Debate contributions by Antonella SBERNA

The next item is the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - Repression of democracy in Turkey and arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu (2025/2642(RSP)).

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today is an important day for our territories, for our businesses and for our citizens. An innovative approach to cohesion funds, from flexibility and simplification to place-based action. Today, we are giving Europe's regions and citizens back the main tool for growth: a cohesion policy that does not stand still in the face of crises, but responds quickly and concretely to requests from regions, cities and even local communities. Competitiveness, home, water, energy, decarbonisation, simplification: programming that does not cling to the past, but chooses to face challenges with courage; which has the lucidity to make itself flexible when the context requires it; It acts in the present to lay a solid foundation for the future. This is how we really start to build the Europe that we want and that so many have asked for. Parliament is there, and it will work seriously to ensure that it is done quickly and well.

Pursuant to Rule 251(4) of the Rules of Procedure, I would like to inform you that no request has been made to put the corrigenda announced in plenary on Monday, 10 March to the vote. They are therefore deemed to have been approved and have been published on the plenary webpage.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, do you know what the first request of those who want to open a business in Europe is? Clear rules, certain times, fewer obstacles, in other words less bureaucracy. The numbers speak for themselves: 80 billion euros a year spent only by small and medium-sized Italian companies to comply with administrative procedures. If we also consider the impact on households and businesses, the figure exceeds €225 billion: Europe cannot afford it; Italy cannot afford it. The first Omnibus package represents a late but necessary recognition. Why only now do we realize that it was enough to raise the threshold from 250 to 1000 employees to exclude 80% of companies from the application of the CSRD directive on environmental sustainability reporting? Bureaucracy is like an invisible duty: You don't pay at customs, but every day it weighs on businesses, slows down investment and blocks growth. The first Omnibus I think has paved the way. But the intentions are not enough: It is time to turn words into concrete actions.

I would like to announce that, pursuant to Rule 47(2), the President has declared admissible a proposal for a Union act on the need to amend the Council Regulation on fixing the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Mediterranean and Black Seas for 2025, and to protect the trawling sector. The proposal is referred to the Committee on Fisheries (PECH) as the committee responsible, and to the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety for opinion.

The next item is the debate on the Commission statement on the tribute to the memory of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová: promoting media freedom, strengthening the rule of law and protecting journalists across the EU (2025/2556(RSP)).

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Vice-President, here is the compass for competitiveness, which we have been calling for strongly in recent months and which for now contains useful premises for driving a renewed future of growth and innovation. Reducing bureaucracy is the signal that I see as the most meaningful. Simplification is crucial to enable businesses to focus on what really matters: Innovate, grow and compete globally. In parallel, the Compass places a strong emphasis on innovation as a key driver for competitiveness. We need to invest in research and development, create a favourable environment for start-ups and technology companies. Only in this way can we maintain our leadership in strategic sectors and face international competition. There is no growth without people: If Europe is not facing demographic decline, who works in factories? Who drives innovation? Who keeps up our economic model and our way of life? Europe must become the place where innovation thrives, a dynamic ecosystem that breaks down barriers, simplifies processes and attracts investment. Bureaucracy and politics need to work together, not boycott each other. We must work together on the measures that will implement this plan and make it operational. We are waiting for the legislative work, starting with the fleet of omnibuses that the Commission has promised, to build a Europe that not only overcomes global challenges, but that manages to drive change.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, today, 10 February, in Italy we celebrate Remembrance Day, a day dedicated to the memory of the Italian victims of the foibe and of the hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee the Julian-Dalmatian lands, a wound that is still open, because many of them remain nameless and many families without a truth. But the pain of the missing is not just a memory of the past. Even today, in too many conflicts, thousands of people disappear without a trace. In Cyprus, 50 years after the Turkish invasion, more than 2 000 people are still missing. In the Balkans, during the wars of the 1990s, there are many unsolved cases, just as in Ukraine thousands of children were deported, separated from their families, victims of an injustice that will mark entire generations. Technology, at this point, can be a valuable ally in the search for missing persons. The use of satellite remote sensing and LiDAR technology can help identify mass graves and gather critical evidence to identify victims and restore their dignity. The European Union must invest in these technologies, but political will is needed in addition to technology. The European Union must promote binding mechanisms for the search for missing persons, so that no country can stand in the way of the truth. Ladies and gentlemen, the right to truth has no expiry date. The families of those who have disappeared continue to search, with no choice and no time. It is our duty to stand by them, turning Europe's values into concrete actions.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it is 2050 and Europe is a continent of silence. Schools are empty, parks are deserted and factories are still. We did not listen to the signals and did not act. What about now? We are an old and tired continent. The birth rate fell below 1.4 children per woman and in some countries the population fell by 20%. For every pensioner there are only two workers. The system is collapsing. But this future is not inevitable. We can stop this decline, of course imagined. In October 2023, the European Commission showed the way by presenting the demographic toolbox, but the time has come – I believe – to dare more. It's time to pave the way for a family deal a European strategy that puts demographic policies at the centre, a new work-life balance, without neglecting support for longevity – a plan that is not just a list of measures, but a real cultural revolution. Colleagues, decline is not a written destiny. The family deal Europe is a response, a weapon against ageing, stagnation and oblivion. Let us not just imagine a living Europe: Let's build it all together. History will not wait, let's write it for ourselves and for the generations to come.

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on the geopolitical and economic implications for transatlantic relations under the new Trump administration (2025/2516(RSP)).

The next vote concerns the agreement between the EU and the Republic of Serbia on operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in the Republic of Serbia (see point 5.1 of the Minutes). (This concludes the voting session) (The sitting adjourned at 12:28)

On behalf of the President, I would like to warmly welcome you to the diplomatic gallery, where a delegation of presidents and representatives of the outermost regions of the European Union is present today. I would like to inform the House that I have received three requests for a point of order. So, let's proceed with the first one. Mr Mariani, for one minute.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, it was on 1 July 2013 that Croatia became the first of the seven Western Balkan countries to join the European Union: It is a historic event, a symbol of hope and a new beginning for the whole region. A little over ten years have passed and today we are again at an equally crucial crossroads. Since then, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia have embarked on a path of bold and difficult reforms: They are strengthening their democratic institutions, modernising the economy and demonstrating a clear willingness to share European values. Every step taken has brought these countries closer to the heart of Europe. Integration also has a clear and tangible economic dimension, as it is a strategic asset for the European Union, with 18 million citizens and a constantly growing GDP – more than 3% per year. Their geographical location, a natural junction between Europe, Asia and the Middle East, makes this region an essential crossroads for supply chains and international trade. We are talking about a process that is not just about geopolitics, but about the security and stability of Europe. Italy has always believed in this perspective and continues to play a leading role. Integrating the Western Balkans means strengthening the Union's external borders and building a bulwark against external influences.

The next item is the Commission statement on Misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, such as TikTok, and related risks to the integrity of elections in Europe (2024/2967(RSP)). I give the floor to Commissioner Virkkunen, on behalf of the Commission.