# C_2023333EN.01000101.xml

| 21.9.2023 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 333/1 |
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21.9.2023

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 333/1

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16 January 2023
  VERBATIM REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF 16 JANUARY 2023

(2023/C 333/01)

Contents

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

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

| 3. | Statements by the President | 3 |
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3.

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

| 5. | Composition of Parliament: see Minutes | 5 |
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5.

| 6. | Request for waiver of immunity | 5 |
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6.

| 7. | Composition of committees and delegations | 5 |
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7.

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

| 9. | Signing of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (Rule 79) | 5 |
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9.

| 10. | Election of a Vice-President of the European Parliament (deadline for submitting nominations) | 5 |
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10.

| 11. | Order of business | 6 |
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11.

| 12. | Resumption of the sitting | 9 |
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12.

| 13. | Formal sitting – Ceremony on the 30th Anniversary of the Single Market | 9 |
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13.

| 14. | 30th Anniversary of the Single Market (debate) | 13 |
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14.

| 15. | Rules to prevent the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes (debate) | 31 |
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15.

| 16. | Shipments of waste (debate) | 38 |
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16.

| 17. | The creation of a European Capital of Local Trade (short presentation) | 49 |
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17.

| 18. | One-minute speeches on matters of political importance | 52 |
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18.

| 19. | Agenda of the next sitting | 59 |
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19.

| 20. | Approval of the minutes of the sitting | 59 |
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20.

| 21. | Closure of the sitting | 59 |
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21.

Verbatim report of proceedings of 16 January 2023

Verbatim report of proceedings of 16 January 2023

PRESIDENZA: ROBERTA METSOLA

PRESIDENZA: ROBERTA METSOLA

President

President

1.   Resumption of the session

President. – I declare resumed the session of the European Parliament adjourned on Thursday 15 December 2022.

President. –

2.   Opening of the sitting

(The sitting opened at 17:06)

(The sitting opened at 17:06)

3.   Statements by the President

President. – Dear colleagues, last week marked one year since our friend and President, David Sassoli, passed away. I have lost count of the number of times this year that I wanted to pick up the phone to ask his opinion. His clarity of thought, his vision for a Europe of equality and justice, his championing of the most vulnerable in our societies are things that define our common European mission and this European Parliament. David left his mark on our project and on all of us. In his last public address, he referred to Europe as a ‘project of hope – a project to unite us all, a project that embodies our Union, our values and our civilisation’. I promised a year ago that this Parliament would continue to honour his legacy, and I know that we will keep that promise.

President.

Today, we also mourn our colleague Miroslav Číž, who died on 29 December. I ask you all to stand for a minute of silence to remember.

(The House rose and observed a minute's silence.)

(The House rose and observed a minute's silence.)

On Iran, it has been a long 120 days since women, men, students, academics and so many more in Iran took to the streets chanting ‘Women. Life. Liberty’, demanding respect for their right to live freely. Those standing up in Iran have inspired the world and I want to tell them that we will not leave them alone.

I've just come from a rally outside where I repeated our call for the international community to respond forcefully to the terror that has been unleashed by the regime on the people on the streets of Iran. We must crack down on Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. We need those responsible for the killings, those responsible for the executions, those who prefer to see free people held forever in chains and those who provide drones used to kill Ukrainians to be held accountable. The people on the streets are on the right side of history; they will make history, and we will stand with them as they do.

On Ukraine, colleagues, these last days saw again a series of indiscriminate strikes by Russia against people in Ukraine. We saw how residential buildings were targeted. Women, children massacred. The images of Dnipro will haunt forever all those who saw them – all those who were forced to live through them.

The bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people should be an example to all. They have shown the world that might does not equal right. That terror will not break Ukrainian spirits. Europe will continue to support Ukraine – politically, humanitarianly, militarily and financially. The EUR 18 billion financial package that this House voted for will begin to be disbursed this week. Our ‘Generators of Hope’ campaign is in full swing, with towns, villages, cities all doing their part to help power Ukraine. I am so proud of our response and I know that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

I also wanted to speak about the decisions needed on measures in the House to increase integrity, independence and accountability.

The European Parliament prides itself on its openness, its accessibility and its defence of legislating in the public eye. We are not in some imaginary ivory tower. The principle of ‘openness builds trust’ is one we hold dear and that we defend. Any abuse or misuse of the tools that we created for this purpose must be addressed strongly, systematically and with any potential weaknesses addressed.

The events of the past month have led to a need to re-build trust with the European citizens we represent. We must acknowledge this. Citizens, rightly, demand accountability and integrity. We will respond.

I promised you last month that we would come back with a series of reforms. With group leaders, we have agreed on a first-step approach on a number of points that can go a long way. This is the beginning, not the end. We will start with measures that we can implement quickly while starting the process for a longer-term reform. Consultations will continue across the board. As a starting point, we will look at how we can implement a revolving door policy, at how we can ensure more transparency, of how we can improve accountability and checks of interest representatives, of how we can better control who has access to our premises. We will ask for more transparency also when it comes to those representing third countries and their interests and from former Members.

We will shine a brighter light on what we do as Members, with more and clearer information being made available to the public. We will enforce rules that disallow any activities that could create confusion with official European Parliament activities – particularly when it comes to interaction with third countries.

We will do more to ensure that the public has clear information on our financial declarations and we will ensure more training on whistle-blowing and compliance. We will propose measures to boost the fight against corruption and on how we can push back against foreign interference. We will strengthen our systems, address any shortcomings, and be honest and open throughout this process. And we will do all of this while protecting the freedom of our mandate as elected representatives. We will not hinder that – we will do the opposite and do so while highlighting the important, crucial role played by MEPs in European decision-making and our role in making the lives of Europeans a little bit safer, a little bit fairer, a little bit more equal.

Our House is the embodiment of European parliamentary democracy and I need your help to ensure that the pillars holding it up are strengthened. We owe this to our citizens, to all those who came before and to all those who come after.

4.   Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting

President. – I give the floor for a point of order to Mr Ruiz Devesa.

President. –

Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D). – Señora presidenta, solamente llamar la atención de la Cámara, de acuerdo con el artículo 195 del Reglamento interno, sobre el hecho de que Julio Obama, activista opositor al régimen de Guinea Ecuatorial, murió ayer en una cárcel de ese país, seguramente asesinado.

Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D).

Su muerte se ha producido días después de la imputación, por parte de la Justicia española, de Carmelo Ovono Obiang, hijo del dictador y jefe de los servicios secretos, por crímenes contra la humanidad; algo que tan solo puede ser visto, por tanto, como una represalia.

Hago un llamamiento, por tanto, a nuestro Parlamento, al Consejo y a la Comisión para que se tomen todas las medidas oportunas para evitar que los otros compañeros secuestrados como él, Feliciano Efa, Martín Obiang y Bienvenido Ndong, no corran la misma suerte.

President. – Thank you, Domènec.

President. –

The minutes and the texts adopted of the sitting of 15 December are available. Are there any comments?

As that is not the case the minutes are approved.

5.   Composition of Parliament: see Minutes

6.   Request for waiver of immunity

President. – I have received requests from the competent authorities in Belgium for the parliamentary immunities of Andrea Cozzolino and Marc Tarabella to be waived. These requests have been referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs.

President. –

7.   Composition of committees and delegations

President. – The EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and ID groups have notified me of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees and delegations. These decisions will be set out in the minutes of today's sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

President. –

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

President. – The EMPL Committee has decided to enter into interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Rule 71(1) of the Rules of Procedure. The report, which constitutes the mandate for the negotiations, is available on the plenary webpage and its title will be published in the minutes of the sitting.

President. –

Pursuant to Rule 71(2), Members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold may request in writing by tomorrow, Tuesday 17 January at midnight, that the decision be put to the vote. If no request for a vote in Parliament is made before the deadline, the committee may start the negotiations.

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

President. – I would like to inform you that, together with the President of the Council, I shall, on Wednesday, sign three acts adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with Rule 79 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure. The titles of the acts will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

President. –

10.   Election of a Vice-President of the European Parliament (deadline for submitting nominations)

President. – I would like to inform you that we will proceed, on Wednesday 18 January, with the election of the new Vice-President of the European Parliament, replacing Eva Kaili. Regarding this election, I remind you that the deadline for submitting nominations is tomorrow, Tuesday 17 January 2023 at 19:00.

President. –

The nominations should be handed in to the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General in the open-plan area of the plenary services, and include the candidate's acceptance.

The vote will be held on Wednesday at noon.

11.   Order of business

President. – We now come to the order of business. The final draft agenda as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 12 January pursuant to Rule 157 has been distributed.

President. –

Now, I have received five requests for debates on the same topic taken from different angles. I will read all the requests out now and then we could potentially agree on a debate that could garner the majority with the broadest possible overview. This would be my proposal. The timing of this would be on Tuesday afternoon, and the vote on the title would take place by a recorded vote. I will read them out.

The Left Group has asked that a Commission statement on ‘The suspicions of corruption linked to Morocco and other third countries in European institutions’ be added as the second point in the afternoon.

The ID Group has asked that a Commission statement on ‘Immediate establishment of an inquiry committee into the political responsibility for “Qatargate” in light of Article 226 TFEU’ be added.

The Greens/EFA Group has asked that the Commission statement on ‘Ensuring transparency, integrity and accountability of EU institutions’ be added to the agenda.

The S&D Group has asked that the Commission statement on ‘New developments related to malign political interference from third countries within the EU institutions’ be added to the agenda.

The ECR Group has requested that a Commission statement on ‘New developments in the corruption cases in the EU institutions’ be added to the agenda.

So we need to find a title that would bring all these together. I would think that unless the groups have come to an agreement, we will hear from Mr Séjourné, Ms Reintke and Ms Aubry.

Stéphane Séjourné (Renew). – Mada me la Présidente, comme vous l'avez rappelé, cinq débats portaient un peu sur la même thématique. Mon groupe, plutôt que de rajouter un sixième débat, vous propose la synthèse avec un intitulé qui pourrait être celui-ci: ‘nouveaux développements dans les allégations de corruption et d'ingérence étrangère, dont celles au Maroc, et la nécessité d'accroître la transparence, l'intégrité et la responsabilité dans les institutions européennes’.

