Debate contributions by Antonio DECARO

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we have said several times that the green deal It is a great plan to protect the environment and combat climate change, but it is also a plan for the competitiveness of our companies that, by investing in green technologies, become competitive in the world. I believe that at this time, with these changes to the CBAM, we are also demonstrating a commitment to simplification, because in the first phase of implementation we realised that in the end 90% of importers are responsible for 1% of total emissions and therefore we felt it was right, all together, to focus on the 10% of importers who, instead, are responsible for 99% - think about it - of total emissions. It is a way to reduce bureaucracy, simplify the life of companies but maintain the strategic objectives of protecting the environment and combating climate change, which are provided for within the great plan that we have called green deal. This operation of the CBAM serves to avoid relocations, serves to avoid unfair competition, also serves to protect us from actions coming from foreign countries; I mentioned earlier in my intervention the tariffs that arrive between 30 and 50 % precisely on CBAM products or on those products that have CBAM products inside them. I believe that tomorrow we should show unity, as we did in the first approval in Parliament and as we did in the two approvals in the ENVI Committee – which I am honoured to represent – because, as I said in my first speech, I believe that the boundary conditions, what is happening in the rest of the world, today lead us to be together, to defend our companies and to defend the future of our planet.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, at the beginning of this parliamentary term, we made a clear commitment to the citizens of Europe: Do everything in our power to save our planet. In this first year we have worked to protect the environment, fight climate change, stimulate our companies to invest courageously in green technologies, providing them with the tools to finally return to being competitive in the world. We are very clear about the difficulties that the industrial and economic sector is experiencing today, knowing that the consequences of a new crisis would also partly fall on workers. For this reason, we immediately set to work on simplifications, which are an important pillar of the new European policy, while keeping the environmental objectives set out in the green deal. This scenario includes the amendment to the CBAM regulation, which we are about to vote on tomorrow: We want to maintain ambitious environmental targets and, at the same time, cut red tape for small businesses. Specifically, we replace the threshold de minimis based on the value of goods with a threshold of 50 tonnes of imports per year for strategic sectors such as steel, iron, aluminium, concrete and fertilisers. This will make it possible to exempt 90% of importers responsible for only 1% of total emissions, thus maintaining high levels of attention on climate objectives and large pollution producers. This proposal also provides for simplifications in permit-granting procedures, data collection and verification of final emissions, setting the CBAM start date at February 2027, thus giving our companies the necessary time to adapt to the new standards. Needless to say, ladies and gentlemen, this proposal aims to protect European companies against an economic policy that is the enemy of the polluting countries and, in this case, of the United States, which has also imposed duties of between 30 and 50 % precisely on products covered by the CBAM. It is therefore useless for me to explain to you the importance of this proposal at this delicate time and, as proof of what I am saying, I draw your attention to the work that has been done in the ENVI Committee, where we have committed ourselves to working only on the changes proposed by the European Commission without reopening other provisions, wanting to give a clear signal of compactness and unity of purpose with regard to the context that surrounds us today. I trust in this pragmatic and responsible approach, that tomorrow it will find the necessary support to confirm the CBAM proposal in its entirety and give full effect; I hope that it can become a working model that can inspire all of us in future actions where we will tackle complicated files, such as the new CAP, the multiannual financial framework and the management of cohesion funds. If we really want to build a strong and deep-rooted European citizenship, we must first of all represent the European institutions and take the first step, demonstrating care for the territory, care for citizens, attention to business, attention to the world of work and above all a strategic vision in environmental policies. Only in this way will we be able to say that we have done a good service to our communities, which all of us in this House today have the honour of being able to serve.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I am taking the floor on this subject one year after my first speech in plenary on drought and, unfortunately, little or nothing has changed so far. Indeed, if we really have to say it all, the situation has worsened and the South and the centre of Europe are experiencing an escalation in temperatures: 46 degrees in Spain and Portugal, over 40 degrees in Italy and France and the thermal zero index in the Alps has reached over 5 000 metres; The Mediterranean Sea was 1.9 degrees higher in June of this year than the average of the peak values recorded in the period between 2015 and 2024, and in 2025 forest fires in Europe have already caused the destruction of 196 000 hectares, 78 000 hectares more than in the previous year. These numbers have a common denominator: The word "emergency." Knowing that we are already lagging behind on structural programming, we must tackle climate change and take immediate action to prepare the territory for these phenomena, investing adequate resources and efficient crisis management plans, starting with the next European budget. Europe has no alternative if it wants to save itself. The sooner we become aware of it, the sooner we can act.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, to protect and restore the health of the oceans, to strengthen the competitiveness of the blue economy, supporting coastal and island communities in coastal protection: These are some of the priorities of the European Ocean Pact that were presented in Nice. We will encourage Member States to identify and manage marine protected areas, not at the expense of the sea economy, but by building together a new virtuous and sustainable sea economy. Europe can and must set the agenda on water environmental policies, but to do so we must first believe in it. I come from a city in southern Italy, where the sea is life, it is work, it is culture, it is identity, it is frontier. But my city as well as other coastal cities across Europe cannot be left alone in the face of the challenges we face: from pollution to the protection of ecosystems, to public use, up to the reorganization of maritime economies. The ENVI Committee is ready to work with great determination on this issue, certain that saving our sea means saving the history and the future of Europe that we live and know today.

