Speeches

Mr President, it is clear that climate change severely affects the forest ecosystem and that in doing so, forests themselves can fight climate change. Naturally, the trees can absorb carbon from the atmosphere and, as a result, the carbon emission in the atmosphere is reduced. For this, we need to preserve, improve and increase forests in the European Union so that we can achieve carbon neutrality. Forests also contribute to many ecosystem services such as water and clean air, to protect them from erosion. The main aims of the EU Forest Strategy are to achieve effective forests, forest conservation and forest restoration in the EU. This will allow the trees to absorb and store CO2 in the atmosphere. Therefore, of course, I voted in favour of the report.

Mr President, I welcome this report from my budget colleagues on the 2021 proposals for the revision of the multiannual financial framework. This report importantly ensures the MFF’s compatibility with the Parliament’s Fit for 55 package, particularly the alignment of the MFF with the Parliament’s position on the Social Climate Fund. The Social Climate Fund is essential to supporting and protecting vulnerable households, micro-enterprises and transport users as the emissions—trading system is expanded. At a time of soaring inflation and energy costs, we need to be sure that climate policies are implemented in a way that protects vulnerable groups. I also echo my colleagues’ call for consideration of a broader revision of the MFF. We must consider the current budget allocations and whether they are appropriate for the Europe we are living in today. We need a legislative proposal for a comprehensive MFF revision as soon as possible.

Mr President, this cross-disciplinary initiative provides a welcome opportunity to combine our climate and digital goals with the benefits of creative design and to foster rural and urban developments that improve citizens’ everyday lives. Particularly, I welcome the report’s acknowledgement that the New European Bauhaus should be linked to the renovation wave. Modernising buildings to ensure they are more sustainable and efficient is fundamental to reaching the EU’s climate and energy goals. For this reason, I support my colleagues’ calls for increased funding to be allocated to the New European Bauhaus. When managing the implementation of the initiative the Commission should ensure that all projects are consistent with the EU’s green and digital climate as they contribute to creating new jobs and business opportunities, and in local areas, and, importantly, that citizens’ perspectives are incorporated into the process. As the objective of New European Bauhaus is to create a positive living environment for European citizens, it is essential that citizens themselves have their say in how this programme is implemented. I look forward to seeing this contribution help the local development in Ireland and across Europe by creating public spaces for the sharing of knowledge, culture and sport.

Mr President, I was happy to vote in favour of the REFuel EU Aviation Initiative Report. The aim of the report is to boost the supply and demand for sustainable aviation fuels in the EU, in line with the goal of reducing aviation’s environmental footprint, which is huge, to achieve the EU's climate targets. It is imperative that European planes use the greenest and most sustainable fuels to help the EU become climate neutral by 2050. And it is important that we invest much more in the development and deployment of sustainable fuels made in , in order to decrease costs. And that is one lesson I think we have learned from COVID and from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that we need to put more resources into producing things so we can have the label ‘made in Europe’ on them.

Mr President, one of the objectives of the European Green Deal is for the EU to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050. In order to accomplish this, significant changes are required for the European transportation system. Innovation will help, but a key solution already exists: a large modal shift towards active mobility, particularly cycling. Considering its indisputable environmental benefits as a form of transportation, the EU must prioritise cycling in its climate strategy, dedicate resources to cycling policy and promote its advantages. It is time to implement a real bicycle policy, one that recognises the importance of cycling as a unique and fully-fledged means of transport. A green Europe must be a cycling Europe, and when we have that, we might get Katie Melua to sing about cycling in Europe as she has done for Beijing. Finally, I just want to say my name is Seán Kelly. I am often confused with the great Irish professional cyclist Sean Kelly, which pleases me greatly, especially when it helps me to get through Belgian security at speed.