Stéphane Séjourné (Renew).

Je crois que c'est une belle synthèse des cinq débats, qui pourrait nous réunir, pour éviter d'avoir un ensemble de débats qui se superposent les uns aux autres.

Terry Reintke (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, colleagues, I could now defend our proposal because we think it's the best, but I'm not going to do that. I think if it's very important for the other groups to have this aspect of new developments added, that can be fine. But for us, it will be very important also to focus on integrity and transparency measures, so to have that definitely in the title. And if you would like to add the specific country names, I think that's also fine for us. But we really want to focus on what do we do now and what kind of measures do we need to put in place to prevent things like this from happening in the future.

Terry Reintke (Verts/ALE).

Manon Aubry (The Left). – Madame la Présidente, il y avait un moyen assez simple, en effet, de se mettre d'accord sur un titre à mettre à l'ordre du jour de notre session plénière, c'était de s'accorder sur ce point en Conférence des présidents.

Manon Aubry (The Left).

Je veux dire ici, à l'ensemble des députés présents dans cet hémicycle, que jeudi dernier a eu lieu une Conférence des présidents lors de laquelle notre groupe de la gauche a proposé un débat et a proposé que l'on se mette d'accord sur ce débat, sur les nouveaux développements de ce scandale de corruption, dont on a appris depuis que le Qatar n'était que la face émergée de l'iceberg et que le Maroc y jouait un rôle essentiel. Probablement que ce système de corruption était mis au profit d'autres États en dehors de l'Union européenne.

Je regrette que seuls le groupe socialiste et le groupe des Verts aient soutenu cette demande, et que notamment le groupe Renew, qui vient en sauveur, n'ait pas soutenu cette demande, qui aurait permis de commencer cette session plénière avec un débat clair à l'ordre du jour.

Parce que comment pourrions-nous avoir une quelconque crédibilité auprès du monde entier en entamant cette session plénière sans parler du sujet principal et du sujet qui nous préoccupe, qui est ce scandale de corruption au cœur des institutions européennes? C'est bien la preuve que la transparence est la solution, et non l'opacité dans les discussions, notamment en Conférence des présidents.

Pedro Marques (S&D). – Madam President, in the name of the Socialists and Democrats, to say that we do support the fact that we should have only one debate. And that if we had to come to this situation, which we have very different proposals, if it was not possible by then to have from a minority proposal a large proposal – now it is – I thank Renew for a good proposal that can capture the majority and that still needs words and allows us to debate the situation of the interference of different countries.

Pedro Marques (S&D).

So full support for one debate, as proposed by Renew.

Jean-Paul Garraud (ID). – Madame la Présidente, nous soutenons bien sûr un débat général sur l'affaire du ‘Qatargate’. Par contre, en ce qui concerne notre proposition, elle est particulière et elle se différencie des autres parce que nous demandons la création d'une commission d'enquête spéciale immédiate.

Jean-Paul Garraud (ID).

Alors il est objecté que cette commission d'enquête immédiate n'est pas possible tant que l'affaire judiciaire est en cours. Je peux démontrer le contraire puisque cette assemblée a désigné des commissions spéciales alors qu'il y avait des affaires judiciaires en cours. Par exemple, dans l'affaire des Panama Papers et dans l'affaire Pegasus, en 2016 et en 2022, il y a eu des commissions spéciales créées alors que les affaires judiciaires étaient en cours.

Panama Papers

Nous considérons qu'il faut absolument une commission d'enquête spéciale immédiate, et que ne pas en créer serait totalement incompréhensible, alors que cette affaire secoue le Parlement comme il se doit, puisque c'est un scandale majeur. Donc, nous voulons aussi que soit intégrée dans le débat cette question sur la création d'une commission d'enquête immédiate.

Philippe Lamberts (Verts/ALE). – Madame la Présidente, si je peux, je voudrais rappeler au collègue Garraud que cette commission figure dans la résolution votée par ce Parlement au mois de décembre. Je lui rappelle cette bonne lecture, et je lui rappellerai aussi que la manière dont on peut établir ici, au Parlement européen, une commission d'enquête n'est pas par une résolution du Parlement, mais bien par une procédure qui est fixée, de proposition d'un mandat et de collecte de signatures, ce qui permet à la plénière de se prononcer.

Philippe Lamberts (Verts/ALE).

Je pense que ce à quoi vous vous livrez, Monsieur Garraud, pour l'instant, relève plus de la gesticulation que du travail sérieux de parlementaire.

President. – So would you agree that I put Mr Séjourné's proposal to a vote? I see that the House agrees. The title would therefore be as follows: ‘New developments in allegations of corruption and foreign interference, including those related to Morocco, and the need to increase transparency, integrity and accountability in the European institutions’. We put that request to a vote.

President. –

(Parliament approved the request)

(Parliament approved the request)

So this will mean that Tuesday's sitting will be extended until 23:00.

I have a request from the Renew Group, that has asked that a Commission statement on ‘The EU's response to the appalling attack against civilians in Dnipro: strengthening sanctions against the Putin regime and military support to Ukraine’ be added as the fourth point in the afternoon. I give the floor to Mr Séjourné to move the request on behalf of his group.

Stéphane Séjourné (Renew). – Madame la Présidente, hier, à Dnipro, la Russie a commis un crime de guerre et un acte de terrorisme. Face à cette horreur et à la détermination du peuple ukrainien à se battre pour sa liberté, le Parlement européen, vous le savez, a toujours été le moteur de la mobilisation en Europe sur le caractère humanitaire, sur le caractère financier, militaire aussi, pour l'Ukraine.

Stéphane Séjourné (Renew).

Mon groupe, Renew Europe, défend encore davantage l'action de coordination européenne sur cette question ukrainienne: plus de sanctions contre des milliers de Russes qui sont encore associés au régime de Poutine et qui ne sont pas encore sur les listes, plus d'armes pour l'Ukraine, en particulier des tanks, au vu de l'actualité et des annonces qui ont été faites par un certain nombre d'États membres.

C'est pour cela que mon groupe demande l'ajout à l'ordre du jour d'un débat que vous venez de résumer, Madame la Présidente: la réponse de l'Union européenne à l'effroyable attaque contre des civils à Dnipro: renforcer les sanctions contre le régime de Poutine et le soutien militaire à l'Ukraine. Merci pour le soutien des autres groupes.

President. – Thank you, Stéphane. Does anyone want to speak against this request? I see that is not the case, so I put the request to the vote.

President. –

(Parliament approved the request)

(Parliament approved the request)

The Commission statement is therefore added as the fourth point in the afternoon tomorrow.

For Wednesday, the Greens/EFA Group has requested that a Commission statement on ‘Criminalisation of humanitarian assistance, including search and rescue’ be added as the sixth point in the afternoon. I give the floor to Tineke Strik to move the request on behalf of her group.

Tineke Strik (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, EU governments, including Greece and Italy, have increasingly criminalised providing support to people in desperate need for help. NGOs and churches carrying out life-saving work face huge obstacles in providing assistance on land and search and rescue at sea.

Tineke Strik (Verts/ALE).

They are treated as criminals. And, colleagues, humanitarian assistance is not a crime, it is an international obligation. This criminalisation is a dangerous tendency in Europe, fuelled by the lack of an adequate response by the Commission and the Council.

Criminalisation is not only illegal, but it also deters people from offering life-saving assistance. And I therefore urge you, on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group, to hold a plenary debate titled ‘Criminalisation of humanitarian assistance, including search and rescue’.

Jeroen Lenaers (PPE). – Madam President, Tineke Strik mentioned Greece and Italy, we all seen the court cases in Greece. The accused have been acquitted. The courts have been closed. So, if the Greens want to compliment Greece on the independence of the judiciary there, they can do so in a press release, but not through a debate. We could even do a press release together if you would like.

Jeroen Lenaers (PPE).

But the EPP is always ready to debate migration, because there are plenty of reasons to do so: 330 000 illegal border crossings in 2022, more than 136% increase in the Western Balkans, with over 100 000 asylum applications per month, the highest numbers since 2016. We should debate these alarming numbers, but that is, unfortunately, not the focus of this debate. And we cannot ever only debate NGOs, humanitarian aspects and search and rescues and ignore all the rest.

So, this Parliament wants a holistic approach to migration. Let us also debate holistically. The search and rescue contact group will be reconvened this month. Next month we will have the special EU summit on migration. So instead of this rushed debate this week, let us have a deeper, a wider and more comprehensive debate next month in our plenary on migration.

(Parliament approved the request)

(Parliament approved the request)

Therefore the Commission statement will be added and the sitting will be extended to 23:00.

Željana Zovko (PPE). – Madam President, the EPP has decided to withdraw from a debate on the urgencies and negotiations. But after a meeting of the Conference of Presidents, an agreement was reached on all the urgencies: the procedure will go through your office to check that the rule of 500 words is being respected.

Željana Zovko (PPE).

We understand that we reached the agreement on this issue, but unfortunately we have not tabled our proposals for these plenary sessions. And it's quite sad and strange that, as a rapporteur for Azerbaijan who is preparing a report that will be voted in AFET in forthcoming sessions, we will reduce the serious issue of the Lachin corridor only to 500 words. And I think it's these urgencies that will be debated and discussed this session. I ask all our colleagues to be a bit more serious about the issue and ask for a full debate.

I do not know if this can be changed, but this issue requires a full debate at these plenary sessions because the humanitarian situation there is dire.

President. – Since the request for the change to the agenda arrived after the deadline, which was 16:00, it's not possible, but point made and I guess taken.

President. –

The agenda is now adopted and the order of business is now established.

(The sitting was suspended for a few moments)

(The sitting was suspended for a few moments)

12.   Resumption of the sitting

(The sitting resumed at 17:38)

(The sitting resumed at 17:38)

13.   Formal sitting – Ceremony on the 30th Anniversary of the Single Market

President. – Dear colleagues, can I ask you to take a seat in order for us to watch a video as we start the ceremony of the 30th anniversary of the single market.

