Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Committee on Transport and Tourism is submitting to you a resolution on the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the transport sector. As you know, transport was part of the first package of strategic sanctions against Russia, from banning Russian-flagged vessels from European ports to banning Russian operators from European skies. But this is not global. Today we have been guided by urgency, and I would like to thank my colleagues in the Committee on Transport and Tourism for their work in identifying the challenges of the sector and providing a real response to help Ukrainian women and men in the long term. European solidarity with our Ukrainian friends takes place here first and foremost in the delivery of humanitarian supplies and food, in the evacuation of refugees and in support of their supply chain. Yes, we will be the relay of their exports. Transport workers have been doing heroic work on the ground for more than two months, so to show solidarity and to show how much we encourage their humanity, I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, to vote in favour of this resolution.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine since the end of February has put transport at the forefront of the news, be it for the delivery of humanitarian supplies, essential foodstuffs, in particular through seaports, or the transport and evacuation of refugees. Freight and passenger transport are at the heart of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invader. Transportation workers have been doing heroic work on the spot for more than two and a half months. They show unwavering courage to allow people still in Ukraine to live and to allow people wishing to flee to be safe. Therefore, as Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, I would like to warmly thank all these people. And where Ukraine suffers and can no longer organise the logistics chain or transport refugees on its own, the European Union must rise to the occasion, fully assume its role and uphold the values of solidarity and fraternity that are dear to us. I therefore call on the authorities of the European Union, our Member States and our regions to do everything possible at European level to ensure that, between the European Union and Ukraine, we can welcome people in need with dignity and provide the necessary food.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, this vote comes at a pivotal moment: signals of a lull in the pandemic, an extremely uncertain conflict at the gates of the European Union and finally an upcoming revision of the rules on the economic governance of the European Union. All this in a disastrous climate context, as evidenced by the reading of the latest IPCC report. These events combined impose prudence and responsibility on us. Thus, in the face of the enormous uncertainties surrounding Eastern Europe and their consequences for the European Union, we must ensure that the general escape clause is lifted only when circumstances justify it to support European economies. In view of the possible economic vacillations, it is still too early to stand firmly in favour of such a lifting in 2023, and all options need to be considered. On the other hand, in the context of the revision of the rules of economic governance, it is essential – I would even say here, in this Chamber, it is vital – to fully integrate the climate emergency we are facing. I have been advocating for years for a reform of the fiscal rules, including a special treatment favourable to green investments. We see how high the price of our dependence on fossil fuels is. The new fiscal rules must therefore promote a green transition, which is the only solution to really get us out of it.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, tonight we want to show that the results of the negotiations between Parliament and the Council on the road charge file fall short of our expectations. This is a much less ambitious text than at first reading in October 2018. Four years later, the polluter-pays and user-pays principles are almost absent subscribers. The external costs of road transport, i.e. air and noise pollution, are almost not taken into account. Do you need to remember the climate emergency and the 800 000 premature deaths each year due to air pollution? Do you have to remember that this lever of the road fee would allow us to invest in more trains, more rail freight and more clean transport? Because yes, more trains and more clean mobility is also good for jobs. When it's good for the climate, it's good for jobs. Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow we have a responsibility. There are some amendments that are bold. We will raise our heads and ensure that this Parliament lives up to the demands of the climate challenge, but also to the demands, I tell you, of our perspective on transport.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the year of the train is about to end and it is time to talk about results. Results not only of the communication operation of the Connecting Europe Facility, but also of the relaunch of rail in Europe. And this is where the results can be said to be long overdue! We can no longer just take small steps. While it is still worth recalling, we are facing a climate emergency that will take our toll if we do nothing or do not do enough. Yes, the train is at the crossroads of climate, social, employment and European integration issues. It deserves ambitious action from both the Commission and the Member States. Trains have 15 times less emissions than airplanes for both passenger and freight transport. The train is the lever for the European reindustrialisation of tomorrow. Clearly, it is a way that is good for the climate and for employment. It will take much more than a year to put in place the industrial strategy and the funding it deserves. But I'm saying it tonight, it's now that it all starts. No more night trains all over Europe, no more rail freight, it’s now! We laid the first rails; we need a real industrial policy for rolling stock, a policy for trains that is cheaper, that is accessible to all European citizens, but above all the reconciliation of our territories and an environmental policy that is worthy of the name. So, ladies and gentlemen, the train is the means of transport of the future. Let’s not stay at the dock, let’s catch the right train, for the future.

