Speeches

The next item on the agenda is the debate on six motions for resolutions on the violation of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong (2022/2503(RSP))1. I remind Members that all debates at this part-session do not involve spontaneous interventions and do not accept blue cards. In addition, as in the previous part-sessions, access from Parliament's liaison offices in the Member States is foreseen. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that interventions in the Chamber will continue to take place from the central lectern. I would therefore ask you to keep an eye on the list of speakers and to go to the lectern shortly before the start of your speaking time. ____________ 1 See the minutes.

Before we get to the next item on the agenda, I have a message to make to you. The Renew Europe Group has sent the President decisions on changes to appointments in delegations. As is known, these decisions will be published in the minutes of today's meeting and will enter into force on the day of this announcement.

The meeting is closed and will take place tomorrow, Thursday, 16. The oral question to the Commission on ‘MeToo and harassment – impact in the EU institutions’ resumed at 9 a.m. on December 2021. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.

Thank you very much, Commissioner. We also wish you and I wish all our colleagues a blessed, merry Christmas and all the best for the Year of Youth, with the Rail. The debate is closed.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Commission statement on the stocktaking of the European Year of Rail (2021/3016(RSP)). I remind Members that there are no spontaneous interventions in all debates at this part-session and that blue cards are not accepted. In addition, as in the previous part-sessions, access from Parliament's liaison offices in the Member States is foreseen. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that interventions in the Chamber will continue to take place from the central lectern. I would therefore ask you to keep an eye on the list of speakers and to go to the lectern shortly before the start of your speaking time.

Dear colleagues! We cannot talk enough about the EU recovery plan. It is the centrepiece, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU, and some things are still too little clear to me. On the one hand, we wanted the social partners, civil society, citizens in all Member States to be taken along and involved in what projects of the future we are investing in. On the other hand, it was quite clear that these funds do not invest in the past, do not fill budget holes, but invest in new initiatives for the future. This, too, has not been made clear enough to me everywhere. The reconstruction billions must be invested not only in future projects, but also in people. The recovery funds may only be awarded if the rule of law is strictly respected and no national budget holes are plugged and spent backwards. That is what we, the Commission and the European Parliament, must do. This is part of our control so that we invest in the future and not in the past.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. We are all under scrutiny, but especially the second chamber, the Council, to which I turn today. Be aware that we have proclaimed 2022 as the Year of Youth, will present the results of the Conference on the Future of Europe and will invest more euros in NextGenerationEU this year than ever before. Together, we make a promise to all the people who live in Europe and to our common future. And this at a time when the division in our societies, families, parties is dramatically increasing. Aggressiveness, polarization, fake news, violence are increasing, fueled by coronavirus, and so is the crisis of confidence in politics. We know that cooperation in Europe is our successful promise to people and the future, and we must act accordingly. Thanks to increased cooperation, we had a vaccine for all citizens in less than a year. Thanks to the EU's unbureaucratic response, nation states were able to quickly release billions in aid. Thanks to cooperation, there is an EU certificate valid throughout Europe. I therefore appeal to the Council: You can solve all your agenda items by strengthening the common and connecting, by sincerity and cooperation. Take responsibility for Europe and therefore for the people of your country. Do not block, do without vanities and national populist egoisms. Think about youth and our future together.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the situation at the Ukrainian border and in the Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine (2021/3010(RSP)). I remind Members that there are no spontaneous interventions in all debates at this part-session and that blue cards are not accepted. In addition, as in the previous part-sessions, access from Parliament's liaison offices in the Member States is foreseen. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that interventions in the Chamber will continue to take place from the central lectern. I would therefore ask you to keep an eye on the list of speakers and to go to the lectern shortly before the start of your speaking time.

In accordance with Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure, six motions for resolutions were tabled. The debate is closed. The vote will take place on Thursday, 16. December 2021, took place. Written declarations (Article 171)

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the situation in Nicaragua (2021/3000(RSP)). I remind Members that there are no spontaneous interventions in all debates at this part-session and that blue cards are not accepted. In addition, as in the previous part-sessions, access from Parliament's liaison offices in the Member States is foreseen. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that interventions in the Chamber will continue to take place from the central lectern. I would therefore ask you to keep an eye on the list of speakers and to go to the lectern shortly before the start of your speaking time.