President. –

(A video was shown in the Chamber)

(A video was shown in the Chamber)

I welcome to the Plenary the Swedish Minister for European Affairs, Jessika Roswall, Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee Chair, Anna Cavazzini, dear Members and colleagues.

In February 1992, when addressing the European Parliament, then Commission President Jacques Delors called the creation of the single market the beginning of a new era. And so it was. The single market has been a cornerstone of European integration, which united Europe at a time when the weight of walls and iron curtains felt so heavy. We tore down internal barriers and replaced them with common values, creating a place where goods, persons, services and capital could freely move around. It was not just an act of symbolic unity. It was about something far greater than that. It was about freedom, about prosperity and, above all, opportunity. Opportunity for all citizens to be able to live, work, study and travel anywhere within our union, knowing that their fundamental rights and freedoms will be protected throughout. Opportunity for businesses – large and small – to establish themselves wherever they choose, giving them greater market access while fostering competitiveness. Opportunity for consumers to have wider choices at cheaper prices and with stronger consumer protection that will account for their interests. And perhaps the one most often overlooked: the opportunity for our collective interest.

Being the world's largest single democratic market has strengthened our place in the world, and here Europe has far more leverage than we sometimes give ourselves credit for. The single market is one of our union's greatest achievements; truth be told, it has become indispensable to us all. Today, our single market accounts for 56 million European jobs. It has raised the European Union's GDP between 8 and 9% on average, and it has even accounted for over 1 million babies born to Erasmus couples over the past 30 years.

And yet, with war having returned to our continent, with dwindling energy supplies and inflation rising, it is easy to fall into the warped narrative of Eurosceptics. I cannot talk about a single market without mentioning the regretful departure of the United Kingdom, where we truly understood what it means to be part of the single market. We also saw what the single market meant during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the one hand, the unilateral measures by Member States caused disruption and panic, while on the other hand, the joint procurement of vaccines and the adoption of the Recovery and Resilience Facility showed Europe's ability to react quickly and effectively when acting together.

So that is why moments and celebrations like these are important to remember just how far we have come, why our way of open markets and societies works, and why we need to continue preserving and promoting our single market as a whole.

Right now, Europe is at a crossroads. Our European way of doing things is being put into question. This is exactly the time when we need to build on our biggest assets. We must speed up investment in Europe to put the European economy back on the stable path of growth. But for this to happen, we also need to do more to level the playing field, especially as we accelerate the green and digital transitions of our economies. The adoption of the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act are key steps in the right direction – ones that we can be proud of.

Dear colleagues, we have done a lot in the past decade. We have come together as a union and we have transformed the lives of millions of Europeans. But 30 years after its launch, the single market is still developing and adapting to new challenges. My hope going forward is to recapture this sense of spirit and, in doing so, to renew our engagement to bring the single market back to European citizens. And this is how we will be able to rest assured that it will not take another 30 years to finish what we have started.

I will now give the floor to Minister for European Affairs Ms Roswall. Jessika, you have the floor.

Jessika Roswall,
  President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, honourable Members, Commissioner, this is my first time to speak in this important House representing the Council. I am looking forward to many other debates also.

Jessika Roswall,

President-in-Office of the Council

The single market and its four freedoms are one of the biggest achievements of the European Union. Over the last three decades, the single market has proven to be a powerful driver for competitiveness, cohesion among Member States and prosperity for our citizens.

Today, the single market counts over 460 million consumers who have access to a wide selection of goods, services, and better job opportunities across the EU. Consumers benefit from our single market rules, which ensure safe and high-quality products and services. These rules have in many cases become international standards, reinforcing the EU's role as a norm-setter at global level.

The single market is also a driver for innovation. Europe has managed shortages of products during times of crisis by encouraging innovation and diversifying supply chains across Europe.

As we come out of the COVID-19 crisis and its effect on supply chains, we now face a series of challenges to our economy as a result of Russia's war of aggression. In light of this, it is important to recall the well-functioning single market is our best ally for a competitive and resilient European economy.

The single market is not a finished project and will never be, as was said in the film. It's constantly moving. More work is needed to deepen it, to remove remaining barriers, and to prevent new ones from emerging. In the current global economic context, we cannot waste this opportunity.

Looking ahead, the single market is also our main instrument for achieving the green and digital transitions. The ingredients of our success of the last thirty years – common regulations, standard-setting, mutual recognition, consumer protection, level playing field and innovation – it is the recipe for successfully mastering this twin transition as well.

As regards the digital transition, new rules and regulations for the digital age have already been adopted – including the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act – and many more will be adopted shortly. Such rulebooks, if wisely designed, will make Europe a global standard-setter for the digital world.

Digital companies within the service economy are the perfect example of why we need a fully functioning single market with harmonised rules – because there are no physical borders in the digital economy.

The single market is also instrumental to reach the objective of climate neutrality by 2050. The EU needs to be a front-runner in the green transition and make sure that Fit for 55 is fully implemented. That's the reason why we will prioritise both the green transition and competitiveness during the Swedish Presidency.

Only about a month ago we invited the European Parliament's Conference of Presidents to Stockholm and last week the College of Commissioners to Kiruna in the north of Sweden to see the green transition in practice, and how it is a business opportunity for Europe.

The 30th anniversary of the single market will continue to be highlighted during the Swedish Presidency of the Council. The EU needs a new, long-term plan and a vision for how the single market can be a strong and sustainable engine for jobs, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth over the next 30 years to come. Let us work together to achieve this. Thank you very much for your attention.

Margrethe Vestager,
  Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, honourable Minister Roswall, thank you very much for the invitation to this important celebration of our crown jewel: the single market. Thirty years, experienced, still sparkling.

Margrethe Vestager,

Executive Vice-President of the Commission

The single market is one of the greatest achievements of European integration. It's the backbone of the European economy, and it's a source of prosperity, of wealth for Europeans being transferred into welfare for the individual citizen. Without it, not possible.

For 30 years now, the single market has provided countless benefits to every European. The single market enables us to live, to work, to travel wherever we wish in Europe. It offers consumers protection, safety, greater choice at lower prices. And we can trust the products that we purchase in the Union as they are safe and based on the same standards. And with the work done in this Parliament, this will indeed also be even more true in the future when we purchase things online.

Similarly, consumers can be assured that companies operating in the single market, that they respect high labour standards, that they respect the environment. And even more so when we get, hopefully, to an adoption of the platform workers legislation. So it also goes when it's online.

Businesses, they have access to 450, 460 million people. And that, of course, is the basis for opportunities for scaling, for building amazing companies. And the single market has changed the way we trade with one another. It is not the same. We have removed trade barriers. We have removed physical customs controls, which made trading goods both costly and unpredictable. And now we have seen it live with the sad story of Brexit and all the troubles that come back.

National rules, well, they prevented companies from trading across border. They are now harmonised. Obstacles for more than 80% of physical industrial products have been removed. And the single market plays a crucial role in our efforts to tackle climate change, ensure clean energy sources and developing digital technologies. The single market makes things happen.

And when we celebrate the 30th birthday, I think we can be really proud of what we have achieved together as a result of our European democracy. But as we celebrate and look back, I also think about all these achievements, that we cannot take it for granted. This is not a given. This is not forever.

We are instead dealing with a precious asset that needs to be preserved every day for the well-being of the single market, also for the next 30 years. More ambition, more effort is needed to simply pursue further integration of the single market and to take away the barriers that keep creeping in.

There are intense discussions about how to improve Europe's competitiveness and to accelerate the twin transitions. We are looking at our state-aid rules to amend and to simplify where necessary. And it can be a short-term boost, of course, but we do not build competitiveness out of subsidies. This must be a temporary adjustment. We build competitiveness out of a well-functioning, dynamic and innovative market.

And also, of course, there can be no successful twin transition without the single market. I continue hearing companies and citizens reporting a number of persistent obstacles, such as the misapplication of rules from one Member State to another, or lengthy or diverse national administrative procedures that hampers cross-border trade, that hampers investment within the single market.

And we need to answer to that, because these are the fundamentals of this Union, and we need to take upon these issues obviously very seriously, not by continuing making more rules. This is not a competition of piling up burdensome requirements.

We need to do what we do best: provide a stable and manageable regulatory framework, both for our companies, for our administration, a regulatory framework that can travel because it sets a standard; sparkling and experienced. It has been said that you cannot fall in love with the single market. Well, I'm passionate about it. I hope you share it with me.

Anna Cavazzini (Verts/ALE),
  Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. – Madam President, I think it's great that we have such a female line up at this ceremony.

Anna Cavazzini (Verts/ALE),

Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Dear President, dear Minister, dear Vice-President, dear colleagues, 30 years of the EU's single market means 30 years of living, working and studying in other EU Member States. It means more prosperity and opportunities for our businesses. Market integration has led to European integration, to citizens growing closer together. And I'm from a generation that can't remember how it was before.

And now I could talk to you about how much GDP growth the internal market has brought us, about trade flows, about increasing competitiveness. And all of this is certainly very, very important. But I rather want to talk about what the single market means to us as citizens.

I know some people are convinced that you cannot fall in love with the internal market, and Jacques Delors certainly was one of them. But I have to say, similarly to Margrethe, I get a lot of excited feedback from citizens when I talk to them about our current internal market legislation. With the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, we created democratic rules for the online world. As the first continent worldwide with legislation on circular economy and the right to repair, we are making sustainability the norm in our market. And then – this is really a project to fall in love with – there will be very soon only one common charger in the EU. Can you have a nicer symbol of the EU internal market?

These examples show that in the past 30 years, the task of creating a common market has evolved from completing the market with its four freedoms – goods, services, capital and people – to using it more and more to achieve our common political goals: strategic autonomy; a new and unique European model of the digital world; high consumer standards; and, very importantly, the protection of our planet and the climate. And this is also the story that we have to tell to citizens today. Indeed, no one will fall in love with the abstract idea of economic integration. But citizens want high consumer protection standards, a healthy economy, environmental protection. And I think the single market can deliver if we do it in the right way.

