# C_2023292EN.01000101.xml

| 18.8.2023 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 292/1 |
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18.8.2023

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 292/1

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12 December 2022VERBATIM REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF 12 DECEMBER 2022

(2023/C 292/01)

Contents

| 1. | Resumption of the session | 3 |
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1.

| 2. | Opening of the sitting | 3 |
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2.

| 3. | Statement by the President | 3 |
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3.

| 4. | Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting | 8 |
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4.

| 5. | Negotiations ahead of Parliament's first reading (Rule 71) | 8 |
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5.

| 6. | Composition of political groups | 9 |
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6.

| 7. | Composition of Parliament | 9 |
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7.

| 8. | Composition of the Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members | 9 |
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8.

| 9. | Composition of committees and delegations | 9 |
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9.

| 10. | Council positions at first reading (Rule 63) | 9 |
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10.

| 11. | Signing of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (Rule 79) | 9 |
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11.

| 12. | Order of business | 9 |
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12.

| 13. | Towards equal rights for persons with disabilities (debate) | 13 |
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13.

| 14. | Outcome of COP27 (debate) | 25 |
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14.

| 15. | A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas (debate) | 36 |
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15.

| 16. | Addressing persistent challenges in the aviation sector and the impacts on passengers, workers, capacity and safety (debate) | 53 |
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16.

| 17. | Action plan to boost long-distance and cross-border passenger rail (short presentation) | 62 |
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17.

| 18. | One-minute speeches on matters of political importance | 66 |
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18.

| 19. | Agenda of the next sitting | 72 |
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19.

| 20. | Approval of the minutes of the sitting | 73 |
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20.

| 21. | Closure of the sitting | 73 |
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21.

Verbatim report of proceedings of 12 December 2022

PRESIDENZA: ROBERTA METSOLA

President

1.   Resumption of the session

President. – I declare resumed the session of the European Parliament adjourned on Thursday 24 November 2022.

2.   Opening of the sitting

(The sitting opened at 17:08)

3.   Statement by the President

President. – Dear colleagues, good afternoon. I think it would be no exaggeration to say that these have been among the longest days of my career. I must choose my words carefully, in a manner that does not jeopardise ongoing investigations or in any way undermine the presumption of innocence. And I will. So if my fury, my anger, my sorrow do not come across, please be assured that they are very much present – along with my determination for this House to grow stronger.

Make no mistake: the European Parliament, dear colleagues, is under attack. European democracy is under attack. And our way of open, free democratic societies are under attack. The enemies of democracy for whom the very existence of this Parliament is a threat, will stop at nothing. These malign actors linked to autocratic third countries have allegedly weaponised NGOs, unions, individuals, assistants and Members of the European Parliament in an effort to subdue our processes. Their malicious plans failed.

Our services, of whom I am incredibly proud, have been working with relevant national law enforcement and judicial authorities to break up this alleged criminal network for some time. We have acted in sync with authorities to ensure that all legal steps are respected, that all information is preserved, and that, where needed, IT equipment is secured, offices are sealed and house searches are able to be carried out. I accompanied a Belgian judge and police as required by the Belgian Constitution to a house search last weekend.

As a precautionary measure, again with full respect for the presumption of innocence, I have stripped the Vice-President mentioned of any tasks and responsibilities related to their role as Vice-President and I have convened an extraordinary meeting of the Conference of Presidents to launch a Rule 21 procedure to bring their term as Vice-President to an end in an effort to protect the integrity of this House.

I was also scheduled today to announce the opening of the negotiating mandate for the visa-waiver report with Qatar and Kuwait. In light of the investigations, this report must be sent back to committee.

I also know that we are not at the end of the road and we will continue to assist in investigations, together with other EU institutions, for as long as it takes. Corruption cannot pay and we have played our part in ensuring these plans could not materialise.

And I must be clear: the allegations are not about left or right or north or south. This is about right and wrong. And I would appeal to you to resist the temptation to exploit this moment for political gain. Do not cheapen the threat that we are facing.

I am in politics – like so many of you here – to fight corruption, to stand up for the principles of Europe. This is a test of our values and of our systems, and colleagues, let me assure you that we will meet this test head on.

There will be no impunity. None. Those responsible will find this Parliament on the side of the law, and I am proud of our role and assistance in this investigation.

There will be no sweeping under the carpet. We will launch an internal investigation to look at all the facts related to the Parliament and to look at how our systems can become yet more watertight.

There will be no business as usual. We will launch a reform process to see who has access to our premises; how these organisations, NGOs and people are funded; what links with third countries they have. We will ask for more transparency on meetings with foreign actors and those linked to them. We will shake up this Parliament and these towns and I need your help to do it.

We will protect those who help us expose criminality, and I will work to look at our whistleblower systems to see how they can be made stronger. But I must also say that while we can always look to increase deterrents and transparency, there will always be some for whom a bag of cash is always worth the risk. And what is essential is that these people understand that they will get caught, that our services work and that they will face the full extent of the law, as happened in this case.

These are challenging times for us all, but I know, and I am convinced, that if we work together we can come out of it stronger.

To you, my colleagues who have lived these days with me, let me say again how deeply disappointed I am – I know you all share the same sentiment. And to those malign actors in third countries who think they can buy their way forward, who think Europe is for sale, who think they can take over our NGOs, let me say that you will find this Parliament firmly in your way. We are Europeans. We would rather be cold than bought.

Colleagues, with the agreement of the political groups, before we officially start this plenary meeting I will give the floor to the Group leaders.

Manfred Weber,
  Chair of the PPE Group. – Madam President, dear colleagues, we as the EPP Group are shocked. The corruption charges against one of our highest representatives of this European Parliament has significantly damaged our institution and affected the trust of people in the European Union as a whole. The damage to European democracy is too big to be now used for party political battles. Let us be clear about this.

We are, as the EPP Group, extremely worried because we feel the credibility of the only directly elected institution in Europe is put in danger by the actions of the people concerned. It will take more than this debate to restore some of the trust that has been lost. As they say, trust comes on foot but leaves on a horse. On the one side, no rule can stop criminals, but on the other side, we as the EPP Group are ready to improve our rules to make them better for the future.

Every one of us is sitting here with the feeling of responsibility. And to fight corruption is one of it. Corruption is the biggest enemy of democracy. It undermines the freedom of speech. It breaks the trust people have in their institutions of state. To be crystal clear: there is not any room for corruption in the Parliament or in other institutions of the European Union. The laws must be applied strictly and the prosecution has to be followed consequently.

And we express as EPP our gratitude to the Belgian police and the public prosecutor for their investigation and their actions. There is not any question that this House will cooperate fully with the rest of these investigations. I want to thank you, Madam President, Roberta Metsola, for your clear and important cooperation at the beginning of this difficult development. Fight against corruption is key. That is the only way to regain the trust of the European people in the institution, in the European Parliament, in the heart of democracy in Europe.

Iratxe García Pérez,
  presidenta del Grupo S&D. – Señora presidenta, quería comenzar diciendo que estoy segura de que voy a expresar lo que la gran mayoría de esta Cámara tiene hoy en la cabeza. Y es que este es un día negro para la democracia europea. Un día muy triste. Y también, como comprenderán, un día muy difícil para el Grupo Socialdemócrata.

Por eso quiero anunciarles que acabamos de tomar la decisión de personarnos como parte perjudicada en el proceso judicial que se va a abrir en estos momentos. Porque el comportamiento criminal de unas personas mancha a esta institución y mancha la credibilidad de la Unión Europea. Hay una investigación judicial en marcha y los culpables deberán pagar ante la justicia. Pero, además, esta Cámara debe responder con contundencia para aclarar qué ha pasado y, sobre todo, garantizar que no vuelva a ocurrir.

Por eso hago un llamamiento a la responsabilidad y a la unidad. Ya he hablado con la presidenta y con los líderes de los demás grupos políticos para trabajar unidos por una mayor transparencia y rendición de cuentas. La ciudadanía europea debe saber que cuentan con nosotros para esclarecer los hechos, para colaborar con la justicia y para actuar con responsabilidad. Porque el trabajo diario que la inmensa mayoría de los diputados y diputadas de esta Cámara está haciendo no puede quedar ensombrecido.

Discutiremos estos días medidas concretas en distintos organismos de esta Cámara y también, si es necesario, de otras instituciones europeas. Debemos actuar con firmeza contra la corrupción. Defendamos la honestidad de la política y hagámoslo trabajando unidos. Porque nuestra unidad es la mejor arma contra la corrupción y contra quienes quieren dañar a la democracia europea.

Stéphane Séjourné,
  président du groupe Renew. – Madame la Présidente, chers collègues, permettez-moi tout d'abord d'exprimer, au nom de mon groupe, tout mon soutien et tous mes remerciements à la police et à la justice belges, qui sont également le bras armé de notre démocratie. Quand je vois les tweets écrits tout à l'heure par M. Orbán, qui instrumentalise déjà cette histoire, j'ai une pensée pour le peuple hongrois, qui, lui, est privé d'une justice indépendante capable de mener de telles opérations anticorruption. Chers amis, je suis fier de travailler dans un pays où de telles enquêtes sont possibles. Il faut d'abord peut-être, je vous le disais, que notre institution réaffirme sans réserve – et vous le faites, Madame la Présidente –, son soutien total envers l'institution judiciaire et sa coopération avec elle. Cela ne veut pas dire non plus que nous devons juste attendre les conclusions de cette procédure, bien au contraire.

Mon groupe proposera des actions qui devront faire l'objet d'un consensus large entre les groupes pro-européens. D'abord, sur les personnes concernées: nous voterons, comme l'ensemble des groupes, le retrait du mandat de vice-présidente de Mme Kaïli, et je pense qu'il est important de le faire dans un bref délai pour envoyer un signal fort. Si par ailleurs, les faits sont avérés, nous demanderons également qu'elle démissionne de son mandat.

Concernant le Qatar, Madame la Présidente, nous demandons la suspension – et vous l'avez annoncé – du nouvel ordre du jour sur les questions ayant été votées lors des commissions ou ayant fait l'objet d'un vote particulier. Au vu de l'enquête en cours, mon groupe politique soutient évidemment le retour en commission de ces débats-là.

Quant à la question de la transparence de la vie politique dans notre assemblée, nous soutiendrons le renforcement des registres de transparence. C'est un débat qui est long, dans cet hémicycle, mais nous devons également avoir systématiquement des règles de procédure sur cette question-là. Vous le savez, depuis 2019, mon groupe politique demande la création d'un organe éthique interinstitutionnel, qui doit avoir des pouvoirs d'enquête pour mieux contrôler les règles, non seulement des députés, mais aussi des anciens parlementaires comme de l'ensemble des gens qui travaillent dans les institutions européennes.

Enfin, concernant l'ingérence – vous l'avez évoqué aussi, Madame la Présidente –, mon groupe est favorable à une commission d'enquête, mais seulement une fois que l'enquête judiciaire aura fait toute la lumière sur cette histoire.

Je conclurai en disant que mon groupe sera avec l'institution: vous trouverez toujours Renew Europe à vos côtés dans le combat démocratique de la transparence, contre la corruption. Nous ne laisserons pas salir notre travail, nous ne laisserons pas salir ce Parlement, nous ne laisserons pas salir l'Europe. Personne ne peut trahir impunément la confiance du peuple, et certainement pas de nos peuples d'Europe. Chers collègues, montrons à nos concitoyens que le Parlement européen n'a pas la main qui tremble.

Terry Reintke,
  Co-Chair of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, I can only echo what the colleagues have been saying. These are dark days for European democracy. I can tell you personally, colleagues, that I have always been a very proud member of this Parliament. To me, it's the honour of my life to be elected to this Parliament. In the last days, honestly, this pride has seriously been shaken.

I myself know that most of us here are working hard, that we are honest and sincere in representing the EU citizens, but now I'm actually thinking about the millions of EU citizens who are struggling right now – the people who are lying awake at night who do not know how to pay their bills, who do not know how to get through the next month and what they had to see over the past days. This puts shame on all of us here in this Parliament.

We have to be absolutely clear: this Parliament, after what has happened, cannot do business as usual. We cannot stop at just thoughts and prayers. We have to be absolutely clear. We have to act. I want us to act, as the colleagues have said, unitedly, as pro-European Democrats.

But we have to act, and we also have to put something in writing to be clear about what we want, because we want a full inquiry into this matter. Everything has to come to the surface right now because, as people have said, trust has been broken. We have to have a dedicated position in the EP Bureau that is working on these reforms, that is working on anti-corruption, and we need to have more far-reaching measures, like, for example, the reform of the lobby register, as well as an ethics body that can make sure that we do everything in our power to prevent something like this in the future.

Indeed, colleagues, the trust of citizens has been broken, and to my understanding, rightfully so. So let us do everything we can to bring everything to light and to prevent something like this from happening again in the future. This is about more than just us. This is about protecting this House. This is about protecting democracy. This is about protecting the European project. So let us do all we can – we owe it to ourselves and we owe it to our citizens.

Marco Zanni,
  Presidente del gruppo ID. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, ringrazio la Presidente per le sue parole in questo momento difficile. Quanto sta accadendo in questi giorni credo sia talmente lontano dalla cultura che dovrebbe appartenere a questa istituzione, che diventa molto difficile anche trovare le parole per commentarlo.

Siamo tutti profondamente sconvolti da quanto sta emergendo in queste ore, con accuse gravissime nei confronti di esponenti di peso di queste istituzioni, del presente e del passato, nonché di collaboratori indagati a vario titolo.

Per il nostro gruppo è chiaro ed essenziale che questo Parlamento debba prendere una posizione forte e decisa perché, purtroppo, l'atteggiamento che abbiamo visto in passato e soprattutto nei mesi scorsi è stato un atteggiamento che non ha aiutato queste istituzioni, con colleghi che si sono eretti a paladini contro le ingerenze straniere, tanto addirittura da riempire una relazione ufficiale di questo Parlamento con accuse non sempre circostanziate.

Siamo nella classica situazione dove si guarda alla pagliuzza degli altri e non ci si accorge della trave nei propri occhi. Per questo dico oggi a tutti i colleghi che questo Parlamento deve essere più umile e meno ipocrita su certi argomenti delicati. È chiaro che tutti possono sbagliare e commettere un errore e la responsabilità delle azioni, fino a prova contraria, è sempre personale, ma quello che è diventato francamente insostenibile in questa legislatura, e dovrà cambiare, credo sia l'atteggiamento di superiorità morale di alcuni. Questo scandalo enorme che stiamo vivendo non è che l'ennesima prova.

Ora, al di là delle azioni immediate che intraprenderemo per tutelare la rispettabilità di queste istituzioni, credo si debba fare un lavoro più profondo e credo che questo Parlamento debba indagare a fondo, in futuro, se esiste anche una responsabilità politica dietro i fatti che abbiamo visto e ricostruire, partendo da un atteggiamento diverso e soprattutto contrastando quella autoreferenzialità che troppo spesso abbiamo visto danneggiare questa istituzione e le istituzioni europee.

Ryszard Antoni Legutko,
  Chair of the ECR Group. – Madam President, well, there is not much to be said. A lot of facts have already come out, and I'm sure more will come out in the future. Perhaps some of them quite surprising in a most unpleasant sort of way. But you are right, of course, Madam President, that a European institution – the European Parliament – was targeted by the bad guys. They probably consider the Parliament to be a place with several weak spots. Indeed, they succeeded to a degree that shocked a lot of us.

I always wonder, to what extent is it a problem of the personal weaknesses of our colleagues, former colleagues or staffers, and to what extent is it a problem of a system, of a structure, and of rules and procedures? Probably both elements should be taken into account, and I wish there could be some kind of critical objective analysis of this phenomenon. After all, this is a huge institution, which is very complex and not easy to manage.

Such a critical analysis should be conducted with somebody from outside, not from our midst, for obvious reasons, that we are more interested in sustaining this institution and defending it no matter what we say openly. I would suggest that we should have a sort of critical description of the way such an institution functions. Perhaps that would give us an insight into what was wrong and how to prevent similar developments from happening in the future.

One last point: one thing that will certainly not improve the reputation of European Parliament is pompous, highfalutin rhetoric. This will not help. I have an impression that we very much like to indulge in lofty language that didn't help in the future, hasn't helped and won't help. Just do something real. We want the real thing, not rhetoric. Rhetoric is a very easy thing.

Manon Aubry,
  coprésidente du groupe The Left. – Madame la Présidente, chers collègues, je pense qu'on peut le dire très clairement: notre Parlement européen est sans doute pris dans le plus grave scandale de corruption de son histoire. Le Qatar a acheté des voix de cette assemblée pour couvrir l'exploitation à mort de travailleurs migrants sur les chantiers de la Coupe du monde.

On l'a dit, les faits sont choquants: plus d'un million d'euros déjà saisis au domicile des suspects, et la vice-présidente du Parlement sous les barreaux. C'est évidemment l'intégrité de nos institutions qui est atteinte, mais j'ai envie, ici, depuis le Parlement européen, de faire passer un message très clair au Qatar: on n'achète pas des députés comme on achète des clubs de foot.

C'est choquant, évidemment, mais je dois vous dire, chers collègues, que je ne suis pas vraiment surprise, tant l'ingérence du Qatar était palpable. Il faut le dire: depuis plus d'un an, notre groupe demandait à ce qu'un débat et une résolution se tiennent sur les violations des droits de l'homme lors de la Coupe du monde au Qatar, mais certains groupes s'y sont systématiquement opposés. Quand nous sommes finalement parvenus à l'obtenir, j'ai pu voir, pour avoir participé aux négociations au nom de notre groupe, comment certains groupes ont profité des huis clos des négociations pour euphémiser les critiques à l'égard du Qatar, l'ériger en nouveau champion des droits des travailleurs – permettez-nous d'en douter – et défendre à tout prix les intérêts du Qatar, jusqu'à venir insérer des choses qui n'avaient absolument rien à voir avec la résolution dont il était question.

Bien sûr, l'enquête touche actuellement un groupe politique, le groupe socialiste, mais l'argent n'a pas d'odeur, et la corruption, elle, n'a pas de parti. On le sait d'autant plus en France, avec l'ancien président de droite Nicolas Sarkozy, qui est visé par une enquête pour corruption par le Qatar. Je voudrais aussi parler ici des éloges ostentatoires et répétés du commissaire Margaritis Schinas envers le Qatar, qui peuvent interroger. Chaque institution doit balayer devant sa porte.

Ceci est la face émergée de l'iceberg. Bien entendu que la vice-présidente du Parlement européen doit démissionner. Mais dans quel monde vit-on, pour nous demander sa démission? Dans quel monde vit-elle, pour ne pas elle-même démissionner de son propre chef?

Deuxième chose: je pense, chers collègues, qu'il faudra très clairement une commission d'enquête de notre Parlement pour analyser la perméabilité des institutions européennes à la corruption et aux conflits d'intérêts. Enfin, pour prévenir ce type d'enjeu et ce type de problème à l'avenir, clairement, il faudra remettre sur la table des choses qui ont été enterrées par la Commission européenne, comme une autorité éthique indépendante, pour faire une bonne fois pour toutes le ménage dans nos institutions européennes.

Chers collègues, pour conclure, notre condamnation et notre réaction doivent être unanimes. Crions-le haut et fort ici depuis le Parlement européen: notre démocratie n'est pas à vendre.

President. – That concludes this round. We shall now go back to our agenda.

4.   Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting

President. – The minutes and the texts adopted of the sitting of 24 November are available. If there are no comments the minutes are approved.

5.   Negotiations ahead of Parliament's first reading (Rule 71)

President. – The LIBE Committee has adopted two mandates to enter into interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Rule 71(1) of the Rules of Procedure, on third countries whose nationals are subject to or exempt from a visa requirement – Kuwait and Qatar, and on the European Union Drugs Agency.

For the first file on third countries whose nationals are subject to or exempt from a visa requirement – Kuwait and Qatar, I have decided with the agreement of the political groups to propose a referral back to committee of this file pursuant to Rule 198.

I understand that the rapporteur would like to take the floor.

Erik Marquardt,
  Berichterstatter. – Frau Präsidentin! Ich habe in den letzten Tagen nicht nur mit denjenigen, die an diesem Fall gearbeitet haben, sondern auch mit vielen Kollegen aus verschiedenen Fraktionen geredet, und das war eine seltene Gemeinsamkeit. Wir alle – alle, mit denen ich gesprochen habe – waren schockiert von dem, was hier an Vorwürfen im Raum steht. Und alle waren sich einig, dass Korruption ein Angriff auf die Demokratie ist, dass Korruption auch harte Konsequenzen haben muss – harte Konsequenzen für die, die bestochen haben, harte Konsequenzen für die, die bestochen wurden, aber natürlich auch für die EU-Institutionen, die jetzt alles in ihrer Macht Stehende tun müssen, dass sich solche Vorgänge nicht wiederholen.

In solch einer Situation können wir natürlich nicht zulassen, dass ein Staat, der potenziell unsere Demokratie angreift, eine Visaliberalisierung bekommt. Deswegen müssen wir erstens sicherstellen, dass dieser Prozess nicht beeinflusst wurde, wir müssen auch sicherstellen, dass wir die richtigen Konsequenzen ziehen. Wir müssen sicherstellen, dass wir jetzt nicht in Verhandlungen über eine Visaliberalisierung treten. Deswegen beantragen wir bei diesem Bericht nach Artikel 198 der Geschäftsordnung, den Bericht in den Ausschuss zurückzuüberweisen.

President. – I shall put the proposal to a vote.

(Parliament agreed to the proposal)

The motion is carried and the file is referred back.

Regarding the other LIBE mandate on the European Union Drugs Agency, pursuant to Rule 71(2) Members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold may request in writing by tomorrow, Tuesday 13 December at midnight that the decision to enter into negotiations be put to the vote. If no request for a vote is made, the committee may start the negotiations. The reports which constitute the mandates for the negotiations are available on the plenary webpage and their titles will be published in the minutes of the sitting.

6.   Composition of political groups

President. – The S&D Group has communicated to me that Eva Kaili is no longer a member of the Group as of 9 December 2022 and that she sits with the non-attached Members.

Pascal Durand is no longer a member of the Renew Europe Group and has joined the S&D Group as of 30 November 2022.

7.   Composition of Parliament

President. – The competent authorities of Italy have notified me of the election of Beatrice Covassi to the European Parliament replacing Simona Bonafè with effect from 6 December 2022.

I wish to welcome our new colleague and recall that she takes her seat in Parliament and its bodies in full enjoyment of her rights pending the verification of her credentials.

8.   Composition of the Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members

President. – In accordance with Article 7 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament with respect to financial interests and conflicts of interest, I decided to appoint Gilles Boyer as a member of the Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members, replacing Pascal Durand, with effect from 7 December 2022.

9.   Composition of committees and delegations

President. – The S&D, Renew Europe, Verts/ALE, ID and ECR groups and the non-attached Members have notified me of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees and delegations. Those decisions will be set out in the minutes of today's sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

10.   Council positions at first reading (Rule 63)

President. – I have received from the Council its position at first reading, as well as the reasons which led to its adoption and the positions and opinions of the Commission. The full title will be listed in the minutes of this sitting.

The three-month period available to Parliament to adopt its positions will therefore begin as from tomorrow, 13 December 2022.

11.   Signing of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (Rule 79)

President. – I would like to inform you that, since the adjournment of Parliament's session on 24 November, I have signed, together with the President of the Council, one act adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with Rule 79 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure.

I would also like to inform you that on Wednesday I shall sign, together with the President of the Council, 11 acts adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure. The titles of the acts will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

12.   Order of business

President. – I would like to inform you that I have received a request for urgent procedure from the Council pursuant to Rule 163, on the Macro-financial assistance+ instrument providing support to the Ukraine for 2023. The vote on this request will be taken tomorrow. If adopted, the vote will be held on Thursday. Since this is a second reading procedure, should no proposal to reject the Council's position and no amendments be tabled, the proposed act will be announced as adopted, pursuant to Rule 69.

I have received a number of changes to the agenda requested by political groups.

We have five groups that have asked for a debate on our introductory debate on the suspicions of corruption. What I would propose is that I ask the first group that submitted a request, which was The Left Group, to submit its request, so Ms Aubry will present it. We will then see whether there is a majority for that request. After that, we will proceed to see whether there is a majority for a resolution.

Manon Aubry,
  au nom du groupe The Left. – Madame la Présidente, je ne vais pas être longue, on a eu l'occasion d'aborder ici le cœur du sujet qui nous préoccupe. Je pense qu'il serait étrange, dans cette dernière session plénière de l'année, juste après que ce scandale a éclaté, que nous ne tenions pas un débat dans lequel chacune et chacun des parlementaires ici, choqué et certainement en colère, puisse s'exprimer. L'objectif est d'avoir l'occasion d'un débat entre nous, apaisé peut-être, mais en tout cas qui permette d'en tirer des conclusions certaines sur la suite à donner pour nos institutions européennes, parce que, en effet, les choses ne pourront plus continuer de la même manière. Je précise que nous proposons, d'une part, un débat et, d'autre part, un vote séparé pour avoir aussi une résolution.

Chers collègues, je crois que nous ne pouvons pas nous cacher derrière notre petit doigt et que, collectivement, nous devons en tirer des conclusions politiques – je parlais d'une autorité éthique indépendante, par exemple, pour rappeler à la Commission son engagement, qu'elle a mis sous le tapis – et trouver ensemble la marche à suivre après ce scandale pour que tous les groupes de lobbys, les autorités extérieures et les pays extérieurs ne viennent plus au Parlement européen acheter nos votes, comme si c'était un supermarché.

Assita Kanko (ECR). – Madam President, of course, I don't want to speak against, but the ECR Group has an idea – oh, are you surprised...don't be – so, the ECR Group would like to propose another title, namely ‘The corruption allegation against Members, staff and former Members of the European Parliament’. We support the initiative, but we think it's quite clear that there has been corruption and we don't want to speak about suspicions. The title must be clear. We, the European Parliament, are not for sale. We are lawmakers. And also we request the vote to happen as a roll call vote because we need to be transparent in this House.

President. – We will vote first on the proposal from The Left Group, and if that has a majority then the other motions fall.

(Parliament agreed to the proposal)

We will therefore have a debate on Tuesday afternoon. We will now see the majorities for whether we should have a resolution.

Stéphane Séjourné,
  au nom du groupe Renew. – Madame la Présidente, pour être très clairs sur notre position – qui, je pense, est partagée par les groupes susceptibles de voter contre cette résolution pour le moment –, nous ne sommes pas hostiles à une résolution. Nous sommes plutôt, au contraire, favorables à ce que l'on tire les enseignements de cette affaire, mais avec le temps. Nous proposons de revoir cette question au mois de janvier, en espérant que la procédure judiciaire sera arrivée à son terme et qu'elle nous permettra d'avoir quelques conclusions à en tirer.

Nous sommes en pleine affaire judiciaire, avec des juges qui sont encore dans les locaux du Parlement européen à Bruxelles en ce moment. Je ne suis pas sûr qu'adopter une résolution tout de suite soit le meilleur moyen que le Parlement ait à sa disposition. Favorable à une résolution, donc, mais plus tard, mon groupe votera contre.

Manfred Weber (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin! Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, die Präsidentin hat uns eingeladen, morgen in die Konferenz der Präsidenten zu kommen, um bereits erste Maßnahmen zu ergreifen und darauf zu reagieren.

Ich glaube, was jetzt wichtig ist, sind schnelle, klare Entscheidungen, Reaktionen des Parlaments. Und da wollen wir versuchen, bei dieser Vorgehensweise einen breiten proeuropäischen, demokratischen Konsens zu erzielen. Das heißt, morgen wird die Konferenz der Präsidenten bereits klare Entscheidungen fällen. Wir werden Diskussionen haben auf Vorschlag der Fraktion The Left, dass wir diese Woche genug Möglichkeit zur Aussprache haben. Deshalb möchte ich, wenn man die zwei Sachen im Hinterkopf behält, den Vorschlag von Stephane Séjourné unterstreichen und unterstützen, dass wir die Entschließung dann eben in Ruhe, wenn wir die Fakten der Ermittlungsbehörden vorliegen haben, im Januar durchführen. Diese Woche muss schnell entschieden werden, und das sollte die Konferenz der Präsidenten machen.

President. – I put to the vote the request to have a resolution this week.

(Parliament agreed to the request)

Assita Kanko (ECR). – Madam President, I would like to request to vote again on the proposal about Qatar, because it was very confusing. We could vote, for example, first on the title and then on the decision. Otherwise, it will give the impression that some Members who wanted another title are against the idea of having a debate on a resolution. Could we vote again in a more clear way, please, Madam President.

President. – Ms Kanko, I cannot do that, but you can explain your vote and the procedure and you can participate in the debate and on the resolution, now that the decision to have a resolution has been taken.

On Tuesday, the S&D, PPE and Renew Groups have requested that Council and Commission statements on ‘the recent JHA Council decision on Schengen accession’ be added as the second item in the afternoon after Question Time to the Commission. As a consequence, the sitting would be extended until 23:00.

Dan Nica (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, ca urmare a Consiliului Justiție și Afaceri Interne de săptămâna trecută, în care România și Bulgaria au avut parte de un tratament care a fost și nedrept, și absolut incorect, și care a încălcat decizia pe care acest Parlament a luat-o referitor la accesul în spațiul Schengen al României și Bulgariei, vă cer ca marți, după Question time, să avem această dezbatere referitoare la decizia care a fost luată de Consiliul Justiție și Afaceri Interne săptămâna trecută și, în consecință, să prelungiți timpul de lucru de marți până la ora 23.00.

(Parliament agreed to the request)

President. – For Wednesday, the Renew Group has requested that Council and Commission statements on ‘defending the European Union against the abuse of national vetoes’ be added as the second item in the afternoon. As a consequence, the sitting would be extended until 23:00.

Guy Verhofstadt,
  on behalf of the Renew Group. – Madam President, I think that it's obvious why an additional point on Wednesday afternoon would be added on defending European Union against the abuse of national vetoes. Because everybody can see today what is happening with national vetoes, on every file. More and more of these files are blocked today. The last days, the last weeks: migration strategy, Schengen, electoral law, energy, price cap on gas, taxation policy, the minimum rate on multinationals, further sanctions and further financial aid to Ukraine, where we need to find now a solution with 26 instead of a solution inside the Union.

So it's clear that, in my opinion, vetoes are an instrument for blackmailing the Union, and it is increasing for the moment. I know that we asked for a convention to seriously discuss this. And again, due to the lack of consensus, the Council is not in a position to respond to that request. So I know that we have a discussion on Wednesday with the European Council, but it's only 2 hours. What we are going to discuss is Ukraine, and we're going to discuss energy.

So I request that we need to urgently debate before the Council on Thursday, and my proposal will be to add that item Wednesday afternoon as the second point on the agenda.

(Parliament agreed to the request)

President. – The PPE Group has asked that a Commission statement on the ‘Impact on the rule of law of recent developments in Spain’ be added as the fifth item in the afternoon.

Paulo Rangel,
  on behalf of the PPE Group. – Madam President, the EPP requests an additional debate on this issue of rule of law, strengthening the institutions and judicial independence. There are worrying developments in some of your countries, namely in Spain, towards less independence of the judiciary and more governmental intervention in it, in breach of the rule of law principles.

The President of the Government has recently announced his intention of taking unilateral measures on the judiciary that clearly go against everything that the European Union's values and principles defend. The playing rules cannot be changed for political interests in order to place former members of Government in the national constitutional court and to change the criminal court. It cannot be handed over to convicted criminals to decide which crimes to suppress, such as sedition and corruption.

This is not a national debate. We see. We listen. We read. If we read, we listen and we see. We cannot pretend that worrying developments are not going on in Spain. We should not have a double pattern.

(Parliament rejected the request)

President. – On Thursday, the PPE Group has requested that the Commission statement on ‘the 30th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities’ be wound up by a resolution to be voted on Thursday.

Loránt Vincze,
  on behalf of the PPE Group. – Madam President, on Sunday, 18 December, we celebrate the World Minorities Rights Day. This date also marks the 30-year anniversary since the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. It is the only UN international human rights instrument devoted to minority rights, and it is built on the core idea that the rights of minorities are vital to advancing political and social stability, and preventing conflicts.

This September, at the anniversary high-level meeting organised in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the world still falls far short in actions supporting minorities. Parliament should also echo his call.

We welcome the debate planned for Thursday morning on the topic. On behalf of the EPP Group, I propose that in a manner consistent with our action on previous UN declarations, we also adopt a resolution. Commitment to fundamental values and to a principled foreign policy stance will demand the strong voice of the Parliament on this matter, and I hope all the political groups would support this request.

(Parliament rejected the request)

(The order of business was thus established)

Katrin Langensiepen (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, colleagues, could you wait and sit down for a moment? It's on human rights, not corruption. Thanks for listening.

On 3 December, we celebrated International Disability Day. On 6 December, a few colleagues, me and EDF, organised an event on that and the host of that event, Ms Nicholsonová and her team applied for an accessible room for that event because it was about persons with disabilities, and persons with disabilities were invited. What we got was a room that was not accessible for our wheelchair-using guests.

Even when I applied for my voting machine, it's always a fight to get it, and two times colleagues had to vote instead of me – that's against the law, by the way.

I apply now – no, I don't call the Commission, I call for the Secretariat – that maybe next year and 2024, and maybe for the next generation, it's possible to have an accessible Parliament in Strasbourg and in Brussels.

President. – Thank you very much Ms Langensiepen, you are absolutely right, and we will do our best to make sure this doesn't happen again with different measures that we can take. I will speak to the relevant services.

(The sitting was suspended briefly.)

VORSITZ: EVELYN REGNER

Vizepräsidentin

13.   Towards equal rights for persons with disabilities (debate)

Die Präsidentin. – Vorweg möchte ich nun wirklich jeden einzelnen Satz, jedes einzelne Wort der Präsidentin unterstreichen. Dieses Haus steht für Transparenz, es steht für Demokratie.

Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache über den Bericht von Anne-Sophie Pelletier im Namen des Ausschusses für bürgerliche Freiheiten, Justiz und Inneres über das Thema ‘Gleiche Rechte für Menschen mit Behinderungen’ (2022/2026(INI)] (A9-0284/2022).

Anne-Sophie Pelletier,
  rapporteure. – (l'oratrice s'exprime en langue des signes)

Die Präsidentin. – Sehr geehrte Frau Pelletier, ich muss Sie leider unterbrechen, da die Verdolmetschung leider noch nicht ankommt. Ich weiß nicht, wie es den anderen Kolleginnen und Kollegen geht, aber ich habe einstweilen keine Verdolmetschung bekommen.

Ich versuche, das zu klären, und würde Sie ersuchen, dann nochmals mit Ihrer Rede zu beginnen. Einen kleinen Moment bitte.

Ich muss Ihnen aus den Dometschkabinen mitteilen, dass mir sehr höflich, aber klar erklärt wurde, dass es keine Verdolmetschung aus der Gebärdensprache in die europäischen Sprachen, in die übersetzt wird, gibt. Und aus diesem Grund muss ich Sie ersuchen, Ihre Rede in einer der Amtssprachen zu halten. Ich habe allerdings Ihre Botschaft sehr gut verstanden, dass das ein wunderbarer Anlass ist, auch die Gebärdensprache in den Katalog der Amtssprachen aufzunehmen.

Zwischenfrage von Anne-Sophie Pelletier: Und was mache ich? Spreche ich, oder was mache ich jetzt?

Ich ersuche Sie, Ihre Rede in einer der Amtssprachen der Europäischen Union, so wie sie in unserem Katalog aufgezählt sind, zu halten. Aber Ihre Botschaft ist gut angekommen.

Anne-Sophie Pelletier,
  rapporteure. – Madame la Présidente, chers collègues, voilà ce que vivent les personnes en situation de handicap. Vous avez vécu ce qu'elles vivent tous les jours. Vous n'avez pas compris ce que j'ai dit: j'ai simplement dit qu'en Europe – et je n'ai pas pu terminer mon discours en langue des signes française, puisque ce n'est pas une langue reconnue dans l'Union européenne – de nombreuses personnes en situation de handicap étaient discriminées et que, dans cette Europe, l'accessibilité du travail et des droits fondamentaux était encore loin d'être aboutie.

Ce rapport a été fait avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme, parce que j'ai voulu remettre l'individu au centre. Comment met-on l'individu au centre? Simplement en l'écoutant et en écoutant ses besoins. Ce rapport a été fait sur la base de la convention des Nations unies pour les personnes en situation de handicap, et je me suis appuyée, Madame Dalli, sur votre stratégie. S'il est vrai qu'il est encore trop tôt pour avoir une véritable analyse d'impact, ces objectifs sont ambitieux et nous pouvons aller encore plus loin.

Je tiens en tout cas à féliciter certains États membres dans leur engagement pour la désinstitutionnalisation des personnes en situation de handicap. Je n'aurai pas mes quatre minutes, parce que j'ai pris plus de deux minutes à parler en langue des signes. Je vais donc être brève: il faut aller plus loin et demander une véritable législation antidiscrimination dans l'Union. Une directive existe, mais elle est bloquée au Conseil depuis 2008. Quatorze ans déjà que le Parlement avait pris position, et depuis, rien. Il a toujours mieux à faire que de s'occuper des plus vulnérables.

Vous ne nous entendiez pas? Nous allons crier plus fort. Nous allons changer d'approche, et au lieu de demander le déblocage, nous demandons à la Commission une mise à jour de la directive européenne sur l'égalité de traitement. Je demande ici, comme mon collègue Younous Omarjee l'a déjà fait, que la langue des signes internationale ainsi que la langue ‘facile à lire et à comprendre’ soient mises en place. En effet, si nous voulons parler véritablement d'inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap dans la vie publique et politique, alors ici au Parlement européen, nous devons y mettre les moyens.

Que dire de plus? Demander l'arrêt de la stérilisation forcée, l'arrêt de l'institutionnalisation et l'arrêt du financement de ces institutions par l'Union européenne. Une personne en situation de handicap doit pouvoir décider par elle-même de l'endroit où elle veut vivre et du soutien qu'elle veut recevoir.

En parlant de soutien, il faut là aussi que l'Union mette en place des aides communautaires afin que chaque personne en situation de handicap ne soit plus laissée au bord de la route et que chaque enfant en situation de handicap puisse avoir un transport pour aller à l'école. Je remercie M. Cañas d'être dans l'hémicycle aujourd'hui. Il faut que chaque personne en situation de handicap puisse bénéficier d'un travail. Ici au Parlement, ou à la Commission, ou dans nos institutions, combien de personnes en situation de handicap, visible ou invisible, sont embauchées?

Parlons des aidants familiaux, ces gens qui consacrent leur temps, leur vie et leur amour à accompagner leurs proches dans le handicap. Pensons à eux et apportons-leur aussi tout notre soutien. Il faut réfléchir à une politique triangulaire qui puisse prendre en compte à la fois les personnes en situation de handicap, le personnel socio-éducatif et les parents aidants. Permettez-moi, à ce titre, de penser à une femme en situation de handicap qui s'appelle Odile Maurin et qui n'a pas eu accès à la justice. Là aussi, les droits fondamentaux sont bafoués, piétinés, foulés au pied tous les jours.

Je n'ai pas pu dire tout ce que je voulais dire, mais je l'ai dit autrement, comme un certain nombre de personnes en situation de handicap s'expriment, et je suis fière de l'avoir dit autrement, moins fière que l'on m'ait arrêtée en cours de route. Je serai ravie d'entendre ce que mes collègues et la Commission auront à dire de ce rapport. Je voudrais remercier une femme qui s'appelle Céline Boussié et qui a dénoncé pendant dix ans la maltraitance des enfants en situation de handicap dans les instituts médico-éducatifs.

Jordi Cañas,
  ponente de opinión de la Comisión de Empleo y Asuntos Sociales. – Señora presidenta, el título de este ‘Informe hacia la igualdad de derechos para las personas con discapacidad’ es un título honesto, porque ‘hacia’ es una preposición que indica y marca el movimiento hacia algún sitio en relación a un objetivo. Y realmente tenemos ese objetivo, que es la igualdad, pero no estamos ahí. Estamos a veces de iure, pero no de facto. La realidad es que no hay esa igualdad. Lo hemos comprobado aquí hoy mismo. No existe realmente esa igualdad.

La igualdad, en el fondo, es un objetivo que siempre estamos persiguiendo. Para todos. Pero nuestros conciudadanos con discapacidades la necesitan especialmente. Nosotros, como diputados, tenemos una obligación. Este Parlamento debe comprometerse con una idea clara: todos los derechos, para todos los ciudadanos, en todos los países de la Unión Europea. Para que lo que es de iure sea de facto en todos los países de la Unión Europea. No puede haber excepciones de países en la búsqueda de la igualdad, porque la igualdad es algo que nos define como europeos. Y esa búsqueda espero que algún día dejemos de ir ‘hacia’ ella, para estar realmente en una sociedad igual para todos en cualquier sitio.

Ulrike Müller,
  Verfasserin der Stellungnahme des mitberatenden Petitionsausschusses. – Frau Präsidentin, Frau Kommissarin, geschätzte Kollegen! Unser aller Ziel muss es sein, eine inklusive und aufmerksame Gesellschaft für alle Menschen zu erreichen. Menschen mit Behinderungen haben das Recht, ihr Leben so zu gestalten, wie sie es wollen. Dazu gehört: Beziehungen leben können, Akzeptanz und Inklusion. Das muss unser aller gemeinsames Ziel sein.

Barrierefreiheit ist dabei zentral. Sogar in den europäischen Institutionen haben wir sie noch nicht erreicht, wie wir jetzt gerade erleben konnten. Das ist nicht akzeptabel, und es sollte der erste Schritt von uns sein, hier dafür zu sorgen.

Im täglichen Leben sind wir alle gefordert, und es braucht mehr gesellschaftliche Aufmerksamkeit. Gerade während der COVID-Krise haben Depressionen und Panikattacken massiv zugenommen. Neben körperlichen und geistigen Beeinträchtigungen können auch psychische Einschränkungen eine Behinderung darstellen und verstärken. Das wird momentan nicht genügend wahrgenommen. Um diese Probleme anzugehen, brauchen wir eine andere Denkweise und andere Ansätze, begonnen auf der europäischen Ebene bis hinunter in die Verwaltungen der Mitgliedstaaten und der Gemeinden. Menschen mit Behinderung brauchen eine stärkere Unterstützung auf allen europäischen Ebenen.

Helena Dalli,
  Member of the Commission. –Madam President, honourable Members, the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities focuses on areas where EU action brings the highest added value, strongly calling on Member States to act in their areas of competence. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is our beacon. The Convention is clear: equal rights need to underpin every single area of life of persons with disabilities.

I welcome our common perspectives and commitment. This is the message we will send to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the context of its ongoing review of the EU's implementation of the Convention. The questions the Parliament raises with this report are fundamental. I welcome the opinions provided by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, the Committee on Petitions and the Committee on Culture and Education.

Living independently while being included in the community is the cornerstone of equal participation and of full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Next year, the Commission will present guidance on deinstitutionalisation and independent living, followed in 2024 by a framework of excellence for social services for persons with disabilities.

These two initiatives go hand in hand, as true inclusion in the community can only happen if quality, affordable and accessible local services are available. Accessibility is another key element, as we heard earlier today, for independent living, as it enables persons with disabilities to move freely, access information and enjoy the opportunities their communities offer, including in employment, education, culture, sport and leisure, without forgetting, of course, access to healthcare. In this spirit, with the AccessibleEU initiative, the Commission will offer support to Member States to implement accessibility legislation and to share and develop good practices.

Another important initiative mentioned in your report is the EU Disability Card. The Commission work programme for next year refers to our intention to put forward a legislative proposal. An impact assessment will help determine the scope of the card, as well as the type of legal instrument to put it into practice. We have high ambitions, but will need to be mindful of competences, as set out in our Treaties.

The Commission intends to make progress on the Equal Treatment Directive beyond employment. I am glad to note that Parliament is on the same page in this respect. Both reasonable accommodation and non-discriminatory access are necessary to achieve equal treatment of persons with disabilities. Similarly, I hope we can continue to support and facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in the upcoming European elections in 2024, in order to advance on the accessibility of electoral information and voting mechanisms, as well as on the participation of persons with disabilities.

Additionally, persons with disabilities have a right to be elected on an equal basis with others, and this Parliament should represent the EU in all its diversity. Although bound by Member States' competences in the organisation of elections, I believe we can launch a strong message as EU institutions on this democratic matter. Political participation is, however, just part of the wider picture to ensure that broader legal rights in terms of legal capacity, decision making and access to justice are ensured for persons with disabilities.

The participation of persons with disabilities in the design and implementation of programmes for disaster risk reduction needs to be strengthened to make preparedness plans and response efforts more accessible. It is clear that much work remains to be done. Thank you for the opportunity to open this important point, and I look forward to the discussion.

Sara Skyttedal,
  on behalf of the PPE Group. – Madam President, let me first start by thanking our rapporteur, Ms Pelletier, for her good work and for the good cooperation on this file.

Let me highlight two important issues covered. Firstly, the forthcoming proposal on the EU disability card. It would mean more free movement between Member States also for EU citizens who are disabled. I think the Parliament needs to send an important signal in this report where we support the work of the European Commission in this matter.

Secondly, the EU has great influence on our immediate neighbourhood. It is crucial for the EU to use its soft power to increase the quality of life for people with disabilities, also outside our Union. I am happy that this perspective has also been covered and highlighted in this report.

Lastly, I would like to highlight the EPP Group's opposition to paragraph 90 of this report that proposes an EU legal framework for inclusive enterprises. Our European companies are already working really hard to better include persons with disabilities in enterprises and in society at large. I think that we need to show them that we see these efforts without demanding new EU directives that will further put red tape on businesses in these tough times.

Theresa Muigg,
  im Namen der S&D-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, sehr geehrte Frau Kommissarin, liebe Mitglieder, liebe Kolleginnen! Inklusion ist ein Menschenrecht, denn jeder Mensch hat das Recht, ein gleichberechtigter Teil der Gesellschaft zu sein. So steht es in der Behindertenrechtskonvention der Vereinten Nationen, und diese Konvention schreibt auch die Umsetzung von Menschenrechten für Menschen mit Behinderung in sämtlichen Lebensbereichen vor.

Dazu haben wir uns bereits vor zehn Jahren verpflichtet, wir haben es heute gehört, und ich sage es noch einmal: Die Realität sieht komplett anders aus, und ja, dafür sollten wir uns auch schämen. Denn noch immer werden Menschen mit Behinderungen oft völlig selbstverständlich und auch kategorisch ausgeschlossen. Teilhabe wird nicht ermöglicht und das Menschenrecht Inklusion immer wieder verletzt. Und auch noch immer gibt es keine Richtlinie, die diese Diskriminierung von Menschen mit Behinderung verbietet. Und noch immer gibt es keine adäquate Auseinandersetzung mit den Erfahrungen der Gewalt, die diese Menschen machen.

Menschen mit Behinderungen werden von uns als Gesellschaft behindert. Um das zu ändern, brauchen wir einen Paradigmenwechsel. Wir brauchen eine andere Repräsentation. Wir brauchen andere Regeln. Wir brauchen andere Gesetze. Wir müssen Selbstbestimmung sicherstellen und Diskriminierungsschutz gewähren. Menschen mit Behinderung dürfen nicht auf Wohlwollen, auf Spenden angewiesen sein. Sie brauchen nur eines, und zwar dass die Menschenrechte eingehalten werden. Dafür haben wir zu sorgen. Und der Bericht von Kollegin Pelletier und auch die Art und Weise, wie er präsentiert wurde, hat das auf das Fundierteste aufgezeigt und verdient vollste Unterstützung. Setzen wir uns bitte alle mit voller Energie mit diesem Thema auseinander.

Abir Al-Sahlani,
  för Renew-gruppen. – Fru talman, fru kommissionär, ärade kollegor. EU:s motto är Förenade i mångfalden. Vi ska främja varandras mångfald, medlemsstater emellan och medborgare emellan, och stärka varandra. Men i flera medlemsstater förtrycks medborgare av en enda anledning: funktionsnedsättning. De sätts in på institutioner livet ut. De fråntas sina grundläggande rättigheter, såsom att rösta, och där de får rösta är vallokalerna inte säkert tillgängliga för dem. Det är helt oacceptabelt att inte låta människor få leva sina liv fullt ut på grund av en funktionsnedsättning.

Tydliga signaler har skickats från parlamentet med den här lagstiftningen till de medlemsstater där rättigheterna för personer med funktionsnedsättning inte respekteras och garanteras. Tydliga signaler har också gått till kommissionen, där vi nu också vill se ett tillgänglighetskort på plats så fort som möjligt för personer med funktionsnedsättning. Och man får nu inte släpa fötterna efter sig.

Till de medlemsstater som ännu inte kan garantera alla sina medborgares rättigheter: Vi håller ögonen på er! Jag håller ögonen på er! Det är dags för er att avskaffa dessa förtryckande lagstiftningar.

Jag vill tacka Anne-Sophie Pelletier för ett väldigt gott samarbete. Jag vill tacka alla grupper från höger till mitten till vänster för ett bra samarbete, där vi la våra ideologiska och politiska skiljaktigheter åt sidan och faktiskt fick fram en bra text, ett bra förslag. Det här ämnet är så viktigt för så många medborgare i EU, och vi ska inte sjabbla bort det på grund av politik.

Katrin Langensiepen,
  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, dear ladies and gentlemen, dear Helena, dear colleagues, thank you for that well-written report on equal rights of persons with disabilities.

A famous activist in Germany – he's a wheelchair user – said in a statement: disabled persons are the last to be mentioned and the first to be forgotten. The situation for disabled persons in the EU is still unjust and almost all Member States ignoring the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They have ratified it in different ways, here and there.

Our role is to push EU legislation so that Member States finally implement our rights. The freedom of movement for persons with disabilities must be guaranteed. This is why we urgently need an EU disability card here. I still have a German one. I can't use it as an EU citizen in France or in Belgium when I take the bus to Parliament. But the transport must be accessible. Otherwise, the card is useless for me and for us persons with disabilities.

We also need equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in the labour market. Stop funding institutions. Therefore, here we call as well on the Commission to review the Employment Equality Directive, to align it with the CRPD and push inclusive employment.

I have many things to add. But let me say something. Christmas is knocking on our door and there are so many TV shows in our Member States, they are doing something good for us, spending money, millions and millions. Can we stop that business, please? We want to have human rights, equal rights, and no charity.

Antonio Maria Rinaldi,
  a nome del gruppo ID. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, parlerò come semplice genitore di un ragazzo disabile al 100 % e non come membro di questo Parlamento e per un minuto sarò idealmente padre di tutti i disabili che non possono essere qui presenti.

Ho letto con attenzione la relazione ‘Verso pari diritti per le persone con disabilità’ e mi chiedo perché tutte le istituzioni europee non abbiano mai rivolto piena attenzione alle effettive problematiche che quotidianamente affrontano le persone con disabilità, le loro famiglie e chi si prende amorevolmente cura di loro.

Sono ancora troppo ignorate le emarginazioni, le discriminazioni, specialmente sul lavoro, le insormontabili difficoltà burocratiche, le differenze nei trattamenti sanitari e nei sostegni economici all'interno dei Paesi membri, quando proprio dal pieno rispetto e attenzione verso i disabili si misura il reale livello di civiltà di una comunità organizzata e democratica.

Ora, cari colleghi, invece parlerò come membro di questo Parlamento e non posso che constatare che la relazione che stiamo discutendo associa, oltre alle persone con disabilità, anche altre categorie di cittadini che necessitano di altre tutele, che nessuno nega, ma certamente non assimilabili, paragonabili e sovrapponibili a quelle proprie dei disabili.

Perché i disabili non possono essere oggetto di una specifica e autonoma relazione ed è necessario inserire anche altre categorie, che non hanno nulla a che vedere con il mondo e le esigenze di chi è disabile? Eppure stiamo parlando di ben 87 milioni di cittadini europei, di cui ben 24 milioni con disabilità grave, per non contare i minori. Non sono forse sufficienti per non inserire altre categorie da tutelare?

In ultimo, desidero ringraziare la nostra Presidente Roberta Metsola per averci regalato questa spilla del Parlamento, io sono fra quelli che la possono indossare a testa alta.

Beata Mazurek,
  w imieniu grupy ECR. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Szanowni Państwo! Dobro osób z niepełnosprawnościami od dawna leży mi szczególnie na sercu, dlatego doceniam wiele zapisów w tym sprawozdaniu. Umożliwienie samodzielnego funkcjonowania w życiu publicznym oraz przeciwdziałania wykluczeniu osób niepełnosprawnych jest kwestią, myślę dla nas wszystkich, priorytetową. Musimy zrobić wszystko, co w naszej mocy, aby miały one poczucie bycia częścią naszej wspólnoty. Na szczególną uwagę zasługuje podkreślenie potrzeby wdrożenia planu zarządzania ryzykiem związanym z klęskami żywiołowymi uwzględniającego właśnie niepełnosprawność.

Zupełnie jednak nie rozumiem umieszczania w nim spraw niezwiązanych z tematem, jak mowa nienawiści, prawa mniejszości seksualnych i odniesienia do innych grup mniejszościowych np. LGBT. Dlaczego takie kwestie są podejmowane w dokumencie zatytułowanym: ‘Dążenie do równouprawnienia osób z niepełnosprawnościami’? Jest to jawna praktyka manipulacyjna, z którą absolutnie nie mogę się zgodzić.

José Gusmão,
  em nome do Grupo The Left. – Senhora Presidente, Senhora Comissária, a verdade é que, em toda a Europa, os Estados-Membros que subscrevem a Convenção dos Direitos das Pessoas com Deficiência, que subscrevem a ideia de que é preciso garantir direitos iguais e uma vida independente às pessoas com deficiência, aprovam basicamente leis bem-intencionadas que não têm intenções de cumprir. Portanto, continuamos a assistir a toda a espécie de discriminações, exclusões, pseudo-terapias e a toda a espécie de violências simbólicas e físicas sobre as pessoas com deficiência.

É verdade que grande parte destas responsabilidades está dentro da área de competências dos Estados-Membros, mas também é verdade que continuamos a canalizar uma parte substancial do financiamento comunitário destinadas às políticas sobre a deficiência para instituições que são totalmente contraditórias com o espírito e a letra daquilo que consta deste relatório.

Esse financiamento tem de terminar. Todos os euros de financiamento comunitário da política sobre a deficiência têm que passar a ser canalizados para o paradigma da vida independente. Essa é uma responsabilidade nossa.

Mislav Kolakušić (NI). – Poštovana predsjedavajuća, poštovane kolege, poštovani građani Europske unije. Obitelj, društvo, država, Europska unija - imaju jedan smisao. Temeljni smisao da se brinemo jedni za druge, da oni koji mogu više pridonose više, da bi oni koji ne mogu imali dostojanstven život. Invalidi, nažalost, mogu biti u različitim skupinama. Kod nekih je invalidnost manja i mogu, uz našu pomoć, gotovo potpuno ravnopravno sudjelovati u društvenom životu.

Nažalost, neki invalidi rađaju se tjelesno i mentalno zakinuti da od samog svog rođenja ne mogu sudjelovati u životu. Mnoga djeca koja se rađaju ili dobivaju autizam u najranijim godinama, ona nisu djeca koje imaju male poteškoće. Neki od njih da. Neki su u potpunosti onemogućeni da žive i potrebna im je njega roditelja 24 sata. Najveći strah roditelja je što će biti s tom djecom kada oni umru. Moramo biti uz njih.

Stelios Kympouropoulos (PPE). – Madam President, Commissioner Dalli, colleagues, we speak about equal rights for disabled persons. Yet, this is the very first time after my election that I speak in front of you from this rostrum like everyone else in this House. My excitement is so emotionally great, even if you see such a small change.

The fact that the place of every disabled person in their society is not equal to the other citizens is obvious in so many ways. This is the reason I welcome this report, particularly the highlighting of the urge to grant the right of legal capacity to every person, the adoption of common terms for independent living, and deinstitutionalisation across the EU, whose lack causes a continuous misinterpretation of the CRPD and the misplacement of funding.

The collection of common statistical data, the importance of accessible housing, understanding that the involvement of persons with disabilities in political decision-making is not enough unless it is promoted to co-production. By insisting on these issues, the EU would support the implementation of the already existing guidelines towards equal rights, although we have to go through a long distance.

In Greek, we have the word ‘philanthropy’, which is equal to charity. We don't want to be ‘philanthropists’ in order to accept that every person is unique and in order to have an inclusive society; we want this individualism.

Die Präsidentin. – Alle Abgeordneten, ausnahmslos alle, haben das Recht, hier vor diesem Rednerpult ihre Reden zu halten. Insofern kann ich mich nur für dieses Haus entschuldigen, dass das erst jetzt erfolgt ist. Es ist eine Selbstverständlichkeit.

Maria Grapini (S&D). – Doamna președintă, doamna comisară, stimați colegi, și eu sunt emoționată acum pentru că vorbesc după colegul nostru, vorbim despre persoanele cu dizabilități. Avem studii, avem cercetare făcută, ce impact e în societate asupra acestor persoane, Convenția ONU.

Dar în practică, în fiecare țară, prima problemă a acestor persoane este accesibilitatea și am văzut că chiar în Parlamentul European colegii nu au acces la sală. Este posibil așa ceva? Colegul nostru a vorbit pentru prima dată aici, în fața Parlamentului.

Doamna comisară și stimați colegi, cred că trebuie să punem capăt totuși acestei dictaturi a Consiliului. Am auzit aici că de 14 ani se încearcă să avem o legislație pentru persoanele cu dizabilități, de 14 ani! De 11 ani, iată, în 8 s-a blocat intrarea a două state.

Azi am venit la Strasbourg, doamna comisară. Știți cum se coboară scările pentru persoanele care nu sunt în Schengen? Nu există posibilitatea ca o persoană cu dizabilități să ajungă la control pașapoarte, pentru că trebuie să coboare niște scări.

Este inadmisibil ce se întâmplă cu Consiliul și cred că noi, Parlamentul, trebuie să ne unim și să reușim ca munca noastră pe care o facem aici să fie pusă în practică.

Fără a avea măsuri concrete, pe care noi le votăm aici și Consiliul le blochează, nu vom rezolva nici problema persoanelor cu dizabilități.

Monica Semedo (Renew). – Madam President, one-and-a-half years ago, I suddenly became impaired. I have a rare disease, and today I only see 25%, even with glasses, which is sometimes disturbing.

But I know that many others have greater struggles. Many others are in a worse situation than me. They face discrimination in their everyday lives: half of the people with disabilities are unemployed; nearly 30% are at risk of poverty. They are excluded – we are excluded – from society. We have barriers, for example, in transportation or in education. 800 000 people with a disability could not vote in 2019 in the European elections because of barriers of accessibility. That cannot be. They have their right to vote. They have their voice to vote.

As one of the chairs of the European Parliament's cross-party Disability Intergroup, I can assure you that we fight for equal chances and opportunities for everybody, which also means for people with disabilities. We fight so that everybody can contribute to society, because we can and we want to.

Die Präsidentin. – Ich muss jetzt leider streng sein. Wunderbare Reden, alle voller Leidenschaft. Aber nichtsdesdotrotz ersuche ich wirklich alle, sich an die Redezeiten zu halten. Es ist natürlich immer besonders unfair, wenn ich das vor der nächsten Sprecherin oder dem nächsten Sprecher sage, wenn jetzt gerade vorher jemand überzogen hat. Nichtsdesdotrotz meine Bitte, sehr geehrte Frau Grace O'Sullivan, sich an die Redezeit zu halten.

Grace O'Sullivan (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, ‘rights not charity’. This is the slogan of the Clare Leader Forum, an inspiring group in my own constituency who campaigned tirelessly to overhaul the outdated bureaucracy faced by people with disabilities.

Any Irish person living with a disability – intellectual or physical – knows the daily struggle to secure services that are considered basic in many parts of Europe. I recall the campaigner Trish McNamara saying to me that, as soon as she was in a wheelchair, it was like she turned invisible.

Still today, people are forced into nursing homes for lack of alternative suitable accommodation. At the Owenacurra Centre in Middleton, Cork, the voices of the vulnerable residents and service users have been all but ignored. I myself am battling to get my own daughter the assistance she needs against a system that just does not want to know. Ireland has signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is time to put it into place.

Rosanna Conte (ID). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, di recente stiamo assistendo a una ritrovata e unanime consapevolezza sul tema della disabilità, come dimostrano le numerose proposte legislative e i dibattiti istituzionali sempre più frequenti. È evidente, tuttavia, che tutto questo non basta e bisogna dirlo con chiarezza.

Sono troppi gli ostacoli che impediscono alle persone con disabilità una partecipazione attiva nella società, a partire dalla formazione nelle scuole, dove ancora persistono limiti di inclusione, fino ad arrivare all'occupazione, dove spesso i pregiudizi hanno la meglio sulle competenze.

Se a tutto ciò aggiungiamo che in molti Stati membri ancora non esiste un riconoscimento giuridico e contributivo per i caregiver, che assistono le persone con disabilità, capiamo che le lacune sono ancora molte.

Insomma, c'è urgente bisogno di cambiamento pratico ma anche culturale, che permetta alle persone con disabilità di sentirsi protagonisti e non solo destinatari di politiche assistenziali e che permetta a ognuno di noi di riconoscerci in una società veramente inclusiva e accessibile per tutti.

Ádám Kósa (NI). – Elnök Asszony! Önök jól tudják, hogy mindig is kiálltam a fogyatékossággal élő emberek jogai mellett. Nem szép dolog azonban az ideológiai kérdéseket beleerőltetni a szövegbe, mert megosztóak, és elterelik a fókuszt. Az ideológiai viták helyett ideje lenne megoldást találni arra, hogy az innovatív technológiákat jobban használjuk, mert ez segíti a fogyatékossággal élők önálló életvitelét. Az oktatás és a képzés területén számolják fel az akadályokat, és olyan programokat indítsanak, amelyeknek köszönhetően a fogyatékossággal élő személyek minőségi munkahelyeken dolgozhassanak, és azonos munkáért egyenlő bért kaphassanak. A mi politikánk akkor hiteles, hogyha nevén nevezzük a dolgokat. A fogyatékossággal élőkről szóló jelentés erről szóljon, ne másról!

Rosa Estaràs Ferragut (PPE). – Señora presidenta, la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad es el primer Tratado internacional de derechos humanos que fue suscrito por la Unión Europea y por todos sus Estados miembros y, por lo tanto, jurídicamente vinculante. Dieciséis años después, estamos valorando su cumplimiento. Se han hecho avances, pero queda muchísimo trabajo por hacer. Las palabras clave son ‘accesibilidad’ e ‘inclusión’.

‘Inclusión’ significa que todas las personas tienen el mismo valor. ‘Inclusión’ significa tolerancia. ‘Inclusión’ significa igualdad. ‘Inclusión’ significa respeto. Las propias personas con discapacidad nos dan cada día una lección de humanidad y de vida de lo que significa esta palabra.

‘Accesibilidad’ es la otra palabra clave. Accesibilidad en la educación —todavía queda mucho por hacer—. Accesibilidad en el trabajo —basta ver las cifras: las personas con discapacidad tienen unas cifras de paro muy superiores a las que no tienen discapacidad—. En los temas de la sanidad, la justicia, la violencia de género contra las mujeres, la vivienda accesible, la participación, el derecho al voto y, sobre todo, los estereotipos: las personas con discapacidad nos dan una lección diaria.

Tenemos la oportunidad ahora de actuar con la misma sinceridad con la que ellas afrontan sus vidas.

Marc Angel (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, chers tous, de nombreux rapports ont été votés dans cet hémicycle concernant les droits des personnes en situation de handicap, qu'il s'agisse d'une approche harmonisée sur la définition du handicap, des quotas en entreprise en faveur d'une plus grande inclusion, ou encore d'une bonne couverture sociale pour les personnes vivant avec un handicap.

Le Parlement européen en appelle d'une même voix à des actions concrètes afin de mettre un terme à l'injustice sociale subie par les personnes en situation de handicap. Il serait inadmissible qu'aucun de nos appels ni aucune de nos promesses ne se traduise en actes concrets sous le présent mandat.

Je me tourne dès lors vers la Commission: travaillons main dans la main pour que cette proposition législative relative à la mise en place d'une carte européenne du handicap soit adoptée sous cette législature-ci. Il faut une carte multitâche, qui ne se limite pas aux avantages du transport, mais s'étende également à la culture, aux loisirs, au sport, à l'éducation et à l'emploi, et une carte inclusive, qui tienne compte du type de handicap grâce à des pictogrammes et à des codes QR différenciés, facilitant ainsi les contacts de personnes au handicap parfois non visible avec les services de secours de première ligne. Il en va de notre crédibilité vis-à-vis de nos électrices et de nos électeurs.

Merci à Mme Pelletier pour son excellent rapport. J'ai confiance en la commissaire pour que ce dossier avance vite et en bonne intelligence avec nous.

Salvatore De Meo (PPE). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, oggi, ancora una volta, siamo qui in Aula e tutti siamo d'accordo che la disabilità è un'innegabile condizione di svantaggio, che per milioni di persone rende più difficoltosa la vita quotidiana e il loro inserimento nella società.

Purtroppo, a distanza di anni e nonostante numerosi provvedimenti europei e nazionali non sempre coordinati tra loro, dobbiamo prendere atto che c'è ancora molto da fare e, soprattutto, dobbiamo prendere atto di dover combattere e abbattere le barriere culturali dell'indifferenza e della discriminazione.

Io credo che la disabilità sta negli occhi di chi la vuol vedere, creando barriere sociali molto più difficili da superare rispetto a quelle materiali; una barriera fisica può essere abbattuta, quella invece invisibile è quella fatta dell'incomprensione e dell'indifferenza.

Questa risoluzione va nella giusta direzione e propone politiche attive di inclusione per garantire percorsi di autonomia, guardando soprattutto al dopo di noi che, permettetemi, dovrebbe essere una fase ancora più attenzionata perché quella più difficile non solo per la persona disabile, ma per chi vive con lei e soffre con lei, forse ancor di più. Soffre il disagio e l'incertezza di avere, per una persona cara, non più certezze di condizioni di inclusione e di uguaglianza.

Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE). – Arvoisa puhemies, arvoisat kuulijat, vammaiset ihmiset ovat ihmisiä. Siksi heille kuuluu myös ihmisoikeudet. Ihmisoikeudet kuuluvat oikeusvaltioperiaatteeseen, jonka puolustaminen on komission tehtävä. Toivonkin komission tältä osin myös tehostavan ja koettelevan toimintarajojaan suhteessa neuvostoon, joka on vitkutellut muun muassa syrjinnän kieltävän direktiivin ja saavutettavuuden eteenpäin viemisessä tarvittavassa kunnianhimoisessa tasossa.

Kiitos komissiolle lupauksesta ottaa käyttöön EU:n vammaiskortti. Tämä on ensimmäinen askel myös vammaisten henkilöiden liikkuvuuden todelliseen toteuttamiseen ja palvelujen saatavuuteen. Tarvitsemme vastaavasti myös velvoitteet, jotka koskevat liikkuvuuden yhteentoimivuutta. Pois laitostamisesta. Samat oikeudet ja mahdollisuudet myös työelämään. Siksi on tärkeää velvoittaa yrityksiä diversiteettiin palkkauksessa.

Lisäksi tarvitsemme luonnollisesti myös samat kielioikeudet, jotka koskevat vaikkapa tätä parlamenttia ja tulkkausmahdollisuuksia.

Spontane Wortmeldungen

Milan Brglez (S&D). –
  (začetek govora z izklopljenim mikrofonom) ... za besedo. Ob vseh takšnih razpravah najprej omenim, da je tudi Evropska unija pogodbenica Konvencije Združenih narodov o pravicah invalidov. Zato moramo tako pravno kot politično se zavezati k najvišjim standardom. In tudi ta simbolično – to sporočilo, ki ga bomo sprejeli v tednu po mednarodnem dnevu invalidov in človekovih pravic – uporabiti pravzaprav za to.

