the side of their protection.

Mr President, we are heirs of generations who have fought against dictatorship, against fear and against the abuse of power. The rule of law is not a formality. It is what prevents the stronger from crushing the weaker, power from becoming oppression, freedom from becoming privilege. But this basis is not a given. We continue to see attempts to condition the courts, persecution of journalists and teachers, and legislative reforms that undermine freedom. Hungary is today an example of how, within the Union itself, a government can capture justice, silence the press and erode democracy. All under the pretext of legality. And these threats are not unique to the East. They also appear where it is least expected, even in consolidated democracies of Western Europe, as is the case in neighboring Spain. Defending the rule of law is not an ideological issue, it is everyone's duty. Because when the rule of law fails, Europe fails, we all fail.

Honourable Member, I have to tell you that there are no dogmas or prejudices in the PPE. We advocate the use of what we call an energy mix, of various energy sources, where renewables obviously have their place. But above all, we want to create a solution of independence from the outside. The various circumstances we are experiencing, including the most recent crises that have already resulted from Russia's illegitimate and unfounded invasion of Ukraine, have brought new energy problems that we want to combat with the solutions we have proposed.

Madam President, Commissioner, let me begin by highlighting the serenity of the Portuguese people in the face of the recent blackout. The Portuguese showed a remarkable attitude. I recognise the swift, coordinated and effective action of our government, led by the Prime Minister, who, together with various entities, has restored normalcy. Given what happened in neighbouring Spain, in Portugal we set the priorities better, contained damage and were quicker to re-establish. It is now essential that the independent audit, promptly ordered by the government, is swift and transparent, in order to identify causes and implement measures that prevent similar situations. Ladies and gentlemen, the Iberian Peninsula, with only 3% interconnection capacity, is a genuine energy island, despite the commitments made since the Madrid Declaration of 2015. I call on the European Commission to step up efforts and regularly convene the High Level Group on Interconnections for South-West Europe. It is essential that projects move forward faster. Achieving 15% interconnections by 2030 must be a clear priority to ensure energy independence from abroad. We need to have a resilient and interconnected European energy network, the only way to ensure that situations like the blackout do not happen again.

I praise a strategy that faces a problem that exists. The mistake would be for us to ignore a difficulty that is real and visible to everyone. I believe that the solution advocated by the Commissioner is a pragmatic solution and the pragmatism of the solution is the best way to encourage migration. Migration policies will be favoured, they will be protected if we defend legal channels. What is on the table is to regularise a process and regularisation will bring favourable results from the point of view of protecting the rights of migrants.

Mr President, Commissioner, the internal security of the European Union faces unprecedented challenges. Threats do not respect borders. That is why we urgently need a single, renewed, robust and coherent European internal security strategy. There are four clear priorities for the area of security: the protection of external borders, enhanced police and judicial cooperation, counter-terrorism and digital security. These four axes enable us to provide a comprehensive and multifaceted response to a rapidly changing threat. Strengthening cooperation between Member States is crucial. The external borders of the European Union must be protected efficiently by investing in technology and skilled human resources. Today, Europe must reaffirm itself as a peace project, guaranteeing the security of its citizens and protecting its values, but without giving in to the temptation to restrict fundamental freedoms. We are stronger together and now, more than ever, we need a true European security pact.

The data, which are public and recent, show significant improvements in the Portuguese economy, not only from a macroeconomic point of view, but also, specifically, in terms of employability. Today, there is clearly an improvement in the economic situation in Portugal. This is due to consistent public policies, not only adopted at the domestic level, but also those that are adopted at the international level. We genuinely believe that what has been done in the context of the European Union, combined with what is happening in the national context, is the necessary combination so that every Portuguese citizen and every Portuguese company, particularly those you have mentioned, small and medium-sized enterprises, can benefit from a favourable economic climate.

Madam President of Parliament, Mr President of the Council, the conclusions of the European Council of 20 March reflect important advances for the European Union, but leave us with clear challenges ahead. Enhancing competitiveness, focusing on greater energy autonomy and continued support for Ukraine are priorities that we fully agree with but require concrete action. As the Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, has rightly said, Europe must be quick to assert itself as a competitive and cohesive trading bloc. And I would add: competitiveness is not only economic, it is also synonymous with security. A competitive and resilient Europe will have a better capacity to support Ukraine at this historic moment and to respond to the challenge posed by the war. We need to simplify legislation and reduce the administrative burden, as decided in this Council. But I ask: How long will small and medium-sized enterprises have to wait to see these promises on the ground? Without them, Europe risks losing the basis of its economic and social strength. Another key issue is energy autonomy. Despite the consensus on the creation of a common energy market, the Iberian Peninsula remains limited in terms of interconnections. And I ask: How long will we be an energy island in Europe? Portugal is ready to be part of the solution. We need concrete commitments. Finally, I stress that supporting Ukraine is a strategic responsibility. Competitiveness in innovation, energy and defence is the best lever for the European Union to be a strong support pillar for those fighting for freedom and democracy. We cannot watch the challenges that are accumulating immobile and serene. The European Union needs to move forward.

Madam President, Commissioner, returns are central to an effective migration policy. Where there is no capacity for effective return, the entry of migrants will be restricted. The best way to promote a positive migration policy is therefore with a genuine return strategy. We need a response that is European, swift, uniform and clear on returns, that secures the Schengen legacy, so we advocate the implementation of a regulation, as a legislative act, for returns. The Regulation to be established should be based on two key measures: first, the effective monitoring of the migrant, from his or her entry to the verification of the conditions for his or her stay. On the other hand, we must ensure that this screening process is brief, that it is carried out within the jurisdiction of the European Union and that it complies with rules that ensure that migrants are treated in a dignified manner, always with scrupulous respect for their fundamental rights. Let us be clear: we need measures to enable returns, but it is our fundamental duty to ensure that these measures are humane and proportionate.