Speeches

For those colleagues who complained that the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has left, he announced that he has another appointment but he will follow our debate. So please take those apologies from his side into account.

We continue the debate on the European Council and Commission statements - Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022 (2022/2707(RSP)).

I would like to welcome a delegation from the New Zealand Parliament to the diplomatic gallery. Our colleagues are in Strasbourg this week to attend 26. the EU-New Zealand interparliamentary meeting. New Zealand is a friend and ally. We need to further strengthen cooperation and strengthen our political and economic ties, in particular in the areas of security, development aid, energy and climate change. I look forward to a productive interparliamentary meeting today in the afternoon.

The next item is the debate on the European Council and Commission statements - Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022 (2022/2707(RSP)). I would like to remind you that you are free to choose a seat in the Chamber, except for the first two lines reserved for group leaders. I think we can't work with blue cards this time. The catch-the-eye procedure will remain, because we should not very much delay the vote in plenary.

Dear colleagues, We continue the sitting. Communication: Renew Europe has notified the President of its decision on the changes to the committee appointments. This decision will be included in the minutes of today's sitting and will enter into force on the date of this announcement.

So, colleagues, I don’t want to repeat what you already know about the procedure for the debate, but just to remind you that for the blue cards we normally leave it for the first group representatives, so no asking for blue cards then, and then later on we can start with the blue cards.

The next item is the debate on the report by Vladimír Bilčík, on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the 2021 report on Serbia (2021/2249(INI)) (A9-0178/2022).

I would like just to remind you that I will not read all the procedural points which everybody knows, so just please take into account that we are working through the ordinary topics on the agenda as regards where to speak. I will tell you how long you have to speak when I give you the floor.

The next item is the debate on the report by Paulo Rangel, on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the 2021 report on Bosnia and Herzegovina (2021/2245(INI)) (A9-0188/2022).

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on the rule of law and the possible approval of Poland’s national economic recovery plan (2022/2703(RSP)). I would like to remind you that you are free to choose a seat in the Chamber, except for the first two lines reserved for group leaders. You will then be able to submit requests related to the catch-the-eye procedure and the blue card via the voting machine once you have inserted your voting card. In addition, I would like to remind you that speaking from the central rostrum will continue to be required in the Chamber, except in cases of catch-the-eye, blue card and points of order.

In accordance with Rule 241(4) of the Rules of Procedure, I would like to inform you that no request for a vote on the IMCO Corrigendum announced in plenary yesterday at the opening of the sitting has been tabled. The corrigendum is therefore deemed to be confirmed.

Thank you, Mr President. Commissioner, Dear Mr President and representative of the Council, From an allegorical point of view, today, as such a three-way jumper, we want to start a run to jump to the goals of the package, including aviation, on which my opinion is concerned. However, the blow is a strong anti-wind in the form of the Russian war in Ukraine, and it is stubborn to start the run-up without adjusting it, which is not wise – that is, short- and medium-term tactics to implement the package. If we do not do so, we can fail to achieve long-term goals. Undoubtedly, in energy, the issue of security is crucial at the moment, and if we do not move away from Russian energy sources in a short time, and the war in Ukraine is not short, then the environmental situation on the continent will be at risk. The same is true for industries in a number of areas, including supply of resources and also production capacity, and therefore has an impact on these objectives. And these short-term work to be done in the context of the war will have social consequences and, if not mitigated by slower environmental targets, the public response may lead to anger and consequences for policies in many Member States of the European Union, with the ensuing consequences. Let's be careful!

The next item is the debate on seven motions for resolutions on the case of Osman Kavala in Turkey (2022/2526(RSP))1. I would like to remind you that you are free to choose a seat in the Chamber, except for the first two lines reserved for group leaders. Unlike the previous agenda item, you will be able to submit requests related to the catch-the-eye procedure and the blue card via the voting machine once you have inserted your voting card. In addition, I would like to remind you that speaking from the central rostrum will continue to be required in the Chamber, except in cases of catch-the-eye, blue card and points of order. _______ 1 See Minutes.

Mr President, Dear Commissioner, Certainly in the field of transport, the European Commission and the Member States have done much more since the beginning of the war than, for example, in the field of energy. However, there are undoubtedly a number of issues that are extremely important in the short term for transport policy in the medium term. We are currently reviewing the TEN-T audit, and it is therefore necessary to bring about irreversible geopolitical changes in this TEN-T corridor project, removing from it any type of corridor investment that concerns Russia or Belarus, and replacing it with Ukrainian, Moldovan and Georgian strands. Secondly, the mobility budget and the MEF are mistaken, which the European Council adopted by cutting the military mobility budget four times, must be corrected, because ensuring military mobility across Europe is more important than building a European army in the future. And there are quick practical steps. Above all, the European Commission should ensure that rail, inland waterways and roads can at least partially replace Ukraine's ability to export grain and other agricultural products. Seaports are closed and are likely to be closed in the near future. Secondly, in the field of railways, however, Russian railways will, in my view, have to implement and, in particular, it is necessary to suspend Russia's powers within the Organisation for Railway Cooperation. And in aviation, we must undoubtedly use the election boycott of Russian representatives at the ICAO Council meeting - the ICAO Council elections - at this year's forty-first ICAO General Assembly, which will be precisely targeted painful fast-track steps that show our seriousness in transport policy sanctions.

The meeting is closed and it will resume tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3, at 7 p.m. 9 a.m. with a key debate on the Commission Communication - Threats to the safety of journalists and media freedom, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. The agenda has been published and is available on the website of the European Parliament.

Next item: The report by Isabel Carvalhais on a sustainable blue economy in the EU: a short presentation of the role of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors (2021/2188(INI)) (A9-0089/2022).