So if we look back, was everything shiny and rosy in the last years? Certainly not. Several crises have marked the past 30 years and we are right in the middle of one of them. But with each crisis, the single market has evolved. It has proven to be part of the solution. Let me look at that a bit and see what we can learn.

I think, to get support from our EU citizens, the single market must protect them. Huge protests all over Europe were the consequence of people believing that the Commission went too far in the market integration with the Services Directive. This Parliament had changed the proposal back in 2006 — made it more balanced. We in this House have successfully fought for a stronger social dimension of the single market in the past years. And I believe we must continue to do so.

Brexit, with the UK not only leaving the EU but also the single market, was probably one of the biggest crises for all of us. And, sadly enough, the current performance of the UK economy and the mounting challenges that businesses and citizens face make the rest of the EU even more aware of the benefits of the single market and how dangerous it is to throw everything overboard light-heartedly.

During the pandemic, supply chains got heavily disrupted, adding to citizens' and businesses' hardships. EU internal borders closed up. We managed to get on our feet again, thanks to the single market, its benefits, its principles protecting European solidarity, common procurement of vaccines, authorising trucks to cross borders to prevent shortages. A common approach to rebuilding the economy. It became obvious once more: we are stronger together.

And, dear colleagues, allow me a last point. When it comes to the challenges we are facing right now, I think once again focusing on European cooperation and leveraging the strength of the single market would bring us forward. The climate crisis is looming. The past seven years have been the hottest in the recorded history. And, on the other hand, European companies are not only facing high energy prices, but also fierce global competition to lead the future's global green economy.

Let me be very clear. We cannot prioritise competitiveness over solving the climate crisis. Solutions have to go hand in hand. We need to massively accelerate climate measures and to finance the green transition, which in turn will help European companies. But all of this cannot be at the expense of the single market, with Member States outspending each other. Investing in the single market is the solution, enabling it to be a life jacket for all of us.

President. – That concludes the ceremony.

President. –

PREDSEDÁ: MICHAL ŠIMEČKA

PREDSEDÁ: MICHAL ŠIMEČKA

podpredseda

podpredseda

14.   30th Anniversary of the Single Market (debate)

Predsedajúci. – Ďalším bodom programu sú vyhlásenia Rady a Komisie k 30. výročiu jednotného trhu (2022/3015(RSP)).

Predsedajúci. –

Jessika Roswall,
  President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, honourable Members, Commissioner, the competitiveness of Europe's industry is currently facing multiple challenges. While the European economy still had not fully recovered from the COVID-related crisis and its severe socio-economic consequences, the Russian military aggression against Ukraine led to numerous disruptions in global value chains and to a significant increase in the energy prices in Europe.

Jessika Roswall,

President-in-Office of the Council

On top of that, third countries have adopted legislation providing for state-aid schemes to help domestic companies move to a greener model – for example, the Inflation Reduction Act – which could have a negative impact on the competitiveness of EU companies and industries.

While addressing these issues in the short term, we should not lose sight of what the Union has to do in order to be competitive in the long term. The basic fundaments and the success of the single market – common regulations, standard-setting, innovation, mutual recognition, a level playing field with competition policy and state aid rules – has been our biggest asset.

Therefore, the Union's response to these challenges relies to a large extent on the improvement of the single market. First, we need to ensure that we have the right instruments to deal with future crises. This is why the Presidency will treat as a priority the Commission's proposal on the Single Market Emergency Instrument. Once in place, it should facilitate effective cooperation, solidarity and communication between EU institutions, Member States, and other stakeholders in case of crisis.

Second, we need to continue our efforts to enforce existing rules and the better regulation agenda. In these challenging times, we need to be aware of the burden European companies are carrying – not least SMEs, who are the backbone of the European economy. Because it is these SMEs that bring forward smart, innovative solutions that play a key role in the green and digital transitions. Therefore, we cannot overburden them with unnecessary rules and regulations. Instead, we need to be smart and selective as regulators and make sure that the EU economy is boosted, not burdened with new EU initiatives.

Thirdly, we must acknowledge that our economy, our businesses, and our start-ups need to be properly financed to face current and future global challenges and avoid fragmentation within the Union. Venture capital has increased in Europe in recent years, but we are still lagging behind the US and China. These investment gaps can be reduced by completing the Banking Union and an integrated, well-functioning capital market union. We also need to address the fact that European companies risk relocating to third countries in search of large venture capital investors.

In short, a robust single market where we give each other access to goods and services that can flow across the borders in a competitive market is the best way to build the EU's resilience in the future.

All these topics are key priorities for the Swedish Presidency. Debates among Member States will take place at expert, ministerial and leaders' level, and not least with the European Parliament. I look forward to continue our common work on the success story that is the single market.

Margrethe Vestager,
  Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, honourable Minister Roswall, I'm very glad that the celebration of the 30 years of the single market is followed by this debate.

Margrethe Vestager,

Executive Vice-President of the Commission

The single market is one of our great success stories. It shows what our democracy can achieve when we work together. Beyond the clear economic dimension, as we spoke of earlier, the single market also gives the European Union global scale. As citizens, the single market enables us to live, work, travel wherever we want in Europe. As consumers, we are protected by a common set of rules, and we have a greater choice of products at lower prices. It allows us to shop online across Europe, to make electronic payments in euros and for roaming across the Union.

At the same time, the single market significantly expands the horizon and the scope of opportunities for European businesses. It brings higher legal certainty, greater access to markets, more economies of scale and entire cross-border value chains. In addition, thanks to the single market, European businesses can bid for public procurement contracts anywhere in Europe, and this makes doing business easier and cheaper, creating jobs and creating growth everywhere.

This does not mean that the single market is complete or that the achievements just mentioned can be taken for granted. As the COVID pandemic had shown us, when Member States act individually by closing their borders or introducing intra-EU export bans on medical equipment, on grain, on raw materials, well then the whole function of the single market is jeopardised. We saw clear examples of that at the beginning of the pandemic, such as shortages of essential products, huge traffic jams at the frontiers preventing the free movement of essential workers.

And recent crises have also triggered wider awareness of the need to address Europe's strategic dependencies on third countries and enhance Europe's independency. And this is in particular the case for sectors and technologies that are based on raw materials, or microprocessors, where Europe is particularly dependent on imports from other countries.

Finally, companies and citizens continue to report a number of persisting obstacles, such as misapplication of rules, lengthy or diverse national administrative procedures that really hamper all that they rely on: free cross-border trade and investment in the single market, as well as citizens' ability to provide services across border.

However, as said, the single market is not complete. Its achievement cannot be taken for granted and it requires work and effort to preserve it, to make it future-proof. Every day. First, we must reflect on the single market, how it can further support the acceleration of the green and digital transition. And we also need to ensure that the rules agreed collectively are also applied collectively in every Member State.

A key initiative in this regard is the single market enforcement task force, which is working to prevent and to remove obstacles. In addition, we need to deepen the single market and consider which areas may benefit from stronger cooperation. For example, the area of services where we are still lagging behind. And we need to put the small and medium-sized businesses to the centre of our attention. After having suffered the consequences of the pandemic, they are now challenged by soaring energy prices and lack of skilled employees.

Finally, we need to strengthen the single market force of projection and think of the single market in its global perspective. The single market is a base, it's a hub, it's a protection in a challenging global environment. It's our tool to uphold our values. For instance, when it comes to principles of privacy, of transparency, as well as our high green and environmental protection objectives and of course, our social standards. I'm looking very much forward for this debate. That will be the starting point of the next 30 years of the single market.

Andreas Schwab,
  im Namen der PPE-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, Frau Kommissarin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Der Binnenmarkt ist sehr viel aufregender als das, was wir bisher gehört haben. Denn wenn wir den Binnenmarkt nicht hätten, müssten wir ihn erfinden. Sie haben darauf hingewiesen, Frau Vizepräsidentin: The single market makes things happen.

Andreas Schwab,

im Namen der PPE-Fraktion

The single market makes things happen

Es stimmt, auf Deutsch würde man wohl sagen: Der Binnenmarkt hilft uns, miteinander ins Geschäft zu kommen, und zwar sowohl wirtschaftlich als auch persönlich: wirtschaftlich, weil wir die Möglichkeit haben, eine ganz große Zahl von kleineren und mittleren Unternehmen überhaupt erst grenzüberschreitend tätig werden zu lassen, weil sie sich eben keine Rechtsabteilung, weil sie sich eben keine Exportabteilung leisten können. Aber das Gleiche gilt natürlich auch für die Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer. Die können sich den Wohlstand, den wir heute haben, nur leisten, weil wir die 55, 56 Millionen Jobs haben, die nur wegen des Binnenmarkts bestehen.

Natürlich ist der Binnenmarkt mehr als reine Wirtschaft. Wir haben ja von den Babys gehört, die über Erasmus entstanden sind. Die Grenzöffnungen wären nie möglich gewesen, wenn die Wirtschaft nicht Druck gemacht hätte, dass uns das gelingt. Deswegen sollten wir 30 Jahre Binnenmarkt auch als Auftrag verstehen, dass das, was wir erreicht haben, uns die Möglichkeit schafft, beispielsweise die Mittel zusammenzubringen, die wir brauchen, um der Ukraine gegen Russland zu helfen. Weil wir die Freiheit, weil wir die offenen Märkte lieben, die uns diese Möglichkeit schaffen und die auch bei der Vielzahl der Mitglieder unserer Bevölkerung die Motivation hergeben, dass wir diese wirtschaftliche Kraft behalten.

Wenn wir in die Zukunft schauen, Frau Ministerin, muss sich der Rat natürlich immer wieder auch fragen, ob wir nicht weitere Schritte nach vorne gehen müssen. Denn der Binnenmarkt – die Gesamtheit aller Regeln, die uns in Europa zusammenhalten –, geht weit über das Wirtschaftliche hinaus. Deswegen wünsche ich mir von Ihnen, Frau Ministerin, dass Sie im Rat beispielsweise die Beratungen zum Notfallinstrument für den Binnenmarkt konstruktiv dazu nutzen, zu schauen, wo wir in Europa weiterkommen müssen, auch wenn es über das Wirtschaftliche hinausgeht. Beispielsweise ist die Pflicht, die Homeoffice-Regeln zu vereinheitlichen, etwas, was gerade in Grenzregionen von besonderer Bedeutung ist. Hier müssen wir weiterkommen!