The ECR Group has forwarded to the President a decision amending appointments to a committee. This decision will be published in the minutes of today's meeting and will enter into force on the day of this announcement.

The competent authorities in Sweden have appointed the President from the election of Mr Ilan De Basso as Member of the European Parliament with effect from 13. informed in December 2021. Ilan De Basso replaces Johan Danielsson. I warmly welcome this new colleague and remind him that he now participates with full rights in the meetings of Parliament and its institutions under the conditions laid down in the Rules of Procedure.

Madam rapporteur, the European Year of Youth also coincides with the Conference on the Future of Europe. There is no future without youth. That is why it is so important that we also connect the European Year of Youth with the future of Europe. The Conference on the Future of Europe will not succeed without the participation of young people.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the report by Sabine Verheyen, on behalf of the Committee on Culture and Education, on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on a European Year of Youth 2022 (COM(2021)0634 – C9-0379/2021 – 2021/0328(COD)) (A9-0322/2021). I remind Members that there are no spontaneous interventions in all debates at this part-session and that blue cards are not accepted. In addition, as in the previous part-sessions, access from Parliament's liaison offices in the Member States is foreseen. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that interventions in the Chamber will continue to take place from the central lectern. I would therefore ask you to keep an eye on the list of speakers and to go to the lectern shortly before the start of your speaking time.

The debate is closed. The vote on the amendments will take place today, Tuesday, 14. The final vote will take place on Wednesday 15 December 2021. December 2021. Written declarations (Article 171)

We now come to today's voting session. The files indicated on the agenda were put to the vote. The voting session is now open until 1.15 p.m. The voting procedure is the same as in the previous part-sessions. The voting items are shown on the agenda. All votes shall be taken by roll call. Explanations of vote may be submitted in writing. Exceptionally, the explanations of vote may include up to 400 words. I declare the voting session open. We will announce the result at 4 p.m. Exchanges of views will resume at 3 p.m. with statements by the European Council and the Commission on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 21-22 October 2021. (The meeting adjourned at 12.06)

Before we get to the votes, I would like to give the floor to Mrs Maria Grapini, who has asked to speak on her report on the digitalisation of European reporting, monitoring and auditing.

Commissioner, thank you very much! We would like to extend our thanks to the farmers. The joint debate was closed. The vote will take place today. Written declarations (Article 171)

The first item on the agenda, as you can also see on the internet, is the Commission statement on the outcome of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) (2021/2934(RSP)). I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you can use your voting device to request spontaneous interventions and blue cards – i.e. not by hand, but with the voting device – after you have inserted your voting card into the device. You should always bring your voting card. In the Chamber there is a corresponding guide on each table. If you would like to register for a spontaneous intervention, you can do so now without waiting for the end of the debate. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that speeches in the hall are still held at the central lectern. This does not apply to spontaneous interventions, blue cards and interventions on the Rules of Procedure. I would therefore ask you to keep an eye on the list of speakers and to go to the lectern or to be accompanied there when your speech is due.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Expanding country-by-country disclosure is an important, long overdue success for increasing tax transparency in Europe. We're directing the spotlight at potential control tricksters. We have already proven once that the principle can be successful. It does not quite solve the problem of tax avoidance, but it does help to understand where to start in order to get rid of the tax tricksters. In the banking sector, we have already revealed in the first year that 628 million euros in profits are generated in countries where there is not a single employee. The European Parliament has now fought for six years for the successful model that we had already introduced at the banks to be extended to large corporations. Let's move on not with the pace, but with tax avoidance. Transparency helps us with that.

Before we continue the debates, I must open today's first voting session. You are aware that the dossiers on which we are voting are on the agenda. The voting session has now started at 9.45 a.m. and will last until 11 a.m. The voting procedure is the same as in the previous voting rounds. All votes are roll call votes. The results of the first voting session will be announced at 1 p.m.