Najprej gre za evropska sredstva, ki jih res moramo uporabiti za prehod od bivanja v institucijah na samostojno bivanje in bivanje v skupnosti, kjer je pa predpogoj tudi dostop do kakovostne oskrbe in podpore.

In drugo, gre za enakopravno mobilnost, ker sem ponosen, da je Slovenija ena od pionirk evropske kartice ugodnosti za invalide, ki mora postati stalen evropski projekt, hkrati pa naj Komisija, ko to kartico uvede, uvede tudi evropski status invalida za avtomatično vzajemno priznavanje statusa in pravic vseh invalidov v Evropi, zato, ker smo pogodbenica te konvencije.

Hvala.

Sandra Pereira (The Left). – Senhora Presidente, este relatório dá voz a muitas das reivindicações das pessoas com deficiência. É necessário assumir um verdadeiro compromisso com o cumprimento dos direitos das pessoas com deficiência, pugnando para que todas, independentemente da sua origem social, do seu nível de rendimento ou da zona de residência, tenham acesso a serviços públicos de qualidade, capazes de lhes assegurar o direito à saúde, à educação, à habitação, à segurança social, à formação profissional e ao emprego com direitos e, claro, à comunicação.

Precisamos de políticas que valorizem as pessoas com deficiência e o seu contributo para a sociedade, que lhes assegure serem cidadãos de pleno direito, na lei e na vida, com a garantia de uma vida autónoma e digna, com acesso à educação inclusiva, pública e de qualidade, a cuidados de saúde específicos, à cultura e ao desporto.

Daqui saudamos as pessoas com deficiência, as suas famílias e as suas organizações que as representam e que as defendem. Contem connosco na luta para superar múltiplas adversidades e combater desigualdades e discriminações, exigindo o cumprimento de todos os direitos.

Радан Кънев (PPE). – Г-жо Председател, за нас, всички участници в този дебат е ясно, че състоянието на интеграцията на хората с увреждания в различните европейски държави е много различно. Както участието им на пазара на труда, процентът на безработицата, доходите, които получават, дори възможността им да израстват в обществото, и ако искате дори представителството им в националните парламенти или тук при нас в Европейския парламент. Но е твърде опростено, бих казал - погрешно, да обясняваме тези разлики с различното финансово състояние на нашите държави.

Големият проблем е по какъв начин се харчат средствата, и европейски и национални, отделени за интеграция на хората с увреждания, и най-важната част от този доклад, най-важният акцент, който ние трябва да сложим, е именно пълната забрана на възможността националните правителства да харчат пари, насочени към интеграция на хора с увреждания, за тяхната фактическа по-нататъшна изолация.

Clara Aguilera (S&D). – Señora presidenta, me sumo a los apoyos de esta importante iniciativa, y, por supuesto, felicito a la señora Pelletier por el informe. Quiero también pedir, en nombre de todos, como bien han hecho mis colegas, la actualización de la Directiva sobre la igualdad de trato. Esta Directiva no está prohibiendo la discriminación que se produce sobre estas personas. Es increíble.

En la Europa del estado de bienestar, en la Europa de los derechos, que tantas veces presumimos de ellos, estas personas no tienen esos derechos. A veces no pueden ni votar, como bien se ha recogido aquí. Es absolutamente inaudito en la Unión Europea.

El derecho a decidir es muy importante. La accesibilidad debe ser un objetivo prioritario, prioritario para todos. La Unión Europea demuestra no estar a la altura de las circunstancias si no ponen esto en el orden del día de las prioridades, tanto de la Comisión como del Consejo —que ni siquiera está presente— y de este Parlamento Europeo.

Termino diciendo que estas personas, lo ha dicho la colega, no quieren ser tómbolas. Quieren derechos. Y en nuestra ambición como políticos está cambiar las cosas para mejorar la vida de las personas. Hagámoslo ya.

Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana (Verts/ALE). – Madame la Présidente, les personnes en situation de handicap sont confrontées à des obstacles structurels et à la discrimination, et sont souvent victimes de violences. En abordant la discrimination intersectionnelle, nous pourrions prendre des mesures ciblées pour les personnes handicapées en situation de vulnérabilité, telles que les femmes en situation de handicap issues des minorités, qui sont les plus touchées. Confrontées, malheureusement, à une double discrimination intersectionnelle, elles souffrent de la violence et sont souvent exclues des services de base, comme l'éducation, la santé ou encore le travail.

Il existe aussi des handicaps non visibles de l'extérieur qui demeurent une contrainte réelle pour l'individu. Cette vulnérabilité liée au genre et au handicap crée un environnement propice aux maltraitances et à divers abus. Il est de notre devoir d'intervenir pour faire cesser cette injustice. Nous devons reconnaître l'intersection qui existe entre la violence, le genre et le handicap, à laquelle les femmes et les filles sont confrontées, afin de pouvoir adopter des stratégies de réponse plus inclusives. Nous devons également abolir les restrictions à la capacité juridique, qui entravent les droits des personnes en situation de handicap, pour leur garantir un accès abordable, sûr et efficace à la justice.

Je vous invite donc à nous soutenir pour la prochaine journée européenne de protestation en faveur de l'égalité des personnes en situation de handicap, afin de leur donner une voix, et de conférer à l'inclusion son véritable caractère prioritaire.

Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Señora presidenta, comisaria Dalli, cuando hablamos de igualdad de derechos con personas con discapacidad, estamos hablando de derechos fundamentales y de la Carta que los protege, del artículo 21, que prohíbe cualquier forma de discriminación contra ellas y del artículo 26, que ordena a la Unión Europea su promoción y su integración plena.

Es lo que apunta este informe de la Comisión de Libertades Civiles, Justicia y Asuntos de Interior, que tiene como ponente a la señora Pelletier. Una Tarjeta Europea que elimine las diferencias nacionales y señale los problemas de discriminación a los que se enfrentan las personas con discapacidad. La promoción de su participación política, su acceso a la atención sanitaria, la prohibición de cualquier forma de violencia o de práctica forzada contra ellas.

Y, finalmente, esto pone de manifiesto que, promoviendo los derechos de las personas con discapacidad, no solamente estamos apuntando a sus derechos como personas individuales, estamos apuntando a la mejora y a la transformación a mejor del conjunto de la sociedad europea y de la de los Estados miembros.

Pero este debate no estará completo si no señalamos que queda pendiente la Directiva sobre la igualdad de trato, bloqueada por el Consejo desde hace la friolera de más de diez años. Es absolutamente inconcebible. Y creo, por tanto, que es un objetivo al que la Comisión debe aspirar: que la Directiva sobre la igualdad de trato complete el trabajo que está haciendo este Parlamento Europeo para eliminar la discriminación contra las personas con discapacidad.

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Madam President, the right to timely access to affordable, preventative and curative healthcare of good quality is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The EU and all its Member States have ratified this Convention. Yet, in Ireland last week, the Health Service Executive were forced to apologise to the families of children across the country who cannot access disability services.

Earlier this year, Inclusion Ireland conducted a survey among families with children with disabilities. Over 50 % of the families of children surveyed were not in receipt of any disability service. Over 85 % of them have waited for over a year. How in God's name can the Irish Government stand over this? And is there any way that the EU can actually pressure the Irish Government to do the right thing in the area of disabilities?

(Ende der spontanen Wortmeldungen)

Helena Dalli,
  Member of the Commission. – Madam President, it's non-negotiable. The Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is anchored in all the rights of the UN Convention. Recognising persons with disabilities as rights owners is the entry point to a change of perspective in disability policies. Persons with disabilities are citizens entitled to, like everybody else, to take their decisions, have ambition, develop their talents and flourish in their private, educational and professional lives.

We listened carefully to you while setting the priorities in the strategy, as you know, and we expect continued cooperation with you, the House of European Democracy, as the strategy becomes a practical reality. All three institutions must take seriously the implementation of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and discuss ways to address and to better our practices in that regard.

I value all opportunities, including today's debate, to develop our work. Together, we can progress towards building a Union of equality.

Anne-Sophie Pelletier,
  rapporteure. – Madame la Présidente, je voudrais d'abord montrer à Mme Dalli à quel point ce Parlement lui demande d'activer les choses et lui demande clairement qu'il y ait une directive sur la carte européenne d'invalidité, et ce avant la fin du présent mandat, pour que l'égalité remporte au moins cette victoire-là au cours de cette législature.

C'est le temps des remerciements, et je voudrais remercier tous mes collègues rapporteurs fictifs, ainsi que les collègues des commissions PETI, EMPL et CULT, qui nous ont apporté beaucoup de bonnes opinions et remarques, qui ont été importantes pour nous. C'est depuis que je suis arrivée ici, en 2019, que je me suis dit: j'aurai un rapport sur les personnes en situation de handicap, parce que dans un temps pas si ancien, je m'occupais de personnes en situation de handicap. Je pense que nous sommes tous différents, que nous sommes tous uniques, et que finalement c'est de la différence que naît la mixité, et que c'est de la mixité que naît la société. Il est donc important qu'ici au Parlement, nous portions une voix forte pour qu'il y ait une véritable égalité des droits fondamentaux pour les personnes en situation de handicap.

Je vous renouvelle, Madame Dalli, nos demandes et nos ambitions, pour que plus jamais, dans aucun État membre, il n'y ait une inégalité entre des citoyens. Le validisme existe, et aujourd'hui, nous nous rendons compte que ce validisme fait que nous pensons pour les personnes en situation de handicap, que nous agissons pour les personnes en situation de handicap, et que trop peu souvent nous leur laissons la voix, la voix des oubliés. Alors, j'espère en tout cas qu'avec ce rapport, ici dans ce Parlement, j'aurai réussi à redonner de la voix aux personnes en situation de handicap, de la voix à ces oubliés.

Die Präsidentin. – Die Aussprache ist geschlossen.

Die Abstimmung findet am Dienstag, 13. Dezember 2022, statt.

Schriftliche Erklärungen (Artikel 171)

Bartosz Arłukowicz (PPE),
  na piśmie. – Dziękuję sprawozdawczyni, pani Pelletier za przygotowanie bardzo dobrego i kompleksowego sprawozdania. W Unii Europejskiej wciąż są państwa, w których władzy nie jest po drodze z osobami z niepełnosprawnościami. Są kraje, które robią w kwestii równouprawnienia naprawdę dużo, ale są i takie, których zaangażowanie od lat pozostaje na poziomie minimalnym. Mamy wciąż dużo do zrobienia.

Ja chciałbym się skupić dziś na dostępie osób z niepełnosprawnościami do korzystania z czynnych i biernych praw wyborczych. Zbliżające się wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego powinny być przykładem tego, jak organizować i przeprowadzać demokratyczne wybory bez pomijania kogokolwiek. Z raportu Europejskiego Komitetu Ekonomiczno-Społecznego pt. ‘Rzeczywiste prawa osób z niepełnosprawnościami do głosowania w wyborach do Parlamentu Europejskiego’ wiemy, że miliony obywateli UE nie mają możliwości głosowania z powodu rozwiązań organizacyjnych (np. barier technicznych), które nie uwzględniają ich potrzeb wynikających z niepełnosprawności, a skala tego zjawiska jest bardzo nierównomiernie rozłożona pomiędzy poszczególne kraje. Dlatego tak ważna jest nasza dzisiejsza debata i nasze bezkompromisowe rekomendacje dla państw członkowskich. O prawdziwej równości w UE będziemy mogli powiedzieć dopiero wówczas, gdy nikt nie będzie pozbawiany możliwości korzystania z przysługujących mu praw.

Lívia Járóka (NI),
  írásban. – A fogyatékossággal élő személyek egyenlő jogainak biztosítása elengedhetetlenül szükséges egy szociálisan érzékeny, az európai értékek mentén nemcsak szavakban, de tettekben is elkötelezett Európai Unió számára. Hosszú évek óta részletes és igen fontos vita folyik a fogyatékossággal élők jogegyenlősége érdekében itt, az Európai Parlament falai között.

Látnunk kell azonban, hogy ez a szakpolitikai kérdés többdimenziós és rétegzett probléma, amely komplex megközelítést igényel. A fogyatékossággal élő embertársaink között is kiemelt figyelmet érdemelnek a gyermekek, nők és az etnikai kisebbségek közé tartozók, hiszen őket egyéb hátrány is érheti, éri szerte az Unió területén. Ebből kifolyólag törekednünk kell, hogy a jogegyenlőség magvalósulásához vezető út során fókuszáltan törekedjünk az integrációs folyamatok elősegítésére is. Így az oktatás, foglalkoztatás, lakhatás és egészségügy területén olyan összehangolt, a fogyatékossággal élők érdekeit szem előtt tartó programokra van szükség, amelyek képesek kezelni a társadalmi különbségek okozta kihívások teljes spektrumát.

Magyarország elkötelezett a fogyatékossággal élő polgárainak élethelyzet-javítása, jogaiknak biztosítása, munkaerőpiacra történő integrációjuk elősegítése mellett. Javaslom az Európai Parlament számára is a magyar jó gyakorlatok átvételét, a fogyatékossággal élők politikai, társadalmi és gazdasági részvételének ösztönzését, az oktatás, lakhatás, foglalkoztatás és egészségügy területén jelenlévő korlátok tudatos lebontását és a fogyatékossággal élők érdekeinek tényleges szem előtt tartását, az ügy átpolitizálása és ideológiai célokra való felhasználása helyett.

Stefania Zambelli (ID),
  per iscritto. – In Europa ci sono circa 87 milioni di persone con disabilità. I dati correlati a queste persone sono allarmanti: solamente la metà di esse hanno un'occupazione, il 28% si trova a rischio povertà ed esclusione sociale e ben il 52% di esse si sente a rischio discriminazione. Solo nell'ultima settimana, ho letto di due notizie che mi hanno fatto enormemente male: la prima riguarda una ragazza disabile a cui è stato negato l'imbarco all'aeromobile presso l'aeroporto di Bergamo, perché la batteria della sua carrozzina non sarebbe stato conforme; la seconda riguarda un gruppo di ipovedenti a cui è stato negato l'ingresso allo spettacolo ‘Notre Dame de Paris’, nonostante avessero pagato regolare biglietto.

Non è ammissibile nel 2022, dover leggere ancora notizie come queste! È proprio contro la discriminazione che dobbiamo combattere come parlamentari europei, agendo nei diversi settori della società, dal lavoro alla scuola, dalla cultura alla mobilità, affinché le persone con disabilità non soffrano di doppie discriminazioni nella vita di tutti i giorni.

Serve inoltre dare immediata attuazione alla Carta europea della disabilità in tutti gli Stati dell'UE, per un immediato e reciproco riconoscimento dello status di persona disabile. Questi sono impegni che non possiamo più rimandare!

14.   Outcome of COP27 (debate)

Die Präsidentin. – Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache über die Erklärung der Kommission zum Ergebnis der COP27 (2022/2966(RSP)).

Frans Timmermans,
  Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, if we want to evaluate COP27, I think we need to start a bit before – a couple of months before – and see where we were internationally, leading into COP27.

I attended several meetings, including the G-20, where major emitters were trying to step back, quite substantially, from the agreements we had reached in Glasgow in COP26. So the months leading up to COP27 weren't very auspicious for the most ambitious amongst us.

Secondly, a confrontation was growing between the developed world and the developing world on the issue of adaptation, but especially on loss and damage. So this combination of major emitters trying to step back from their commitments, and an increasing confrontational attitude from developing countries because they felt not being heard by the developed world, did not bode well for the preparation of COP27.

Now, I think the results are a lot better than what I expected before and I want to start by thanking both the Council and Parliament for playing a very active role on the spot, but especially in the preparation.

Because one of the myths that was created in the months ahead was that because of the war, Europe was stepping back from its commitment in the Green Deal, was digging up a lot of coal and that all our commitments would be lost. And thanks to the very hard work of the co-legislators, we could go to Sharm el-Sheikh and explain very clearly that we are not just sticking to our commitments of reducing our emissions with at least 55% by 2030, but that we would overshoot that commitment already on the basis of the three pieces of legislation agreed between the co-legislators, between Parliament and the Council. So, we could take that thing at the beginning of the second week of COP off the table, and we could still show clearly that we remained ambitious.

In the days leading up to the end of the COP, tensions were high because of attempts to step away from the commitments in Glasgow, and also because of the proposal put on the table by G77 plus China on a fund for loss and damage, which would mirror earlier funds and which would not look at countries in terms of their role in emissions, but only whether in 1992 they were considered developing countries, yes or no.

I think at some point in close dialogue and cooperation with both the Member States and the ministers present, who were all extremely active during the COP, and the delegation of the European Parliament, we came to the conclusion that Europe should try and bridge these differences by coming up with a plan, especially on loss and damage, that would not start from 1992 but from the situation now. So that would do a couple of things: that would address the responsibility of all those who are major emitters and all those who can afford to take responsibility; that would focus the loss and damage fund on the most vulnerable countries and not spread it out to all developing countries; and that would be able to use what we call the ‘mosaic of measures’ from all other instruments, including, for instance, reforming the international financial institutions, putting the MDBs in a different position, the private sector engaging with the private sector etc.

When the European Union put this on the table – and I discussed it on behalf of the EU with the Secretary General, with my colleagues from the US and China – especially the US and China were taken aback a bit that we were doing this. China thought that the G77 plus China plan was the one that would carry the day; the Americans thought that there would be no plan at all. So when we came up with this idea, I think we were able to create – as the Secretary General of the UN put it – a new situation where we did not have a confrontation between a classical developing world and a developed world, but we would distinguish, especially on the basis of whether you are a major emitter or not, and look at those countries that needed support more than those who needed less.

I think this was an important breakthrough that allowed us to bring parties closer together and also allowed us to insist on at least not stepping back from our commitments made in Glasgow. And we can use the mitigation work programme now to make sure that these commitments are still solid and strong in the months and the years to come.

All in all, my verdict – as you know – on the mitigation side was negative at the end of the COP. My verdict on the loss and damage fund is positive because it will allow us – if we act collectively and strongly in the months to come – to shape it in a completely different form than previous attempts to address the issue. And the combination between the mitigation work programme and the work on the fund would allow us to shape it in a way that takes our commitments into the future in a positive way.

I know that the incoming presidency of COP is very ambitious on these issues. I also know, we're still faced with huge challenges in the time to come, but all in all, the results of the COP will allow us to move forward, will allow us to bring along the major emitters who, some of them, wanted to step back from the commitments, who are still in to the commitments, and will allow us also in the combination of the just energy transition plans to also take some of the major emitters in the Global South with us in the right direction.

All in all, my verdict today is positive. We would have liked to see much more on mitigation. We got, I think, a good result on loss and damage. I think we also have an opportunity to work very closely with those most vulnerable also in adaptation. And I think, all in all, the European Union showed real leadership, and we were the ones building the bridges, we were the ones who were able to get a result that everybody could sign up to.

Lídia Pereira,
  em nome do Grupo PPE. – Senhora Presidente, as COP sucedem-se, mas os resultados tendem a ser escassos e o tempo urge. Aqui na Europa, há já vários anos que apresentamos resultados, que levamos às sucessivas COP o nosso trabalho de casa feito. Ao mesmo tempo que aumentamos a nossa produtividade e o nosso PIB, temos sido capazes de reduzir as emissões. Aqui, investimos em inovação, em novas tecnologias, em renováveis e exigimos mais das nossas empresas.

Podemos fazer mais, como nas interligações elétricas e na União da Energia. Mas nesta COP27 vimos a ausência de resultados na mais importante das questões - e o Senhor Vice-Presidente da pasta acabou de o referir -, ou seja, na redução das emissões.

Colegas, é nesta parte que, de facto, temos de ter resultados para evitar que se agravem as cheias, os incêndios e as tempestades que todos temos experimentado. Vemos, ouvimos discursos bonitos e motivos de todo o lado, mas poucos compromissos e muito poucos resultados.

De que serve financiarmos os países mais pobres para combater os efeitos das alterações climáticas, se os países que mais poluem continuam a poluir e a agravar esse problema?

Na Europa, temos demonstrado liderança no aumento das metas para 2030, na redução das emissões. Somos o principal financiador da luta contra as alterações climáticas nos países em desenvolvimento, mas não temos sido capazes de ter uma agenda mobilizadora com os maiores poluidores: China, Estados Unidos e Índia. A nossa diplomacia climática não tem tido os resultados necessários e esta é uma reflexão importante que temos de fazer sem demora com a Comissão e o Conselho.

Delara Burkhardt,
  im Namen der S&D-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Wir haben als Europäisches Parlament sehr viele Verbündete im Kampf gegen die Klimakrise getroffen und auch sehr viele Schicksale gehört, zum Beispiel von dem nigerianischen Klimaaktivisten, der nicht weiterstudieren kann, weil Überschwemmungen nicht nur Hunderte Leben in seinem Land gekostet haben, sondern auch seine Uni zerstört haben.

Wir haben von der Umweltministerin der Malediven gehört, die berichtet hat, wie hart sie versucht, unter den Rahmenbedingungen ihren Job zu machen, die aber jetzt schon weiß, dass ihre Tochter nicht sicher sein kann, ob sie weiter dort leben kann, wo ihre Familie ihre Wurzeln hat.

Und wir müssen uns genau vor diesem Hintergrund fragen: Was haben wir auf dieser Klimakonferenz erreicht? Ich würde auch ganz klar zustimmen: Auf der Habenseite steht der Erfolg der Einigung auf einen Fonds für klimabedingte Schäden in den am stärksten vom Klimawandel betroffenen Staaten. Denn er ist ein wichtiger Schritt Richtung globale Klimagerechtigkeit und ermöglicht uns, genau dort zu helfen, wo zum Beispiel jemand nicht mehr studieren kann, weil seine Uni unter Wasser steht. Das ist ein wichtiger Erfolg.

Dieser Erfolg ist auch nur erreichbar gewesen, weil wir einen Kommissionsvizepräsidenten haben, der auch mit dem Mandat dort war, politisch zu verhandeln. Ich finde es sehr wichtig, das noch einmal zu betonen.

Aber es reicht eben auch nicht, nur die Symptome der Klimakrise zu behandeln. Wir müssen die Ursachen bekämpfen. Und hier ist Scharm al-Scheich auf der Stelle getreten, wenn nicht sogar zurückgegangen. Wir sind daran gescheitert, einen klaren Fahrplan Richtung 1,5 Grad aufzustellen. Wir fordern das jedes Jahr, und jedes Jahr sagen wir: Die Zeit wird immer kürzer, und jetzt ist es wirklich so weit, dass wir uns angucken müssen, was für Hausaufgaben das für uns im Europäischen Parlament, aber auch in den europäischen Institutionen bedeutet.

Ganz klar ist die Frage: Was passiert jetzt mit dem Rest des Pakets Fit für 55, mit dem Rest des Grünen Deals, mit REPowerEU? Auch dort ist allein schon mit LULUCF klar geworden: Je ambitionierter wir verhandeln, desto besser können wir auch unseren national festgelegten Beitrag nachreichen. Dementsprechend können wir da wirklich auf die Tube drücken.

Was mir noch sehr wichtig ist zu sagen: Ich hatte große Sorgen wegen der Situation der Menschenrechte vor Ort. Aktivistinnen wurden schikaniert, am Zugang gehindert, teilweise war das sogar für uns im Parlament so. Wir müssen vollkommen klarmachen, dass gerechte Klimapolitik nur dann stattfinden kann, wenn demokratische Bedingungen vorherrschen. Greenwashing von autoritären und diktatorischen Regimen dürfen wir nicht zulassen, gerade weil die nächste COP in Dubai stattfindet. Und auch hier müssen die UN ihre Hausaufgaben machen.

Barry Andrews,
  on behalf of the Renew Group. – Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, I listened to your speech and I was struck by how you characterised the achievement of loss and damage. And it is an enormous achievement because one felt immediately afterwards that it wasn't presented in that way by the Commission, that somehow or another the G77 position was challenged and maybe there was a better way to do it than loss and damage. And I listened to the distinction you draw between 1992 and today and different developing countries, and all of those are very legitimate.

But this is an enormous achievement – what has been done at COP27 – because for the first time it recognises those who pollute more, those who possess more must do more, and that if you break it, which we did, you fix it, which we should, and that is now locked into the principle of how we're going to approach this issue. It's about climate justice, something that my compatriot Mary Robinson has spoken so passionately about over the years.

And it's an achievement because we have a credibility problem in the European Union. I've just come back from Marrakech, where I had discussions with my African liberal colleagues over two days, and they are struck by the fact that we're opening coal mines, you've mentioned it yourself, Commissioner, they are struck by the fact that we're pricing them out of the LNG market, that we have allowed for loopholes in relation to gas exploration, and they are challenging us to be real partners on this issue. And I sincerely believe that we have to get over the credibility issue that is really challenging the European Union.

And I will say, finally, that I think you are correct in saying that we have made a solid achievement here, but we also cannot gaslight G77 countries with the positions that they rightfully took.

Bas Eickhout,
  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, thank you to the Commissioner for the introduction and indeed pointing out that probably the biggest success of Sharm el-Sheikh was indeed the loss and damage fund. And I do indeed have to commend that; Europe took the turn there, which was crucial for having a good outcome there.

But I think we all are very well aware and you mentioned it as well that for the rest Sharm el-Sheikh was a disappointment, especially on ambition and the gap that is still there to staying below the 1.5 degrees. We did not succeed and unfortunately the world did not succeed. And, basically, compared to Glasgow, we lost a year, which you also said after that COP.

I don't want to go looking back now; I think what's now most important is how are we going to prepare for COP28. What are the steps to be taken, and what lessons can be learned? And there I have a couple of questions. First of all, the very simple one, when will Europe increase its NDC? Because that's what we are calling parties for to increase their NDC. We did it when we came out of Glasgow. Now we do it again when we come out of Sharm el-Sheikh. So when will Europe take that step? I think it would be very helpful to hear from you on when you're going to push for that.

Secondly, on fossil subsidies, we are always saying that we want to finish fossil subsidies, but tomorrow we will probably have the last negotiations on RePowerEU, where there will be fossil subsidies. There will be. But I think then mostly important is how to make sure we limit them and how to make sure that at least it's not going to oil, which is also on the table and hopefully can still be defeated. So, I here also really call upon the Commission to take a strong stance and to really support some of the proposals from Parliament.

The clock was not really on 2 minutes. I have no idea where it was, but I'll be brief, but I am sure not at 2 minutes yet, Madam Chair. So that's going to be important as well. But I think the last most important part is how are we going to build alliances with third world countries, former third world countries, to indeed to overcome this north versus south divide. And I think that's also very crucial. And we did not succeed enough last year or this year. So how can we improve that for next year?

Last point – which also my colleague Burkhardt mentioned – it's on what the UN needs to do for the room and the space for the civil society. It was really concerning to see that there was hardly any space for civil society; at a COP there needs to be space for civil society, so I would also like to hear from the Commission what kind of actions towards the United Nations we're going to take to ensure that civil society can play its role when it's needed.

Puhetta johti HEIDI HAUTALA

varapuhemies

Nicola Procaccini,
  a nome del gruppo ECR. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, l'unico risultato della COP27 è stato la creazione del fondo ‘loss and damage’, soldi che verranno erogati dai paesi più sviluppati a quelli in via di sviluppo, malgrado questi ultimi si siano rifiutati di impegnarsi nella riduzione delle emissioni di gas serra.

Francamente non condivido questa ideologia che impone l'autoflagellazione all'Europa e alle più evolute democrazie del mondo, come se lo sviluppo fosse un crimine da espiare, ma ciò che contesto è il principio secondo cui chi inquina di meno, dovrà pagare chi inquina di più, che da questo trae anche un ingiusto vantaggio nella competizione economica mondiale. Non a caso tra i beneficiari ci sarà probabilmente la Cina, che da sola emette cinque volte la CO2 dell'intera Unione europea.

Arrivederci alla COP28, Commissario Timmermans, che si terrà negli Emirati Arabi Uniti, un altro paese campione di sostenibilità ambientale e di diritti umani, che sicuramente troverà degli estimatori in quest'Aula, come il Qatar.

Mick Wallace,
  on behalf of The Left Group. – Madam President, the EU's proposal at COP to expand the loss and damage donor pool reinterprets what loss and damage is about. Instead of recognising and acting on its historic responsibility, the rich developed countries want to shift the blame and get other countries that do not have even remotely the same history of emissions or the same emissions per capita to pay into the fund. It's climate colonialism.

The EU proposal was made knowing full well that China and other non-annex countries would never agree, because it does not respect the delineation of the UNFCCC annexes, which create the categories of developed and developing countries. Research shows Annex 1 countries are responsible for over 90% of historic emissions. According to the Overseas Development Institute, the US's fair share of climate finance is 43%, but the US pays a fraction of this, and getting the US to cough up is probably the biggest challenge for climate victims seeking justice.

Now, if we are to get money from countries like Pakistan, countries which are the least responsible for the problems they are facing, suffering from the impacts of climate change, we're going to have to actually dismantle Bretton Woods. We have to fix our financial system, because it's broken as it stands.

Edina Tóth (NI). – Elnök Asszony! A COP27 klímacsúcs mérlege teljes kudarc. Szomorú, hogy az idei csúcson semmilyen igazi kötelezettségvállalás nem született, s komoly aggodalomra ad okot az is, hogy a tavalyihoz képest nagyon kevesen újították meg vállalásaikat. Mi történt e helyett? A fejlődő országoknak nyújtandó, még kidolgozatlan pénzügyi támogatásokon túl Timmermans biztos úr a Bizottság elhibázott klímaideológiáját próbálta csupán promotálni. Ki kell mondani, hogy az uniós klímapolitikánk főtárgyalója lényegében meggátolja a klímavédelemért folytatandó hatékony küzdelmet.

Az EU egyedül nem képes megakadályozni a negatív folyamtokat, csak közös erővel, Európán kívüli partnereinkkel együttműködve lehet a klímavédelmi kérdésekre megoldást találni. Az átgondolatlan, a klímapolitikát is ellehetetlenítő szankciók helyett valódi és hatékony, globális szintű klímavédelemre van szükség.

Peter Liese (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin, Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Auch für mich war Scharm al-Scheich eine Enttäuschung: 1,5 Grad steht im Papier. Aber es gab keine Fortschritte in Richtung 1,5 Grad, und was loss and damage angeht, finde ich es wirklich schrecklich, dass es uns nicht gelungen ist, China mit ins Boot zu nehmen. China muss sich beteiligen, muss seiner Verantwortung gerecht werden.

Für mich gibt es zwei wichtige Konsequenzen aus diesem nicht zufriedenstellenden Ergebnis.

Erstens: Unsere Klimadiplomatie muss besser werden. Wir machen zu Hause sehr viel Gutes. Ich möchte das gar nicht persönlich sagen, aber ich glaube, wir müssen besser werden. Wir alle gemeinsam, da hat vielleicht auch das Parlament eine Aufgabe. Aber wir müssen in die Vorbereitung dieser COPs gemeinsam mehr investieren.

Zweitens: Bei der Ambition sollten wir nicht zurücktreten. Natürlich haben wir jetzt eine Krise, und kurzfristig müssen wir in einigen Ländern mehr Kohle einsetzen. Aber mittel- und langfristig gibt es für alle drei Krisen – hohe Preise, Abhängigkeit von Russland und Klimawandel – nur eine Antwort: Die heißt mehr erneuerbare Energie und mehr Energieeffizienz. Deswegen: Fit für 55 verschärfen und nicht schwächen.

Heléne Fritzon (S&D). – Fru talman, herr kommissionär. Det var både spännande och viktigt att vara på plats på COP27 i Egypten, men det var med oro och besvikelse som jag lämnade klimattoppmötet. Jag hade önskat så mycket mer. Jag känner oro över de kvinnor och barn som släpper ut minst, men drabbas värst när till exempel en tredjedel av Pakistans stora land hamnar under vatten. Jag känner besvikelse över att så små framsteg gjordes i förhandlingarna för att bromsa den globala upphettningen.

Men jag är också stolt. Stolt över den roll som EU och vår kommissionär Timmermans spelade i förhandlingarna. EU blev på riktigt bryggan som öppnade för den fond som ska hantera klimatkrisens skador. EU tog ansvar och höjde ribban ytterligare. Men till nästa möte blir EU:s ledarskap helt avgörande och vi måste hålla i det. Vi måste nämligen ytterligare höja våra ambitioner. Om vi ska klara av att nå Parisavtalets mål är det på riktigt bråttom nu. Ska vi klara 1,5-gradersmålet måste vi lägga i en högre växel. Och det är vi skyldiga, det är vi faktiskt skyldiga, alla oskyldiga kvinnor, barn och unga som släpper ut allra minst men drabbas allra värst.

Karin Karlsbro (Renew). – Fru talman! Herr kommissionär! Kollegor! När världen samlades i Egypten för COP27 var det i skuggan av krig och kris. Vi brottas med skenande energipriser och inflation. Men trots gigantiska utmaningar kan inte klimatet vänta, och jag önskar att jag inte skulle behöva säga det, men COP27 var ännu en besvikelse. Det skulle behövas enighet om snabbare åtgärder för att få ner utsläppen på riktigt.

Men samtidigt är jag stolt över att EU lever upp till förväntningarna och visar ledarskap. Under förra veckan nådde vi överenskommelser om ny lagstiftning om hållbara batterier och världens första lag mot global avskogning. Det kommer att göra stor skillnad och visar EU:s tydliga ledarskap. Alldeles strax fortsätter vi förhandlingarna om en gränsjusteringsmekanism för klimatet. Så låt oss nu använda detta till inspiration för att förbereda ett framgångsrikt klimattoppmöte möte nästa gång.

Marie Toussaint (Verts/ALE). – Madame la Présidente, la COP 27 est un échec douloureux. Certains comme vous, Monsieur le Vice-Président, ont reproché à la Chine, à l'Inde ou aux États-Unis d'entraver l'action climatique, avec raison parfois. Mais comment pouvons-nous nous-mêmes prétendre être exemplaires, quand nous persistons à investir dans les énergies fossiles?