Es gibt bestimmt noch viele andere Ideen. Darüber sollten wir heute sprechen. Es ist alles andere als technisch, es ist aufregend!

Christel Schaldemose,
  for S&D-Gruppen. – Hr. Formand! Tak for det. Det siges ofte, og fru Vestager har også sagt det i dag, men det tåler endnu en gentagelse. Det indre marked er intet mindre end en kronjuvel i det europæiske samarbejde. I løbet af de sidste 30 år har det indre marked skabt arbejdspladser, velstand og velfærd i EU, og sådan håber jeg, at det skal fortsætte. Vi fejrer i dag og tillykke til os alle. Men som det er med alle gode opfindelser, så skal de fortsat videreudvikles, og det gælder også det indre marked. Derfor vil jeg lige tale om nogle forandringer, som vi godt kan gøre, frem for at blive ved med at ridse op om alle de rigtig gode ting, vi har lavet. For det første, så tror jeg, det er vigtigt, at vi bliver nødt til at omstille det indre marked til en ny type af globalisering. Vi skal gå væk fra 1.0 og gå over til globalisering 2.0. Industripolitik er nemlig igen blevet geopolitik, og det indre marked skal være bedre rustet til at håndtere det her. Og derfor bliver vi nødt til at sikre os, hvordan vi kan være mere uafhængige af andre lande uden at lukke os om os selv. For det andet, som der også bliver sagt, så står det indre marked over for to store omstillinger; den grønne og den digitale. Vi har i denne mandatperiode været utrolig ambitiøse, vi har vedtaget DSA-lovgivningen, fælles opladere og andet. Men vi skal fortsat i den retning, for at være frontrunner er præcis det, der sikrer, at vi også har et marked i fremtiden. Og så, som fru Vestager også talte om, implementering er helt, helt afgørende. Vores medlemslande gør ikke nok for at implementere vores lovgivning. Derfor skal vi have kigget på, hvordan vi kan sørge for, at de mange gode love, vi får lavet på det indre marked, rent faktisk også bliver håndhævet ordentligt. Og på den måde, så håber jeg, at vi også kan være med til at fejre 60-års jubilæum for det indre marked om 30 år.

Christel Schaldemose,

for S&D-Gruppen

Dita Charanzová,
  on behalf of the Renew Group. – Mr President, Madam Executive Vice-President, the single market is the hidden gift that keeps giving. Our lives are better because of the single market, with safer products, more choices and lower prices. It is the single market that keeps our supermarket shelves full and that makes it so Europeans can feel safer shopping anywhere in Europe. The single market is the secret to a richer and safer Europe.

Dita Charanzová,

on behalf of the Renew Group

The single market is always work in progress. Every year we must continue to work to make the single market better for our citizens. After 30 years, however, the four freedoms are still not complete. It is time to renew our commitment to removing barriers and, especially, preventing new ones.

Today, we find Member States looking inwards, seeking national solutions to European problems. I am here to say clearly that national measures that fragment the single market are Member States shooting themselves in the foot, just as the British did by leaving it altogether.

Uncoordinated national subsidies, national regulations, national requirements are the death of the single market by a thousand cuts. Let us not kill the golden goose which keeps our Union united. Instead, let us invest in it and strengthen it.

Anna Cavazzini,
  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, dear colleagues, we are celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the single market. I already looked back at the achievements in my first speech, and now I think it is really important that we also look forward in this debate, that we look at the next 30 years. And we also did this with the hearing and the resolution in the IMCO Committee. So, thanks to all the colleagues who also contributed to our debates in our committee to the resolution that we are voting on tomorrow.

Anna Cavazzini,

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

I want to mention three points where I think we need an update of the single market, where we need to develop it further to really cope with the current challenges.

First, we have to speed up the green transition. In this regard, sustainable products have to be the norm on our single market. If all product groups end up complying with minimum sustainability standards, we are making the sustainable choice a default one for the consumers, and this is what they are asking for. And this is why the European Commission needs to deliver on the promised right to repair initiative: to save money, to save energy, to protect our resources, to make our internal market a proper green market.

Second, digitisation in the EU must be human-centred, based on our high democratic, data protection and sustainability standards. The Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act are ground-breaking. Digital services are shaping our lives, our democracy. But there is so much left to do to ensure that the rights and freedoms applying offline also apply online.

And third, and a lot of colleagues have already mentioned this today, we need better enforcement to make legislation a reality and leverage the single market's power also globally. European businesses deserve a level playing field with our high standards applied to imports and, in turn, European businesses will profit from European standards that will become a global yardstick. Already now, the single market's high social and environmental, but also digital, standards spill over and shape globalisation.

I am happy that we are taking this time today to debate the future of our single market.

Virginie Joron,
  au nom du groupe ID. – Monsieur le Président, aujourd'hui, vous voulez fêter les trente ans du marché unique? Oui, Maastricht a un bilan, vous avez un bilan. Trente ans après Maastricht, que sont devenues les entreprises européennes?

Virginie Joron,

au nom du groupe ID

Trente ans de délocalisations vers l'Asie ou l'Europe de l'Est, trente ans de subventions de nos concurrents en Europe, les fameux TGV espagnols, les sièges de Renault et d'Airbus aux Pays-Bas, trente ans d'importation de main d'œuvre bon marché, trente ans de destruction de nos champions Alstom, Nokia, Ariane et Pechiney. Vos recettes sont périmées. La concurrence fiscale déloyale de l'Irlande et des Pays-Bas, c'est vous. Le puritanisme vert, c'est vous aussi, avec la punition par les taxes, la fermeture de notre nucléaire, la hausse des prix de l'énergie pour tuer notre industrie. Avec vous, la France restera un nain numérique et un ‘Jurassic Park’ industriel, un pays HLM sans usines et avec des déséquilibrés en liberté. Emmanuel Macron n'aura plus qu'à fermer la lumière en sortant.

Il y a trente ans, j'avais 20 ans et je croyais même à cette Europe. Nous avions des médicaments, des lanceurs de satellites, des centrales qui fonctionnaient, du chauffage dans les écoles, de l'essence pas cher. Maintenant, il faut attendre un an pour recevoir sa voiture, et on a vécu une période où on était même plus sûrs de trouver de l'huile ou de la moutarde au supermarché. En 1993, la France affichait un excédent commercial d'environ 13 milliards d'euros. En 2022, son déficit commercial est de 160 milliards d'euros.

Il est grand temps de réagir. Notre continent ne peut pas être absent du combat d'avenir du numérique, ni souffrir de pénuries coupables comme la production de médicaments ou de puces électroniques. Depuis quatre ans, on a encore reculé dans la souveraineté technologique européenne. Regardez Singapour, regardez même le président américain, Joe Biden, qui a 80 ans et n'arrive plus à marcher: lui-même a compris que les États-Unis devaient passer en premier, avec le plan anti-inflation.

Adam Bielan,
  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, dear Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, since its creation in 1993, the single market has been instrumental to European growth and prosperity. In the face of the 2008 financial crisis, it helped to ensure the resilience of our economies. Later, during the pandemic, it enabled Member States to respond in a coordinated manner, purchasing vaccines together. Now dealing with the energy crisis caused by dependence on Russian fossil fuel, it is again enabling Europe to stand united.

Adam Bielan,

on behalf of the ECR Group

We can proudly say today that the single market is the EU's biggest achievement, promoting free movement of people, goods and capital. Sadly, the free movement of services has been left behind due to a lack of political will. Therefore, I would like to remind us all on this special day that the potential of the single market has not yet been reached for EU services, failing to deliver up to an additional EUR 450 billion per year to our economy. I believe we can do more and I am looking forward to working with you on this in the coming years.

Kateřina Konečná,
  za skupinu The Left. – Pane předsedající, vážená paní komisařko, vážené kolegyně, vážení kolegové, na první pohled je myšlenka společného evropského trhu skvělá věc. Bohužel, pokud se podíváme blíže na pozlátko jedné z velkých evropských svobod, zjistíme, že vše není tak růžové, jak se na první pohled zdá.

Kateřina Konečná,

za skupinu The Left

Má se za to, že Česko jednoznačně profitovalo z otevřeného společného trhu. Nicméně faktem je, že žijeme v zemi, kde Čechům nepatří již vůbec nic. Jsme zde prakticky cizinci, vše podstatné vlastní korporace z jiných členských států. Od sítí prakticky všech benzínových stanic počínaje, konče částmi energetické soustavy a významnými potravinovými řetězci i průmyslem. Člověk by si mohl říct, že vlastně o nic nejde. Problém je, že tato teze funguje pouze, je-li dobře. V krizi se vždy ukáže, že košile je bližší než kabát. A současná energetická krize to do puntíku potvrdila. Roky se v Evropské unii bojovalo v rámci vnitřního volného trhu za to, aby byl trh s energiemi plně liberalizován. Vy jste bojovali, kolegové. Výsledek je, že Česko, země, která rozhodně nepatří k těm nejbohatším v Evropské unii, má dnes nejdražší ceny elektřiny. U nás se levně vyrobí elektřina, ta se vyexportuje na burzu a tam si ji koupí společnosti z bohatých členských zemí. Na občany Česka a místní firmy již zbude jen ta drahá za západní ceny. Problém je dále akcelerován tím, když i západním společnostem přijde relativně levně nakoupená elektřina na burze drahá. Následuje pokus zemí jako Německo tuto ‘drahotu’ svým společnostem nahradit, což zpochybňuje ten propagovaný vnitřní volný trh a dále jen prohlubuje propastné rozdíly v konkurenceschopnosti. Pokud se toto povede, bude následovat jen další výprodej firem a koloniální status České republiky se jen prohloubí.