President, with EU regulation, we can create better standards and a legislative framework to achieve the EU’s aims. That said, we, as legislators, need to be mindful of the huge impact that EU law alone can have across all Member States. We have a duty to ensure that we do not over-regulate, and to avoid unnecessary administrative or regulatory burdens. Working for my Group on the AFCO opinion on ‘Better regulation’, I stressed the need to better support our 24 million small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU. I also strongly believe that better regulation is needed to achieve the goals set out in the Green Deal. But in particular, a red tape that hinders the progress of the green transition must be discarded.

Madam President, as a rapporteur in the last mandate for InvestEU, I want to thank Mr Hoyer and the EIB and the European Commission for rolling out this very important instrument for the European Union. Now I am a rapporteur for the EPP for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the renovation of the EU’s building stock is a key Green Deal priority. However, at present, there is a funding gap of EUR 214 billion a year for green financing for residential buildings, which will require a greater input from bank loans. Currently, 72% of renovations are self-funded, while only 18% of consumers are taking loans to renovate their homes, because they are too expensive. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, under Article 15, expands the toolbox for Member States. It includes energy efficiency loans and mortgages for building renovations. So, a question, Mr Hoyer: does the European Investment Bank envisage the establishment of an EU-wide renovations guarantee fund, enabling credit institutions to reduce their risk exposure on green mortgage portfolios, and so improve access to renovation loans for vulnerable households? Finally, I would like to thank the EIB also for their assistance for Ukraine – quick and positive.

, Commissioner, colleagues, the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill marks a new low in relations between the EU and the UK. We mustn’t forget that the UK was a valued member of the European Union for 40 years and played a very constructive part. But breaching international law is just not acceptable, as Vice-President Šefčovič said. Also, it defies logic – because the protocol is working. The majority of MLAs returned in the recent election are in favour of the protocol. The business people that I met in my capacity as rapporteur for the Trade Committee, the vast majority are in favour of the protocol and see the benefits of being in the single market of the European Union and the UK market. Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting a good friend of mine, former MEP now Under—Secretary Vicky Ford, and we had a robust discussion. I pointed out to her that if green and red lanes are a solution, come and negotiate, and we can see – because nobody has been more flexible than our good friend Vice-President Šefčovič. I appeal to Boris Johnson, the British Government, to give over this Fawlty Towers—like approach to politics, because if they don’t, there is a danger that Basil would be confused with Boris. Regardless of the outcome in the volatile situation in Number 10, there is only one solution – put this bill aside, come and negotiate and we can reach an agreement. That is what democrats always do.

Mr President, I voted in favour of this resolution on illegal logging in the European Union. While in many Member States this logging is of unequivocal concern as it is damaging to the environment and habitats, I think it is also important to encourage legal logging. The planning process in Ireland is a major obstacle and as a result, my country receives far more hectares each year than other countries. Sustainable forest management around the European Union is key to preserving our forests in the years to come. This will be even more important to achieve our other biodiversity and climate change goals. The Commission and Member States must now do something to tackle illegal logging to preserve our environment in the coming years and push Ireland to plant more trees.

A Uachtaráin, I voted in favour of this report and I had the privilege of speaking on it this morning. One of the points made, particularly by Professor Krasnodębski, was that a lot of this gas would be Russian gas which, as has been pointed out, is no longer reliable. Secondly, we probably don’t want – and obviously we’d like to become independent of – Russian gas soon as possible. In fairness to Ursula von der Leyen, she has gone around the world trying to get alternative supplies – Japan, Kuwait, Qatar, etc. But at the same time, in some countries – and particularly my own country – we have an opportunity to build an LNG terminal, which the agreement is objecting to. Secondly, we have vast resources of gas offshore, which we could utilise pretty quickly. So we’re quite happy for someone else to take it out of the ground and export to us and not to take it out of the ground ourselves. I think in this time of crisis, the Commission should look at what resources are there within Europe, particularly that we can utilise so that we are not dependent on Russian gas and Putin won’t be able to put us into a severe position this winter and the following winter.