Je veux saluer ici la proposition qui a été posée sur la table sur les pertes et dommages. Mais comment ne pas déplorer l'ambiguïté européenne en la matière? L'Europe demande donc aux pays en développement de se séparer des énergies fossiles, de sorte à mériter l'argent des pays occidentaux. Mais la réalité, c'est qu'en tant qu'Europe, nous avons à peine réduit notre empreinte carbone depuis 1990, et qu'à la réparation de notre dette climatique d'antan s'ajoute aujourd'hui celle liée à l'inaction climatique actuelle.

La réalité, c'est que les États membres et leurs entreprises, parfois malheureusement soutenus par la Commission, ont signé de nouveaux contrats pétro-gaziers pendant la COP 27 avec le Sénégal, l'Égypte ou encore le Qatar, au détriment des droits de l'homme, de la corruption ou de l'évidence climatique, qui veut que les énergies fossiles restent désormais sous les sols. La réalité, c'est que malgré les appels répétés des Nations unies à condamner pénalement ceux qui portent atteinte au climat, nous ne l'avons, ici, pas encore fait.

Alors, Monsieur le Vice-Président, nous n'avons plus de temps à perdre. Il nous faut désormais, chers collègues, passer aux actes.

Marina Mesure (The Left). – Madame la Présidente, chers collègues, les COP se succèdent, et les promesses faites durant celles-ci ressemblent un peu aux bonnes résolutions du Nouvel An, celles que l'on fait le soir et que l'on trahit le lendemain.

Certes, la création d'un fonds de compensation pour les pays du Sud est une bonne nouvelle. Il faut dire que c'est la moindre des choses, puisque la prospérité du Nord s'est fondée sur l'exploitation du Sud et que ces pays subissent désormais les conséquences dramatiques du dérèglement climatique, qu'ils n'ont pas causé.

De son côté, l'Europe veut faire figure de bonne élève, mais elle ne se donne pas clairement les moyens de ses ambitions. Il suffit pour cela de voir les derniers choix politiques qui ont été faits dans cet hémicycle, notamment les accords de libre-échange, qui favorisent toujours le grand déménagement du monde.

Que dire de notre gestion de la crise énergétique? Nous parlons là d'un enjeu majeur, qui touche aussi bien le climat que 44 millions d'Européens. Alors que le marché de l'énergie nous conduit directement aux pénuries d'électricité et à la flambée des prix, la Commission nous rétorque systématiquement et aveuglément qu'il faut faire confiance au marché. Nous n'avons pas confiance en ce marché ni en sa vision court-termiste guidée par des intérêts privés et par le profit immédiat. Nous avons besoin d'une vision à long terme, où la puissance publique recense les besoins de la population et agit pour y répondre.

Chers collègues, pour réussir enfin les prochaines étapes, il va falloir le dire clairement: le marché et la planification écologique sont incompatibles. Il est temps d'en tirer les conséquences adéquates.

Jessica Polfjärd (PPE). – Fru talman! Herr kommissionär! Vi nås varje dag av rapporter som alla pekar åt samma håll. Klimatutmaningen vi står inför kräver ambitiösa och effektiva åtgärder. På plats i Egypten fick vi också vittnesmål om hur de pengar som är destinerade för utbildning, i till exempel Maldiverna, idag måste gå till klimatåtgärder. Det riskerar barnens skolgång och vi ser också att vi behöver ta detta på allvar.

Vi kan också se att det betyder någonting när EU faktiskt dyker upp med konkreta lagstiftningar under armen. Vi har överenskommelser om hur vi ska sänka våra utsläpp, öka våra kolsänkor och ställa om våra vägtransporter. Det är en tydlig signal om att vi är ambitiösa med våra klimatmål.

Jag tror att jag kan tala för alla när jag säger att COP var en blandning av både sött och salt. Salt, eftersom sanningen, som vi måste acceptera, är den att de åtgärder vi hittills arbetat fram inte är tillräckliga för att hålla målet om 1,5 grader vid liv. Det är tillkortakommanden som hotar Parisavtalets kärna. Men också sött, för vi fick många vittnesmål på plats om att industrin, näringslivet, är beredd att göra jobbet. Det är sällan man blir glad när man får kritik, men många av näringslivets representanter menade: ‘Ni måste springa fortare. Politiken måste springa fortare, för informationen finns redan på plats och vi är beredda att göra jobbet.’

Niels Fuglsang (S&D). – Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, this climate summit in Egypt was indeed a disappointment, taking into consideration that we did not manage to agree on the reduction targets that we need, we did not manage to increase the speed of the climate action sufficiently.

We did manage one positive thing, which was the compensation fund that the rich countries have to pay to the less rich countries, compensating them for the climate damage which is being done, which is mainly our responsibility in the rich world historically, in a historical perspective.

The EU has been much criticised. I think the EU did play a positive role. I think the EU was really the only actor who took responsibility to increase among few actors, but one of the greatest powers that increased its reduction target and also put the fund on the compensation question on the agenda. That was the EU's contribution.

I think we need to see much more of that positive contribution from the European Union because we need to speed up action. The climate targets that we have are way too low. If we also look out in the world, Russia climate neutral by 2060, China 2060, India 2070-20 years too late. That's not good enough. The EU needs to inspire. The EU also needs to push by saying we want to trade with you, but only if you also increase your reduction targets and do more. And that's the legislation that we work on now and we will need to get that done as soon as possible.

Pär Holmgren (Verts/ALE). – Fru talman! Kommissionär Timmermans! Jag gör samma analys som många andra när det gäller COP27. Små steg i rätt riktning när det gäller arbetet med ‘loss and damage’, skador och förluster, men tyvärr en stor besvikelse när det gäller det väldigt centrala arbetet med att snabbt få ner våra utsläpp.

När det gäller arbetet med loss and damage har jag en fråga till kommissionären: Hur ska vi i EU och resten av den rika världen bättra på vårt rykte? Vi har ju tidigare också lovat pengar till fattiga, utsatta delar av världen utan att leverera. Den här gången måste vi verkligen leverera.

När det gäller det riktigt centrala i klimatfrågan – att snabbt få ner utsläppen – är det bara konstatera: Visst, vi höjde ambitionerna lite grann inom EU inför mötet, men vi är ändå fortfarande långt ifrån det som krävs enligt oberoende vetenskap för att vara i linje med Parisavtalet. Vad ska vi göra nu, snabbt, så att vi börjar närma oss att vara i närheten av Parisavtalet i god tid före nästa klimattoppmöte, COP28?

Pierre Larrouturou (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, chers amis, chers collègues, en arrivant au Parlement européen aujourd'hui, j'ai été scandalisé par le poids des lobbies, qui ont réussi à corrompre certains de nos collègues. Honte à eux! Toutefois, en quittant le sommet sur le climat, j'ai été scandalisé par le poids des lobbies du pétrole, qui ont obtenu qu'il n'y ait pas un mot, pas une ligne sur la fin des nouveaux forages pétroliers.

Frans Timmermans l'a dit: la seule avancée importante de cette COP, c'est un nouveau fonds pour aider les pays les plus touchés par les catastrophes climatiques. C'est une avancée très importante, et l'Europe a beaucoup poussé en ce sens. Mais on risque une cassure profonde entre les pays du Nord et les pays du Sud si cela reste une nouvelle promesse et s'il n'y a pas d'argent. Les pays vulnérables n'en peuvent plus des promesses, ils veulent des actes. Bonne nouvelle: notre Parlement, depuis trois ans, propose des solutions, dont une petite taxe sur la spéculation, de 0,1 %, qui pourrait rapporter 57 milliards d'euros chaque année.

Juste après la COP, j'ai pu rencontrer António Guterres, le secrétaire général des Nations unies, et María Fernanda Espinosa, l'ancienne présidente de l'Assemblée générale des Nations unies, laquelle me disait: ‘Cette taxe, ce n'est pas une solution de financement, c'est une solution de réconciliation entre le Nord et le Sud.’ Oui, une solution de réconciliation.

Alors, pour éviter le chaos, il est urgent de créer cette taxe et d'avoir un accord avant la prochaine COP.

Michael Bloss (Verts/ALE). – Frau Präsidentin, Herr Kommissar Timmermans! 2022 war ein verlorenes Jahr für den Klimaschutz. Warum? Wir brechen das Pariser Klimaschutzübereinkommen, und wir sind auf einem tödlichen 3-Grad-Erderhitzungsweg. Deswegen haben wir in Glasgow vor einem Jahr gesagt: In diesem Jahr 2022 erhöhen wir alle unsere Klimaziele, um 1,5 Grad einzuhalten. Und was ist seitdem passiert? Nichts.

Sie, Herr Timmermans, haben danach erklärt, dass die Europäische Union ihre Klimaziele nicht erhöhen wird, weil wir schon genug tun. Wenn alle so handeln, dann geht der Planet vor die Hunde. Machen Sie diesen Fehler nicht noch einmal. Bekennen Sie sich zu einem höheren europäischen Klimaziel: 60 % sind möglich, 65 % sind nötig. Und fordern Sie das Gleiche von unseren Partnerinnen und Partnern ein, denn 2023 darf nicht wieder für den Klimaschutz verloren gehen.

Ciarán Cuffe (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, Executive Vice-President Timmermans, I compliment you on the role you played at COP, along with my colleague Eamon Ryan from Ireland, to create the loss and damage fund. But we have created a vessel; we now have to fill it. The challenge in the years ahead is to find the funding and deliver it to the people that need it most.

Above all of this, we have these headline commitments; we've had them for 10, 20 years. We now have to dig down at a granular level, and those of us in public life must give the commitment to the decisions that are made in this Parliament every day of the week on the files that we hold. And it's all very well to be in favour of climate action in theory at a high level but to resist it in practice. That is the real challenge that we have: to communicate climate action not just in the rhetoric at these annual meetings – whether it be at COP15 in Montreal, COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh – but in the legislative files.

And I fear that a lot of the commitment to climate action is skin deep. It goes as far as signing on the dotted line at a high level, but not delivering us in reality. And that, friends, is what we have to deliver in these rooms in the months and years ahead.

Pyynnöstä myönnettävät puheenvuorot

Sara Cerdas (S&D). – Senhora Presidente, Senhor Comissário, a COP27 representou tanto progresso como estagnação. É, obviamente, muito positivo o acordo sobre as perdas e danos, que reconhece que há regiões mundiais mais vulneráveis que outras, tal como as regiões ultraperiféricas, entre outras, na UE. Porém, em tudo o resto ficou aquém do que era esperado.

É preciso despoletar uma transformação profunda e reconhecer as ligações intrínsecas entre a crise climática, a crise da biodiversidade e a crise dos oceanos, através do fim dos subsídios aos combustíveis fósseis e do investimento nas renováveis, assegurar a responsabilização do setor têxtil, combater a pandemia do plástico, a desinformação e a insustentabilidade. Simplesmente, não há mais tempo a perder se queremos responder aos apelos dos nossos mais jovens, das gerações mais novas e garantir o futuro do nosso planeta.

Catherine Chabaud (Renew). – Madame la Présidente, Monsieur le Commissaire, pendant que vous étiez à Charm el-Cheikh, j'ai décidé de reprendre la mer et j'ai traversé l'Atlantique dans une course en solitaire, avec l'ambition de porter les enjeux des océans et de leur donner de la lumière. J'ai pu au passage constater les effets du changement climatique sur le dérèglement météorologique – on pourra en parler.

J'ai cofondé la plateforme Océan et Climat et je vois que la place de l'océan grandit dans les différentes négociations climatiques. Malheureusement, elle est très loin de ce qu'elle devrait être. Je pense que l'Union européenne, qui dispose du premier espace maritime au monde, devrait non seulement rattraper son retard, mais être encore beaucoup plus ambitieuse pour intégrer l'océan et les écosystèmes marins et côtiers dans la réponse aux enjeux climatiques.

On sait cartographier les écosystèmes du carbone bleu et on sait développer une finance bleue. Je me suis laissé dire que Dubaï avait décidé que la COP 28 serait une ‘Blue COP’. Alors je demande: est-ce que l'Union européenne va s'associer à cette initiative, et est-ce que vous allez enfin pouvoir intégrer un peu plus l'océan dans la réponse de l'Union européenne aux objectifs de l'accord de Paris et, plus généralement, dans les politiques publiques?

Clare Daly (The Left). – Madam President, as we've had a lot of talk about lobbying today, let us register that the COP delegations were able to benefit from the advice of 636 representatives from the oil and gas industry. Of course, surprise, surprise, the end deal had no mention of any phase-out of fossil fuels in the final decision. Fossil fuels at the very heart of our global CO2 emissions.

But of course, the COP wasn't a disaster for everyone. Fourteen international gas agreements were sealed or announced. Germany even signed a partnership with Egypt for gas supplies on the eve of the World Climate Summit. And yes, we have had talk about the historic loss and damage fund. But seriously, USD 360 million? Pakistan alone has suffered losses of USD 30 billion. Globally, there has been USD 200 billion in costs of extreme weather this year alone.

What happened to the promise in 2009 that there was going to be a fund of USD 100 billion a year by 2020? It's very clear, capitalism is not going to solve the climate problem. We can't rely on events sponsored by Coca Cola, the world's biggest plastic producer. We need to take action ourselves.

Javi López (S&D). – Señora presidenta, señor vicepresidente Timmermans, todos nos preguntamos después de la COP 27 si fue una buena COP o una mala COP. Probablemente fue una COP difícil, y usted lo sabe mejor que nadie. Todos estos tipos de encuentros acaban con un sabor agridulce. Hay sombras, que hemos mencionado: la dificultad para mantener los objetivos y ambiciones relativos a la mitigación; la brecha que continúa existiendo entre la ciencia, nuestros objetivos y los compromisos nacionales que cada uno de los países está aportando; y la dificultad para continuar con este compromiso del grado y medio y la eliminación de los combustibles fósiles.

Pero también hay luces, y hay que destacarlas. Algunas de las luces: la creación del Fondo de pérdidas sin daños, que es un enorme logro para la justicia climática, de apoyo y ayuda para los más vulnerables; y, entre las luces, también figura el papel jugado por la Unión Europea, por Frans Timmermans, por la Comisión y sus Estados miembros, buscando transacciones, creando puentes y buscando soluciones. Porque hay que recordar que el multilateralismo siempre le sienta muy bien a la Unión Europea y siempre sabemos jugar nuestras cartas para encontrar soluciones.

(Pyynnöstä myönnettävät puheenvuorot päättyvät)

Frans Timmermans,
  Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Madam President, I will try to answer some of the questions that were put on the table in my response here.

So, when will we change our NDC? Let's – and I call upon all of you – finish as quickly as we can all the trilogues that are ongoing on Fit for 55. Once we've finish the trilogues, we can establish where these trilogues will take us in terms of our emission reductions. Then we can update the NDC so that we can say we have put in our climate law a binding reduction of at least 55% by 2030 on the basis of all the results of our trilogues and the decisions we have taken. We can now announce an X amount that we will reach. That would probably, most certainly already now, lead to a more ambitious NDC, but I have to state very clearly, we do not change our climate law. Climate law remains as it is. We just put in the latest results, when we have them, of all the trilogues into our NDC, and that will certainly lead to a more ambitious NDC.

So, how do we limit the exploration of fossil fuels was another question. I think by speeding up the implementation, by reducing demand, which is something sadly we speak about not enough. We should be making a much, much bigger case for the reduction of energy consumption. Secondly, by speeding up our transition to renewables, not just in Europe, but especially helping developing countries choose renewables before they choose especially the most polluting fossil fuels. For that, they need the possibility to invest.

We need to change the way the MDBs function; we need to share technology more; we need to create industrial ecosystems that will allow the developing countries to be part of that. Then, obviously, it is a much better proposition to invest in renewables than to keep investing in fossil fuels.

Having said all that, it is without any doubt that I have to say that natural gas in particular will play a role in the transition towards climate neutrality – it plays that role in Europe. We cannot deny others use of that natural gas as a transitional energy carrier if we're doing that ourselves; that would be highly hypocritical. In that dialogue, the introduction of green hydrogen plays a huge role in all of this. This could also help us limit the exploration of fossil fuels. With a number of African countries, you see that this is working. But then we have to get our homework done on all the other issues that I just mentioned.

This leads to alliances with the Global South. I think the Global South really welcomed the EU's position on the loss and damage fund. But now we have to prove that we mean business. That's what we have to do from now on in the weeks and months that follow. The attitude of the Global South, especially small island developing states and African countries, they were surprised and actually intrigued and they wanted us to move forward with them. But we have to prove that we can actually do that. I would say, on the whole scope, not just on the fund, but also how we share technology, how we help them introduce renewables, etc., that it is very important for us to do.

Now, I will be travelling to Dubai early next year, in the first weeks of the New Year, to discuss the preparation of the next COP. High on my list will be space for civil society. This is of extreme importance to make very clear to the incoming presidency and to the UN system, by the way, that space for civil society is going to be an essential element, a crucial element in how the COP should function. The uniqueness of the COP, to a large extent, is because of the participation of civil society, and this should never be lost.

By the way, I will also then bring up the issue of the Blue COP with the Emirates and see what their plans are, and I certainly would like to continue to work with them on that.

Is China beneficiary of the loss and damage fund? Well, no, of course not. That's the whole idea behind the proposal the EU made. It should be directed at the most vulnerable and the contribution should come from the richest country, the countries doing well and also the major emitters. Now, even if you look at historic emissions, and I say this to those who talk about history, China is right up there with the major emitters. Even if you just look at historic emissions, because of the enormous amounts of their emissions. So there is no way that China can keep hiding behind the status of a developing country.

This is something that is dawning also on the G77, this idea that there's for all eternity going to be G77 plus China is no longer a given anymore. Part of our diplomacy is also directed at creating alliances with the Global South, but also at calling China to take more of its responsibility. By the way, China is suffering a lot from the climate crisis and is investing massively in renewables and in other areas. So who knows? They might surprise us, but we will have to continue this dialogue very intensively to make sure they peak out well before 2030, because otherwise, attaining 1.5 is going to be almost impossible, if not impossible.

Now, climate is not an ideology. Climate policy is based on science. I would argue the opposite: neglecting the science has become an ideology, right up to the flat-Earthers. So if you want to talk about ideology, then talk about that ideology. We are led by science and the scientific evidence is overwhelming. We would be amiss, we would neglect our duty as politicians in this time and age, if we did not act upon science. What world would we then give to our children and grandchildren if we had just neglected science? I think that would be the real, horrible ideology.

Now, on the issue of the markets, yes, there are many things you can say about the market and where it doesn't function. But you cannot decarbonise our economy without putting a price on carbon. The one instrument that has worked extremely well and is being copied, by the way, by other parts of the world is the European emissions trading scheme, which has used market elements to put a price on carbon and created a market that is working better and better to decarbonise our economy and to give certainty to economic actors in the long term. So don't dismiss the market outright, then you're also in the domain of ideology.

I would also like to take issue with those who said Europe didn't pay up. If you look at the adaptation fund, if you look at the USD 100 billion, Europe did pay up; we did do our part. We have not been able to convince others to do their part. There's still a lot of work to do there, but I don't think Europe should blame itself for not doing its part. With the USD 27 billion we have contributed, we do more than our fair share for that. I am more than willing to defend doing more, but we should also step up our efforts to convince the Americans, the Chinese and others to take more of their responsibility, and to convince some of the Gulf States, which are still saying they are developing countries, to do more in that area. So let's continue to work on that.

All in all, Madam President, there is a lot of work to do. I share partly the disappointment of this House in terms of what we did, what we couldn't achieve on emissions. I do want to insist on the peaking out. I do want to insist on the end, on the phasing out, of fossil fuels – things we need to work on. But I do say that Europe has given the example by having a plan, by being concrete on where we want to go, and in that way we can perhaps convince more and more other developed countries in the Global North to do the same.

We saw it with many countries in the Global North that are following our example. Now, in the alliance, we could forge ahead with the most vulnerable countries in the Global South. We can also demonstrate that we mean business to make sure that those who are most vulnerable, who have no responsibility for where we are now, but are suffering in such a way that they cannot afford to address, should see help coming from us, support coming from us, and the understanding that we're in this together.

Puhemies. – Keskustelu on päättynyt.

Kirjalliset lausumat (171 artikla)

Daniel Buda (PPE),
  în scris. – Timp de două săptămâni, actori politici și organizații interguvernamentale au încercat să găsească soluții la una dintre cele mai acute probleme contemporane-încălzirea globală.

Uniunea Europeană a declarat că va sprijini unul dintre cele mai dificile puncte de pe ordinea de zi, finanțarea țărilor afectate de dezastrele provocate de climă.

Este nevoie, în primul rând, de asistența financiară, tehnologică și de consolidare a capacităților de care au nevoie țările cele mai vulnerabile pentru a-și reduce emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră și pentru a se adapta la efectele inevitabile ale schimbărilor climatice.

Este nevoie parteneriate concrete pentru atenuarea schimbărilor climatice și mai multă solidaritate cu țările cele mai afectate.

Dar, în același timp, această tranziție trebuie să țină cont realitățile actuale. Deciziile trebuie să fie ancorate în realitate, fără a afecta capacitățile de producție sau locurile de muncă. Cu alte cuvinte, este nevoie de o tranziție justă.

15.   A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas (debate)

Puhemies. – Esityslistalla on seuraavana Isabel Carvalhaisin maatalouden ja maaseudun kehittämisen valiokunnan puolesta laatima mietintö EU:n pitkän aikavälin maaseutuvisiosta (2021/2254(INI)) (A9-0269/2022).

Isabel Carvalhais,
  Rapporteur. – Senhora Presidente, Caros Colegas, eu entendo as zonas rurais como decisivas na resposta aos grandes desafios societais que enfrentamos, em particular, nestes tempos difíceis, com uma guerra em curso na Ucrânia infligida pela Rússia e ainda com as consequências da pandemia. O futuro das zonas rurais, que se estendem por 80% do território da União Europeia, é, mais do que nunca, da maior relevância para a segurança alimentar da Europa e para o sucesso do Pacto Ecológico Europeu.

Mas, mais do que isto, é sobretudo o imperativo ético e político que os homens, as mulheres, as crianças, os jovens, os idosos, enfim, todas as pessoas que vivem no mundo rural, tenham condições iguais às de qualquer outro cidadão da União Europeia para poder fazer pleno uso da sua cidadania.

Por isso, Caros Colegas, há que fazer muito mais e melhor, porque aquilo que temos visto é mais do que insuficiente. Já disse aqui noutros momentos que a comunicação da Comissão Europeia sobre a visão a longo prazo para as zonas rurais da União Europeia é muito bem-vinda, mas que não posso deixar de lamentar que a sua apresentação tenha sido tão tardia, precisamente numa fase já avançada da programação dos principais instrumentos do Quadro Financeiro Plurianual, em particular os ligados à política de coesão e à política agrícola de desenvolvimento rural. Lamento também a falta de explicitação de metas concretas a atingir.

O pacto rural, o mecanismo rural proofing, o observatório rural e o plano de ação são iniciativas muito positivas, mas que precisam agora de ser materializadas, contando com metas claras de concretização. São também precisas já ações mais imediatas, porque as áreas rurais, Caros Colegas, não podem esperar.

A Comissão deve assegurar, desde logo, que a dimensão territorial rural seja devidamente contemplada no desenho da ação legislativa e deve avaliar anualmente a sua aplicação e impacto nos planos estratégicos da PAC, nos programas da Política de Coesão e nos Planos de Recuperação e Resiliência. Em paralelo, todas as políticas e fundos da União Europeia, tanto em regime de gestão partilhada como em regime de gestão direta, devem ser chamados a contribuir para o desenvolvimento das zonas rurais. A Comissão deve ainda adotar medidas legislativas e não legislativas, de forma a melhorar a eficácia das políticas atuais, trabalhando, por exemplo, na remoção dos obstáculos que persistem na abordagem aos multifundos e ajudando a desenvolver abordagens mais integrativas nas áreas rurais, assim como na melhoria das sinergias e da coordenação entre os instrumentos de financiamento da União Europeia e entre estes e os instrumentos nacionais.

Pedimos também que sejam adotadas rapidamente medidas legislativas que permitam, por exemplo, o alargamento da abordagem do fundo principal às intervenções cofinanciadas por mais do que um fundo de gestão partilhada e a simplificação da sua aplicação, assim como a possibilidade de transferência de recursos financeiros entre todos os fundos de gestão partilhada quando, e apenas quando, vise a concretização de estratégias territoriais rurais concretas, algo que neste momento não é possível. Simultaneamente, os Estados-Membros devem também atender aos desafios específicos das suas zonas rurais durante a execução dos atuais programas do Quadro Financeiro Plurianual. Devem, muito em particular, disponibilizar os investimentos necessários para a inclusão social, para a criação de emprego, para a promoção da competitividade da economia rural e para estimular uma transição digital e ecológica que seja realmente justa. Devem também fomentar o princípio de parceria, ultrapassando as resistências que ainda existem a este nível, assim como o envolvimento mais forte dos agentes locais na construção de soluções adaptadas às suas comunidades.

Esta é também a hora de começar a refletir sobre o próximo período de programação e sobre a criação de um contexto que garanta a prosperidade e o bem-estar para as nossas comunidades rurais. A visão de longo prazo para as zonas rurais deve evoluir no sentido de se tornar uma verdadeira estratégia rural a nível da União Europeia, que inclua todas as diferentes políticas que relevam para a sua concretização, de modo a ser totalmente integrada em futuros períodos de programação.

Senhora Presidente, Caros Colegas, é este o momento de enviar uma mensagem clara e consequente às zonas rurais de toda a Europa de que queremos ser parte ativa na defesa das suas comunidades e na revitalização dos seus territórios, de que estamos genuinamente empenhados não apenas em proclamá-lo, mas efetivamente em fazê-lo.

Krzysztof Hetman,
  autor projektu opinii Komisji Rozwoju Regionalnego. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Pani Komisarz! Szanowni Państwo! Obszary wiejskie to aż 30% mieszkańców Wspólnoty, którzy niestety w dalszym ciągu borykają się z wieloma problemami. Brak dostępu do podstawowych usług, połączeń drogowych i odpowiedniej komunikacji, wykluczenie cyfrowe czy utrudniony dostęp do edukacji to tylko niektóre z nich. Prowadzą one też zresztą do kolejnego bardzo niebezpiecznego zjawiska, jakim jest depopulacja obszarów wiejskich. Aby zaradzić tym problemom, potrzebujemy jasnej strategii i spójnych działań na poziomie Unii Europejskiej.

Natomiast namawiałbym wszystkich do tego, aby zmienić paradygmat myślenia o wsparciu obszarów wiejskich, bo my przez ostatnie lata, wiele lat, ciągle podejmujemy działania i zastanawiamy się, w jaki sposób zatrzymać ludzi na tych obszarach wiejskich. A ja uważam, że trzeba zmienić całkowicie sposób myślenia i zastanowić się, jak namówić choć jedną osobę do tego, żeby wróciła na te obszary wiejskie, bądź namówić nowe osoby, aby chciały zamieszkać na tych obszarach wiejskich. Ponieważ jedna taka namówiona osoba, która powróci na obszary wiejskie, będzie warta dziesięciu osób, które będą chciały tam zostać. I to będzie najlepszy dowód na to, że nasze polityki przynoszą efekt i sukces. Tak że odwagi w myśleniu.

Dubravka Šuica,
  Vice-President of the Commission. – Madam President, I want to thank honourable Member, Isabel Carvalhais. Your work, and that of the co-rapporteurs and Members of this House demonstrates the importance of the long-term vision and the added value of the Rural Pact. Your report welcomes the Rural Vision as a valuable opportunity for coordinated and reinforced actions on rural areas. The Commission is committed to ensuring that rural areas remain high on the European Union's political agenda. Both Commission and Parliament are aligned on the challenges and opportunities that rural areas face in the green and digital transitions.

Without forgetting that there is another crucial transition underway, the demographic transition, that perhaps is more gradual but no less significant in the long run. The purpose of this vision is to make rural areas more prosperous, better connected, more dynamic, more attractive places for people to live and work in, while preserving their essential character.

Food security is a key concern right now. Linked to this is the issue of food waste. It is the first topic for deliberation in the new generation of European citizens panels inspired by the Conference on the Future of Europe. The climate and biodiversity crisis and our food security objectives all remind us how vital rural areas and farmers are to our food security. Essentially, they help guarantee an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable production.

I welcome your clear messages on the need to improve the basic services and to address the growing discontent among rural populations. This is key to our economy, our society and our democracy. We must continue the dialogue within the Rural Pact framework on how to improve the representation of rural people at all levels of governance. I understand your concerns when it comes to ensuring European Union funds and policies complement one another in their bid to support rural areas in the years to come.

I welcome the points on Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. We will thoroughly study the rapporteur's proposal on the synergies and multi-fund approach. There is a common understanding on the need for improvement. We will also carefully analyse your proposal for the future beyond 2027. Around EUR 100 billion from the European Agricultural Fund for the rural development budget were made available to fund the rural development programmes in the 2014-2020 period. In cohesion policy, EUR 33 billion for plans for investments in rural areas.

The Commission works to ensure positive outcomes for rural areas in both the cohesion policy operational programmes and the common agricultural policy strategic plans in the programming exercise for 2021-2027. By mid-2023 we will take stock of how they have been programmed for this new period, and in early 2024 we will issue a report on enhanced support to rural areas in the future based on the implementation of the European Union Rural Action Plan. Over the last year and a half we have made significant progress on the 30 actions in the plan. These cover many aspects highlighted in your report. We will propose a set of indicators to follow up the plan and envision implementation by mid-2023. Then we will also take stock of what actions have been carried out and programmed, as I already mentioned.

On rural proofing, we started to pilot our rural proofing mechanism with some promising results. I give you the example of the European Care Strategy and the new urban mobility framework. We are also on track to deliver the first products of the toolkit for European Union funds for rural areas. This tool will inspire local authorities and stakeholders to make use of the European Union funding and capacity building opportunities. We also welcome your support for the EU Rural Observatory, which went live on 8 December. This is a major milestone. I want to mention the rural package because European Parliament is a key partner in this process.

Indeed, our shared goals of the vision can only be achieved together. You call on the Commission to maintain a direct and structured dialogue with the various levels of governance. This is the very objective of the Rural Pact and it has the ambition to gather all actors playing a role for the rural areas. Since last year, 1200 people have joined the rural pact community and close to 80 have submitted commitments to act.

To conclude, I look forward to the exchange this evening and to the plenary vote on the report that Member of Parliament Isabel Carvalhais has championed and to continuing the fruitful collaboration with the honourable Members of this House on making the rural vision a reality, leaving no one and nowhere behind.

Franc Bogovič,
  v imenu skupine PPE. – Gospa predsedujoča, spoštovana komisarka, cenjena poročevalka, veseli me, da lahko obravnavamo dolgoročno vizijo razvoja podeželja.

Vizijo, s katero pravzaprav zaokrožujemo cilje, ki smo jih vse od leta 2016 že zapisali tudi v koncept pametnih vasi, se pravi rešiti problem depopulacije, na eni strani odhajanja mladih s podeželja, po drugi strani staranja ljudi.

Prav tako pa zagotoviti vso potrebno infrastrukturo, vključno s širokopasovnimi povezavami, ki so se pokazale predvsem v covidu kot neobhodne tudi na podeželju, da bo podeželje omogočilo možnosti za nova delovna mesta, hkrati pa tudi za kvalitetno življenje.

Kmetijstvo je osnovna dejavnost. Tudi tu so potrebni novi prijemi v okviru preciznega kmetijstva. Kmetijstvo je pokazalo, da je odporno tudi v času covida.

Po drugi strani pa kmetijstvu je treba dodati tudi turizem, energetski sektor, skrb za starejše, e-zdravje na podeželju in na takšen način bomo storili to, kar želimo – okrepiti podeželje.

Zato moramo zagotoviti financiranje iz različnih virov. Skrbeti morajo za to vse ravni, od lokalne do evropske. Vsekakor pa mora to v bodoče postati skupna politika, kajti brez politike razvoja podeželja bo podeželje trpelo podobne težave, kot je v preteklosti. Razvoj podeželja mora postati javna politika.

Clara Aguilera,
  en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señora presidenta, quiero, en primer lugar, felicitar a mi colega Isabel Carvalhais y a todos los ponentes alternativos por el magnífico trabajo que han realizado. La prueba es que no hay ni una sola enmienda, porque se ha realizado un gran esfuerzo y trabajo. Felicidades, Isabel.

Ahora necesitamos compromisos. Están los acuerdos, está este informe brillante y, ahora, necesitamos compromisos. Necesitamos un compromiso firme por parte de la Unión Europea para frenar la brecha generacional, la brecha digital y la brecha de género que se dan en las zonas rurales europeas.

Señorías, el 83 % del territorio solo está ocupado por el 30 % de la población. A pesar de que llevamos más de tres décadas haciendo políticas de desarrollo de las zonas rurales, estas no han tenido el resultado esperado. Por tanto, a pesar de esos más de treinta años, hay que tomar nuevas medidas y hay que adoptar un enfoque global sobre las políticas a nivel de la Unión Europea.

También han disminuido las explotaciones agrarias en un 35 % en las últimas dos décadas, y eso ha tenido también su incidencia. Hay un creciente descontento en la población de las zonas rurales por la política. Porque no se toma en serio esta política. Se hace, a veces, con una visión demasiado sectorial, desde la agricultura. Las zonas rurales necesitan una visión integral y horizontal, no sectorial.

Y, por tanto, mientras esto no lo tengamos claro, no abordaremos lo que necesitan estas zonas rurales: igualdad de acceso a servicios y garantía de las condiciones de vida. La gente quiere elegir donde vive, pero con las mismas condiciones en las zonas urbanas o en las zonas rurales.