Další příklad nefungujícího vnitřního trhu nalezneme v současnosti na trhu s léky. Odkryl nám jej nedostatek léků proti respiračním onemocněním. Vzhledem k tomu, že dle práva Evropské unie jsou léčiva obyčejné zboží jako např. cukr, podléhají pravidlům společného trhu. Protože jsou u nás ve východní Evropě levnější, prostě se koupí tam, kde jsou více potřeba. A tyto země, které jsou levnější, tak jejich pacienti doplácí na to, že léky nejsou. A my se musíme začít reálně bavit o změnách primárního práva, které by vyřadilo léky a léčiva ze svobody pohybu zboží.

Je toho mnoho, co se nepovedlo. Máme co napravovat. Nevím, jestli si přát dalších stejných 30 let. Přála bych si, aby to bylo 30 let lepších především pro občany EU, kterým by vnitřní trh opravdu pomohl.

Edina Tóth (NI). – Elnök Úr! Az egységes piac az Európai Unió egyik legfontosabb vívmánya. Számos fontos, az európai polgárok életét könnyebbé tevő intézkedést köszönhetünk ennek, így például az egységes töltőt vagy a roamingdíjak eltörlését. Mégis úgy érzem, hogy nincs okunk a felhőtlen ünneplésre. A koronavírus, a háború és az ezekből fakadó gazdasági válság megmutatták, hogy még sok munka vár ránk. Fontos lenne, hogy az Európai Unió a polgárok érdekeit és a gazdaság fejlődését szolgáló intézkedésekre fókuszáljon, a tagállami jogköröket megkérdőjelező haszontalan ideológiai viták helyett.

Edina Tóth (NI).

Itt az ideje, hogy elkezdődjön az európai versenyképesség növelésének korszaka. A globális kihívások és az Egyesült Államokkal felerősödött gazdasági verseny miatt, célzott intézkedésekre van szükség. Csökkentenünk kell az adminisztratív terheket, támogatnunk kell a kis- és középvállalkozásokat, jobban ki kell használnunk az egységes piacban rejlő lehetőségeket.

Pablo Arias Echeverría (PPE). – Señor presidente, señora vicepresidenta, tras la pandemia de COVID y a pesar de la guerra de Ucrania y sus consecuencias, hoy es, sin duda, un día de celebración.

Pablo Arias Echeverría (PPE).

Treinta años del mercado único: es, sin duda, uno de los grandes logros de la Unión Europea; quizá la mejor herramienta que tenemos para garantizar la paz, la estabilidad y la prosperidad de nuestro continente. Son muchos los éxitos alcanzados y los retos superados, aunque también hemos vivido decepciones y algunas frustraciones. Con el Brexit algunos preveían nuevas libertades algo utópicas para el Reino Unido. El resultado es claramente diferente.

Brexit

Pero quiero centrarme en el ámbito digital. Hace ya catorce años comenzamos a impulsar el mercado único digital. Europa se había quedado atrás por no prestar suficiente atención a la transición que otros países sí estaban llevando a cabo, especialmente los Estados Unidos. En 2014, la Comisión Europea se dio cuenta de esto y puso el mercado digital entre una de sus prioridades.

Hoy podemos presumir de que en Europa estamos a la vanguardia de la regulación mundial con la Ley de Servicios Digitales y la Ley de Mercados Digitales: dos regulaciones que sientan las bases sobre cómo debe ser el mundo en línea en base a nuestros valores, los valores europeos.

Sin embargo, no podemos relajarnos y volver a cometer los errores del pasado. Tenemos que completar el mercado único digital con iniciativas como la Ley de Inteligencia Artificial o la Ley de Datos, entre otras. Debemos recordar que el mercado único es más fuerte que la suma de sus partes; que no competimos entre nosotros, sino a nivel global.

Es crucial que sigamos derribando barreras ancladas en el pasado y protegiendo y potenciando a nuestros ciudadanos y empresas europeos, especialmente a nuestras pymes. Solo así haremos más Europa. Solo así seguiremos siendo influyentes en un mundo cada vez más digitalizado, cada vez más globalizado.

Biljana Borzan (S&D). – Gospodine predsjedavajući, zajedničko tržište je jedno od najvećih postignuća Europske unije jer omogućava milijunima ljudi bolji život, bolji posao, bolje proizvode i usluge i stvara preko 56 milijuna radnih mjesta. Europska unija je svjetski predvodnik u visokim standardima zaštite potrošača i zaštite radničkih prava, kao i kvalitete proizvoda i usluga.

Biljana Borzan (S&D).

Više nego ikad važno je ojačati otpornost našeg tržišta na krize, ali i učiniti ga modernijim i održivijim za budućnost. Prava građana online i offline moraju biti ista, a mjere za njihovu zaštitu jednako kvalitetno provedene. Isto tako, naše tržište treba postati održivije kroz jačanje novih modela proizvodnje i potrošnje, tržišta rabljenom robom, prenamjenom i ponovnom uporabom proizvoda. Građani moraju znati što kupuju, mora im biti osigurano pravo na popravak. Mora ih se zaštititi od zavaravajućih oglašavanja i praksi.

Inflacija uzrokuje porast cijene za krajnje korisnike i zato je važnije nego ikad osigurati našim ljudima najbolju vrijednost za njihov novac.

Na zajedničkom tržištu svi moraju biti ravnopravni i svačiji glas se mora čuti, od pitanja kvalitete proizvoda do ukidanja geoblokiranja, svi moramo imati jednaka prava. Za nas socijaliste i demokrate u Europskom parlamentu ključno je pravedno i pošteno tržište na kojem zaštita slabijih treba svima biti prioritet.

Svenja Hahn (Renew). – Herr Präsident, liebe Kollegen! Zu runden Geburtstagen lässt man ja gerne die Vergangenheit Revue passieren und schmiedet Zukunftspläne. Und zum 30. Geburtstag des Binnenmarkts haben wir heute zu Recht gesagt, er ist das Herzstück der Europäischen Union. Und deswegen habe ich vor allen Dingen drei Geburtstagswünsche, damit das auch in Zukunft so bleibt: fairer Wettbewerb, wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und gesellschaftliche Chancen.

Svenja Hahn (Renew).

Fairer Wettbewerb bedeutet vor allem, dass Made in Europe entstehen muss durch attraktive Ideen und gute Standortbedingungen wie bezahlbare Strompreise, aber eben nicht durch Protektionismus und eine Spirale an Subventionen. Denn wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit im Binnenmarkt hat noch viel mehr Potenzial. Wir müssen den digitalen Binnenmarkt vollenden, damit aus guten Ideen Unternehmen wachsen können, und wir müssen auch den Binnenmarkt von außen stärken durch Freihandel, vor allem mit demokratischen Partnern.

Made in Europe

Denn gesellschaftliche Chancen brauchen kluge Gesetze, die Digitalisierung und Fortschritt voranbringen. Wir müssen technologischen Fortschritt entfesseln, dafür brauchen wir die klügsten Köpfe. Wir brauchen Mobilität, und wir brauchen auch qualifizierte Einwanderung. Denn ein starker Binnenmarkt ist der beste Motor für eine florierende Wirtschaft, für gute Arbeitsplätze und für Chancen für jeden Europäer.

Kommissionär Vestager, minister Roswall, jag hoppas att jag kan räkna med er.

Kim Van Sparrentak (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, dear colleagues, when looking at the past 30 years, we can all agree that the single market has been essential for European integration. Businesses and consumers have benefited and it has strengthened the EU's position in the world.

Kim Van Sparrentak (Verts/ALE).

But please, let's not only congratulate ourselves. It's essential that we're also self-critical on how the single market project has left many people behind, how it has been dominated too often by a neoliberal obsession of market liberalisation, competitiveness and efficiency. The original promise that the social dimension of the Union would grow together with the market has not been delivered on.

Because what we've witnessed is the weakening of social protection and a race to the bottom on taxes. National welfare systems, public services and the quality of work are under pressure. And right now, the single market is not successful in avoiding companies profiting from the inflation crisis at the expense of our citizens.

The share of labour and income has been declining and the share of capital increased. Wealth is unequally distributed across regions and between individuals. And currently two-thirds of all global wealth created since 2020 was captured by the richest 1%.

When are we going to find the urgency to fix this? Thinking about the future, we have to stop pursuing the single market as a goal in itself, but rather see how we can use it and change it to help our citizens and to build a socially just Europe.

André Rougé (ID). – Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, y a-t-il lieu aujourd'hui de célébrer le trentième anniversaire du marché unique? En guise de bilan, nous constaterons que le marché unique aura mis à mal le marché du travail en favorisant l'arrivée de travailleurs détachés. Le marché unique aura encouragé les délocalisations et la désindustrialisation de la France, lui faisant perdre des milliers d'emplois. Le marché unique nous aura imposé des règlements qui ne permettent plus à la France de protéger des secteurs clés, soumis à l'obligation de mise en concurrence. C'est ainsi que des centaines de boulangers, commerçants et autres artisans s'apprêtent à fermer faute de pouvoir payer leurs factures d'électricité, ce que le monopole d'EDF aurait pu éviter. Le marché unique nous aura rendu dépendants de puissances comme les États-Unis ou la Chine sur des secteurs stratégiques comme le pharmaceutique ou plus récemment avec l'IA. Le marché unique aura favorisé la criminalité en facilitant le trafic d'armes et la circulation des terroristes. Le marché unique aura favorisé une immigration hors de contrôle d'étrangers ne parlant pas notre langue et ignorants de notre culture.

André Rougé (ID).

La Communauté économique européenne, c'est le marché commun, c'est le fait de se mettre ensemble pour faire des échanges, mais cela ne doit pas impliquer la suppression des souverainetés nationales, disait le général de Gaulle. Cette vision de l'Europe est celle de Marine Le Pen, une Europe de la coopération dans laquelle chaque État reste souverain. Ce n'est pas celle que nous connaissons, et il sera difficile pour la France de célébrer cet anniversaire.