Mr President, I would like to thank my fellow Members for their contributions to the debate leading up to tomorrow's vote. This measure on CBAM brings together an extraordinary effort of simplification for companies, with the strengthening and improvement of the effectiveness of the procedure. I believe it is a fundamental step in that path of environmental protection and combating climate change that will make European companies more competitive. I believe that the double ETS-CBAM system has also stimulated a spirit of emulation by many countries outside the European Union. I hope to support the ENVI report on the CBAM simplification package in tomorrow's vote to get a clear mandate for interinstitutional negotiations, because our goal must be to quickly find an agreement with the Council, if possible still under the Polish Presidency.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, at the beginning of our parliamentary term we made a commitment to act decisively and unitedly to protect the environment, combat climate change and, at the same time, adopt reforms to increase the competitiveness of our companies. Simplification is one of the pillars of our policies, an initiative that is asked of us by many in the face of a commitment to the environment that requires many sacrifices. This is a viable path, as long as it does not become deregulation or a tool to delay or frustrate the climate goals that have been set with the Green Deal. With this change to the CBAM we maintain the target But let's try to follow up on that commitment to deburring processes, which can become a strength for European companies struggling with the global market that requires speed and competitiveness. We replace the current CBAM de minimis threshold, linked today to the economic value of goods, with an exemption based on an annual cumulative mass threshold of 50 tonnes of imports in four CBAM industrial sectors: steel and iron, aluminium, concrete and fertilizers. This will allow us to exempt 90% of importers – around 182,000 importers – while ensuring that 99% of emissions remain within the scope of the general rule. Think about it, 10% of importers are responsible for 99% of emissions. What I hope we will approve tomorrow wants to be an intermediate stage of a path consistent with the lines of the Green Deal Uncompromisingly challenging the big polluters. Further changes to some regulatory aspects of the CBAM are also foreseen, which will facilitate compliance, aiming at simplifying authorisations by competent authorities, data collection processes from producers, rules for verifying emissions and financial responsibility. With this in mind, the proposal strategically sets the start date of sales of CBAM certificates at February 2027, so as to provide useful time for companies to resolve all uncertainties that are related to 2026, which is the first year of the post-transitional period. In this way we extend a hand to economic operators who have shown that they want to collaborate on environmental challenges, giving them the opportunity to have clear paths and the right times. Our action is part of that just transition that is being called for by many and on which the Commission, the Council and Parliament are working: The planet and the fight against climate change need allies, not enemies. This proposal goes precisely in this direction: is a hand outstretched to those who want to look with us to a green, sustainable and competitive future. In the ENVI Committee we have committed ourselves to this by adopting the text which is submitted to Parliament by 85 votes in favour, one against and one abstention, because today we cannot and must not call into question the importance of the environmental challenge. I hope that this resolute but common-sense approach - let me add - will find the necessary support and cooperation in tomorrow's vote, with a proposal that helps our industry without jeopardising the climate measures we have adopted in the context of the Green Deal in the previous legislature. We need to rebuild that trust with citizens, businesses and workers, which is the only condition that will allow us to achieve the goals we have set ourselves. Alone maybe you can go even faster: But together we will certainly go further.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, let us talk about water again. Let's talk about water that doesn't exist. Europe is facing a period of increasing water scarcity: The South of the continent is now experiencing a structural crisis affecting the real lives of citizens, businesses and farmers. Climate change is hitting our territories hard: Droughts, floods, fires and loss of water quality put populations, ecosystems and economic development at risk. Watersheds in southern Europe lose 25% of their water each year due to evaporation. According to the latest figures, 38% of the EU population has experienced water scarcity in the last five years. Italy is among the most affected countries: According to the National City-Climate Observatory, the country experienced 351 episodes of extreme climate events in 2024, an increase of 485% compared to 2015. With tomorrow's vote, I hope, a path begins that will soon bring us new legislation that first enshrines the principle that water is a common good: must be protected, managed and guaranteed as a right to all.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I have been the mayor of my city and I know what it means to prepare a budget and set priorities on which to invest. It means deciding what development we want for our communities. That's why today I can only be worried when I see the numbers related to the budget on environmental objectives. The European Court of Auditors has already identified problems in the achievement of the targets by Member States. I therefore call on the Commission not to let its guard down: if we are convinced that the future of Europe is a green, clean and sustainable future, we must demonstrate it in numbers and with facts, starting with the confirmation of investments to achieve the goals of the European Union. target climate that we have set. It is my duty to make the same recommendations with regard to the issue of agencies. Investing in agencies that do research and provide us with scientific, certified and independent data and information means saving the environment, protecting citizens, saving lives, combating disinformation, which unfortunately still represents a great barrier between citizens and Europe.