También quiero felicitar a los grupos que han participado en la iniciativa LEADER, que han hecho un magnífico trabajo en estos treinta años. Señora comisaria, toca pasar a la acción. Sumemos todos y hagamos una política integral para evitar esta despoblación rural.

Jérémy Decerle,
  au nom du groupe Renew. – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, loin des affaires qui secouent fortement notre Parlement, les zones rurales représentent plus de 80 % des territoires européens. Des territoires qui se sentent souvent, à tort ou à raison, un peu oubliés.

Avec ce rapport, je suis fier que le Parlement leur adresse un message sérieux, complet, éclairé et bien travaillé. J'espère surtout que la Commission nous entendra et qu'elle transformera l'essai de sa communication de juin 2021. J'espère que nous avancerons sur l'observatoire et la définition des zones rurales fonctionnelles, que nous appliquerons le principe du ‘réflexe ruralité’ à l'ensemble des politiques européennes et que nous rendrons nos fonds et nos accompagnements financiers plus efficaces.

Nous avons besoin de redonner de la visibilité à nos campagnes, de les rendre plus attrayantes et d'enrayer la chute démographique – dans le domaine de l'agriculture, bien sûr, mais aussi au-delà. Il y a d'ailleurs des signaux encourageants dans certaines régions européennes, que nous pourrions multiplier en collaborant davantage avec les acteurs de terrain.

Bruxelles ne construira pas seule l'avenir des zones rurales. Nous devons soigner et accompagner de façon complète et adaptée ces zones qui jouent tant de rôles, à commencer par celui de fournir la quasi-totalité de notre alimentation.

J'espère que les États membres, mais aussi les régions, pourront continuer à agir, à se coordonner et à mettre en œuvre leurs programmes respectifs: c'est là un grand enjeu pour l'équilibre de notre Europe. Merci encore à notre rapporteure, Isabel Carvalhais. Je pense qu'il faut approuver ce texte dans son intégralité, y compris, donc, le paragraphe sur les prédateurs.

Thomas Waitz,
  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Commissioner, indeed, we have to face reality. We have rural areas where families leave the rural areas because there's a lack of public transport, there's a lack of internet connectivity to work from home, there's a lack of kindergartens, there's a lack of schools, there's a lack of retailers. And we see less and less public officers or police stations.

There are more and more farmers actually closing their businesses: hundreds every day. And it's mainly small and medium-sized farmers – the ones that mainly produce ecological, viable food – who mainly drive a kind of agriculture that fits with biodiversity and climate. These farmers are leaving rural areas in big numbers and they are the ones providing us with the daily food that we need.

So clearly we don't need just a vision or a plan or a long-term vision. We need concrete action so as not to treat citizens in rural areas as second-class citizens in our European Union.

But I call on my conservative colleagues again: we stand together in this report and we stand together in these claims. But once again you have inserted your shoot-the-wolf paragraph, or reduce the, yes, protection status. And with this once again, like last time when we had the six-party agreement, you are doing your best to split the majority here in Parliament. And you know that an INI report will only be powerful if it's shared by a big majority here. So please withdraw that article so we can all stand together, because the wolf clearly is not responsible for the failures of many of your colleagues in the last decades when it comes to rural areas. So let's fix that and let's have a big majority in favour of this wonderful report, thanks to Madam Carvalhais.

Elena Lizzi,
  a nome del gruppo ID. –Signora Presidente, signora Commissaria, onorevoli colleghi, ringrazio la relatrice Carvalhais e tutti i colleghi per i compromessi raggiunti, nonostante le nostre proposte non siano state incluse.

Le aree rurali rappresentano sicuramente una grande opportunità, sia per i nostri giovani, che vogliono riscoprire il valore della terra, sia per coloro che devono inventarsi o reinventarsi, giocoforza, una nuova vita, e di conseguenza un nuovo lavoro, a causa degli eventi che in questi ultimi anni ci hanno investito.

La ricerca di lavoro e l'opportunità di creare un substrato economico nelle aree limitrofe dei nostri paesi devono essere ai primi posti degli obiettivi politici. Le zone rurali nell'Unione europea ospitano circa il 30 % della popolazione, eppure coprono circa l'80 % della superficie complessiva dell'Unione europea.

Data la grandezza in termini di superficie, esse devono essere valorizzate e si devono implementare politiche che attraggano le persone, garantendo ad esse gli stessi servizi e le stesse occasioni delle aree urbane che sono al momento, dal punto di vista professionale, più attrattive.

Per questo bisogna puntare anche su innovazione e ricerca per rendere queste aree più accoglienti, anche con l'aiuto prezioso delle università e degli enti locali che più di tutti hanno il polso della vita reale in queste zone.

Come Lega e come gruppo ID sosteniamo tutti gli sforzi messi in atto per difendere le regioni rurali italiane ed europee, ma dobbiamo garantire che queste popolazioni, e soprattutto i nostri agricoltori, siano protetti anche dalle nuove insidie, come i grandi carnivori ad esempio.

Chi vuole creare un'impresa deve aver garantito il diritto di salvaguardarla. Per questo motivo riteniamo che ci voglia una maggiore presa di posizione, poiché i grandi carnivori hanno un impatto sulla redditività dell'agricoltura, in particolare in terreni agricoli a gestione estensiva, e crediamo che sia necessario garantire una coesistenza equilibrata tra gli esseri umani e questi predatori delle zone rurali.

Nel complesso riteniamo che il testo sia abbastanza equilibrato, ma avremmo voluto ottenere di più, non ci avete ascoltato. Avete sbagliato e non solo in questa occasione.

Zbigniew Kuźmiuk,
  w imieniu grupy ECR. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Pani Komisarz! Na początku chciałbym podziękować pani sprawozdawczyni i kolegom kontrsprawozdawcom za znakomitą współpracę w duchu kompromisu i podobnie rozumianych interesów wsi i obszarów wiejskich. To dlatego to sprawozdanie nie ma poprawek i w całości zostanie dużą większością pewnie przyjęte na tej sali. Dla mnie jako reprezentanta grupy ECR priorytetem było podkreślenie w strategii, że podstawową rolą obszarów wiejskich jest gospodarka rolna ukierunkowana na produkcję żywności oraz że produkcja ta musi być opłacalna dla rolników i zapewniać godny byt im i ich rodzinom. Na nic zdadzą się jakiekolwiek strategie, jeżeli praca na roli nie będzie atrakcyjna pod względem ekonomicznym, szczególnie dla młodego pokolenia, które dzisiaj ucieka ze wsi do miasta, szukając tam dla siebie lepszego życia.

Nasze sprawozdanie zresztą dobrze diagnozuje tę sytuację, podkreślając, że w ciągu dziesięciu ostatnich lat w Europie zniknęło 3 miliony gospodarstw. Ten proces niestety trwa, choć teraz już z mniejszą intensywnością. Na uwagę zasługuje również fakt, że rozwój terenów wiejskich, a szczególnie budowa infrastruktury społecznej i technicznej, powinna być finansowana z Funduszu Spójności. Do tej pory tak nie było. Rzeczywiście te z trudem wyrwane, można powiedzieć, pieniądze na Wspólną Politykę Rolną, szczególnie z drugiego filaru, były przeznaczane bardzo często na infrastrukturę, a powinny być przeznaczane na wsparcie gospodarstw, na ich modernizację, na zwiększanie produkcji rolnej. Ponieważ zarówno komunikat Komisji, jak i prace nad sprawozdaniem w dużej mierze były prowadzone jeszcze przed wybuchem wojny, to dopiero ta wojna w Ukrainie i prowadzenie przez Rosję wojny hybrydowej pokazało, jak bardzo ważne jest bezpieczeństwo żywnościowe.

W związku z tym chciałbym podziękować panu komisarzowi Wojciechowskiemu za pilne działania, które rzeczywiście to bezpieczeństwo żywnościowe wzmacniają, między innymi za zawieszenie odłogowania gruntów czy też sprzeciw wobec propozycji redukcji zużycia pestycydów o 50% dla wszystkich państw członkowskich, co jest przecież rozwiązaniem pozbawionym sensu.

Eugenia Rodríguez Palop,
  en nombre del Grupo The Left. – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, en Europa hay 137 millones de personas viviendo en zonas rurales, el 30 % de nuestra población. Gracias a esa gente comemos, bebemos y respiramos. Todos nosotros nos sostenemos sobre sus hombros. Sin ellos no hay soberanía alimentaria, ni autonomía energética, ni lucha contra el cambio climático. Sin ellos no hay nada. Da igual lo que programemos aquí.

Sin embargo, la brecha territorial que sufren es tremenda: carencia de servicios públicos, desde saneamiento hasta colegios o centros de salud; brecha digital; brecha de género; falta de movilidad; malas condiciones de trabajo y falta de ingresos. Todo lo que ellos producen lo pagan finalmente más caro. A eso hay que sumar los retos que vienen afrontando ya desde hace décadas: desertificación, despoblación y megaproyectos que acaparan tierras, chupan recursos y generan residuos.

Yo soy de Llerena, un pueblo al sur de Badajoz, en España. Un lugar pequeño en el que se pelea a diario por mantener abierto un hospital comarcal. Hay otros pueblos similares que se levantan contra gigantes vertederos, minas a cielo abierto, megaparques solares en tierras fértiles o desecación de sus pantanos. A eso le llaman inversión. Soportamos en pie los continuos delirios de grandeza que se gestan en grandes urbes y en despachos como estos.

Delirios ecocidas, homicidas y suicidas. Porque es irracional, además de injusto, despreciar a quienes pisan la tierra, cultivan lo que comemos, mantienen nuestros acuíferos y cuidan nuestras raíces. Ya es hora de reconocer al campo lo que hace por nosotros, de ponerlo en valor y pagarlo. Deberíamos darle las gracias sólo por existir, por ser, por estar y, sobre todo, por resistir. De su supervivencia depende la nuestra. Hoy hemos dado un paso.

Dino Giarrusso (NI). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, le aree rurali costituiscono un aspetto essenziale dello stile di vita europeo e sono fondamentali per il funzionamento economico, sociale e ambientale della nostra società. Ospitano ben 137 milioni di persone.

Nonostante i loro punti di forza le zone rurali, in particolare quelle remote e meno sviluppate e ve ne sono tante in Sicilia e in Sardegna, si trovano ad affrontare sfide significative e difficili da vincere se non verranno adeguatamente supportate.

Per questo il Green Deal europeo deve aprire nuove opportunità, in particolare per quel che riguarda la transizione verso un'economia a basse emissioni di carbonio.

Valorizziamo queste aree così importanti nell'assicurare la nostra produzione e la nostra autonomia alimentare, salvaguardando le nostre risorse naturali, i nostri paesaggi e la nostra biodiversità, nonché il nostro patrimonio culturale.

Bene dunque che vi sia un piano d'azione rurale, ma attenzione a non lasciarlo isolato come un totem. Al contrario, lo sviluppo delle aree rurali va armonizzato a quello delle aree urbane, per le quali è indispensabile.

Herbert Dorfmann (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin, Frau Kommissarin, Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Ländliche Räume sind Lebensräume für Menschen. Und diese Menschen, die dort leben, haben jedes Recht auf Lebensqualität, die zwar anders sein mag als in den Städten, aber eben nicht schlechter sein darf. Menschen in ländlichen Räumen haben Recht auf Gesundheitsversorgung, sie haben Recht auf sichere Straßen, auf öffentlichen Verkehr, auf schnelles Internet, auf Kinderhorte, Schulen, auf Altersheime und vieles mehr.

Menschen in ländlichen Räumen haben auch das Recht und wahrscheinlich auch die Pflicht, Wirtschaft zu betreiben. Nur wenn Bäuerinnen und Bauern und KMU im ländlichen Raum da sind, dann gibt es dort auch Arbeitsplätze. Und ohne Arbeitsplätze gibt es keine Familien im ländlichen Raum. Deshalb muss es aufhören, dass Menschen aus Städten tagtäglich den Menschen im ländlichen Raum sagen, was sie tun und was sie eben nicht tun dürfen. Ländliche Räume brauchen keine von anderen beschlossene Käseglocken, unter denen oft jede unternehmerische Idee erstickt.

Gut auch, dass wir in Zusammenhang mit diesem Bericht die Situation mit den großen Beutegreifern ansprechen. Viele huldigen einer vollkommen falsch verstandenen Idee von Biodiversität und akzeptieren oder begrüßen sogar, dass Wölfe und Bären durch unsere Dörfer spazieren und dort Nutztiere reißen. Wir brauchen auch hier Antworten. Wenn der Text morgen so verabschiedet wird, wie wir ihn im Ausschuss vorbereitet haben, dann ist das eine Antwort. Ländliche Räume bleiben mit vital, wenn Menschen bereit sind und die Chance haben, sie zu gestalten. Hoffentlich ist dieser Bericht ein guter Schritt dorthin.

Paolo De Castro (S&D). – Signora Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, le nostre aree rurali sono custodi di tradizioni, sono custodi di cultura e capacità e rappresentano uno dei nuclei fondanti della società europea.

Per questo, come ha ben sottolineato la relatrice Carvalhais, che voglio ringraziare per l'ottimo lavoro svolto, accogliamo con favore gli impegni assunti dalla Commissione nella visione a lungo termine delle aree rurali.

Tuttavia, perché questi impegni si traducano in azioni concrete, serve un cambio di passo nelle politiche dell'Unione per lo sviluppo dei territori interni, accompagnato da un maggior supporto per un'agricoltura sempre più sostenibile sul piano sociale, ambientale ed economico.

In questo senso stiamo lavorando per potenziare tutti gli strumenti, quali le indicazioni geografiche, fondamentali per lo sviluppo e la tenuta sociale del nostro territorio rurale.

Al contempo ci opporremo a quelle misure, come la direttiva sulle emissioni, che mettono a repentaglio la zootecnia, nonostante questa coinvolga pascoli di elevato valore ambientale e razze a rischio di estinzione, garantendo reddito e vitalità proprio nelle zone remote e montuose.

Serve, caro Commissario, un maggior coordinamento tra politiche di coesione, politica agricola comune, NextGenerationEU e tutti gli strumenti necessari a trasformare la strategia per le nostre aree rurali in un successo per lo sviluppo rurale, con territori più prosperi, resilienti e integrati.

PRESIDENZA DELL'ON. PINA PICIERNO

Vicepresidente

Mauri Pekkarinen (Renew). – Arvoisa puhemies, menestyäkseen EU:n maaseudun on kyettävä tarjoamaan työtä, palveluja ja toimiva infrastruktuuri. Esittelijä on käsitellyt ansiokkaasti näitä asioita. Modernin maaseudun ehto on, että se on kytketty kiinteillä laajakaistayhteyksillä digitaalisiin palveluverkkoihin. EU:n tilintarkastustuomioistuimen kertomus muutaman vuoden takaa osoittaa, että tämä ehto ei täyty läheskään koko EU:n alueella. Tämä pitää paikkansa myös omassa kotimaassani Suomessa. Alueilla, joilla laajakaistayhteydet eivät toimi kunnolla, ei EU:n yhteiselle koheesiopolitiikalle ole todellisia edellytyksiä. EU:n tulisikin edellyttää, että koheesiorahoituksen myöntämisen ehto alueelle on se, että jäsenvaltiot huolehtivat toimivat laajakaistayhteydet maaseudulle. Ilman niitä ei koheesiopolitiikalta voida odottaa kunnollisia tuloksia.

Maaseudun kehittämisen rahoitus saadaan yhteisen maatalouspolitiikan kakkospilarista, toisin sanoen Euroopan maaseudun kehittämisen maatalousrahastosta. Rahoituksen siirtäminen koheesiovarojen tai aluekehityksen säännösten puolelle ei olisi järkevää eikä kustannustehokasta. Pelkona on myös, että raha ohjautuisi muihin kuin maaseudun kehittämisen hankkeisiin koheesiopuolelle.

Gilles Lebreton (ID). – Madame la Présidente, chers collègues, le rapport qui nous est présenté aujourd'hui dresse un juste constat: les zones rurales connaissent un déclin préoccupant; elles sont désertées par les services publics et délaissées par les jeunes générations. Symptôme de cette désaffection, la disparition attendue de 62 % des exploitations agricoles d'ici 2040 est dramatique, car elle est une menace directe pour notre autonomie alimentaire. Les solutions qui nous sont proposées témoignent d'une vision malheureusement idéologique du problème.

Le rapport souhaite développer de nouvelles sources de revenus pour les zones rurales, parmi lesquelles la production d'énergies renouvelables. J'estime qu'il nous appartient de protéger la richesse inégalable que constitue notre patrimoine agricole avant de nous disperser dans des politiques énergétiques hasardeuses.

Il cherche ensuite à faire plier les campagnes sous les assauts du pacte vert pour l'Europe et de sa stratégie ‘De la ferme à la fourchette’. Je conteste cet objectif de décroissance agricole, car il nous conduit dans une impasse économique et environnementale.

Il répond enfin à la désertification démographique par la protection des droits des migrants dans les campagnes. J'estime qu'il est impératif de protéger d'abord les droits des agriculteurs européens, victimes de la politique commerciale néfaste de Bruxelles.

Comble du cynisme: voici que la Commission nous annonce le doublement des importations de poulets du Chili, lesquelles s'ajouteront aux concessions en cours de négociation avec le Mexique et le Mercosur. L'agriculture n'est plus une variable d'ajustement des politiques européennes; elle en est carrément devenue le martyr.

La redynamisation des zones rurales ne passera pas par un énième organe européen de contrôle, qui décidera à la place des États membres, et encore moins par une intensification de la politique libre-échangiste de Bruxelles. La solution est avant tout agricole. Ne perdons pas de vue le vrai sujet: faire confiance à nos agriculteurs pour relever les défis qui nous attendent et leur assurer enfin un revenu décent.

Bert-Jan Ruissen (ECR). – Voorzitter, commissaris, collega's, we spreken vandaag over het belang van een sterk en veerkrachtig landelijk gebied. Een langetermijnperspectief voor de boeren is broodnodig. Het verslag legt daarbij de vinger bij een zorgwekkende ontwikkeling, namelijk de groeiende kloof tussen stad en platteland.

Ik zie echter nog een andere kloof, namelijk de kloof tussen beleidsmakers en boeren. Overheidsbeleid dat soms mijlenver afstaat van de realiteit. Een duidelijke uiting daarvan zagen we in mijn eigen land, in Nederland, met massale boerendemonstraties en omgekeerde vlaggen. Het beleid van de Nederlandse overheid zet de toekomst van duizenden boerenbedrijven op losse schroeven, met alle gevolgen van dien, ook voor de leefbaarheid op het platteland.

Hoe lossen we dit op? Richting de toekomst zie ik veel in het voorstel van de rapporteur om nieuwe regels te onderwerpen aan een plattelandstoets. Dat kan nieuwe crisissituaties als gevolg van ondoordacht beleid voorkomen. Rond de stikstofcrisis in Nederland zie ik maar één oplossing: terugkomen op verkeerde beleidskeuzes uit het verleden en samen met boeren zoeken naar oplossingen.

Wat nodig is, is een langetermijnperspectief en zekerheid. Zekerheid dat het boerenbedrijf, dat vaak van generatie op generatie is doorgegeven, kan blijven bestaan. Zekerheid om investeringen te kunnen doen die nodig zijn voor een duurzame toekomst. Want één ding is zeker: zolang er boeren zijn, is er voedsel en is er ook leven op het platteland. Laten we er tijdig de waarde van inzien.

Norbert Lins (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin, Frau Kommissarin, Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Stronger, connected, resilient, prosperous: Das sind die Schlagworte der Kommission auf ihrer am Freitag veröffentlichten neuen Internetseite zum Thema ‘Ländliche Räume’.

Es freut mich, dass die Kommission diese Herausforderungen erkannt hat. Für mich ist entscheidend bei dieser Diskussion, welchen Platz in der Gesellschaft und welche Akzeptanz die ländlichen Räume haben. Es darf hier keine Klassengesellschaften geben. Die ländlichen Räume müssen unterstützt werden, sie müssen Schritt halten können vor dem Hintergrund des Klimawandels, der sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Herausforderungen. Die wichtigsten Themen müssen angesprochen werden. Es geht um Verkehrsplanung, Mobilität, Schule, Bildung, Demografie, Daseinsvorsorge, Breitbandausbau, gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt und bürgerliches Engagement.

Und deswegen danke ich der Kollegin Carvalhais für den sehr guten Bericht – insbesondere auch dafür, dass das Thema Beutegreifer aufgegriffen worden ist. Auch das ist ein wichtiger Teil, dass die ländlichen Räume geschützt sind und dass im ländlichen Raum gewirtschaftet werden kann. Auch das gehört zur Akzeptanz und zum Leben in den ländlichen Räumen dazu.

Carmen Avram (S&D). – Doamna președintă, această dezbatere nu este despre sate izolate, probleme ale fermierilor și o viziune romantică privind viața la țară. Această dezbatere este despre 30 % din populația Uniunii Europene, peste 80 % din teritoriul său și o problemă urgentă de care depinde viitorul statelor membre.

De exemplu, în țara mea, 45 % din populație trăiește la sat, cea mai mare pondere din Uniunea Europeană. Dar situația, atât în România, cât și în restul Uniunii, e dramatică. Programele de finanțare actuale sunt bune pe hârtie, însă inutile pe teren. De aceea avem statistici recente care arată că peste jumătate din cetățenii europeni din rural se consideră ignorați de Bruxelles. De aceea avem un exod continuu de la sat la oraș. De aceea, cei care încă mai sunt acolo nu văd decât două soluții: fie părăsirea completă a satelor noastre, fie îndepărtarea de valorile europene.

În vremuri de crize multiple, de asalt asupra Europei și de schimbări geopolitice cu final impredictibil, pur și simplu nu ne putem permite să aruncăm în uitare aproape o treime din cetățenii europeni, și mai ales pe acei oameni care ne asigură hrana și ne păstrează tradițiile și mediul înconjurător.

Raportul colegei mele, Isabel Carvalhais, pe care o felicit, vine cu măsuri bune și concrete: fonduri suplimentare pentru infrastructura rutieră, spitale, școli și conexiune la internet de mare viteză, eliminarea birocrației și o mai mare implicare a autorităților locale, bani pentru atragerea tinerilor în zona rurală. Toate acestea, puse în practică și finanțate din viitorul buget multianual al Uniunii Europene. Asta trebuie să facem dacă mai vrem să avem o zonă rurală și după 2027.

Irène Tolleret (Renew). – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, merci et tout d'abord, félicitations à Isabel Carvalhais et à l'ensemble des rapporteurs fictifs pour la qualité de ce rapport. J'ai la ruralité heureuse et j'ai la ruralité conquérante, car je crois que les zones rurales sont l'endroit où nous avons les solutions pour le pacte vert pour l'Europe, entre autres grâce à la transition numérique et à la vision à long terme pour les zones rurales, qui nous permet d'avoir la feuille de route pour construire une Europe rurale plus forte, mieux connectée et plus résiliente.

L'Europe rurale est aussi le milieu où des initiatives vertueuses comme le programme Leader se développent. C'est grâce à ce programme que nous réalisons l'Europe de la proximité et l'Europe des citoyens engagée. La ruralité y est le milieu de l'innovation sociale: les différents acteurs se rassemblent, les nouvelles idées sont stimulées et les nouveaux partenariats sont créés, avec une méthode participative qui engage la population locale. La nature participative de Leader et ses résultats brillants ont été à la base de ce nouvel élan pour la ruralité.

Il est donc indispensable de renforcer le programme Leader, d'assurer que les zones rurales reçoivent un pourcentage adéquat de fonds européens, étant donné qu'elles représentent 80 % du territoire de l'Union, et de développer un réflexe rural qui amène les décideurs politiques comme nous à intégrer la dimension rurale de manière transversale dans toutes les politiques publiques européennes et nationales.

Mathilde Androuët (ID). – Madame la Présidente, depuis des décennies, l'Union européenne s'efforce d'instaurer et de promouvoir le libre-échange et la mondialisation. Pour cela, elle a multiplié les traités de libre-échange, qui n'ont eu de cesse d'appauvrir notre agriculture et de dépecer notre industrie. L'appauvrissement de nos campagnes, qui ont été délaissées au profit de la ‘start-up nation’, selon les mots de notre président français, en est la conséquence directe. Sur le marché mondial, les produits agricoles et industriels français ou européens ne sont plus compétitifs.

C'est pourquoi nos campagnes ont été délaissées au profit de grandes métropoles. Les constats sont là: désertification des zones rurales, démographie catastrophique, fermeture des services publics et persistance de zones blanches. Or, ce sont des réalités largement imputables à la politique de l'Union européenne. Et que propose-t-elle pour y remédier? Un pacte rural, un test rural et un observatoire européen de la ruralité. Mais quels sont ces termes? Les ruraux européens ne sont pas des rats de laboratoire devant subir des tests et autres observations. Par ailleurs, la PAC et le Feader existent pour cela. J'en déduis donc qu'ils ne fonctionnent pas, puisque la Commission propose un nouveau pacte.

De plus, à l'heure où M. Macron envisage d'installer des populations entières de migrants dans nos campagnes si délaissées, la Commission pense sérieusement à faire reposer sa politique sur, je cite, ‘des communautés inclusives de solidarité intergénérationnelle, d'équité et de renouveau, ouvertes aux nouveaux arrivants et favorisant l'égalité des chances pour tous’. Ce sont des chimères.

Pour développer une saine vision des zones rurales, l'Union européenne devrait questionner l'ultralibéralisme et le mondialisme qui la caractérisent, au profit du protectionnisme intelligent et de la relocalisation des activités en ruralité.

Ladislav Ilčić (ECR). – Poštovana predsjedavajuća, poštovane dame i gospodo, podržavam ovo izvješće jer ide u dobrom smjeru. Naime, u Europskoj uniji na jednog poljoprivrednika mlađeg od 40 godina imamo tri starija od šezdeset i pet godina. Dakle, selo izumire. Između 2003. i 2016. broj poljoprivrednih gospodarstava smanjio se za 32%.

No, kad je selo dobro prometno povezano i infrastrukturalno opremljeno i kad ljudi mogu dobro živjeti od poljoprivrede ili drugog rada, tada je život na selu vrlo lijep, a stambeni prostor je značajno jeftiniji, što je izrazito važno za obitelji i demografiju. Zato moramo biti odlučniji i učinkovitiji u donošenju politika koje jačaju ruralni razvoj i domaću poljoprivrednu proizvodnju, a ne poticati uvoz lošije hrane upitnog podrijetla i punjenje džepova prekupaca i velikih korporacija. Bez prosperitetnog sela nema ni uspješnog grada. Nema zdrave, domaće hrane, nema uspješne države.

Daniel Buda (PPE). – Doamna președintă, aș dori în primul rând să felicit raportoarea pentru munca depusă și stimați colegi, cu toții suntem conștienți de importanța zonelor rurale, indiferent dacă vorbim de securitatea alimentară, de combaterea schimbărilor climatice ori de turism.

Cu toate acestea, politicile europene nu au reușit să dezvolte aceste zone, astfel încât astăzi doar 11 % din exploatațiile agricole din Uniunea Europeană sunt conduse de fermieri sub 40 de ani.

Investițiile în internetul cu bandă largă, în serviciile de alimentare cu apă, conectivitate rutieră, asistență medicală și educație sunt indispensabile. Doamna comisară, trebuie să fim conștienți de faptul că doar atunci când decalajul dintre urban și rural va fi eliminat, vom putea vorbi cu adevărat despre inversarea tendințelor demografice.

Sinergia fondurilor și consolidarea programului LEADER trebuie să fie dublate de reducerea birocrației în procesul de accesare a fondurilor europene.

Războiul din Ucraina ne-a demonstrat încă o dată importanța de a păstra capacitatea zonelor rurale de a furniza alimente de calitate și la prețuri accesibile.

Tocmai de aceea vreau să subliniez necesitatea ca politicile Comisiei Europene să fie ancorate în noile realități geopolitice.

Marcos Ros Sempere (S&D). – Señora presidenta, ¿cuál es el valor de una cultura? Las zonas rurales de la Unión Europea abarcan más del 80 % del territorio, pero acogen apenas a un tercio de sus habitantes. Miles de pueblos con diversas tradiciones y diversas formas de vida están en riesgo de desaparecer por despoblación.

Las instituciones europeas debemos garantizar su supervivencia. La política de cohesión de la Unión Europea debe impulsar el desarrollo de estas zonas. Los nuevos planes de movilidad tienen que acabar con el aislamiento de nuestros pueblos, aislamiento que, en ocasiones, está provocado por la falta de infraestructuras. Debemos garantizar una conectividad que posibilite el teletrabajo y debemos trabajar para implementar el Pacto Rural.

Pero también podemos utilizar el potencial de la política de cohesión para fijar población al territorio. Podemos ofrecer incentivos a las personas que decidan vivir en el mundo rural; impulsar un turismo sostenible que dé a conocer sus formas de vida; poner en valor un modo de vida sostenible que es respetuoso con nuestro planeta. No podemos permitir que tradiciones centenarias de nuestros pueblos rurales en toda Europa, que están en riesgo de despoblación, se pierdan por la inacción de las instituciones.

Tenemos que implicarnos. Necesitamos implicación a todos los niveles. Y la Unión Europea debe liderar esta implicación, porque el valor de una cultura es incalculable.

Martin Hojsík (Renew). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, strašenie vlkmi či medveďmi patrí do rozprávok, ako je tá o červenej čiapočke, alebo do krajín, kde sa piesok lial a voda sypala. Nie do 21. storočia. Zabíjanie zvierat dostalo mnohé druhy v Európe na pokraj vyhynutia. Medvede, vlky, rysy, zubry, bobry a mnohé ďalšie. Náš prístup k prírode bol dobyvateľský. Zotročiť, zoťať, zabiť. Tento prístup nás priviedol na pokraj masového vymierania druhov. Budeme medzi nimi aj my? Vidiek potrebuje progres, kvalitné školstvo, zdravotníctvo, dostupné dopravné spojenia, vysokorýchlostný internet, ale nie podrobovanie si prírody. Verím, že v treťom miléniu nepotrebujeme znova zabíjať dravce. Nemusíme si dokazovať prevahu a pokorovať iné formy života. Ak chceme prežiť, musíme sa naučiť spolu žiť, ako medzi ľuďmi, tak s inými formami života, napríklad s vlkmi a medveďmi. Aby naše deti nepoznali prírodu iba z rozprávok.

Denis Nesci (ECR). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, ritengo sia fondamentale che l'Unione europea e gli Stati membri mettano al centro delle loro politiche interventi mirati, attraverso il coinvolgimento degli enti locali, a valorizzare i territori delle aree rurali.

Crisi demografica, spopolamento, mancanza di infrastrutture e servizi digitali sono alcune delle criticità che si trovano ad affrontare, ma al tempo stesso questi territori sono un potenziale per tutta l'Unione. Penso alle sfide attuali, quali la crisi energetica e la sicurezza alimentare, ma anche rispetto ai settori strategici che incidono sul loro sviluppo economico.

Le comunicazioni della Commissione del 2021 rappresentano due importanti iniziative, alle quali però occorre dar seguito. A partire dall'implementazione delle politiche già esistenti, con la necessità di progetti integrati e complementari basati sui programmi della politica di coesione del Fondo europeo agricolo per lo sviluppo rurale e sui piani strategici nazionali nell'ambito della PAC e degli investimenti previsti dai piani nazionali per la ripresa e la resilienza.

Così come è utile che le strategie a livello europeo lanciate nell'ambito del Green Deal abbiano un approccio realistico e non ideologico, che coniughi sostenibilità economica e sostenibilità ambientale.

Anne Sander (PPE). – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, les zones rurales sont le cœur battant du territoire européen. Dans ma région, elles représentent 40 % de la population. Pourtant, ces territoires sont confrontés à des défis et à des difficultés majeurs, par exemple l'accès à des services, le développement des infrastructures, le renouvellement des générations ou encore l'accès à l'enseignement. Aujourd'hui encore, l'inflation, la précarité énergétique, le coût des carburants et le risque de délestage électrique pèsent plus fort encore sur nos zones rurales.

Ce sont pourtant elles qui pourront nous apporter une réponse aux défis majeurs auxquels nous devons faire face, que ce soit la sécurité alimentaire, l'indépendance énergétique ou, bien sûr, les enjeux environnementaux. Larges pourvoyeurs de richesses et d'emplois, les secteurs agricole et sylvicole doivent demeurer au centre de ces territoires.

Je voudrais saluer le mécanisme de test pour les zones rurales qui doit être mis en place, parce qu'en évaluant les nouvelles politiques et leurs effets sur ces zones rurales, nous éviterons, je l'espère, que ces dernières soient lésées par des politiques mises en place de manière négative. C'est un vrai enjeu pour l'ensemble de l'Europe.

Dacian Cioloș (Renew). – Doamna președintă, zonele rurale și-au dovedit reziliența atât în timpul pandemiei de COVID-19, cât și acum, de când Ucraina este atacată de Rusia, au dovedit că pot asigura aprovizionarea cu alimente, mai ales prin lanțuri scurte.

Cu toate acestea, zonele rurale continuă să aibă probleme structurale mari. E nevoie în continuare de investiții atât în infrastructura de bază, dar și în servicii publice, mai ales pentru educație și sănătate, pentru că e o problemă în continuare de coeziune, de diferență, de dezvoltare, chiar dacă nu atât de mult între Est și Vest cât era pe vremuri, dar din ce în ce mai mult între zonele urbane și zonele rurale, chiar în interiorul aceleiași regiuni.

De aceea e nevoie de investiții, mai ales pentru a atrage și a fixa tineri în mediul rural, atât în activitatea agricolă, dar și pentru dezvoltarea economică și socială în general. Și e important să investim în zonele rurale, pentru că pentru Uniunea Europeană sunt un element de identitate, aici sunt ancorate tradiții.

Dar sunt convins că zonele rurale pot fi și la originea modernizării societății europene, dacă investim suficient în aceste zone și fixăm tinerii în mediul rural.