A Uachtaráin, I voted in favour of this resolution concerning the granting of candidate status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and of a European perspective to Georgia. While full candidate status has been recommended for Ukraine and Moldova, it is important that Georgia fulfils a number of criteria before such status can be granted. That said, the proposed European perspective for Georgia is testament to the continued progress being made by the people and government of Georgia in this regard. Overall, the commitment of these three countries to European values and ideals has been remarkable, particularly in recent months following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ambition of these countries to accede to the European Union has become even clearer. It is my hope that progress can be made on this front as quickly as possible and I am delighted with the positive vote here in Parliament today. It must really encourage particularly the unfortunate people of Ukraine.

A Uachtaráin, as the Russian artillery barrage continues to pound Ukraine, the notion that Putin was forced into definitive action by NATO becomes more and more ludicrous. The war has changed everything and has forced Europe’s hand, accelerating our Green Deal ambitions and fundamentally altering our overall energy policy but – as Vice-President Timmermans said – uniting us and not dividing us, as war criminal Putin expected. Gas will be an important part of the EU’s decarbonisation pathway, but the situation poses significant risks for security of supply. This required immediate legislative action on the Security of Gas Supply Regulation and the existing internal market for gas regulation. The importance of diversification for security of supply is evident, and this applies in particular to my own country, Ireland – and they’d want to wake up to it. I am also glad to see the reinforced contingency planning to the gas coordination group and its crisis management sub—group included. The focus placed on these files and the speed at which they are being addressed should be commended. Although many share this credit, I would like to join with Vice-President Timmermans in particularly thanking Jerzy Buzek and Cristian Buşoi for their diligent work.

Mr President, Commissioner Šefčovič, the Commission’s recent recommendations to the European Council to grant Ukraine and Moldova EU membership status was very encouraging news. We must make it clear that Ukraine belongs firmly within our European family. Our future lies together, side by side, in peace. This is also true for the Republic of Moldova, which has shown itself to be a great ally during the current crisis, ready to fight for a European future. I commend both Ukraine and Moldova and hope candidate status will be finally confirmed by the decision of the Council tomorrow. As regards the decision on Georgia, I acknowledge that it shares these aspirations, along with other countries of the Western Balkans, and these expectations should not be neglected. I am pleased that the European Commission officially recognised its European perspective and offered Georgia a specific guide to obtaining candidate status. I strongly recommend to the Council to grant EU candidates status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, in line with Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union. A Uachtaráin, tá súil agam go ndéanfaimid dul chun cinn suntasach ar an ábhar seo go luath.

A Uachtaráin, I voted in favour of this report. The International Procurement Instrument will enable the European Commission to launch consultations with third countries regarding procurement market access in order to facilitate better access for EU firms. The instrument empowers the EU to restrict access to the EU’s procurement market if third—country consultations do not improve market access for EU firms. I was happy to support the compromise reached, as I believe that it will be an effective but balanced addition to the EU’s trade toolbox. The EU procurement market is one of the biggest and most competitive markets in the world, therefore it is vital to ensure market access reciprocity with our trading partners. I complement Mr Caspary and the others who worked on this very important file.

A Uachtaráin, I voted in favour of this resolution, which outlines Parliament’s concerns regarding the European Commission’s recent positive assessment of Poland’s recovery and resilience plan. There is no doubt that serious and sustained breaches of the rule of law abound in Poland, and the Commission would do well to adhere to the clear conditions attached to financing under the RRF in its approval of Poland’s plans. European funds cannot be provided to a country whose government continues to disregard the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the primacy of EU law.