Beata Mazurek (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Jednolity rynek to projekt, o który warto walczyć. Dlatego powinniśmy chwalić nie tylko jego osiągnięcia, ale także widzieć wady i pracować nad nimi. Unijny rynek jest coraz mniej konkurencyjny wobec Chin czy nawet zaprzyjaźnionych Stanów Zjednoczonych. Ucieczka w coraz większą ilość obciążających regulacji wymierzonych w inne kraje nie wyrówna szans naszych przedsiębiorców. Komisja musi zwrócić uwagę na zaniedbywane obszary handlu takie jak usługi, i bariery, które wciąż blokują nasz potencjał ekonomiczny. Tylko w ten sposób wzmocnimy konkurencyjność naszej gospodarki.

Beata Mazurek (ECR).

Apeluję do Komisji, aby ponownie uczyniła swoim celem dokończenie budowy jednolitego rynku usług wraz ze wszystkimi jego swobodami. Apeluję także, aby w świetle rosnących nierówności międzyregionalnych zaangażowała się w politykę wrażliwą na biedniejsze obszary wspólnego rynku, tak aby żaden region Unii Europejskiej nie pozostawał w tyle. Tego właśnie życzę jednolitemu rynkowi z okazji 30. urodzin.

Jörg Meuthen (NI). – Herr Präsident, Frau Ministerin, Frau Kommissarin, werte Kollegen! Wir feiern heute das 30-jährige Bestehen des Europäischen Binnenmarktes. Und ja, das ist ein Grund zum Feiern. Der Binnenmarkt ist, anders als die Währungsunion, eine wirkliche Erfolgsgeschichte. Die vier Grundfreiheiten in Verbindung mit offenen Grenzen innerhalb des Schengen-Raumes haben allen Bürgern der EU viel mehr zusätzlichen Wohlstand gebracht, als die meisten dies überhaupt wahrnehmen.

Jörg Meuthen (NI).

Dieses Jubiläum mahnt uns gerade deswegen, den Binnenmarkt, diesen gemeinsamen Raum von Freiheit und Wohlstand, entschlossen zu verteidigen. Dazu gehört funktionierender Schutz unserer Außengrenzen ebenso wie eine strikte Bekämpfung von Subventionswettläufen. Die Kommission wird ihren Aufgaben der Verteidigung der Errungenschaften des Binnenmarktes unter Frau von der Leyens Führung leider alles andere als gerecht: Unkontrollierte Masseneinwanderung, übrigens auch aus diesem Haus gefördert, ist eine existenzielle Gefahr für unseren freiheitlichen Wirtschaftsraum, ebenso wie eine übergriffige Kommission, die im Zuge ihrer Klimarettung wahre Subventionsorgien auf Pump auf den Weg bringt.

Feiern wir heute also lieber nicht zu laut, sondern tun wir lieber endlich, was getan werden muss, um das Erreichte nicht fahrlässig wieder zu verspielen. Da liegt einiges im Argen.

Ivan Štefanec (PPE). – Vážený pán predsedajúci. Som presvedčený, že spoločný trh je najúspešnejším európskym projektom. Svojím fungovaním prispel k miliónom pracovných miest, k vyššej životnej úrovni občanov v Únii a takisto k mieru a spolupráci medzi krajinami, ktoré predtým po stáročia medzi sebou zápasili.

Ivan Štefanec (PPE).

Dnes, po tridsiatich rokoch, čelí jednotný trh viacerým výzvam naraz. Je to agresia Kremľa voči Ukrajine, dezinformačným vojnám, narušeniu globálnych dodávateľsko-odberateľských reťazcov či narastajúcemu protekcionizmu USA. A to len zvyšuje význam nášho spoločného trhu. Ak chceme ostať globálne konkurencieschopní a udržať pracovné miesta v Európe, musíme aj naďalej posilňovať právomoci nášho spoločného trhu. Sloboda ide ruka v ruke so zodpovednosťou. A platí to aj v prípade spoločného trhu. Súčasné výzvy nám pripomínajú, že demokracia ani ekonomický rast nie sú samozrejmosťou. A nesmieme preto poľavovať v práci s občanmi a pripomínať im, aký význam tento projekt má. Spoločný trh musíme nielen chrániť, ale aj naďalej prehlbovať. Potrebujeme jeho dokončenie v oblasti služieb, vybudovanie spoločného digitálneho trhu, ale aj spoločný trh s energiami. To je dnes najdôležitejšie. Zároveň musíme zrealizovať kapitálovú úniu pre zlepšenie prístupu k financovaniu malých podnikov, zabezpečenie vzájomného uznávania kvalifikácií, aj jednotné elektronické štandardy. To všetko pomôže vytvoriť ešte viac pracovných miest a k súčasným prínosom na úrovni 269 miliárd eur dokáže priniesť ešte ďalších 300 miliárd eur.

Dámy a páni, využime dnešnú reflexiu pri tridsaťročných oslavách spoločného trhu a pozrime sa tiež dozadu, prečo EÚ vznikla a sústreďme sa aj čo najviac na pomoc našim občanom dôsledným uplatnením a rozvíjaním práve nášho spoločného európskeho trhu.

Alex Agius Saliba (S&D). – Ir-roaming b'xejn, iċ-charger komuni, l-Erasmus, il-libertà li tgħix, taħdem u tivvjaġġa fl-Ewropa, protezzjoni għall-konsumaturi - fejn anki jidħol kumpens aħjar għaċ-ċittadini, standards ta' kwalità għolja għall-prodotti, għażliet kompetittivi, prezzijiet orħos u aktar ġusti, xiri online fl-Unjoni Ewropea, il-libertà li tinnegozja u l-aċċess li jingħataw il-kumpaniji żgħar fis-swieq kollha madwar l-Ewropa.

Alex Agius Saliba (S&D).

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Dan huwa dak fejn wasal is-Suq Uniku matul dawn l-aħħar tletin sena. Is-Suq Uniku mhuwiex tragward fih innifsu imma għodda li tista' ttejjeb il-kwalità tal-ħajja taċ-ċittadini Ewropej b'mod sostanzjali u tgħin lill-Ewropa tirreaġixxi għal emerġenzi differenti, li jinkludu l-pandemija u n-nuqqas ta' servizzi essenzjali, fosthom il-mediċini, kif ukoll il-kriżi tal-enerġija li ġiet frott tal-invażjoni Russa fl-Ukrajna.

Bla dubju s-Suq Uniku huwa storja ta' suċċess li għenna nġibu fis-seħħ ftit mill-akbar kisbiet tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Issa rridu niksbu l-istess livelli għoljin ta' reżiljenza u protezzjoni fis-Suq Uniku Diġitali. Dak li huwa illegali offline għandu wkoll ikun illegali fid-dinja online. Għal dan il-għan irridu nipproteġu l-ogħla livell ta' standards, prinċipji u regoli tas-Suq Uniku, anki fid-dinja diġitali, u niżguraw illi l-konsumaturi Ewropej, il-ħaddiema u l-intrapriżi żgħar u medji jkunu protetti fir-realtajiet ġodda diġitali li qed jidħlu fihom.

offline

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L-Ewropa trid tiżviluppa strateġiji diġitali reżiljenti li jippermettu li dan is-suq ikun katalista primarju għall-irkupru ekonomiku u fl-istess waqt jaħdmu għaċ-ċittadini, għaliex ipoġġi fuq quddiem nett l-interessi tagħhom u jipproteġu l-aktar drittijiet fundamentali tal-konsumaturi tagħna.

Sandro Gozi (Renew). –Monsieur le Président, le marché unique est le plus grand succès européen, un véritable multiplicateur de liberté et de possibles pour nous tous. Toutefois, en période de crise, ce dernier est trop souvent victime de réflexes et d'égoïsmes nationaux. La preuve? Face à la crise énergétique, plutôt que de mettre tous nos efforts en commun et de créer un fonds souverain européen qui nous donnerait une plus forte autonomie stratégique et protégerait tous nos concitoyens, certains plaident uniquement en faveur d'aides nationales. Mais des réponses uniquement nationales risquent d'aggraver les divisions et la fragmentation du marché. Il est totalement illusoire de penser qu'avec le chacun pour soi on pourra pallier les crises gigantesques qui nous attendent.

Sandro Gozi (Renew).

En 2022, le coût des barrières nationales dans notre marché a été de 300 milliards, soit une perte de 2 % du PIB. En 1988, M. Cecchini avait écrit un rapport sur le coût du non-marché; je crois qu'on devrait écrire un nouveau rapport sur le coût du non-marché unique. Nous devons aussi être plus efficaces dans l'application des règles du marché en prenant exemple sur celles de la politique de la concurrence. Voilà encore une bonne raison de modifier les traités et de réformer notre Union.

Marcel Kolaja (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, Madam Executive Vice-President, Madam Minister, the single market seeks to guarantee the four freedoms and thanks to that, European citizens can study, live, shop, work, run their own business, retire, you name it, in any EU country they wish to. In order to secure all this, we need to regularly adjust rules on the single market to adapt to new situations. One such adjustment is the Digital Markets Act, which is crucial for a fair, competitive and trustworthy digital single market.

Marcel Kolaja (Verts/ALE).

With the Digital Markets Act, Europe has made the right choice and there are many more legislative acts in which we can contribute to the digital single market, but we will need to make the right choices – the Artificial Intelligence Act, the Media Freedom Act, the European Identity Wallet, the rules on political advertising, to name just some of these legislative acts.

At the same time, the 30th anniversary is a great opportunity to remind ourselves that it is high time to renew our commitment to a single market that delivers for consumers and businesses. We have to eliminate digital barriers that prevent citizens from accessing online services across Member States equally, such as geo-blocking of digital services.

Carlo Fidanza (ECR). – Signor Presidente, signora Ministra, benvenuta, Commissaria, onorevoli colleghi, il mercato unico è e rimane una conquista da difendere. Ora però dobbiamo rimettere al centro l'economia reale e le piccole e medie imprese e non la finanza speculativa e le grandi multinazionali.

Carlo Fidanza (ECR).

Dopo Brexit, Covid e Ucraina, emerge sempre più chiara la necessità di accorciare le catene del valore; riportare in Europa le produzioni strategiche; proteggere la qualità delle nostre merci; pretendere dai paesi terzi, a partire dalla Cina, gli stessi nostri standard; uniformare le procedure doganali; ridurre tasse; burocrazia e iper-regolamentazione e investire sulle competenze.