Beata Mazurek (ECR). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Szanowni Państwo! Bardzo się cieszę, że nareszcie dyskutujemy w Parlamencie nad tematem systemowego podejścia do długoterminowej wizji rozwoju obszarów wiejskich. Tym bardziej mnie to cieszy, że jest ona zbieżna ze strategią zrównoważonego rozwoju wsi, rolnictwa i rybactwa, którą wdrażamy w moim kraju, w Polsce. Myślę, że wszyscy zgodzimy się ze stwierdzeniem, że rolnictwo stanowi sektor kluczowy, który zapewnia nam bezpieczeństwo żywnościowe. Pandemia oraz wojna postawiły przed europejskimi rolnikami wyzwania bez precedensu, lawinowy wzrost cen energii i nawozów, galopującą inflację i zablokowane szlaki eksportowe z Morza Czarnego.

Jak dotychczas nasi rolnicy wykazali się niezwykłą siłą i zaradnością. Jednak konieczne są dalsze działania instytucjonalne w celu niwelowania wciąż utrzymujących się różnic poziomu życia między wsią i miastem, działań wyrównujących szanse, zwłaszcza w obszarze edukacji i dostępu do usług publicznych, dzięki którym obszary wiejskie będą mogły w pełni wykorzystać swój potencjał. A o to, tak naprawdę, wszystkim nam powinno chodzić.

Simone Schmiedtbauer (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin, geschätzte Kommissarin, werte Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Wir brauchen eine starke Zukunftsvision für Europas ländliche Regionen, denn sie sind ein Schlüssel zur Lösung zahlreicher aktueller Herausforderungen und ein Gradmesser auf dem Weg zu einer nachhaltigeren europäischen Wirtschaft.

Außerdem sind die unzähligen ländlichen Gemeinden das Rückgrat unserer Gesellschaft – das vergessen leider sehr viele. Deshalb ist es mir ein Herzensanliegen, dass die Menschen in den Regionen stärker mit in die EU-Politik eingebunden werden. Europa kann doch nicht ohne sie gestaltet werden. Die Zukunft kann ganz einfach nicht ohne sie gestaltet werden. Mit der langfristigen Vision für den ländlichen Raum schaffen wir eine zukunftsweisende Basis dafür, dass auch die nächsten Generationen gut und vor allem gerne im ländlichen Raum leben können.

Europa braucht die Menschen in den Regionen ebenso wie unsere Land-, Forst- und Energiewirte. Denn sie sind es, die die EU-Gesetzesvorhaben auf dem Weg zu einem unabhängigeren und grüneren Europa auf ihrem Grund und Boden umsetzen und erst mit Leben erfüllen.

Europa braucht gestärkte Regionen mit guter Infrastruktur, attraktiven Bildungs- und wirtschaftlichen Entfaltungsmöglichkeiten. Die EU-Kommission muss künftig auf widersprüchliche Gesetzesinitiativen verzichten und stattdessen den ländlichen Raum wirtschaftlich, ökologisch und sozial stärken.

Атидже Алиева-Вели (Renew). – Г-жо Председател, г-жо Комисар, Европа несъмнено има нужда от тази визия. Погледнете тези снимки от България. Резултатът от дългосрочните инвестиции е видим, както и от липсата на такива. С гордост ще отбележа, че добрите примери са от селски общини с кметове от Движението за права и свободи. Селските райони продължават да имат много проблеми и предизвикателства. Те трябва да стават привлекателни за младите хора, трябва да бъдат успешни в зеления и дигитален преход. Нужно е и за в бъдеще адекватно европейско финансиране за инвестиции в инфраструктура, широколентов интернет, в качествени административни, образователни и социални и здравни услуги.

Безспорно в голяма степен жизнеността на селските райони се дължи на земеделието. Но за огромно съжаление земеделците в някои държави получават по-ниски плащания, включително и в България. Затова, приветствайки визията за развитие на селските райони до 2040 г., се надявам неравенствата да бъдат премахнати.

Presidente. – Ricordo all'onorevole Alieva-Veli che è contrario al regolamento del Parlamento mostrate immagini o oggetti in Aula.

Per la prossima volta, evitiamo di farlo.

Eugen Jurzyca (ECR). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, správa o vízii pre vidiecke oblasti Únie do roku 2040 ma nepotešila. Nenavrhuje ani vhodné riešenia a hlavne nemá správne identifikované príčiny, prečo vidiecke oblasti zaostávajú. Snaha umiestniť mladých ľudí do neproduktívnych zamestnaní na vidieku nemôže byť predsa súčasťou stratégie. Prečo ich chceme obetovať? Štúdia OECD nám dáva jasné odporúčania. Nestačí chudobným regiónom prerozdeľovať peniaze, potrebné sú štrukturálne zmeny. Neefektívne granty brzdia inovácie a rast produktivity. Pritom rozdiely v produktivite sú hlavným dôvodom zaostávania. Regiónom by sme mali dať autonómiu pri lokálnych daniach a podporovať fiškálnu decentralizáciu. Tieto riešenia v správe chýbajú a myslím si, že bez nich pokrok nedosiahneme.

Colm Markey (PPE). – Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, for too long rural areas have been left behind, with our best talent moving away for education and employment opportunities. For the first time we have a chance to turn this around. We can embrace a new generation of opportunities, whether it's remote working that can bring highly skilled people back into rural areas and let them rear a family and breathe life into rural communities, or tourism that can bring much-needed revenue into rural areas.

But most importantly, renewable energies can bring industry and employment and rebalance the economic driver back into our rural areas. But we must ensure that the revenue from these new opportunities remains in rural economies and drives the rural economies and is not exported out to other areas. We need to create the right environment. We need broadband. We need to reinvigorate our town centres to make them vibrant places for people to live. We need to create the educational opportunities for people in rural areas, the very same as there are available in urban areas.

We also have to acknowledge that agriculture has always been and remains a cornerstone of rural communities. It's the biggest multiplier in the rural economies. It's the heart of our food production system and is central to protecting our biodiversity and building a sustainable environment into the future.

Procedura ‘catch the eye’

Stanislav Polčák (PPE). – Paní předsedající, rozhodně nesmíme na venkov zapomenout dlouhodobě. V Evropském parlamentu se věnujeme regionům, městům a venkov jako by byl pomyslná Popelka. Ne, že bychom se mu nevěnovali, ale jako by kohezní politika a její výsledky nedosáhly na venkov. A to je velká škoda. Kohezní politika má samozřejmě snižovat rozdíly mezi regiony a musí primárně pomáhat zachovat venkov živý, venkov, který je skutečně plným místem pro zemědělce, pro získání také práce, plný mladých lidí.

A zatím to spíš vypadá, že města fungují jako magnet, který stahuje dovnitř k sobě práci, lidi, technologie, služby. Tudíž na co se musíme zaměřit, je na dostupnost infrastruktury a služeb na venkově. To je jednoznačné. Zadruhé oslabování kohezní obálky peněz, které jsou určené na podporu regionů, musí přestat. Musíme se zaměřit na podporu venkova i tím, že jim zachováme ten příděl, který má mít zajištěn.

Isabel García Muñoz (S&D). – Señora presidenta, felicidades a la ponente por su trabajo. Esta visión a largo plazo para las zonas rurales era tan esperada como necesaria y supone una oportunidad única para poner a las zonas rurales en el centro de la agenda europea.

El Pacto Verde y la pandemia han revelado el potencial que la Europa rural tiene para conseguir un nuevo modelo económico más sostenible, con producción de energía renovable, haciendo uso de la economía circular y la innovación, y desempeñando, por tanto, un papel activo en las transiciones ecológica y digital a las que aspira la Unión Europea.

Pero, para poder exprimir todo este potencial, hay que hacer frente a los desafíos que presentan, de modo que sirvan para retener y atraer población que quiera disfrutar de la calidad de vida en las zonas rurales. Hablamos de infraestructuras, de conectividad, de servicios de calidad y, por supuesto, de oportunidades de empleo. Oportunidades que van más allá de la agricultura. Nuevas formas de trabajo, nuevas tecnologías, que, además, deben involucrar a las mujeres y a los jóvenes y, así, frenar la despoblación.

Para ello es indispensable un pacto rural con el compromiso de todos e instrumentos como el mecanismo de verificación rural, para evaluar el impacto de las políticas europeas en las zonas rurales.

Billy Kelleher (Renew). – Madam President, I welcome the report. At the outset I think we have to look at rural Europe from a very different perspective. For far too long we have been looking at as a theme park for people to visit and to look at from time to time. They are real communities with real people and we now have to accept that we have to do an awful lot more to ensure that the vibrancy of these communities is maintained into the future.

Obviously, agriculture is a critical cornerstone in ensuring rural development and rural communities are sustained, but we have to look beyond that. We have to embrace the digital technologies that are out there now. We have to put in place the infrastructure to ensure that there are quality jobs in rural communities across Europe.

One issue that never ceases to amaze me is that we consistently talk about ensuring that young people stay in rural Ireland or in rural Europe, but at the same time, they simply can't provide houses in rural communities. They can't get planning permissions. They can't build sustainable environments. So we do need to look at the whole of rural communities across Europe to ensure that we have young people, quality jobs, but at the same time that they can actually build a home in those communities and reside there into the future. Otherwise, we will continue to lose young people to our cities, and rural communities will continue to degrade.

Michal Wiezik (Renew). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, žiaľ, máme to tu zas. Do plánov pre rozvoj vidieka sa dostala zmienka o potrebe zníženia ochrany vlka. Vraj máme byť konzistentní s predchádzajúcim pomerne nešťastným stanoviskom Parlamentu. Na stálom výbore pre Bernský dohovor 2. decembra 2022 všetkých 27 členských štátov jednohlasne odmietlo požiadavku Švajčiarska na zníženie ochrany vlka, čím jasne deklarovali potrebu jeho ďalšej prísnej ochrany v európskom priestore. Ak teda máme byť konzistentní, začnime tým, že budeme v zhode s pozíciou našich vlastných krajín. Démonizovanie vlka a žiadanie nesystémových a zjavne nefunkčných krokov jeho lovu vidieku nepomôže. Príroda nie je nepriateľom vidieka, naopak, je jeho spojencom v boji proti klimatickej zmene a poklese druhového bohatstva. Začnime preto s ňou, prosím, spolupracovať. Je zároveň nástrojom s najväčším potenciálom pre rozvoj slabo rozvinutých a upadajúcich vidieckych oblastí.

Sandra Pereira (The Left). – Senhora Presidente, consideramos que este relatório faz um diagnóstico certeiro sobre a realidade do mundo rural em alguns Estados-Membros e que tem um foco forte na agricultura como atividade primordial nas áreas rurais. Acompanhamos muitas das preocupações expressas. Defendemos a valorização dos rendimentos dos pequenos e médios agricultores para a manutenção da atividade e valorização das áreas rurais, aspetos que a Política Agrícola Comum e as suas sucessivas reformas têm descurado com uma injusta distribuição das ajudas e com o favorecimento do agronegócio.

O relatório podia ter ido mais longe na defesa das funções sociais do Estado e dos serviços públicos de saúde, educação e de cuidados a crianças, idosos e pessoas com deficiência, com infraestruturas que cubram a totalidade dos territórios, dando respostas de alta qualidade e de proximidade. Se se repetirem as políticas de sempre, que se desviam do caminho da coesão, e se se insistir em vergar os povos aos sabores do grande capital, podemos até ter zonas rurais mais fortes, conectadas e prósperas, mas não será para benefício dos povos, mas sim dos bolsos de alguns.

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Madam President, the Commission's long-term vision for rural areas is welcome. Along with the cohesion policy, CAP will be the main driver of the vision. But the vision contains a central weakness: there is no binding requirement for Member States to integrate the objectives of the vision into their CAP strategic plans. Now, CAP, of course, is fundamentally flawed in the first place. It's a very unequal distribution system and it's biased in favour of big agri and intensive farms and feedlots at the expense of small farms and family farms. Europe has lost a third of its family farms between 2003 and 2013. It's a frightening statistic.

To help rural areas, we must stop industrial farm expansion by rebalancing the value chain for the benefit of farmers and by banning below-cost selling of food. Building a new vision for rural areas should start with a radical change in agricultural and trade policy, and that should start with the abandoning of the Mercosur agreement.

(Fine della procedura ‘catch the eye’)

Dubravka Šuica,
  Vice-President of the Commission. – Madam President, many thanks, dear Members, for this enriching discussion. I will use this opportunity of the closing remarks to refer to some of the key points that you mentioned and that I heard from your exchange.

First, in relation to the budget, one of the EU financing instruments helping the development of rural areas from an agricultural perspective is the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. I see your proposals for earmarking part of the other dedicated instrument, the European Regional Development Fund, for rural areas. We will analyse it attentively, including from a coordination, synergy and complementarity point of view.

This also brings me to the toolkit on access to EU funds. Our ambition is that this tool will also capitalise on the experience and good examples of rural peers and reproduce successful stories.

We also share the emphasis you put on seizing the opportunity of a rural proofing mechanism to use fully and coherently all relevant policies, as well as your call to implement rural proofing at national, regional and local levels as well.

For the European Union Rural Observatory, which went live, as I already said, on 8 December, it is a major milestone to improve the visualisation and accessibility of the data we already have, and improve collection of more detailed territorial data and analysis that are still missing on the needs and challenges of rural areas.

I take this opportunity to let you know that last week the new rural vision website went live. It provides informative pages grouping in one place all the rural vision-related actions and also includes the Rural Observatory.

I want to thank you once again for your support for the creation of the Rural Pact, because our shared goals of the vision can only be achieved if we work together. So our ambition is to gather all the actors playing a role in rural areas. I am confident that the rural vision, with its strategic objectives, including the demographic ones, together with the Rural Pact process and EU operational funding support, is on the right track to deliver on its goals. Next year we will assess our progress and reflect on ways forward.

Since many of you mentioned predation and carnivores, I want to tell you that while predation by large carnivores may not be considered to be a key driver of abandonment of livestock farming in European mountain areas, or cannot be blamed for the demographic challenges of rural areas, it is a particular challenge for livestock grazing in areas where these species have long been absent.

Believe me – as I have repeated several times in this House – we established a new portfolio on demography. A new portfolio on demography is not established by coincidence. We are aware of demographic change and we are aware of territorial disparities. We are aware that, geographically, 80% of European territory is covered by rural areas and we know that only one third of the European population lives there. And we know that this is a huge potential and this is the reason why we adopted and we offer this long-term vision for rural areas.

We will do our utmost to make these areas attractive, prosperous and also efficient again. And we want them to attract newcomers also. This is our goal, too, and this is the reason why we are talking about this under the portfolio of demography. So we want to make these areas vibrant again.

We understand what you are saying on services, on infrastructure. But of course, we are not talking only about farming. We are talking about beyond farming, beyond agriculture, because we know that digital and green priorities, which are priorities of this Commission, should also be implemented in rural areas. And this should be a very important issue in order to have new jobs, new jobs that are not only in farming, but of course we know that farming is very important as we know that we have problems with food nowadays.

So I praise very much the work of the rapporteur and the co-rapporteurs on this resolution. I strongly support your calls on the Council to express its opinion about the future of rural areas in formal Council conclusions. In that regard, we are already in contact with the Spanish authorities, with the Spanish presidency of the Council for the second half of next year, and your call definitely gives further impetus for some genuinely strong conclusions.

There is only one more comment from my side. Yes, we want to do this rural tax and all this together, but a lot depends on local, regional and national authorities. Funding is here, but they have to use it in the best possible way and use it consistently. Thank you very much once again and I am looking forward to making this long-term vision a reality together.

Isabel Carvalhais,
  Rapporteur. – Senhora Presidente, Senhora Comissária, há pouco não me dirigi a si, porque ainda não a tinha visto enquanto estava a falar. Foi um prazer escutá-la.

Gostava de dizer muito brevemente que, de facto, agradeço de forma muito sublinhada a todos os colegas e relatores-sombra que colaboraram neste relatório. Devo dizer que foi um trabalho muito empenhado e muito intenso no sentido de alcançarmos um texto que espelhasse aquilo que são as nossas diferentes visões sobre o mundo rural, mas que se tocam em tantos pontos. Volto a dizer, vejam só a quantidade de colegas que aqui está. Isto é a prova de que o mundo rural não move multidões. São tão poucas as oportunidades que nós temos de falar sobre o mundo rural. Por isso, aquilo que eu peço aos colegas é que se lembrem do seguinte:

Os 80 parágrafos deste relatório são sobre e são para estes 137 milhões de pessoas que vivem nos 80% de zonas rurais do nosso território, da União Europeia. É para elas este relatório, é sobre elas, é sobre os seus problemas, não é contra os carnívoros, não é contra os lobos. Que isto fique muito claro. Quem, com honestidade e seriedade, ler o parágrafo 36 deste relatório e o comparar com a redação da resolução sobre os carnívoros da passada sessão plenária, percebe perfeitamente o esforço negocial que exigiu. Ou era isto, ou era simplesmente não ter nada e ignorar algo que é profundamente impactante nas populações. São as populações rurais que nos dão conta desta sua preocupação e nós temos que as auxiliar. Ninguém me convence de que abrir pontualmente e eventualmente a Diretiva Habitat signifique matar os lobos, a não ser que haja lóbis que o queiram, porque não tem que ser essa a solução. No meu país, por exemplo, nós fizemos a realocação, o realojamento, o displacement destas populações que estavam praticamente dizimadas. Haverá, com certeza, outras possibilidades que não impliquem a morte destes seres, mas este relatório não é sobre os lobos, não é sobre os javalis, não é sobre os ursos, é sobre as pessoas. Tenhamos a coragem, a decência política de alguma vez reconhecermos a importância destes 137 milhões de pessoas que esperam que sejamos consequentes nas nossas mensagens. Agradeço muito profundamente as palavras da Senhora Comissária e o esforço, enfim, o empenho demonstrado por parte da Comissão em atender a estas demandas para que tenhamos, de facto, um futuro brilhante e resiliente para o nosso mundo rural, que passe do papel e da retórica.

Presidente. – La discussione è chiusa.

La votazione si svolgerà nella giornata di domani.

Dichiarazioni scritte (articolo 171)

Sara Cerdas (S&D),
  por escrito. – As áreas rurais representam 83 % do total do território europeu e albergam cerca de 137 milhões de pessoas, sendo uma expressão significativa da população europeia. Estas áreas enfrentam diversos desafios, como o isolamento, idadismo e excessivo êxodo rural, o que depois se verifica na falta de oportunidades, desigualdades, e falta de acesso a serviços e bens, muitas vezes exacerbados quando conectados a outros fatores, como a ultraperiferia ou orografia difícil.

Justifica-se assim o interesse e a importância de chamar atenção para uma resposta que tente fazer face a estas dificuldades, inclusive através do reconhecimento do seu enorme potencial em áreas de suma importância: produção alimentar e agrícola, produção de energias renováveis, proteção da biodiversidade, entre outras. Investimento nestas áreas irá promover a atratividade das áreas, para emprego e turismo, com repercussões sociais muito positivas. Para tal, é necessário envolvimento das autoridades regionais e locais, que melhor saberão as características específicas das regiões, assim como aumento do financiamento, nomeadamente através dos fundos de coesão.

Encaminhar o desenvolvimento destas zonas neste caminho responde a desafios presentes e futuros que garantem coesão social e territorial, combatem o despovoamento e alinham-se dentro dos objetivos de proteção do planeta que prosseguimos.

Karol Karski (ECR),
  na piśmie. – Sprawozdanie pani Carvalhais jest ważnym głosem w debacie nad przyszłością rolnictwa UE. Podstawową rolą obszarów wiejskich powinna być gospodarka rolna ukierunkowana na produkcję żywności, a produkcja ta musi być opłacalna dla rolników, zapewniając im godny byt. Dobrze, że to sprawozdanie silnie akcentuje ten aspekt. Pragmatyczne młode pokolenie masowo ucieka ze wsi do miast w poszukiwaniu dla siebie lepszych szans, dlatego praca na roli musi być atrakcyjna pod względem ekonomicznym i społecznym. Ponadto zwracam uwagę na konieczność zapewnienia odpowiedniego finansowania celów WPR. W nową perspektywę finansową wkraczamy z budżetem zmniejszonym o 8% w stosunku do lat poprzednich, a przed sektorem stanęły wyzwania bez precedensu: reforma WPR i nowa warunkowość płatności, skutki pandemii, galopujące ceny kosztów produkcji, głównie energii i nawozów sztucznych. Dlatego obszary wiejskie powinny być wspierane nie tylko ze środków WPR, ale również pozostałych polityk UE, w tym w szczególności polityki spójności, Instrumentu na rzecz Odbudowy i Zwiększania Odporności, programu InvestEU oraz innych unijnych programów. Wreszcie apeluję do KE, aby wdrażając poszczególne etapy strategii szanowała zasadę pomocniczości, szanowała różnice i tradycje regionalne i ukierunkowała swoje działania na zwiększanie synergii między obszarami wiejskimi na szczeblu krajowym.

Alin Mituța (Renew),
  in writing. – Countless villages in Europe are facing depopulation due to a lack of opportunities and access to jobs, education, health or basic infrastructure. This report on the long-term vision for rural area recognises all these problems and makes a series of very good proposals in this regard.

The Union and Member States have at their disposal many tools to help rural areas make the most of the potential that many villages still have, so that young people in particular want to return to the countryside, develop businesses and set up families.

What we need to do is to better coordinate all of these in an effective manner, to ensure that these resources go where they are needed the most and make an impact in the local community. All national strategic plans have been adopted by now, and I hope that the Commission and Member States ensure that there are sufficient measures being financed in each and every one of them, to ensure that villages all over Europe receive the much needed support to become attractive, especially for young people.

Dan-Ștefan Motreanu (PPE),
  în scris. – Zonele rurale reprezintă o parte importantă din patrimoniul nostru natural, identitar și cultural, sunt cele care ne oferă materiile prime vitale, au un rol important în producția de energie și protecția mediului și un rol vital în asigurarea securității alimentare, fiind decisive în efectuarea tranziției sociale, verzi și digitale. Cu toate acestea, mai ales în ultimii ani, decalajul și disparitățile între mediul rural și urban au crescut. Astfel, zonele rurale se confruntă cu îmbătrânirea populației, declinul demografic, accesul redus la servicii publice esențiale, infrastructura precară, riscul crescut de sărăcie și cu potențialul redus de a combate efectele multiplelor crize. Din aceste motive, solicit Comisiei Europene și statelor membre să accelereze evaluarea tuturor mecanismelor de dezvoltarea rurală, să prezinte strategii și alocări financiare integrate și adaptate caracteristicilor fiecărei zone rurale. Nu în ultimul rând, solicit Comisiei Europene să prezinte o abordare integrată a finanțării destinată dezvoltării zonelor rurale bazată pe o sinergie consolidată între Pilonul 2 PAC și fondurile de coeziune în vederea asigurării finanțării necesare pentru o dezvoltare sustenabilă a zonelor rurale care să garanteze locuitorilor acestora un nivel ridicat al calității vieții.

Andżelika Anna Możdżanowska (ECR),
  na piśmie. – To sprawozdanie jest ważnym głosem w debacie nad przyszłością unijnego rolnictwa, ale to przede wszystkim zapewnienie bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego dla blisko 500 mln Europejczyków. Reforma Wspólnej Polityki Rolnej, nowa warunkowość płatności, skutki pandemii, galopujące ceny kosztów produkcji (gazu i nawozów) czy skutki zmian demograficznych to wyzwania, przed którymi obecnie stoimy. Musimy zapewnić odpowiednie finansowanie obszarów wiejskich nie tylko ze środków WPR, ale również pozostałych polityk Unii Europejskiej: polityki spójności, Instrumentu na rzecz Odbudowy i Zwiększania Odporności, programu InvestEU czy innych unijnych programów.

Bardzo się cieszę, że w sprawozdaniu wprowadziliśmy zapis dotyczący zwiększenia ochrony rolników przed atakami drapieżników, np. wilków (ustęp 36). Nie oznaczałoby to oczywiście odstąpienia od ochrony wilków. Mówimy tu o możliwości prowadzenia działań na wybranych obszarach UE, np. pasterskich dla zapewnienia rentowności rolnictwa i zrównoważonego współistnienia ludzi i zwierząt. Jednocześnie uważam, że to bardzo dobry krok w kierunku zacieśniania współpracy między łowiectwem a rolnictwem. Jako wiceprzewodnicząca intergrupy ‘Bioróżnorodność, Łowiectwo, Wieś’ zawsze zabiegałam o wykorzystanie, z odpowiednim wsparciem, lokalnego potencjału. Współpraca rolników, leśników, rybaków, kół gospodyń wiejskich wpłynie na rozwój obszarów wiejskich, ale także jest szansą na zróżnicowanie działalności gospodarczej, jak turystyka, rekreacja, kultura.

Tom Vandenkendelaere (PPE),
  schriftelijk. – Het platteland staat in de volgende decennia voor cruciale uitdagingen: bevolkingsafname, vergrijzing, minder hoogwaardige jobs, minder digitale connectiviteit, klimaatverandering en in vergelijking met andere gebieden vaak minder toegang tot diensten van algemeen belang. De kloof tussen de politiek van de stad en die van het platteland wordt zo steeds groter. Nochtans is het van groot belang dat inwoners gelijke toegang hebben tot gezondheidszorg, kinderopvang, ouderenzorg, maar eveneens tot vlotte mobiliteit, digitale connectiviteit of post- en bankdiensten. Ook de landbouw – die via jobs en de productie van kwaliteitsvol voedsel nochtans een cruciale rol speelt op het platteland – staat voor enorme uitdagingen. Helaas zijn er steeds minder (jonge) landbouwers. Uit nieuwe cijfers blijkt dat in 2020 slechts 11,9 % van de landbouwers onder de 40 jaar was, met een gemiddelde leeftijd van 57. Tegelijk is het aantal landbouwbedrijven tussen 2005 en 2020 verminderd met maar liefst 5,3 miljoen. Gezien het voornoemde, is het absoluut noodzakelijk dat we hier vandaag van de Europese Commissie een langetermijnvisie voor het platteland vragen die inzet op een sterk, verbonden, veerkrachtig en welvarend platteland. Met een duidelijk plan van aanpak, voldoende budget en oog voor de uitdagingen die ik zonet genoemd heb, zullen we al heel wat stappen vooruit zetten.

16.   Addressing persistent challenges in the aviation sector and the impacts on passengers, workers, capacity and safety (debate)

Presidente. – L'ordine del giorno reca la dichiarazione della Commissione ‘Affrontare le sfide persistenti nel settore del trasporto aereo e il loro impatto su passeggeri, lavoratori, capacità e sicurezza’ (2022/2995(RSP))

Adina-Ioana Vălean,
  Member of the Commission. – Madam President, thank you for putting this debate on the agenda.

Aviation has faced unprecedented challenges in the past couple of years. COVID was a huge blow. Not only did traffic drop to zero, but we saw how difficult it is to scale back after two years of travel restrictions. The financial consequences of the COVID crisis will weigh on the sector for a long time. Add to this the war in Ukraine and the sanctions on Russia, which continue to complicate air space use while also driving up energy prices. We have also witnessed the impact of increasing extreme weather events, challenging flight paths and conditions, as well as reminding us of the importance of decarbonising aviation.

And there is a diversification of air traffic, with more unmanned aircraft systems due to enter our airspace in the next years. Disruption is the new normal, so we need to work on building up the resilience and adaptation of aviation so that Europeans can continue to benefit from its opportunities, both as passengers and as workers. With the Fit for 55 package we have already made enormous steps to decarbonise aviation. So it's good to also focus during tonight's debate on different challenges of the sector, namely the ones for passengers, workers, capacity and safety.

Let me start with passengers. Our regulation on air passengers' rights provides already today the highest level of protection to air passengers at a global level. During the pandemic and over the summer, we made it clear that it was the duty of airlines to respect those rights. We worked with national consumer authorities to ensure the proper enforcement of EU consumer protection laws. The passengers must come first, otherwise there is no trust. And if there is no trust, there will be no market.

Although we have a relatively robust system in place, there are some issues that could be better addressed. In particular, a large part of European citizens are still unaware of their rights as air passengers. Even when they are entitled to financial compensation, many of them give up in front of administrative difficulties during the complicated handling process. Already in 2013, the Commission tabled amendments to the Air Passenger Rights Regulation with a view to clarify and simplify the existing rules, provide passengers with more effective complaint handling procedures and strengthen enforcement. I would like to see this proposal being discussed again in Council as we believe it is still fit for purpose. The Commission also intends to make new proposals next year. My services are currently assessing the possibility of new protections in the event of insolvency of carriers or liquidity crises. We are also investigating the possibility of new rights for passengers travelling multimodal.

Aviation is an ecosystem. It cannot work unless all parts of the system are functioning properly. Airlines, airports, air traffic controllers, ground handlers and other workers and service providers. All parts are reliant on each other and, naturally, all parts are reliant on the people that they employ. So ensuring high quality and sustainable employment in the aviation sector must be a priority. During the pandemic, we worked with Commissioner Schmidt to help workers keep stable working environments and income whilst also helping businesses stay afloat and able to retain staff. We have also launched a range of short and long-term initiatives aimed at promoting and supporting high social standards in the aviation sector, as well as bringing in more women to the sector. Namely, we have set up expert group working groups to provide recommendations and best practices on key employment issues such as self-employment, the enforcement of applicable labour law oversight, the role of intermediaries and pay to fly schemes. The Commission is also fully committed to ensuring that the legal framework in aviation is fit for purpose in this post-pandemic era. We have been conducting a thorough review of the regulatory framework to determine which improvements are needed, as announced in our Smart and Sustainable Mobility strategy.

Clarifying concepts such as operational base or nature of employment could be helpful. We are looking into this. This is, however, a larger issue than the scope of the service regulation. Finding the right solutions needs joint efforts on the Member States side as well, because the enforcement of high social standards is primarily the role of the competent national authorities. And then, of course, it is first and foremost for the employers themselves to ensure that working conditions are sufficient to attract and retain staff. Social dialogue should give the opportunity to agree on acceptable conditions. And of course we support this. In fact, we organised many stakeholder coordination meetings over the summer to support dialogue and joint solutions. In those meetings, a key issue we discussed was also capacity. Flight numbers in 2022 are near pre-COVID levels, around 85% of 2019 traffic levels in most parts of the European network, and above 2019 levels in some parts of the network last summer. And this in a much more constrained airspace due to the impact of the Russian war on Ukraine. Capacity constraints and air traffic management delays do not bode well for next summer and we risk returning to a major capacity crisis in the European skies as already experienced before COVID.

So there is no time to spare. And the single European sky reform currently in negotiation between the Parliament and the Council is absolutely necessary to drive efficiency and address unnecessary emissions from congestion problems. I am counting on you to help find solutions to take this reform forward.

Finally, let me stress that in everything that we do, safety is always our number one consideration. The European aviation safety system is recognised globally as being one of the safest. But here, too, there are new challenges. An important effect of the COVID crisis was that much of the regular income for aviation safety oversight, which stems from industry fees and charges, was lost, thus limiting resources. Part of our work under the single European Sky Pillar is to help authorities prioritise those resources adequately by setting performance term targets, including on safety. And of course, we rely on IASA as our trusted partner in developing a robust regulatory safety framework and ensuring its oversight and implementation. This is all the more important given new challenges such as the integration of drones into our traditional aviation system or safety and security threats, including cybersecurity, that are heightened in the current geopolitical context. We are constantly monitoring the situation and responding to these issues in full cooperation with you and national oversight authorities and with industry. So thank you very much for listening to me. And it's my turn to listen to you all, which I will do with pleasure.

Magdalena Adamowicz,
  w imieniu grupy PPE. – Szanowna Pani Przewodnicząca! Pani Komisarz! Ani uchwalenie, ani istnienie prawa, lecz jego egzekwowanie stanowi o jego efektywności. Wydaje się, że podróżujący w Unii Europejskiej cieszą się najwyższym na świecie standardem praw ochrony pasażerów linii lotniczych. Czy jednak najwyższe standardy są rzeczywiście odczuwalne przez obywateli Unii ? Nie!

W praktyce wyegzekwowanie tych praw, w tym dochodzenie odszkodowań, jest dla wielu podróżnych bardzo trudne. Co prawda unijne przepisy oferują nam m.in. prawo do zwrotu kosztów, prawo do zmiany trasy, jak również prawo do opieki w określonych okolicznościach, prawo do utrzymania odszkodowania finansowego. Powtórzę jednak, unijne przepisy w zakresie ochrony praw pasażerów linii lotniczych mogą spełnić swoją rolę tylko wówczas, gdy po pierwsze, pasażerowie będą mieli pełną świadomość i znali przysługujące im prawa. Gdy przepisy te będą w pełni przestrzegane przez same linie lotnicze. Gdy będą należycie egzekwowane. Dlatego rewizja rozporządzenia 261/4, musi koncentrować się na wzmocnieniu praw konsumentów, praw pasażerów, a nie na ewentualnym ich ograniczeniu. Bowiem i takie propozycje niestety się pojawiają.

Vera Tax,
  namens de S&D-Fractie. – Voorzitter, geachte commissaris Vălean, steeds meer vluchten in Europa worden geannuleerd door een tekort aan medewerkers. Grondpersoneel heeft het zwaar, maar het gaat nog verder. Ook bij sommige vliegtuigmaatschappijen worden crewleden en piloten tot in de cockpit tot het uiterste gedreven. De Europese Pilotenbond en de Europese Transportvakbond hebben zorgwekkende berichten ontvangen en ernstige oververmoeidheid bij piloten en cabinepersoneel geconstateerd, met name van één luchtvaartmaatschappij.

Deze signalen zijn uiteraard gedeeld met het EASA, het Agentschap van de Europese Unie voor de veiligheid van de luchtvaart, de toezichthoudende instantie namens de Europese Commissie. Maar bij navraag doen zij geen enkele uitspraak over de wijze waarop zij deze klachten in behandeling nemen en of zij deze klachten onderzoeken. Zij verwijzen terug naar de Europese Commissie. En bij navraag bij de Commissie door de pers zegt de Commissie niet op de hoogte te zijn van klachten. Het klassieke ‘van het kastje naar de muur’, maar wel een hele gevaarlijke. Dit gaat over vliegveiligheid.