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the COP16 agreement in Rome has rekindled hope in all of us. The strength of dialogue and the common interest finally prevail over the interests of individuals, at least for those who, even in this case, have shown responsibility. We are once again recording the absence of some states, but this has not stopped us. We will not continue to ask for the attention of those who have turned their backs on the future, we have a more important goal that is to halt the loss of biodiversity, which affects countries, ecosystems, seas, natural areas and hundreds of species. The latest data tell us that wild animal populations globally plummeted by more than 70% between 1970 and 2020. This is why it is important to intervene with concrete measures, but also with resources: 200 billion dollars a year by 2030, 20 billion dollars a year in international flows to developing countries in 2025, which in 2030 will become 30 billion dollars. Today the planet is asking us for help and turning its back on it would be cowardly. We have had so much from our planet, maybe we have taken too much from our planet, this is certainly the time to give back.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I will use this minute to talk to you about the LIFE programme, one of the longest and most successful in the European Union. Although it represents only 0.3% of the EU budget, the results produced through each individual project are very important. The ENVI Committee, which I represent, in its opinion has largely valued the positive effects of the programme. In my own country, Italy alone, 1 077 projects were financed and EUR 2 145 million invested; collaborations have been established with innovative start-ups, businesses, universities, research centres, farmers, national and local authorities. Municipalities are the main beneficiaries of the funds of this measure, because it is there, in the municipalities, that the lives of citizens are changed. I therefore appeal to those who have perhaps never read the numbers of the LIFE programme and to those who would like to definance it. Each LIFE project is a double investment: It allows us to invest in green technologies today, and in the quality of life on the planet of tomorrow.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Clean Industrial Deal It is a European response to the energy and economic blackmail to which we are subjected, especially in recent months. We must react, yes, but not by engaging in a battle with those who pollute the most: That is not our mission. We, on the other hand, must support a major clean industry plan in Europe and become leaders in the market for political technologies and renewable energy. We can do it. Simplifications for companies and reduction of the cost of energy are needed, in compliance with the objectives of the Green Deal and commitments made to the next generations. Simplifying must mean achieving the transition objectives first, not derogating. Europe can and should focus on industries with products and services carbon free and, above all, made in Europe. The Omnibus proposal, in this sense, represents a challenge for everyone. "The future has an ancient heart" wrote an Italian author, Carlo Levi, and I believe that that heart can only be called Europe.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, can Europe accept being crushed between oligarchies and autocracies, with at most the prospect of a 'happy vassalage'? You have to choose: To be protected or to be protagonists. This was asked a few days ago by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, during a lecture at the University of Marseille. We have to ask ourselves this today: Do we want to continue to be the timid, condescending Europe that suffers the denialist and suicidal choices that the President of the United States is making on our skin and on the skin of our children? Or do we want to be the Europe that fights for the future and returns hegemony in the affirmation of the civil, social and environmental values that we shared in the Paris Agreement? Because it is in that agreement and in the commitment that the world has taken with future generations that the meaning of our Europe lies. Surrendering to the logic of the strongest has delivered us in history only death and destruction. It's up to us today to choose: to die subject to the choices of a reckless fool, or to try to live proudly our Europe, masters of our destiny.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the tenth parliamentary term began with an epochal, rather than environmental or digital, transition in which Europe is the protagonist. We are all called to choose which way to go: that of the future or that of mere survival, until the world we inhabit is exhausted? This is the question we find in each of the objectives of the Green Deal: The scientists say so; this is stated in the Draghi report, which has been mentioned several times; Nature cries it out in its most dramatic manifestations, for which we still mourn the victims today. Europe must act now if it wants to return to exercising the political, cultural and value hegemony inherent in its roots, putting the person at the centre of all our actions. Clean industry, green technologies and sustainable and renewable energy production are challenges within our reach. We can change our cities and ensure a future for our children's children, if we can keep our eyes on the future and reach out to those who risk falling behind, keeping together the protection of the environment, the competitiveness of companies and the protection of jobs. We need common funding for common goals and we need courage to set ambitious climate goals towards 2040. We were not elected to be guardians of the Green Deal, but to write a new story. And in life, as in history, there are times when you don't have to be afraid. Good luck to all of us, without fear!