A Uachtaráin, the Commissioner is absolutely correct when she says we need more forests in Europe. Obviously illegal logging has to be tackled and eliminated, if at all possible, and I support our endeavours in that regard. Fortunately, in my country, it’s the opposite problem we have: we can’t get legal logging, because of rules by the department for planning permission, permitting, etc. – a whole backlog they tried to blame on the European Union, until, of course, that was disproved. And as a result, they have a target of setting 8 000 hectares per year, and they are only meeting 2 000. So I would ask the Commission to look at that and ensure that those who want to set forest in Ireland are facilitated, not what is happening at the minute. Now a good news story is that there is a company in Ireland set up by Enda Keane, Treemetrics, which recently launched a climate—smart forest management platform with the support of the ESA, and I think that’s something that could be very helpful and I would ask the Commission to look into it.

Mr President, Commissioner and my friend, former MEP Ivo Belet, welcome back. The Treaties are the foundation of the EU and every action taken by it. They should not be changed hastily or flippantly, but that is not to say they should not be changed at all. As the world around us changes, we in the EU must also be ready to adapt when necessary. During the Conference on the future of Europe, citizens shared their views and ideas on a broad range of topics, from climate change to jobs, to European democracy. As representatives of the citizens, we have an obligation to take on board their proposals. We should do what we can within the boundaries of the Treaties as they stand. That being said, I believe that now is the time to convene a Convention, bringing together heads of government, and representatives of national parliaments, of this Parliament and the Commission to thoroughly examine and consider whether our Union and our citizens would benefit from a revision of the Treaties. The purpose of today’s resolution is to signal to the Council our wish to convene a Convention. It is not the place to decide this Parliament’s proposals for Treaty revisions. Such a significant decision must be well informed and given adequate time, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the AFCO Committee on this report. I will be supporting the amendments tabled jointly by the EPP and other Groups. I hope, colleagues, that you do the same and that you support the convening of this Convention.

A Uachtaráin, President Ursula was right when she said Putin’s war of aggression is what fuels the food crisis. On top of that, there’s the vile destruction of the infrastructure of Ukraine, the killing of its citizens and the raping of its women. While all this is going on, we have the President of the rotating Council, Macron, talking about ‘we mustn’t humiliate Putin’. Who is doing the humiliating? Why is he so concerned? What does this actually mean? He has to be asked these questions. Does it mean that Ukraine is supposed to hand over half his territory to Putin so that he can claim he wins the war? Otherwise, he’s humiliated by losing the war. How would he like it if somebody invaded France and we started talking about ‘we mustn’t humiliate the aggressor’, so part of France should be handed over to the aggressor? I think now is the time, and particularly at the next Council meeting, to ask Mr Macron what he means by this and why he is saying this now when the lives of Ukrainians are being destroyed every single day.

A Uachtaráin, the Climate Law is set in stone: the end point of the green transition – 2050 for climate neutrality. We have the finish line and tomorrow we get the opportunity to decide, in part, how we run the race. Europe is and should be a climate leader. However, it is a fine balance. We want and need more ambition in decarbonising our economy, but not at the expense of severe loss of competitiveness. If we overburden ourselves, that will be a net negative consequence for the climate, as we will have less ability to pay for the technologies needed for the transition. The war has changed everything, and we have rightly accelerated our actions. Investment in renewables stays in Europe, but we need to keep a holistic approach and ensure we have the capacity. This means more emphasis on skills, especially in the building renovation sector, clear regulatory signals, including fixing the problematic planning and permitting procedures so we can get green technologies actually deployed. And of course the proper investment. In essence, the transition only comes with good timing and appropriate incentives. I fully support the targets for 2030 to transition to climate neutrality, and I believe this can only be successfully achieved if based on pragmatism.

Mr President – me again, somewhat similar – I listened to the debate on North Macedonia. I think they have a strong case to be more integrated with the European Union. They have been sitting more or less on the side—lines hoping that something will happen for a long, long time. In the last mandate, there was very little desire to extend the European Union. But I think Brexit having happened, the perfect antidote for Brexit is the countries who want to join. That’s telling both the Brexiteers and others that the European Union is a project not for now, but also for the future and we must extend the hand of friendship to those who want to join us. Certainly the Ukrainian war shows that there is safety in numbers, if nothing else. But of course, there’s also prosperity and respect for human rights. So I look forward to North Macedonia becoming part of our family as soon as possible – and that’s the key.