Daarom schreef ik de Commissie een brief met de vraag om hier snel duidelijkheid over te geven. Maar ook ik heb nog niets van de Commissie gehoord. En daarom vraag ik het hier nu nog een keer. Rapporteert het Agentschap van de Europese Unie voor de veiligheid van de luchtvaart rechtstreeks aan de Commissie als het gaat over klachten van vermoeidheid van piloten? En zo ja, kunt u dan bevestigen dat de betreffende klachten grondig worden onderzocht en dat u indien nodig tot actie overgaat?

José Ramón Bauzá Díaz (Renew). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, por suerte para todos, la pandemia forma más parte del pasado que del presente. Lamentablemente, no para el sector aéreo que, como otros sectores de nuestra economía, todavía sufre sus graves consecuencias.

La situación financiera de las compañías aéreas es, a día de hoy, muy delicada y, ante esta situación, algunas compañías han solicitado a la Comisión Europea tener un mayor acceso al capital internacional. Se trata de un tema vital para la industria, porque puede recuperarse de la crisis y devolver la deuda que ha acumulado durante este tiempo, realizar las inversiones necesarias para descarbonizar el sector y también continuar asegurando una Europa conectada.

La aviación, por lo tanto, es el único sector en Europa que tiene restricciones de acceso al capital internacional que proceden de normas creadas en los años cuarenta a nivel mundial, cuando la aviación era muy diferente a la aviación que vemos hoy en día. Por eso mismo, esas restricciones no tienen ningún impacto positivo para el consumidor, tampoco para las compañías y sus trabajadores ni tampoco para el conjunto de la economía. Por eso mismo, un informe económico reciente apunta a que un mejor acceso al capital internacional podría preservar hasta 15 000 puestos de trabajo en tiempos de crisis y tendría un impacto para la economía de la Unión Europea de en torno a 3 000 millones de euros.

Por lo tanto, señora comisaria, no existe ninguna razón para no revisar esta normativa de una forma inmediata y, precisamente, para que no convirtamos, en este caso, el pasado en presente.

Ciarán Cuffe,
  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Commissioner Vălean, the aviation sector has already recovered from the impact of COVID-19, but two challenges remain – environmental and social. The ongoing race to the bottom on labour standards in the aviation sector is failing workers and passengers alike. This process started with accelerated liberalisation in the 1990s, making flying affordable and pervasive, but at a great cost. It has made working in the sector unattractive for many, and it causes capacity problems and serious disruption for passengers. And this is particularly true for ground handling.

The race to the bottom brings safety risks as well, and this has been highlighted by EASA. The Commission, therefore, must urgently revise the Air Services Regulation and the Ground-handling Directive in time for finalisation during the current mandate. We have to prioritise higher social standards.

Clare Daly,
  on behalf of The Left Group. – Madam President, there are persistent challenges in the aviation sector, particularly for workers, and the Commission has to take its responsibility for its part in that. For the past 15 years, the Parliament has been calling for action to address the situation, but for all the words, there is very little to show for it.

Earlier this year, 13 members of the TRAN Committee sent a letter to the Commissioner's cabinet reaffirming our strong support for Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 dealing with the social conditions for air crew. We were demanding legislative proposals by the end of this year to allow us to complete this revision in this mandate. What did we get? Nothing. Postponed; another impact assessment; it is not even on the Commission's work programme for 2023. So pilots and crew can look forward to the continuation of bogus self-employment, pay-to-fly, undeclared work, non-compliance with the posting legislation, and on and on.

Yes, COVID had a huge impact, but there was precious little interest in workers' rights before this. So you want to get your act together, or like the railway workers, aviation workers are going to have to take action.

Enikő Győri (NI). – Elnök Asszony! Örülök, hogy végre olyan kérdést is napirendre tűz ez a ház, amely a polgárainkat közvetlenül érinti. Nyáron, amikor késések, járattörlések, órákig tartó várakozás, halmokban álló bőröndök uralták a reptereket, 46 képviselőtársammal írásbeli választ igénylő kérdést intéztünk a Bizottsághoz. A testület kitérő választ adott, és hárított, a nemzeti hatóságokra mutogatott, amikor azt feszegettük, hogyan tartatja be a légitársaságokkal a vonatkozó uniós jogszabályokat. Míg más esetben a Bizottságot nem szokta feszélyezni, ha túllép a hatáskörén, most mégis ezzel a kifogással takarózott. Hiába van európai jogszabály, ha a légitársaságok megtalálják a kiskapukat. Csak egy konkrét példa: lehet például panaszt emelni, de informatikus diplomával sem lehet könnyen megtalálni egy légitársaság honlapján, hogy pontosan hol.

Örülök, hogy a mostani vitában a biztos asszony konstruktívabb hangot ütött meg. Arra kérem a Bizottságot, szerezzen érvényt a légi utasok jogainak, hozzon létre egy minden tagállamban elérhető, az érintettek számára könnyen hozzáférhető és nyomonkövethető igényérvényesítési rendszert. Utasbarát, praktikus megoldás kell, nem új hivatal! Nem hagyhatjuk, hogy állandósuljon a káosz a légi közlekedésben, és csak egy apró megjegyzés: ma három városból érkeztünk körülbelül egyszerre Strasbourgba délután, és körülbelül tizenötünknek elveszett a csomagja.

Pablo Arias Echeverría (PPE). – Señora presidente, señora comisaria, muchas gracias por estar aquí. La pandemia ha impactado con contundencia en todos los sectores, pero muy en especial en el sector aéreo, haciendo estragos en el derecho fundamental a la movilidad, lo que afecta directamente a algo que me interesa mucho, y le interesa mucho a mi país, como es el turismo. A esto se le suma ahora la crisis energética.

En primer lugar, debemos entender que es un sector absolutamente fundamental para el desarrollo social y económico. La aviación es un facilitador económico y motor de desarrollo. El reto de la sostenibilidad y de la transición verde no es una amenaza, pero sí es un desafío. La descarbonización en el sector de la aviación es un objetivo necesario pero complejo de alcanzar.

Necesitamos tiempo y recursos para alcanzar los objetivos del paquete de medidas ‘Objetivo 55’. Hoy todavía no somos capaces de producir cantidades apreciables de combustibles de aviación sostenible (SAF), existiendo un problema de oferta que el mercado, por sí solo, no puede resolver y cuya inversión será, sin duda, importante. A esto se le suma el nivel de endeudamiento de las compañías aéreas como consecuencia de la pandemia, que es considerablemente alto.

El compromiso del Grupo PPE con la lucha contra el cambio climático es innegable, pero debemos de esclarecer cuál es el precio de la transición verde en el sector aéreo. No podemos restar competitividad a nuestras empresas en detrimento de nuestra economía, de nuestros ciudadanos, ni poner en riesgo cientos de miles de puestos de trabajo en Europa.

Me gustaría concluir recordando los innumerables beneficios que trae consigo el sector de la aviación. Por ello, nuestros esfuerzos deben centrarse en hacer que funcione. Si no lo hacemos, no solo pondremos en riesgo la posición de liderazgo del sector aéreo europeo, sino también el derecho fundamental a la libre circulación.

Isabel García Muñoz (S&D). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, el sector de la aviación se enfrenta a numerosos retos que afectan a pasajeros, trabajadores, compañías y, cómo no, al medio ambiente y a la conectividad de Europa.

La COVID-19 paralizó prácticamente el sector, reduciendo al mínimo el tráfico aéreo, con restricciones en la movilidad, afecciones a la conectividad y también a la competitividad. Miles de personas fueron despedidas de sus puestos de trabajo (personal de los aeropuertos, el personal de cabina autónomo, que, en muchas ocasiones, son falsos autónomos), quedándose sin contrato, sin cobertura social. Cuando la situación para el sector empezaba a mejorar, resultó que no se estaba preparado para hacer frente a toda la demanda y el personal despedido no estaba dispuesto a volver en las mismas condiciones. ¿El resultado? El caos que vivimos este verano: retrasos, cancelaciones, pérdidas de equipaje y muchas reclamaciones y descontento social; pasajeros que empezaron a plantearse si volver a coger un avión si la situación no mejoraba.

Actualmente, estamos ante una recuperación acelerada del sector que no debe estar reñida con ser, ante todo, una recuperación responsable. Es imprescindible recuperar la conexión con todos los territorios, especialmente con las islas y las regiones ultraperiféricas. Hay que hacerlo de una forma sostenible medioambientalmente, reduciendo las emisiones todo lo posible, aumentando el uso de combustibles alternativos y apostando por la investigación.

Pero, además, hay que hacerlo con responsabilidad social. Debemos aprovechar este momento crucial para la aviación para garantizar unas condiciones de trabajo óptimas que, sin duda, beneficiarán, además, a la seguridad aérea; sin olvidarnos de que también hay que garantizar los derechos de los pasajeros.

Señora comisaria, como ve, son muchos los retos que tiene la aviación por delante. Me ha gustado escucharle hablar de diálogo social, de condiciones de trabajo, de derechos de los pasajeros, incluso de seguridad. Pero llevamos mucho tiempo esperando la revisión del Reglamento (CE) n.o 1008/2008 y preguntando por ella. ¿Para cuándo esa revisión?

Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (Renew). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, el transporte aéreo afronta, tras la pandemia, un enorme reto de sobrevivir y de hacerlo contribuyendo a la descarbonización y con altos estándares de seguridad, que se llevan mal con la degradación de las condiciones laborales.

Este sector es clave para nuestra competitividad, pero también aporta convivencia y construye comunidad, propicia precios asequibles y una libertad de circulación que nos hace plenamente conscientes y protagonistas de nuestra diversidad. Considerémonos, en consecuencia, ante una oportunidad que solo aprovecharemos si las reglas que guiarán los cambios se basan en el diálogo y en el pragmatismo.

El sector necesita que centremos el apoyo público en la innovación de la tecnología aeronáutica, en la operativa y la gestión de los vuelos, que siguen esperando un verdadero cielo único, y en los combustibles alternativos. Y no olvidemos que los más dependientes del transporte aéreo —las regiones ultraperiféricas— necesitan ver reconocida esa realidad en la regulación del comercio de derechos de emisión para el sector.

Y, ¿por qué no? Pensemos en las conexiones internas en algunas RUP como un laboratorio privilegiado para ensayar la potencialidad de nuevas tecnologías aeronáuticas que pueden tener allí, con plena seguridad, por rangos de vuelo, frecuencias y hábitos de movilidad, sus primeras oportunidades comerciales.

Έλενα Κουντουρά (The Left). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, εκατομμύρια Ευρωπαίοι πολίτες θα μετακινηθούν αεροπορικώς για την εορταστική περίοδο των Χριστουγέννων και της Πρωτοχρονιάς. Η ταλαιπωρία και οι σκηνές ντροπής που είδαμε σε πολλά αεροδρόμια το καλοκαίρι με καθυστερήσεις και ακυρώσεις πτήσεων που έπληξαν και τον τουρισμό, δεν πρέπει να επαναληφθούν ούτε τώρα ούτε φυσικά στο μέλλον. Χρειάζεται άμεσα να εξασφαλιστεί η επαρκής στελέχωση με ανθρώπινο δυναμικό των υπηρεσιών εδάφους στα αεροδρόμια και η βελτίωση των συνθηκών εργασίας και των μισθών για το σύνολο του προσωπικού στις αερομεταφορές, διότι αφορά όχι μόνο στα εργασιακά δικαιώματα, αλλά είναι συγχρόνως μείζον θέμα ασφάλειας.

Επίσης, η αεροπορική συνδεσιμότητα είναι κρίσιμο ζήτημα για τις απομακρυσμένες και απομονωμένες περιοχές και τη νησιωτικότητα. Ιδιαίτερα στα εξωτερικά σύνορα της Ευρώπης, απαιτούνται αξιόπιστες, επαρκείς και προσιτές αεροπορικές συνδέσεις. Επίσης η πράσινη μετάβαση του κλάδου πρέπει να είναι δίκαιη και να μην αφήνει κανέναν πίσω.

Mario Furore (NI). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, le problematiche che attanagliano in questo momento il settore aeroportuale sono innanzitutto legate a una politica dell'occupazione che non è stata in grado di tutelare i lavoratori durante la pandemia.

Migliaia di dipendenti sono stati licenziati e ora le compagnie aeree e le società aeroportuali faticano a ripristinare il personale mancante, sovraccaricando di lavoro quello in forza.

Questa situazione è preoccupante perché può mettere a rischio la sicurezza dei viaggiatori. Adesso che l'inverno più rigido si avvicina, con le difficoltà poi legate al maltempo, stiamo già assistendo a ritardi e difficoltà della carenza di personale.

Inoltre la carenza di personale di terra, che si è ridotto del 29 %, sta comportando mancanze nelle operazioni necessarie al funzionamento degli aeroporti, che ricadono principalmente nella gestione dei bagagli, oppure dell'assistenza da fornire, ad esempio, alle persone disabili. Questo è inaccettabile!

L'Unione europea dovrebbe essere al primo posto nella tutela dei viaggiatori e dei lavoratori. Muoviamoci, grazie!

Colm Markey (PPE). – Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we're all very concerned about the overloaded nature of our main airports. Everybody in this Chamber has experienced in the last 12 months the endless delays and the frustration coming through airports due to staff shortages and various other issues. A previous speaker suggested that the COVID issues had passed. Well today I spent five hours sitting on a plane in Dublin airport on the ground because there was no capability to de-ice the plane. We were left with no food and we couldn't leave the plane.

We need to invest in resources to properly equip our airports so that situations like this don't happen. We need to ensure that our ground staff are properly paid, resourced and trained so that they too can help this situation. I ask you, where were passengers' rights in respect to this situation today? Where were we or where are we being considered in this scenario?

In Ireland, 85% of the flights go through the main Dublin airport. It quite simply can't handle it all. We need to invest in our regional airports to ensure that they are built with proper capacity to handle additional aircraft. This would reduce congestion and would also lead to greater tourism in our regions. We also have to ensure that the like of SAF and renewable technologies cannot be just the preserve of our hub airports. They need to be available to rural and indeed the regional airports.

Our last debate was about a long-term vision for rural areas, but I think we have to include our aviation strategy as regards the rural areas as well, because we need to ensure that connectivity to the regions is just as important as connectivity to our main cities.

Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Renew). – Madam President, we're talking about persistent challenges and one of those persistent challenges is not well addressed, from my point of view, and this is the change of legislation that we do in this House very regularly, dear colleagues, and this is challenging for the aviation sector because it is a global business, and in this global business we are addressing, on a European level, policies that are changing the market.

We have ReFuelEU aviation with the blending mandate. We have, possibly, a kerosene tax and we have now the deal for ETS aviation. So all this is raising the prices, and it's rightly so, because the prices do not reflect the CO2 emissions from the sector. But this has consequences as well on the level playing field, on connectivity and on market distortion. So I am happy that in the ETS aviation file we included the CEF allowances that have been developed and in my office in order to address some of those challenges.

But one last sentence as well. As we talk about CO2 emissions, there's no, and I repeat no, single good argument for not doing the single European sky. And you said to us, Madam Commissioner, you count on us in order to deliver the single European sky. We are ready to do so. But please convince with us the Member States that are blocking this. We can solve up to save up to 10% of CO2 emissions if we realise the single European sky. We cannot wait for this. We have to use it.

Edina Tóth (NI). – Elnök Asszony! Örömömre szolgál, hogy napirendre került ez a téma, melynek magam is kezdeményezője voltam, mivel rendkívül fontos és aktuális problémának tartom ezt a kérdést. Tisztában vagyunk azzal, hogy a Covid-járvány különösen nehezen érintette a légitársaságokat. Ez azonban nem lehet ok arra, hogy a jelenlegi helyzetet szó nélkül hagyjuk. Ideje, hogy az uniós intézmények végre foglalkozzanak a reptereken és a légiközlekedésben állandósult káosszal, amelynek mindenekelőtt az utasok látják kárát.

A légitársaságok láthatóan kihasználják a szabályozás végrehajtásának hiányosságait, ezért elengedhetetlen, hogy a Bizottság fellépjen az állampolgárok védelme érdekében. Fontos, hogy az uniós szabályok ne csak üres ígéretek maradjanak, hanem ténylegesen érvényesüljenek. Ha ez nem lehetséges, akkor jobb jogszabályokat kell alkotnunk. Gyors, hatékony, a fogyasztók érdekeit középpontba helyező uniós szintű fellépésre van szükség.

Procedura ‘catch the eye’

Stanislav Polčák (PPE). – Paní předsedající, pokusím se dodržet jednu minutu. Udržitelná mobilita je nepochybně jednou z největších výzev příštích desetiletí. Čelíme obrovským dopadům z narůstající dopravy. Lidé chtějí cestovat, chtějí mít dostupné služby, cestují za nimi a rovněž tak výrobky a zboží musí proudit. To představuje opravdu obrovské dopady a nárůsty emisí. Jak environmentální dopady, tak také dopady zdravotní, dopady na biodiverzitu, ty jsou obrovské. A je důležité i podtrhnout, že najít udržitelné řešení dopravy pro jednadvacáté století je úkol legislativní a strategický. Pro nás je důležité, abychom předložili v tomto parlamentu legislativu, za kterou budeme stát. Já si myslím, že toto je jeden z nejvýznamnějších úkolů, který máme, najít udržitelné řešení dopravy pro jednadvacáté století.

Juozas Olekas (S&D). – Gerbiama Pirmininke, gerbiama Komisijos nare. Iš tikrųjų tvarus judėjimas yra labai svarbus apsaugant ir pačio judėjimo galimybę Europos Sąjungoje, ir apsaugant mūsų gamtą neteršiant aplinkos. Tačiau svarbu sudaryti ir galimybes Europos piliečiams laisvai judėti ir užtikrinti sąlygas, kad jie galėtų tą atlikti laiku, ir turėtų galimybę mūsų laisvoje erdvėje judėti. Bet taip pat noriu pabrėžti, kad ypatingai svarbu pritaikant šias taisykles sudaryti tinkamas darbo sąlygas tiems, kurie darbuojasi aviacijoje, nes laiku įvykdomi skrydžiai yra sąlygos poilsiui. Tas viskas turėtų buti sutvarkyta ir turėtų būti garantuota ne tik mūsų teisės aktuose, bet taip pat ir įgyvendinta praktikoje.

João Pimenta Lopes (The Left). – Senhora Presidente, no verão passado viveu-se o caos nos aeroportos. Os problemas continuam por resolver e, às portas de mais uma época festiva, milhares de passageiros voltam a ser afetados e os trabalhadores sobrecarregados.

A opção de despedir cerca de 7 milhões de trabalhadores durante a pandemia comprometeu a capacidade de resposta face ao aumento da operação. A Comissão, corresponsável por anos de liberalização do sector da aviação, condição que está inevitavelmente relacionada com esta situação, lava as mãos como Pilatos. Primeiro liberalizaram, agora fazem-se espantados perante a evidência da situação que criaram. Esperavam-se milagres?

A mesma Comissão, em nome da dita concorrência, molda planos de reestruturação de companhias de bandeira, como a TAP, em benefício de alguns operadores. A distorção do mercado, se for a favor das low cost e dos colossos europeus da aviação, já não é um problema. Agora falam, como aqui a senhora comissária falou, em segurança, mas abrem caminho para a operação só com um piloto pondo em causa a segurança na aviação civil. Ganha o capital, perde o sector público e a soberania dos Estados.

Reverter o processo liberalizador do setor aéreo é, por tudo isto, cada vez mais necessário.

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Madam President, the main reason airports are struggling to serve passengers properly is because of labour shortages. These labour shortages exist because airports and airlines have treated our workers so poorly for so long.

The air travel crisis is the result of an aggressive cost-cutting measures by airlines and employers for the past 25 years to make the cost of labour as low as possible. This has reduced both the quality of work and the quantity of workers available. And this is not just an issue for airport workers; ground crew and baggage handlers, pilots and cabin crew are also affected.

Extreme liberalisation leads to a race to the bottom in airport security, in ground handling, in cabin crew. This fundamentally undermines workers' wages, conditions and safety, as well as passenger safety. The race to the bottom is total madness, and it has to be reversed.

(Fine della procedura ‘catch the eye’)

Adina-Ioana Vălean,
  Member of the Commission. – Madam President, thank you for the contributions to this debate. I appreciate your concerns for the sector and your support in ensuring its safe and sustainable recovery. I would say that not all of you are right, and especially those who are criticising the level of protection for the rights of passengers. I'm repeating the fact that the main problem here, when there is congestion and there are delays, is not that we do not have enough legislation, but it's not well known, and is not supported by the authorities which are supposed to support it. So it's not about a new legislation or new things we are going to put forward, but we have to implement it.

And during COVID, you know very well that we did a lot of things and the Commission pushed as much as possible the Member States, the agencies for consumer protection, to cooperate. We started infringements. So we are doing what we can, but in the end it's about implementing and making these rights better known.

Some of you discussed rightfully about the impact of decarbonisation and the measures we are supposed to take for the sector, by saying on the one hand that it will come with a new burden which will increase prices, or, the opposite, others saying that we are not doing enough and soon enough, but indeed the decarbonisation needs have to be done in a way that promotes growth and gives the European airlines a competitive edge, because we are looking to it as a global industry as it was rightfully mentioned here. And this was the angle we took through ReFuelEU in aviation. We are trying to establish a way, an industrial angle to decarbonisation of our aviation, creating the market for alternative fuels.

And since I'm talking about alternative fuels, this is in this regulation recognised the particular attention we are paying to specific needs of the islands or the outermost regions, the smaller airports. These will benefit from preferential treatment to protect their connectivity, for example, the sustainable alternative fuel allowances that will help bridge the price gap between kerosene and sustainable aviation fuels, and also the possibility to request special treatment under the anti-tankering provisions. So I keep this all the time in mind and I am trying my best to support the connectivity for islands and outer regions.

Thank you, Mr Oetjen, for helping to come up with CEF allowances. We are doing our best to persuade Member States on this Single European Sky, the SES+, and in the meantime we are developing technological solutions with SES, our joint undertaking.

Now the issue which was raised with claims of fatigue or culture in some airlines which creates, well, reports of crew fatigue and complaints. I must tell you that EASA provides regular reports to the Commission on its monitoring and oversight activities. Both the Commission and EASA recognise that fatigue can be a serious safety hazard and needs to be identified and properly mitigated, and we are continuously following this up. There is a continuous ongoing assessment of the EU flight time limitation. The flight limitation regime is run by us alongside Member States. It's involving stakeholders' scientific expertise to monitor the effectiveness of system. The first regular report on the results of the monitoring programme was published in February 2019, and currently the Commission has no data to suggest that the EU flight time limitation regime for pilots would increase the risk of accidents.

I know that you are referring also – Ms Tax – to some allegations made by the pilots' unions regarding the official safety culture at a particular airline. EASA conducted an additional off-site investigation for comprehensive data concerning documented analysis, statistics, evidence, as well as on-site audits, interviewing flight crew members about rostering process, fatigue reporting, safety culture. And I must tell you that it will continue to perform additional inspections on-site for flight crews. And we have absolutely no element at this stage to say that something is non-compliant. But it is monitored permanently, I can assure you. This is no joke.

Then how we provide support to have more workers in the system, because this is, as you know very well, one of the issues why we had the delays and crowded airports. And by the way, the Commission encourages Member States to invest in their airports, new technologies, whatever you want, regional rules or whatever. We are not opposing that. So please do what you consider is best for your connectivity.

But for the workers, you know very well that it's difficult because of the safety rules and the vetting of new workers. So it's a process. We are assured by the industry that this is an ongoing process and things are going to improve.

This would be, I would say, some of the answers I have to your concerns. The Air Service Regulation impact assessment is under way. But for those who are asking that social issues like, I don't know, the operational base to be solved through Air Service Regulation, I'm just reminding you that Air Service Regulation is more than that. And also the social issues are more than Air Service Regulation. So I am not saying that specifically there is the best place to address the social issues, but it's a complex and multifaceted issue which we need to solve, and I'm committed to do so.

Thank you very much for your attention, and let's continue to work together to support this very important sector.

Presidente. – La discussione è chiusa.

Dichiarazioni scritte (articolo 171)

Josianne Cutajar (S&D),
  in writing. – This summer chaos ensued also owing to a lack of staff in the aviation industry. As a result, flights were cancelled or delayed. Items of luggage were lost. And the freedom of movement of individuals throughout the European Union ended up being hampered. We talk about the fact that the freedom of movement is part and parcel of EU values. But what is free movement, when those who live in remote and peripheral regions, including islands, end up struggling to travel affordably and in a timely manner to the mainland?

These are all aspects that we must address for the situation not to repeat itself. When addressing this situation, protecting workers and rights must be a main priority. A lack of human resources means that workers are already spread too thin. Forcing them to work longer hours and under more stress, means a danger to their safety and that of the passengers. It is our responsibility to prevent this. Whilst working towards the digital and green transition, the human aspect must remain central. We must collaborate with all stakeholders to arrive at solutions that offer reliable, affordable and safe transport for all EU citizens, no matter where they come from.

Marian-Jean Marinescu (PPE),
  în scris. – Pandemia Covid-19 a paralizat aviația. Oamenii și-au anulat zborurile forțând companiile aeriene, aeroporturile și serviciile auxiliare la reducerea activității și la concedieri masive. Lipsa resursei umane a condus la noi anulări ale zborurilor vara aceasta.

Aviația are de înfruntat numeroase provocări: angajări îngreunate de salariile mici comparativ cu creșterea costului vieții; capacitatea fizică redusă a aeroporturilor generează întârzieri în gestionarea fluxului de pasageri și a zborurilor; creșterea prețurilor combustibililor afectează profitabilitatea acestui sector; combaterea schimbărilor climatice, creșterea cererii pentru costisitorii combustibili SAF; cererile de anulare a zborurilor regionale și a celor business complică imens situația; escaladarea războiului din Ucraina și sancțiunile impuse companiilor rusești sunt o problemă suplimentară.

Regulamentul esențial care poate rezolva problemele legate de capacitatea aeroporturilor, reducerea emisiilor, consumul de combustibili, durata și prețul zborurilor, Cerul unic european 2+ încă este blocat de Consiliu după o decadă de eforturi PPE de a îmbunătăți situația aviației.

Solicit Comisiei să prezinte o foaie de parcurs pentru rezolvarea acestor probleme, care afectează o întreagă industrie și cetățenii UE.

17.   Action plan to boost long-distance and cross-border passenger rail (short presentation)

Presidente. – L'ordine del giorno reca la breve presentazione della relazione dell'on. Tardino sul piano d'azione per la promozione del trasporto ferroviario di passeggeri transfrontaliero e a lunga percorrenza (2022/2022(INI)) (A9-0242/2022)

Annalisa Tardino,
  relatrice. – Signora Presidente, signora Commissaria, onorevoli colleghi, vorrei innanzitutto ringraziare tutti i colleghi, i relatori ombra, il segretariato, lo staff dei gruppi politici e gli assistenti parlamentari per il lavoro costruttivo che abbiamo portato avanti negli scorsi mesi e che giungerà a conclusione domani, con l'approvazione della nostra relazione sul piano di azione per promuovere i servizi di trasporto ferroviario di passeggeri a lunga percorrenza e transfrontalieri.

Un lavoro molto importante, che ci ha consentito di definire in via unitaria priorità e richieste del settore, con l'obiettivo di migliorare il funzionamento della rete ferroviaria con costi più accessibili.

Un settore competitivo della nostra economia che impiega migliaia di lavoratori che rendono servizi ai cittadini, ma che necessita di diventare più attrattivo rispetto ad altre modalità di trasporto per passeggeri e merci.

Il nostro documento persegue un'ampia gamma di obiettivi, tra cui la creazione di un sistema ferroviario europeo unico, sicuro e totalmente interoperabile; il miglioramento della sostenibilità e la creazione di posti di lavoro.

Si è ritenuto essenziale garantire l'intermodalità del sistema ferroviario con gli altri sistemi di trasporto, anche attraverso la promozione di biglietti unici multimodali, per favorire una soluzione di continuità per i passeggeri che possono viaggiare agevolmente con un unico biglietto attraverso diversi modi di trasporto.

Vogliamo con la nostra proposta tutelare i diritti dei passeggeri: la pari accessibilità, il miglioramento dell'efficienza dei trasporti, la riduzione dei tempi di viaggio e dei prezzi, la promozione di una competizione equa tra gli operatori ferroviari e tra i diversi modi di trasporto, nonché la necessità di un pieno coinvolgimento dei giovani, sia come utenti che come lavoratori.

Sono certa che il potenziamento del trasporto ferroviario di passeggeri a lunga distanza e transfrontaliero svolgerà un ruolo significativo nella promozione del mercato unico europeo, garantendo ai diversi attori condizioni di parità e preservando, al contempo, il principio della mobilità come servizio e il suo ruolo nel promuovere la coesione socioeconomica delle regioni europee.

Fin dall'inizio di questo percorso, infatti, mi sono prefissata l'obiettivo di portare avanti il punto di vista di tutti quei territori che presentano condizioni più svantaggiose, sottolineando l'importanza dello sviluppo delle connessioni locali, anche per collegare le periferie e le isole alle grandi città.

Per questo ho voluto insieme insistere sul potenziamento della connettività, con particolare attenzione alle regioni remote, insulari, montane e meno popolate. Non potrà esserci un'efficace trasporto transfrontaliero senza connessioni con le zone remote, anche interne ai singoli Stati membri.

Perciò la relazione sottolinea l'importanza di stimolare gli investimenti per il completamento della TEN-T in tempi celeri, dando priorità all'assegnazione dei fondi ai progetti strategici, eliminando le strozzature e i collegamenti mancanti e completando i segmenti di ultimo miglio, nella logica di mantenere un approccio orientato al mercato per l'alta velocità e la lunga percorrenza, ma garantendo al contempo il servizio pubblico e la continuità delle tratte.

Si persegue poi la digitalizzazione, la semplificazione normativa e l'eliminazione di disposizioni tecniche e procedure farraginose al fine di garantire una migliore disponibilità dei treni.

Sarà importante, inoltre, adeguare la formazione e la certificazione del personale ferroviario alle esigenze future e rendere il settore un'opzione interessante per i giovani.

Tanti obiettivi da centrare attraverso la predisposizione di proposte legislative e, per questo, ringraziando sin da ora la Commissaria per la disponibilità finora mostrata, chiediamo alla Commissione europea di procedere in tal senso, rispettando quanto da noi indicato in questo documento, nell'interesse dei cittadini e del settore.

Procedura ‘catch the eye’

Karolin Braunsberger-Reinhold (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin, Frau Kommissarin, Berichterstatterin Tadino! Der Bericht zum Aktionsplan zur Förderung des Schienenpersonenverkehrs auf fern- und grenzüberschreitenden Strecken ist ein deutlicher Fortschritt für die Passagiere in der EU. So wollen wir unter anderem festschreiben, dass die Fahrkarten aller Bahnbetreiber über alle Fahrkartenkanäle verkauft werden können, unabhängig von Plattform oder Anbieter. Zusätzlich wollen wir erreichen, Englisch als EU-weit einheitliche Arbeitssprache für Zugführerinnen und Zugführer im Fernverkehr und im grenzüberschreitenden Personenverkehr zu etablieren. So wäre es nicht mehr nötig, die Sprache des durchfahrenen Mitgliedstaates zu sprechen.

Außerdem setzen wir ein Zeichen für einen fairen und zugänglichen Markt für alle Anbieter im Personenschienenverkehr. Konkret haben wir eine Senkung der Schienenzugangsgebühren für grenzüberschreitende Dienste und Transparenz bei deren Berechnung geplant. So können wir die Gleichbehandlung von den etablierten Betreibern und neuen Marktteilnehmern gewährleisten. Durch die verbesserten Wettbewerbsbedingungen erreichen wir mehr Wettbewerb, und davon profitieren vor allem die Passagiere. Deshalb noch einmal vielen Dank für den Plan und vielen Dank an alle.

Juozas Olekas (S&D). – Gerbiama pirmininke, Komisijos nare, pranešėja. Iš tikrųjų tik ką kalbėjome apie aviacijos svarbą, bet geležinkeliai ne ką mažiau svarbu arba gali dar pakeisti daugeliu atvejų aplinkai draugiškesnėmis transporto priemonėmis ir sudaryti galimybes europiečiams keliauti iš vienos Europos Sąjungos dalies į kitą. Aš noriu labai pabrėžti tą aplinkosaugos aspektą, saugumą ir modernumą, skaitmenizaciją, kuri čia taip pat buvo paminėta. Bet taip pat labai svarbu investicijos į šį sektorių. Ir noriu pažymėti vieną iš projektų, kuris atkeliauja ir kuris galėtų būti labai sėkmingas pavyzdys. Tai yra projektas ‘Rail Baltica’, kuris jungia, kaip ašis – šiaurę ir pietus, kur mes galime keliauti nuo pat šiaurinės Europos Sąjungos dalies į pietus ir apjungti galimybes tiek keliauti keleiviams, ypatingai pabrėžiant jaunimo galimybę pasiekti skirtingas Europos Sąjungos vietas. Taip pat noriu pabrėžti ir galimybę prijungti mūsų šalis kandidates, tokias kaip Ukraina, prie šių projektų, kad jos dar greičiau įsilietų į bendrą Europos Sąjungos erdvę.

Ladislav Ilčić (ECR). – Poštovana predsjedavajuća, poštovane dame i gospodo, ovo izvješće pokazuje da Europska unija može biti vrlo korisna kad se bavi konkretnim pitanjima i prekograničnom suradnjom, a ne nametanjem jedne ideologije svim državama članicama. Nažalost, sad ćemo o ovim korisnim temama pričati samo dvadesetak minuta, a onda ćemo opet satima lamentirati o temama koje nisu u nadležnosti Europskog parlamenta. No, vratimo se na temu.