Mr President, Commissioner, Council representative, ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to climate, the question is not to be pessimistic or optimistic, but realistic. Are we going to listen to the scientists? Are we going to listen to this inconvenient truth? The success of COP26 will not be based on words or promises, but on facts and tools to deliver on our commitments. So what are we waiting for? What are you waiting for? We're overwhelmed. Our planet, our people are swept away by the same tsunami. An unstoppable apocalypse if we do not act now. We are at a tipping point: Either it is action or it is death. And what do we propose? A series of measures dictated by economic interests. On transport - I am the Chair of the Committee on Transport - nothing is really proposed. So, are we going to wake up? COP26 is the last opportunity to sweep our doorstep, to make Europe the leader in the battle for climate. That it now puts an end to fossil fuels, in particular, and that it is also an example of carbon neutrality. But I tell you, no matter what happens in Glasgow, there will be a before and after. History will remember those who show courage and ambition. But history will never forget those in inaction and resignation.

Madam President, Commissioner Breton, ladies and gentlemen, tonight's debate is of major importance. As I recall, the tourism sector accounts for 12% of jobs across the European Union, with some 27.5 million employees. 90% of enterprises active in this sector are SMEs, with a significant share of precarious and seasonal jobs, and many undeclared or partially declared jobs. Here is a first image, brief indeed, of this sector; but the tourism sector in the EU was also one of the biggest and first victims of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It thus registered an investment gap of EUR 161 billion in 2020, which has had a negative impact on the entire tourism ecosystem, thus, by extension, on millions of workers employed directly or indirectly by this sector, as I mentioned earlier. As the 2021 summer season has come to an end, we need to carry out a preliminary assessment of the measures in place allowing for a coordinated EU approach for a safe reopening of travel within the 27, as well as to and from third countries. I am thinking, firstly, of the implementation of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, which aims to facilitate the lifting of travel restrictions and prevent unilateral actions by Member States, and secondly, of the creation of the European COVID-19 Security Label in the tourism sector. But the questions must go further. So, Commissioner, my questions are as follows. At present, what conclusions can the Commission present regarding the deployment of this EU Digital COVID Certificate and its impact on the tourism sector during the 2021 summer season? Compared to the previous year, is it possible to quantify the success of the certificate by taking into account the total number of trips? What difficulties have Member States and travellers encountered? Has the Commission found significant geographical differences between Member States and regions in the effect of certificates on tourism sectors? Could the Commission provide an overview of the roll-out of the COVID-19 security label in the tourism sector? How many tourism-related companies have been awarded this label? How did the Commission support the establishment of the label among tourism-related companies, in terms of funding, but above all technical expertise? What initiatives are in place to inform and publicise the label? Following the conclusions on the resumption of travel during the summer, what measures does the Commission intend to take to support the tourism ecosystem, in particular to address the uncertainties faced by travellers, but also tourism-related businesses, regarding travel restrictions? Finally, could the Commission provide an overview of the support given so far to tourism-related businesses, in line with the Green Deal, due to the pandemic, as well as the amount of such support? We, the Committee on Transport and Tourism, always sound the alarm to have this budget line dedicated in particular to tourism. So how can we make it easier for micro-enterprises and SMEs to access EU funding? What about the current unemployment rate in this sector? And how many people actually lost their jobs during the pandemic? Mr Breton, I know that this is a lot of questions, but the time has come for this sector to arm us as the task force working, within the Committee on Transport and Tourism – and I am proud of its members – on a clear roadmap to redesign what the tourism of tomorrow will be, i.e. local, sustainable and local tourism. We will no longer think of exoticism on the other side of the earth, but of exoticism at the bottom of our homes in order to rediscover a Europe made up of regions.