A Uachtaráin, I welcome that the Commission has begun to carry out annual rule of law reviews across the Union with Member State—specific chapters and I voted in favour of the 2021 report. The EU was founded on respect for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. It should be clear to all that EU membership comes with not only far—reaching benefits, but also responsibilities. There must be no backsliding when it comes to the rule of law, as without it we cannot have a fair and just society. The report provides key information and assessments but also, very importantly, provisions and follow—up and implementation. For example, in the report, Parliament commits itself to engaging in regular consultations with the Member States’ governments and parliaments on findings of the annual report. The report also touches on the rule of law conditionality regulation. Where warranted, we should be ready to trigger the conditionality clauses in relation to European funding – a very important point.

Mr President, I voted for this report as granting candidate status to Moldova in line with Article 49 of the Treaty of the European Union on the basis of merit is the right thing to do. The report highlights that Moldova has been disproportionately affected by the Russian war in neighbouring Ukraine due to the arrival of more than 450 000 Ukrainian refugees since the invasion began on 24 February. I commend the humanitarian efforts undertaken by Moldova and its government. Furthermore, the report calls on the EU to provide more support for the country via new macro—financial assistance, further transport and trade liberalisation measures and continued support for refugee management and humanitarianism. I appreciate what Moldova are doing and I look forward to supporting them in every way.

A Uachtaráin, I would like to welcome the REPowerEU Plan, especially plans to tackle massive problems in licensing and permits as well as increased renewable energy targets. However, to reduce our dependency on Russian energy and fossil fuels, we must address the building sector much more readily and give it the priority it deserves. The residential sector alone accounts for 40% of EU gas demand, mainly for heating and cooling. Reducing residential energy consumption will greatly reduce the need to increase the EU’s energy generation capacity, especially for peak hours. Not only are we in a pivotal decade for the climate, but we are also in an energy crisis. It already has caused severe economic hardship for many businesses and households. We need a coherent and realistic energy policy that takes into account the new geopolitical situation. We have committed to 2050 as a goal to reach climate neutrality. However, it is not helpful having Members speak in this Chamber as if we can simply switch to 100% renewable energy at the flick of a switch. We need to be realistic about transition. We have the end destination. Now we have to decide how to run the race.

A Uachtaráin, as a rapporteur for the energy performance of buildings, I am concerned that we may not reach our targets due to funding issues. Some 72% of renovations at the moment are self-funded, yet only 18% of consumers are taking loans to renovate their homes, as they are too expensive. So there is a funding gap of EUR 214 billion a year for green financing for residential buildings. These numbers do not seem to add up to the successful harnessing of the renovation wave. The Commission has already asked the European Banking Authority to develop standards for green loans and green mortgages. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, under Article 15, increases the toolbox for Member States in relation to financial incentives and market barriers, including energy-efficiency loans and mortgages for building renovations. Both would greatly facilitate future efforts by the ECB in this direction. I am calling on the ECB to provide additional incentives for banks to set energy efficiency as a criterion for low interest rates and green mortgages for households so that we can bridge the gap, reduce emissions, make houses more comfortable and healthy, and decrease electricity bills.

A Uachtaráin, I really welcome the adoption of a minimum level of 15% of taxation for multinational groups. This has been a bone of contention for many years and indeed it wasn’t always Member States’ fault because there was competition to get investment. But now that we are putting a floor under it, it establishes a level playing field. I am also very pleased that the European Union did not act unilaterally and waited for the OECD because the more countries that adopt the minimum level, the less opportunity there is for multinationals to play one off against the other. The other point I would make is that many citizens probably are paying far greater than 15% tax in their take-home pay. But we look forward to the day, and particularly when we revise this in five years’ time, of maybe increasing the minimum level to 20% and reducing the threshold from EUR 750 to 500 billion.