Ljudi vole putovati i upoznavati druge europske države i kulture, a da bi mogli neometano putovati vlakom s jednog kraja kontinenta na drugi, potrebni su međunarodni željeznički pravci. Njih ne može definirati svaka država sama. U ovakvim je pitanjima suradnja nužna, a može imati i snažne geopolitičke posljedice. Naime, ta željeznička mreža može pomoći i hrvatskim jugoistočnim susjedima da se životno i gospodarski vežu uz europske zemlje. Zato izvjestiteljica ima moju punu podršku.

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Madam President, I welcome the action plan and the Parliament's report. The report acknowledges that high-speed rail passenger volumes nearly doubled between 2001 and 2018 in the EU, proving that there is a demand for high-speed rail whenever it is provided.

However, not all rail services in the EU are equal. Ireland has seen very little improvement in rail service in the same period. The Rosslare to Waterford line closed. Waterford's the only city in the country that does not have trains arriving in the city before 9 o'clock in the morning. The Rosslare to Dublin line has been managed into decline.

Ireland's rail system is almost exclusively a set of radial lines running to and from Dublin with minimal direct interconnectivity between towns and cities outside of Dublin. If you arrive in Rosslare harbour from France or from the UK, you have to go to Dublin first before you go anywhere else. That's crazy.

(Fine della procedura ‘catch the eye’)

Adina-Ioana Vălean,
  Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members. First, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Ms Tardino, and the members of the TRAN Committee for this own-initiative report and their support for the analysis and the initiatives presented in the action plan to boost long-distance and cross-border passenger rail.

As stated in the action plan, the Commission will continue with the enforcement of the full and correct implementation of the EU rail acquis and with the removal of remaining barriers that hinder setting up and operating cross-border long distance rail services.

In the coming period we plan to propose a number of initiatives in this regard, this has also been identified in your report. We will propose an initiative on multimodal ticketing. Passengers must be able to see all available travel options and all available fares, not just the options that are of commercial interest to operators or to ticket platforms. The passenger is the one to choose.

Data needs to be open for consumers and businesses in order to drive up the quality of services. We will also propose an initiative on a more efficient process of capacity allocation and traffic management. A key weakness of the current legislative framework is its reliance on an annual timetable process for the management and allocation of capacity. This process is too rigid and does not allow neither long-term planning to ensure optimal use of capacity nor short-term allocation of capacity to accommodate short notice requests. We will tackle this.

Furthermore, we aim to improve the cross-border coordination of capacity, so that cross-border services can be operated more efficiently. Train operators are also inefficient because of obstacles to the mobility of the train drivers across Member States, employers or in terms of road. This is even more important in the rail-freight sector, since 50% of freight trains in Europe are cross-border and are for longer distances.

This is why we will propose a revision of the Train Drivers Directive to ensure that the train drivers can easily move between Member States and rail companies while also benefiting from the last technological innovation. And yes, indeed, the language: it does not exist a common language right now in the rail sector. So the cross-border operations require trained drivers to be able to communicate with dispatchers in different languages. And this is a huge obstacle. And the commission is assessing now possible alternatives to the current requirement in our impact assessment.

We will also revise the technical specification for interoperability. These are vital to provide a common, legally binding European basis for rail, with the possibility to use the same type of trains anywhere. Not only do the specifications ensure interoperability, they should also reduce costs, as harmonised products can be developed once and deployed across the EU and beyond, since the technical specifications for interoperability are becoming the reference regulatory framework for many other countries.

The action plan also announces pilot services, in which interested stakeholders can propose to the Commission their plans for cross-border long-distance passenger services and indicate where they see obstacles the Commission can help with. We do this work taking into account all passengers, including those with reduced mobility and disability, ensuring accessibility.

We have received an encouraging number of interesting proposals and they are currently being evaluated. In January we will present the results of the evaluation and discuss the next steps with the proposers. And with that, I would like to thank you again for your work on this own-initiative report and I am looking forward for its adoption in the plenary.

Presidente. – La discussione è chiusa.

La votazione si svolgerà domani.

Dichiarazioni scritte (articolo 171)

João Pimenta Lopes (The Left),
  por escrito. – Há exatamente um ano, para assinalar o final do propagandeado Ano Europeu da Ferrovia, fiz a viajem entre Lisboa e Estrasburgo de comboio. Uma viagem que, de avião, poderia demorar uma meia dúzia de horas e custaria poucas dezenas de euros. A opção Ferrovia? Seis comboios, três dias em viagem, quase 400 euros só nos bilhetes. Volvido um ano, nada se alterou. Nem a retórica nem a propaganda da União Europeia em torno da Ferrovia e as consequências das suas políticas com os sucessivos pacotes ferroviários, contribuindo diretamente para o encerramento de milhares de km de ferrovia, redução da oferta, degradação do serviço.

A resposta aos problemas da Ferrovia em Portugal e na Europa não se encontram na insistência neste caminho de liberalização, desregulação e mercantilização do setor. Urge reverter estas políticas, valorizar a gestão pública do setor ferroviário nas suas dimensões de operação, infraestrutura, produção e manutenção, promovendo um substantivo investimento público na ferrovia, na sua modernização, o alargamento das redes, a interoperabilidade e os direitos dos passageiros e dos trabalhadores.

18.   One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Presidente. – L'ordine del giorno reca gli interventi di un minuto (articolo 172)

Informo gli onorevoli deputati che per gli interventi di un minuto possono prendere la parola rimanendo al loro posto.

Fulvio Martusciello (PPE). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, quando in Italia leggo l'articolo 21 della Costituzione, probabilmente non rifletto sul fatto che non è sempre scontata la libertà di manifestare.

Per noi europei è una cosa normale avere la libertà di poter andare in piazza, di poter manifestare le proprie idee. Per tanti che vivono altrove, in paesi come l'Iran, questo diritto non esiste e per questo diritto si muore, si viene impiccati in pubblica piazza.

Ricordiamo in quest'Aula quello che è accaduto nella giornata di oggi, quando il povero Majidreza Rahnavard è stato impiccato soltanto perché aveva manifestato. Aveva 23 anni, aveva una vita davanti, è andato in piazza per difendere le proprie idee, per protestare contro l'ingiustizia della morte di Mahsa Amini.

E allora questo Parlamento deve riflettere su quello che sta diventando l'Iran e deve sviluppare ogni forma di difesa e di sanzione nei confronti di un paese che nega questo diritto.

Peter Pollák (PPE). – Len vďaka osobnej zášti a nenávisti Richarda Sulíka, ktorý bol ešte nedávno koaličným partnerom a ministrom v jasne proeurópskej, proslovenskej vláde Eduarda Hegera, Slovensku hrozí, že sa k moci v strede Európy dostanú skorumpovaní socialisti na čele s Ficom a Pellegrinim, ktorých nominanti dnes sedia v base a začali usvedčovať vrcholných politikov Smeru a Hlasu. Na Slovensku prebieha tretí rok očista prokuratúry, súdov a polície. Za mreže sa dostali vplyvní nominanti socialistických stranám Smeru či Hlasu a podozrenia siahajú priamo k lídrom Ficovi a Pellegrinimu. Dnes priamo v centre Európy hrozí, že korupcia ruka v ruke s mafiou vytrhnú Slovensko z rúk spravodlivosti a otvoria dvere do budúcej vlády fašistom a mafiánom. To, čo sa deje na Slovensku, je veľké poučenie pre všetkých demokratov. Demokracia je ohrozená zradcami. Možno kvôli osobným ambíciám, možno z túžby po pomoci, peniazoch či kvôli nesplateným dlhom sú dnes zradcovia ochotní zapredať Slovensko mafii, oligarchom a fašistom.

Eugen Tomac (PPE). – Doamnă președintă, stimați colegi, libera circulație a persoanelor și a bunurilor sunt libertăți fundamentale ale Tratatului privind funcționarea Uniunii Europene.

Deși România a semnat aderarea la Uniunea Europeană încă din 2005, aceste libertăți îi sunt în continuare negate. Deși România îndeplinește condițiile de aderare la spațiul Schengen, fapt confirmat în repetate rânduri încă din 2011, acest drept îi este și astăzi încă o dată încălcat.

Comisia Europeană a confirmat că România are dreptul la Schengen, Parlamentul European de asemenea. Singura instituție care refuză fără nicio justificare dreptul de aliniere a României cu celelalte state europene este Consiliul Uniunii Europene.

Prin urmare, cer Comisiei Europene să acționeze de îndată împotriva Consiliului Uniunii Europene la Curtea de Justiție a Uniunii Europene și să blocheze astfel de acțiuni antieuropene care încalcă tratatele Uniunii Europene.

Στέλιος Κυμπουρόπουλος (PPE). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, συνάδελφοι, οι μεταναστευτικές ροές από την Αφρική και την Ασία αυξάνονται δραματικά και βρίσκονται στο υψηλότερο σημείο από την περίοδο 2015-2016. Οι χώρες πρώτης υποδοχής στην Ευρώπη, όπως η χώρα μου, η Ελλάδα, καλούνται και πάλι να επωμιστούν δυσανάλογα μεγάλο βάρος λόγω της γεωγραφικής τους θέσης και του πολύ μικρού αριθμού εθελοντικών μετεγκαταστάσεων. Αυτό ασκεί ολοένα και μεγαλύτερη πίεση στα συστήματα ασύλου και υποδοχής και είναι κάτι το οποίο δεν μπορεί να συνεχιστεί. Για πολλοστή φορά καλούμε τις κυβερνήσεις να ακούσουν τη φωνή αυτού εδώ του Κοινοβουλίου. Χρειαζόμαστε άμεσα μια πραγματική ευρωπαϊκή λύση, μια λύση η οποία θα διέπεται από την αρχή της αλληλεγγύης, η οποία θα αντιμετωπίζει στη ρίζα τους τις προσπάθειες εργαλειοποίησης του ανθρώπινου πόνου από τα κυκλώματα των διακινητών και, κυρίως, θα διασφαλίζει δίκαιο και μόνιμο επιμερισμό ευθυνών μεταξύ των κρατών μελών.

Michaela Šojdrová (PPE). – Paní předsedající, já bych chtěla v tuto chvíli zde veřejně poděkovat organizátorům závěrečné konference Evropského roku mládeže, která se konala minulý týden 6. prosince v Evropském parlamentu. Tuto konferenci společně organizovaly Evropská komise, Rada zastoupená českým předsednictvím a Evropský parlament. Důležité je, že se na organizaci podíleli mladí lidé. Sedm set mladých lidí zaplnilo Evropský parlament v Bruselu. Byla to ojedinělá akce a já doufám, že také příští rok, který je Rokem dovedností, bude v této tradici společné spolupráce Rady, Komise a Parlamentu pokračovat. Chci také poděkovat třiceti dětem ze základních uměleckých škol z České republiky, které na této konferenci vystoupily se svým hudebním vystoupením. Není to ojedinělá akce tohoto roku, ale závěrečná a významná.

Na závěr mi dovolte říci, že to, co jsme dnes tady slíbili, že vyšetříme korupci, která proběhla v Evropském parlamentu, také provedeme. Je to také náš závazek vůči mladým lidem a mladé generaci, které patří evropská budoucnost.

Stanislav Polčák (PPE). – Paní předsedající, Rusko je teroristický stát. Systematicky vraždí nevinné civilisty, unáší děti do Ruska, nechává miny, zaminovává celá velká území, bomby ničí majetky a také veřejnou infrastrukturu, je ničena úroda. Všechny mezinárodní zločiny Ruska budou vyšetřeny. A to je jednoznačný vzkaz do Ruska, který vyslovujeme již opakovaně na tomto plénu.

Nyní je však třeba se věnovat pomoci Ukrajině z hlediska energetické soustavy a její stability, aby měla alespoň náhrady pro svou energetickou síť. Musíme rychle nabídnout pomoc s velkými i malými generátory. Také přes velkou hranici, kterou s Ukrajinou máme, se snažit pomoci dodávat Ukrajině energii, kterou by měla alespoň zčásti hradit Evropská unie. Ukrajinci i přes svůj hrdinný odpor nyní pociťují chlad, strádání, nedostatek energií pro svůj život. Nesmíme je opustit. Jejich vítězství je i naše vítězství.

Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Señora presidenta, la injustificable guerra de agresión de la Rusia de Putin contra Ucrania ha exigido de este Parlamento Europeo la adopción de todo un conjunto de medidas, tanto para evitar la impunidad de los crímenes de guerra como para adoptar medidas restrictivas contra Rusia, sus agentes y sus cómplices, incluida la prohibición de que los barcos rusos recalen en los puertos de la Unión Europea.

Pero entra dentro de lo razonable que la Comisión deba evaluar, en la medida en que el conflicto se prolonga, la sostenibilidad de aquellas medidas que pueden repercutir en un empeoramiento de la crisis de suministros y de la crisis alimentaria, particularmente en los países más necesitados de suministro alimentario, como son, naturalmente, los del continente africano. Me refiero a las medidas relativas a los puertos estratégicos —como el Puerto de Las Palmas— que, en la medida en que los barcos rusos —que suministran pesca pelágica que contribuye a la dieta alimentaria del continente africano— ya no pueden ni recalar, ni pertrecharse, ni, menos aún, repararse en puertos estratégicos como dicho puerto, para suministrar alimento a África, pueden, por tanto, incrementar la crisis alimentaria en el continente africano.

Es bueno que la Comisión evalúe las consecuencias de sus decisiones para que seamos capaces de modularlas, en su caso, a fin de evitar que la crisis alimentaria en el continente africano continúe empeorando.

Tudor Ciuhodaru (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, este incredibil și impardonabil că votul acestui Parlament nu contează. Am votat de două ori în acest Parlament pentru aderarea României la Schengen și un vot dat în altă parte a făcut ca lucrurile să ia altă direcție. Lucrurile acestea trebuie schimbate.

Onorată Comisie, onorat Consiliu, vreau ca românii să nu mai fie considerați cetățeni europeni de mâna a doua și România să fie considerată o țară la nivel european. Niciodată nu am suferit o astfel de nedreptate, dată în momentul în care a fost votul împotriva aderării României la Schengen. Este incredibil, este incorect și nedrept ca unii să fie mai egali ca alții și lucrurile acestea trebuie să înceteze. Vreau să fim tratați ca francezii, englezii, olandezii și austriecii.

Onorată Comisie, onorat Consiliu, unitatea și solidaritatea înseamnă și măsuri concrete și vă cer, vreau, vă solicit și vreau să mă întorc acasă spunând că s-au realizat trei lucruri extrem de importante: să constatați încă o dată că îndeplinim toate condițiile, să facem un calendar foarte clar privind aderarea României la Schengen și să declanșați acele proceduri pe care le-ați declanșat de fiecare dată, de infringement, de sancționare a celor care nu respectă tratatele de funcționare a Uniunii Europene.

Acest vot împotriva României a fost de fapt o fractură gravă împotriva unității și solidarității europene, și onorată Comisie, onorat Consiliu, am fost extrem de solidari în ceea ce privește toate crizele europene. Dacă vreți să fim aproape în continuare, țineți cont că românii și România merită mai mult, inclusiv schimbarea tratatelor la nivel european.

Nicolae Ștefănuță (Renew). – Doamnă președintă, românilor le-au fost promise opt spitale regionale noi, care apoi s-au transformat în trei. Astăzi, zero vor fi finanțate din PNRR, pentru că autoritățile nu și-au făcut treaba. Guvernul, în realitate, nu vrea să construiască niciun spital nou din PNRR, ci doar să cârpească spitalele existente.

Sibienii au fost uitați complet. Avem un proiect de spital județean, dar nu avem aprobare politică de la Guvern. Dacă nu vom avea această aprobare, sibienii nu vor putea să construiască un alt spital în următorii 10 ani, pentru că nu vor avea bani de unde.

Așa că, domnule Ciucă, domnule Rafila, domnule Boloș, puneți bani europeni și pentru construcția unui spital nou la Sibiu. Sibienii nu pot să fie țapul ispășitor al boșilor din București.

Banca Europeană de Investiții nu poate să finanțeze spitalul dacă Guvernul nu aprobă măcar jumătate din finanțarea europeană. Dați sibienilor un spital nou.

Billy Kelleher (Renew). – Madam President, a total of 187 medicines used by Irish patients are currently in shortage or out of stock, according to the list maintained by the Health Products Regulatory Authority, including 11 that feature on the World Health Organisation's critical medicines list. This is a very serious issue for doctors and pharmacies, but above all else for the people who depend on these medicines.

One of the main challenges Ireland faces is that of these 187 medicines, 40% are provided by a single supplier, meaning that pharmacies have no alternative to purchase from elsewhere. This is compared to the EU average of 25%. For example, two very important antibiotics, amoxicillin and penicillin, are on this list. Ireland is currently facing some of the very serious challenges with regard to Strep A, and this needs to be addressed.

We need a solution that works for all Member States. We need to move to a system whereby Member States have a single unified process of approvals, authorisation, purchasing and reimbursement. I appreciate that Member States have varying purchasing abilities, but our current system actually enables certain pharmaceutical companies to pick and choose those who they supply first, depending on the price they are willing to pay

Barry Andrews (Renew). – Madam President, since the European Parliament issued its report on Pegasus last month, many people are stunned at the depth of the scandal. Since then, there have been two further reports on Predator software, published by Lighthouse Reports and the New York Times. Most Irish people were shocked to learn that an Irish holding company, Thalestris, was responsible for surveillance spyware used against MEPs and journalists and, incredibly, sold to the successor of the Janjaweed in Sudan, which committed so many war crimes.

This latest information was contained in a report in the Currency, an Irish online publisher. Thalestris should be investigated by both the Irish Revenue and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, and I would also encourage the Irish Parliament to investigate links between Ireland and the surveillance spyware industry.

Ireland should not become a haven for companies involved in violations of human rights around the world and the provision of corporate services to those companies. Sadly, the Irish Government has shared very little information with the European Parliament inquiry and has continued to assert national security when asked if it uses this spyware.

Vlad-Marius Botoș (Renew). – Doamna președintă, vă mulțumesc, dragi colegi, că ați votat astăzi ca mâine pe ordinea de zi să avem o dezbatere despre votul de veto pe care l-a dat Austria împotriva țării mele.

Este un vot nedrept și umilitor pentru un popor care până acum 5 zile nu era eurosceptic și era un popor care susținea foarte mult Uniunea Europeană. Și mă bucur și o salut pe doamna comisar Vălean, prezentă aici în sală. Un popor care crede în spiritul european, crede în valorile europene, iar ceea ce a făcut guvernul austriac, repet, a umilit aceste valori.

Noi vom duce mai departe lupta noastră, nu ne vom resemna. Iar din nou țin să vă mulțumesc că voi, europarlamentarii din toate cele 26 de țări fără România, susțineți acest proiect, România în Schengen.

Jean-Paul Garraud (ID). – Madame la Présidente, en janvier 2021, la France a fermé un grand nombre de ses points de passage frontaliers avec l'Espagne, dont le col de Banyuls, au motif de menace terroriste, d'immigration incontrôlée et de risques sanitaires dus à l'épidémie de COVID-19. Trois gros rochers ont été disposés en travers de la route du col. Évidemment, cela n'empêche ni l'épidémie, ni l'immigration illégale, ni le terrorisme.

La situation est absurde et surréaliste. Elle défie le simple bon sens. De nombreux acteurs locaux se sont mobilisés, car cette fermeture n'embête qu'une seule catégorie de personnes: les gens honnêtes. De plus, cette fermeture empêche les éventuels secours de traverser, par exemple pour lutter contre les incendies, et elle empêche aussi beaucoup de travailleurs saisonniers, surtout pour la vigne, d'aller et de venir dans ces territoires.

Maîtriser les frontières d'un pays, ce n'est pas disposer trois cailloux au milieu d'une route. Je demande donc que la France rétablisse un réel contrôle à ce niveau de la frontière, sans que cela affecte négativement toute une vie locale déjà en grande difficulté. Le président de la République française, en déplacement au Perthus, avait assuré de l'octroi de renforts de police pour garder nos frontières. Il n'y a pas eu de policiers, mais des rochers à la place. Nous voulons de réels contrôles qui n'empêchent en rien la vie locale. C'est tout à fait possible. Il suffit qu'à Paris, ce petit bout des Pyrénées catalanes soit enfin considéré.

Thierry Mariani (ID). – Madame la Présidente, nous sommes tous en train de détruire un pays avec la meilleure conscience. J'ai été la semaine dernière avec une délégation de députés français au Liban; tous les partis, toutes les confessions et tous les acteurs nous ont transmis le même message, qu'ils soient chiites, sunnites ou chrétiens. Aujourd'hui, près de 2 millions de réfugiés syriens sont présents dans un pays qui compte 6 millions de personnes. C'est un fardeau intolérable. Imaginez demain qu'en France nous recevions 22 millions de réfugiés. Aujourd'hui, au Liban, les écoles sont en train d'exploser, les hôpitaux ne s'en sortent plus et tout cela est aggravé par la crise économique.

Il faut agir vite et selon une feuille de route très simple. Aujourd'hui, il suffit d'accepter que les réfugiés syriens retournent dans leur pays. L'Union européenne et les Occidentaux refusent de reconnaître leur échec en Syrie, et nous faisons en sorte qu'un pays maintienne le tiers de sa population sur son territoire alors qu'il n'en a pas les moyens. Madame la Présidente, mes chers collègues, dans quelques mois, il sera trop tard: plus d'écoles ni d'hôpitaux dans un pays que nous sommes, je le répète, en train d'assassiner. Il suffit tout simplement d'autoriser les ONG à accompagner les réfugiés en Syrie, pour eux-mêmes et pour sauver le Liban.

Gianantonio Da Re (ID). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, l'articolo 80 del trattato dell'Unione europea relativo alle politiche sull'immigrazione e all'asilo stabilisce che le politiche dell'Unione sono governate dal principio della solidarietà, dell'equa ripartizione della responsabilità tra gli Stati membri, anche sul piano finanziario.

Secondo gli ultimi dati di Frontex, nei primi dieci mesi del 2022 si sono registrati oltre 280 000 attraversamenti irregolari delle frontiere verso l'Europa, un valore in aumento del 77 % rispetto al 2021.

Nell'affrontare l'emergenza migratoria l'Italia è stata lasciata completamente sola e la tanto declamata solidarietà europea è rimasta purtroppo solo sulla carta.

Basta promesse dall'Unione europea, pretendiamo risposte rapide, una gestione condivisa sui flussi migratori e attendiamo soluzioni comuni. L'Italia non può essere il campo profughi dell'Europa e soltanto quello.

Gunnar Beck (ID). – Frau Präsidentin! Das deutsche Verfassungsgericht erklärte letzte Woche das NextGenerationEU-Paket und die Aufnahme von sagenhaften mehr als 800 Milliarden Euro Schulden für EU-vertragskonform – dies, obwohl gleich drei Vertragsartikel der EU gemeinsame Schuldenaufnahme untersagen: Artikel 310, 311 und 125. Immerhin, die Richter monierten, fast 300 Milliarden Euro seien von der Kommission zweckentfremdet und nicht für den Post-Covid-Wiederaufbau, sondern die Finanzierung der unsinnigen Klimarettung missbraucht worden.

Doch solange Rettungsprogramme im Europäischen Rat einstimmig verabschiedet würden und im Umfang und Zeit begrenzt seien, sei Missbrauch kein Problem. So liefert das Gericht gleich eine Blaupause für weitere Schuldenprogramme. Hätten die Richter geurteilt, Recht sei nur die Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln, so wären sie immerhin ehrlich.

Charlie Weimers (ECR). – Fru talman! Nyligen kunde vi läsa att 52 procent av franska lärare idkar självcensur för att inte stöta sig med religiösa elever. När självcensuren breder ut sig har islamisterna uppnått ett viktigt delmål på vägen till lagstadgad censur.

I Sverige har vi ett islamistiskt parti representerat i flera kommuner som driver blasfemilagar. Det borde skrämma slag på varenda frihetsälskande europé. Men under en rad år har EU stöttat islamister och därmed aktivt undergrävt vårt europeiska sätt att leva. Ungdomsorganisationer med kopplingar till Muslimska brödraskapet har erhållit miljoner. Föreningen mot islamofobi i Frankrike, som upplöstes av regeringen efter mordet på läraren Samuel Paty, har fått bidrag. Islamiska universitetet i Gaza, viktig symbol för Hamas, fick över fem miljoner kr från EU 2019.

Efter mina propåer har bidragen till Islamiska universitetet stoppats. Medlemsstaterna utbyter erfarenheter i rådet för att tackla islamism och kommissionen har fått påbud att skärpa kraven för att stoppa bidragen. Det är på tiden. Om friheten ska ha en plats i Europa måste islamismen tryckas tillbaka.

Johan Nissinen (ECR). – Fru talman! Sverigedemokraterna varnade redan från början att coronafonden inte var en temporär åtgärd. För med EU är ingenting temporärt. Ger man ett finger till EU så tar de hela handen. För varje kris ser EU till att skaffa mer makt. Trots att delar av coronafondens miljarder inte har delats ut ännu pratar man redan om en ny fond, den så kallade suveränitetsfonden. Det gick fortare än vad Sverigedemokraterna trodde.

Det här är inte hållbart. EU måste sluta vara en bidragsunion, som slösar med skattebetalarnas pengar, och bli en mer hållbar, konkurrenskraftig union, där viktiga reformer faktiskt genomförs i praktiken. Makten måste tillbaka till medlemsstaterna och EU måste sluta tänka att lösningen på alla problem är mer makt till Bryssel. Det är dags att vi stoppar slöseriet och centraliseringen en gång för alla.

Michiel Hoogeveen (ECR). – Voorzitter, het gebouw van het Europees Parlement in Brussel heeft een stabiliteitsprobleem en verzakt – letterlijk – in het moeras. Vorige week werden de verbouwplannen gepresenteerd. Een megalomaan bouwwerk van glas en staal moet het Parlement uit het moeras trekken en meer allure geven. Kosten: makkelijk 1 miljard EUR.

Voorzitter, wij staan nu in Straatsburg, officiële zetel van het Europees Parlement, in een state-of-the-art-parlementsgebouw, van alle gemakken voorzien. Het wordt enkel 48 dagen per jaar gebruikt. De rest van het jaar is het hier leeg. Alsof het verhuiscircus van 200 miljoen EUR per jaar niet genoeg is, wil het Europees Parlement dus nog eens 1 miljard EUR uitgeven aan een gebouw 450 kilometer verderop.

Voorzitter, dit slaat nergens op. Daarom mijn voorstel: verhuis het Europees Parlement permanent naar Straatsburg. Bespaar miljarden aan belastinggeld en schenk de Brusselse gebouwen terug aan het moeras.

Cristian Terheș (ECR). – Madam President, I publicly demand that the EPP Chair, Mr Manfred Weber, immediately and unconditionally expel from the EPP the party led by the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

On 8 December 2022, Austria voted to abusively block the entrance of Romania and Bulgaria in Schengen, even though both countries met all the requirements to join this area. We were not and we are not asking for privileges, not for mercy from anyone, including Austria.

Romania gained its national right to be part of Schengen after paying a heavy and expensive price. From the Romanian taxpayers' money, we are protecting and defending the borders from illegal immigration so not only us but also other countries like Austria will be protected and safe.

Romania respects the obligation of the Schengen acquis and for over 11 years the Commission and the European Parliament stated in multiple reports and resolutions that is fully prepared to join Schengen. Despite all this – the undeniable facts – the Austrian Chancellor decided to abusively violate Romania's right to join Schengen so he can gain political points. This is simply unacceptable.

Mr Weber, if you are a man of your word and care about European solidarity, I publicly urge you to expel from your party the party of the Austrian Chancellor.

Manu Pineda (The Left). – Señora presidenta, hoy comienza una audiencia probatoria que pretende evaluar si un diplomático goza o no de inmunidad diplomática. Es decir, comienza un desprecio más de los Estados Unidos a las normas internacionales y a la diplomacia como base de las relaciones internacionales.

El 12 de junio de 2020, los Estados Unidos maniobraron para que Cabo Verde detuviese al diplomático venezolano Alex Saab. Un diplomático que, a pesar de la guerra económica que sufre Venezuela, consiguió que su pueblo tuviese medicamentos y combustibles durante la pandemia, cuando más necesario era. Una persona que fue nombrada miembro pleno de la Mesa Social hace más de un año. En respuesta a lo cual los Estados Unidos lo trajeron ilegalmente a su territorio.

Hoy comienza su juicio y nos atañe a todos los países: es un juicio que supone la violación del Derecho internacional y dejar en papel mojado la Convención de Viena sobre Relaciones Diplomáticas. No podemos permitírnoslo, y menos en el contexto actual de auge del belicismo.

Desde la solemnidad de este Pleno del Parlamento Europeo defendemos la diplomacia como camino para la paz y exigimos la inmediata liberación del diplomático Alex Nain Saab.

Clare Daly (The Left). – Madam President, last Thursday, we attended the appeal hearing in Lesvos of two Afghan refugees, Amir Zahiri and Akif Razuli, against a 50-year sentence given to them for smuggling when they were simply passengers on a boat from Turkey seeking refuge in Greece. A boat which the Greek coastguard attempted to push back and damaged; a journey which ended with them spending almost three years in jail for a crime which the court admitted there was no evidence against Razuli and barely a clear against Zahiri. An appeal which took four visits to the court, including a delay of eight months at one stage to get a coast guard present, and in the end he didn't show up at all.

So while I welcome the fact that they are now free, it is an outrage that migrants continue to be criminalised and tortured in Greece. It's against the UN protocol against smuggling. Thousands upon thousands remain in Greek jails for the so-called crime of ‘boat driving’. This is an abomination. When is the EU going to call Greece to account and respect and observe fundamental rights? This is your Europe. This is your values.

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Madam President, in Latin America in the past week we've seen politically motivated lawfare against Argentina Vice-President Cristina Fernandez and a right-wing coup against the president of Peru, Pedro Castillo. The EU shows its true colours in the face of these events, just as it did when they supported the illegal military coup against Morales in 2019 in Bolivia. If the leader had been overthrown, convicted or imprisoned as an indigenous or a socialist, that means order has been restored and lies are repeated to justify the anti-democratic actions. If the leader losing out is white, a capitalist oligarch, a far-right racist or a descendant of colonialists and dictators, the EU is up in arms. Crushing sanctions must be imposed, assets frozen and calls for new elections abound. The corrupt white settler elites and cronies of the political west must be kept in power at all costs. The voice of the people is only respected when it suits. European leaders and capitalist elites do not seem to give a damn about democracy.

João Pimenta Lopes (The Left). – Senhora Presidente, Alex Saab foi ilegalmente detido em Cabo Verde, em junho de 2020 e posteriormente transferido para os Estados Unidos em outubro de 2021. Esta detenção, que dura há mais de dois anos numa clara violação do direito internacional, constitui mais um exemplo da ação de ingerência, de desestabilização, pressão e chantagem dos Estados Unidos contra a República Bolivariana da Venezuela e o seu povo. Uma ação onde também se incluem as sanções ilegais e unilaterais, ou o dito Plano de Transição Democrática para a Venezuela promovido pelos Estados Unidos, que constituem atos de frontal desrespeito pelos direitos e a soberania do povo venezuelano.

E porque foi detido Alex Saab? Por ser um diplomata que procurava assegurar as condições para o desenvolvimento da Venezuela e para a melhoria das condições de vida dos venezuelanos que as sanções dos Estados Unidos visam condicionar e impedir.

Daqui expressamos a nossa solidariedade para com a Venezuela e o seu povo, que defende a sua soberania e independência, e exigimos a libertação de Alex Saab e o fim da política de ingerência e desestabilização por parte dos Estados Unidos.

Ádám Kósa (NI). – Elnök Asszony! Minden jel arra utal, hogy a demokratikus választások eddigi legdurvább befolyásolási kísérletét vitte végbe a magyar ellenzéki pártok koalíciója, amely több milliárd forint kampánytámogatást kapott külföldről az áprilisi választások előtt. A háromszorosát annak, amit demokratikus és átlátható körülmények között a magyar államtól kapnak. Ezek a dollárok beépültek a baloldal politikájába, benne vannak a nyilatkozataikban, felszólalásaikban, az Önöknek adott tájékoztatásaikban.

Torz képet festenek hazámról, azok érdekében, akik ezekkel a dollárokkal igyekeznek szavazatokat venni. Ideje szembenézni vele, hogy Önök között sokan a magyar dollárbaloldal képviselőinek hazugságait hallgatva zengték abszurd vádjaikat a magyar kormány munkájáról. Pedig a most kitört európai parlamenti korrupciós botrány is megmutatta, hogy a baloldal megvásárolható, legyen az magyar vagy európai.

Dino Giarrusso (NI). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, quest'Aula, questa istituzione costa miliardi di euro ogni anno ai cittadini europei e miliardi di speranze, di desideri, di diverse visioni del futuro dipendono anche dal nostro lavoro e da come onoriamo la fiducia che ci è stata accordata.

Le notizie di questi giorni, i sacchi di soldi nascosti in casa come nelle peggiori commediaccie e la totale mancanza di rispetto verso i cittadini europei che lobbisti di paesi terzi, insieme a deputati infedeli, ex deputati, collaboratori e sindacalisti hanno spudoratamente dimostrato, sono una delle pagine più tristi e schifose di questa istituzione.

La disonestà di alcuni non può distruggere il buon lavoro di altri, è vero, ma qui ci sono 450 milioni di europei da difendere, tutelare, rispettare.

Dimostriamo di essere superiori a questo schifo con i fatti e creiamo sistemi anticorruzione più efficienti, altrimenti questo palazzo, questa istituzione e, dunque, tutto il nostro lavoro non avrà più senso.

Presidente. – Con questo si conclude il punto.

La seduta è tolta e riprenderà domani, martedì 13 dicembre 2022, alle 9.00.

19.   Agenda of the next sitting

Presidente. – L'ordine del giorno è stato pubblicato ed è disponibile sul sito Internet del Parlamento europeo.

20.   Approval of the minutes of the sitting

Presidente. – Il processo verbale della presente seduta sarà sottoposto all'approvazione del Parlamento domani nel primo pomeriggio.

21.   Closure of the sitting

(La seduta è tolta alle 22.58.)

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