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Committee on Transport and Tourism of the European Parliament, we wanted to have this debate with you, Commissioner, at the dawn of the summer season, which is the most important for the aviation sector. The pandemic we are going through has led to a drop in air traffic of more than two thirds compared to 2019 and has disastrous economic consequences for the aviation sector, but also for employment and the working conditions of its employees. The Commission has put forward emergency measures to reduce the threshold for the use of slots and thus avoid the so-called ‘ghost flights’ – an ecological aberration that we have all denounced here in this Chamber – as well as the digital green certificate in order to harmonise health measures across Europe. However, we see this today with the upsurge of variants and the slow pace of vaccination in some countries: We are still swimming in uncertainty. We need more measures to ensure a socially responsible, sustainable recovery of the sector in line with the EU’s climate objectives. As such, we would like to know, Commissioner: What will the Commission do to support a recovery of this aviation sector? In addition to the European Green Certificate, does it intend to improve the coordination of health restrictions and criteria between Member States? How does it plan to ensure a good level playing field while safeguarding employment and workers’ rights? I would also like to remind you, Commissioner, that during your first hearing before our committee, Parliament’s Transport Committee, several of my colleagues had already mentioned the lack of social measures at European level and the need to address, in particular, the issue of bogus self-employed, because companies cannot be allowed to insecure their employees by outsourcing the basic functions of their services, such as pilots. I regret that, almost halfway through the term of office, the Commission has not yet proposed anything on this front. Finally, does the Commission intend to address genuinely economic and social aspects of aviation-related local authorities in EU law, including the revision of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008, while ensuring better collaboration between European and national authorities? Now I'm changing a little cap and I'm going to talk as a band. I am an environmentalist and I would like to come back to the issue, in particular, of conditionalities for aid to the aviation sector. Aviation is one of those sectors that has largely benefited from public support. There is talk of €30 billion in public support in Europe for this sector, but without any climate or social compensation. I believe, Commissioner, that under the Green Deal, you can no longer sign a blank cheque with taxpayers’ money without demanding anything in return. All companies today have an interest in entering the green transition. This is a way to ensure this sector very quickly in order to support the success of the green transition. Finally, I would like to ask you one last time, Commissioner, to take real measures to combat social dumping, which, together with the existing environmental climate externalities, gives a competitive advantage that is sometimes unfair compared to other modes of transport such as rail, when we are in the European Year of Trains. As such, I hope to be able to count on your support, Commissioner, to set up the first avenues for reflection, for example on a kerosene tax or the end of the free right-to-pollute allowances currently enjoyed by aviation within the EU Emissions Trading System. We will not really have the same philosophical point of view according to the political groups, but we have the same objective: that no one stays on the side of the road, that no one is responsible for not entering the green transition and at the same time triggering a new social crisis in this sector. We have an extraordinary window of opportunity to support this sector. I believe it is now, Commissioner. We cannot miss the check mark because afterwards we will regret it and we will only have our eyes to cry.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing a 'polycrisis': a health crisis, an ecological crisis, a social crisis, an economic crisis. Thus, we see that the economic turmoil of recent years has highlighted our need to reform our macroeconomic framework, including fiscal policies. Everyone will tell you. All observers, experts, politicians, academics, all agree on this point. We are about to vote tomorrow on Mrs Marques' own-initiative report on the EU economic governance framework. This text is important because it sends - and should send - a strong signal to the European Commission, which is due to start work soon on the revision of fiscal rules and the macroeconomic framework in general. One can be satisfied, in the draft compromises adopted in Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, that a majority calls for an end to the current budgetary rules. They are indeed illegible, incomprehensible to European citizens, but also inadequate. I'll say it again: unsuited to the challenges we face – I am thinking of the climate emergency and above all the social emergency. We can welcome the inclusion of new criteria, including qualitative criteria – finally! – and not only quantitative, for economic policies to be pursued by the Member States. However, the ambitions of this report must be stronger, which is why I have tabled amendments with 70 colleagues. Three amendments to try to improve this report – I am going very quickly, excuse me, Madam President. Green and social investments: hop! excluded from deficits. Let's plead for new indicators: poverty, the Paris Agreements. But we must also call for the inclusion of the European Stability Mechanism in the EU legal order, because the European Parliament will finally be entitled to the chapter. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that you will support these amendments because it is high time for this Parliament to send a strong ambition on these macroeconomic issues. So tomorrow, this text is at hand and it is the final text that everyone is waiting for.