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the economic, social and political challenges facing the new Commission and Parliament are enormous. The need for a unified response has never been more pressing: This is stated in the Budapest Declaration. Interventions should be structured and integrated. We cannot talk about climate neutrality in 2050 if we do not immediately plan investments on industrial renewal, decarbonisation, strategic technologies, paying particular attention to traditional industries in transition to ensure competitiveness but also quality jobs. There is an urgent need to close the innovation and productivity gap, both with our global competitors and between member countries, by investing in research and the circular economy, particularly for critical raw materials. Walter Veltroni, who was the secretary of the Democratic Party, the first secretary in my country, a few days ago wrote in a national newspaper that Roosevelt at the time of the great dictatorships overseas and with the Great Depression at home invented the New Deal. We don't have to invent anything: We just have to learn from history.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the COP29 meeting did not open under the best of auspices, we are all aware of this, and the news that comes to us is certainly not comforting. But giving up is not a possibility. People who have lost everything due to the latest climate disasters are well aware of this: I am thinking of the inhabitants of Valencia and the other areas of Europe damaged by the floods, entire devastated communities that are seeking the strength to rebuild. In order to honour these efforts and to honour the commitments made on climate, Europe in Baku must act as a guarantor of the objectives we have already set. There is a need for each country to play its part in funding; The loss and damage fund established by COP28 must be operational and immediately accessible. In these hours, unfortunately, we hear European countries even questioning the value and meaning of the Paris Agreement; Making room for these positions would be a serious mistake. This is not the time for second thoughts, but for resistance, a climate resistance in which Europe can and must be a protagonist.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, before I had the honour of being here with you in this House, I was mayor of a city in southern Italy: a city, Bari, in a region, Puglia, which thanks to cohesion funds, has been able to change its destiny and the destiny of its inhabitants. Today the words "funded by the European Union" accompany the most important interventions in the cities of our countries: kindergartens, parks, schools, infrastructure. Cities are at the heart of every possible change: environmental, social and economic. In my homeland, with cohesion funds, thousands of young people have been able to complete their training and productive activities have started a path to be more competitive. This was possible thanks to the management funds of these resources, which were delegated to local authorities, institutions close to the territories. Focusing and distancing this process from the territories means increasing the distance between citizens and Europe. Our task, on the other hand, is to be close to the territories, to listen to them to understand their specificities and needs, to build together a greener, stronger and more united Europe.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the difficulties of theautomotive The European Union is in front of our eyes and we have a duty to deal with it, given the importance of this sector for employment and for European GDP. However, those who propose to slow down the transition are wrong. green or to change the target 2035: This is not what companies are asking us, which have invested more than 250 billion euros in electricity. China and the United States go in that direction and go there very quickly, accompanying innovation with huge public resources. It is therefore not a question of slowing down the path but of accelerating knowing that competitiveness derives from all the components of the electric car ecosystem: reduction of energy costs and upgrading of electricity grids, supply of critical raw materials, production and recycling of batteries, microprocessors, European software standards, training of workers, demand incentives to reduce energy consumption gap price relative to China, orientation of company fleets. Yes, therefore, to the request to anticipate theassessment planned for 2026. But above all, we call on the Commission to urgently launch a Automotive Action Plan that embraces all components of the ecosystem and supports its evolution with adequate resources.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am speaking to ask Parliament and the Commission for a renewed commitment to the initiative on water resilience announced by President von der Leyen last September. Today, unfortunately, the emergency has become urgent. Water is a problem where it does not fall and it is a huge danger in the territories where unfortunately it falls in an uncontrollable and harmful way, as shown by recent events in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, but in these hours also in my country and in my region, where the head of the fire department Antonio Ciccorelli lost his life, which I want to remember here today. Europe has a duty to point out solutions and actions. We work together for a European Blue Deal with system strategies, climate mitigation actions on a global scale, adaptation actions and network efficiency, starting from the analysis of water demand and supply. Water is the driving force of nature, as Leonardo da Vinci said: It is up to us to preserve and govern the greatest force the planet has given us.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I feel it is almost my duty to bring the voice of farmers here. I, who come from a land where agriculture is a business, it is culture, it is the defense of the territory, it is health, it is food security. The proposal for a strategic dialogue we are debating seems clear to me: CAP funds must target those who really need them and must target sustainable farming practices. This requires commitment, transparency and attention to local realities. The agricultural transition will require sacrifices from our farmers and that is why Europe must be ready to make sacrifices for them. Not a downward mediation, but a common path made up of milestones and shared, clear and sustainable objectives. Certainly, a fund dedicated to the agricultural transition could be the first step on this path, just as we need to align the objectives of the CAP with the climate and environmental challenges of the Green Deal. To do this, the new challenges that we will propose to farmers must take into account local specificities, aid for competitiveness, employment levels and the close correlation that must exist between agriculture, food and health.