E di fronte ai piani antinflazione come quello americano, dobbiamo immaginare strumenti comuni e non risposte che avvantaggino soltanto alcuni, distruggendo il mercato interno. Soltanto così questo potrà essere ancora valore aggiunto e non portatore di nuove disuguaglianze e concorrenza sleale.

Enikő Győri (NI). – Elnök Úr! Ünnepelünk, de tudjuk nagyon jól, hogy az egységes piac még mindig nem működik kifogástalanul. Az előnyök egyenlőtlenül oszlanak el, egyes tagállamok és cégeik nagyobb hasznot húznak belőle, mint mások. Egy kimutatás szerint az állami támogatási szabályok mostani lazításával 80 százalékban az amúgy is erős francia és német vállalatok nyernek. A Bizottságnak garantálnia kellene, hogy mindenki egyenlő esélyekkel érvényesül az egységes piacon. Ez az elv sérült a mobilitási csomaggal és a kiküldött munkavállalók szabályozásával, most pedig a szubvenciók tekintetében.

Enikő Győri (NI).

Továbbá azzal, hogy a Bizottság Magyarország és Lengyelország esetében is visszatartja a nekik járó uniós forrásokat, az egységes piacon hoz hátrányos helyzetbe országokat, sőt, az Erasmus akadályoztatásával most már a fiatalokat is. Teszi mindezt olyankor, amikor a háború és a szankciók miatt elszaladtak az energiaárak, embertelenül magas az infláció és versenytársaink mesterkedése – lásd az USA protekcionista zöld politikáját –, amúgy is gyengítik Európa versenyképességét. Meggyőződésem, hogy mindez ellentétes a Bizottság mandátumával. Kérem, Biztos Asszony, tegyen azért, hogy ez a jogellenes állapot megszűnjön, és a magyarok és a lengyelek újra egyenlő feltételek mellett versenyezhessenek az egységes piacon.

Tom Vandenkendelaere (PPE). – Voorzitter, commissaris, collega's, ik ben een kind uit de jaren negentig, opgegroeid met de interne markt zoals we die vandaag kennen: bijna 500 miljoen consumenten, immense mobiliteit tussen de Europese lidstaten en geen grenscontroles meer. Mijn regio, West-Vlaanderen in België, is groot geworden dankzij die Europese interne markt. Plots werd het mogelijk om zonder veel belemmeringen goederen te verhandelen in de buurlanden en elders in de EU. Vooral de handel in agrovoedingsproducten heeft ons geen windeieren gelegd. We worden niet voor niets vandaag de groentetuin van Europa genoemd. Dat is dankzij de interne markt. Daar zijn we immens trots op. Velen kennen de interne markt immers het best van het voedsel op ons bord.

Tom Vandenkendelaere (PPE).

Collega's, we mogen nu niet op onze lauweren rusten. Het is onze plicht om in de toekomst die interne markt zo gaaf mogelijk te houden. Ik ben ervan overtuigd dat het de lijm is en in de toekomst zal blijven voor onze samenwerking als Europeanen. Dat bewijst ook onze aanpak na elke crisis. Door bijvoorbeeld de opkomst van big tech verdiepen we onze digitale eengemaakte markt, sinds de pandemie onze gezondheidsunie, en nu zijn onze energie- en onze defensie-unie top of mind.

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Laten we bij dit dertigjarig bestaan dus meer dan ooit beseffen dat de interne markt het fundament is voor onze vreedzame Europese samenwerking, maar vooral ook een boost geeft aan de creatie van welvaart en een hefboom is om de positie van de Unie in de wereld te versterken.

Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, doamna ministru, doamna comisar, stimați colegi, piața internă - toată lumea a spus aici - este inima Uniunii Europene, este platforma. Ați numit-o în toate felurile. Da, este ca și la o casă: baza, fundația. Dar nu este importantă numai fundația. Este important cum construim.

Maria Grapini (S&D).

De aceea, cred că este bine să ne gândim acum la 30 de ani: cum să modernizăm piața internă, cum să facem să fie puternică în competiția globală, cum putem să facem ca acele drepturi, consfințite în tratat: libera circulație a lucrătorilor și libera circulație a mărfurilor să existe ?

Nu am să folosesc termenul de piața unică pe care l-ați folosit pentru că, din punctul meu de vedere, ca român, nu este o piață unică, este o piață internă, dar nu este o piață unică. De aceea, sper ca Suedia să aibă ambiția să unească cele două segmente fragmentate acum: piața Schengen și non-Schengen.

Și mai cred, doamnă comisar, că este foarte important cum apărăm, cum protejăm piața internă. De aceea, cred că Comisia ar trebui să prezinte un raport de punere în aplicare a Directivei privind practicile neloiale, pentru că știm bine că avem încă probleme cu importuri din țări terțe care creează o concurență neloială producătorilor. Și apoi, și o siguranță pentru protecția consumatorului. Cred că toți avem obligația: statele membre, Comisia, Consiliul, Parlamentul și, până la urmă, și cetățenii, să protejăm piața internă, pentru că este bine pentru toată lumea.

Vlad-Marius Botoș (Renew). – Domnule președinte, doamna vicepreședinte executiv, doamna ministru, piața unică europeană este, fără îndoială, unul dintre cele mai mari proiecte și succese ale Uniunii Europene. O piață de aproximativ 450 de milioane de consumatori care aplică reguli armonizate în aproape toate domeniile, este cel mai mare atu al nostru, al cetățenilor europeni.

Vlad-Marius Botoș (Renew).

Libera circulație face ca schimburile de marfă să fie mult mai ușoare, însă trebuie să trecem la definitivarea acestui mare proiect, care nu este complet: fără libera circulație a persoanelor, pentru tirurile care transportă aceste mărfuri, care stau la frontierele interne.

Valurile de imigranți, apoi pandemia cu Covid-19 au făcut ca multe state să reinstaureze controalele și, chiar după ce pericolul real a trecut, libera circulație a revenit mult mai greu la normal.

Chiar și așa, faptul că nu toate statele Uniunii Europene sunt incluse în spațiul Schengen, cum este și cazul țării mele, al României, aduce mari dificultăți pentru economia și producătorii din statele care, deși sunt membre ale Uniunii, sunt încă ținute la granița Uniunii Europene, dar și pentru cei care transportă marfă în aceste state.

O liberă circulație a mărfurilor nu poate exista fără aceeași libertate a cetățenilor. Pentru ca piața unică europeană să fie un adevărat succes, avem nevoie ca toate statele membre să fie parte reală a Uniunii Europene. Dacă vrem o piață unică, trebuie să eliminăm aceste ultime impedimente.

Eugen Jurzyca (ECR). – Vážený pán predsedajúci. Vďaka jednotnému trhu sa v Európskej únii zvýšil ekonomický rast. Vplyv jednotného trhu na život ľudí však ďaleko presahuje hranice ekonomiky. Jednotný trh potom pomáha udržať mier, zlepšuje vzťahy medzi krajinami, zlepšuje slobodu a toleranciu, chráni právo a demokraciu. Ak by sme dobudovali jednotný trh, tak by sme mnohé problémy dneška vyriešili v budúcnosti oveľa ľahšie. Dobudovanie jednotného trhu by napríklad na Slovensku, v mojej krajine, každoročne zvýšilo hrubý domáci produkt o tri a pol až 5,7 miliardy eur, čo je zhruba toľko, koľko Slovensko dáva z verejných výdavkov na celé vzdelávanie. A je to takmer toľko, koľko dávame na celé zdravotníctvo. Nezabudnime ale, že za úspechom bol a zrejme teda aj bude v Európskej únii spoločný trh, nie spoločná centrálne plánovaná ekonomika.

Eugen Jurzyca (ECR).

Krzysztof Hetman (PPE). – Panie Przewodniczący! Pani Komisarz! Jednolity rynek europejski jest prawdziwym, bijącym sercem Europy. Filarem, który zapewnia jej siłę, jedność oraz wzrost. To właśnie dzięki niemu europejskie PKB jest średnio o 8 do 9% wyższe, zaś w przypadku Polski PKB rosło rocznie o półtora punktu procentowego szybciej dzięki wspólnemu rynkowi. Jednolity rynek udowodnił też, że jest naszą tarczą ochronną w sytuacji kryzysowej, czego mogliśmy doświadczyć zarówno podczas pandemii Covid-19, jak i podczas kryzysu spowodowanego brutalną inwazją Rosji na Ukrainę. Mimo że równocześnie owe kryzysy wskazywały również na punkty, które wymagają wzmocnienia.

Krzysztof Hetman (PPE).

Dlatego właśnie, podobnie jak musimy dbać o nasze serce, musimy również dbać o jednolity rynek i rozwijać go, aby przez kolejne lata przynosił nam jeszcze więcej korzyści. Przede wszystkim należy zatem skupić się na szybkim znoszeniu niepotrzebnych barier regulacyjnych oraz zmniejszeniu obciążeń dla przedsiębiorców, tak aby w pełni uwolnić potencjał jednolitego rynku. Musimy również zadbać o skuteczne wdrożenie ambitnych unijnych aktów legislacyjnych, takich jak akt o rynkach cyfrowych czy też akt o usługach cyfrowych.

Wreszcie, musimy zapewnić, aby jednolity rynek był odporny na kryzysy i potrafił szybko i solidarnie reagować na sytuacje nadzwyczajne, gwarantując ciągły, swobodny przepływ towarów i usług, nieprzerwane łańcuchy dostaw oraz zapobieganie niedoborom towarów i usług, do czego niezbędny jest instrument nadzwyczajny jednolitego rynku.

Brando Benifei (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, tra i tanti difetti di un'Unione in molti campi incompiuta, il mercato interno è indubbiamente uno dei progetti più riusciti per l'Europa unita, per la sua immagine nel mondo e per lo sviluppo economico, oltre al vantaggio per i consumatori europei, tra i più protetti in tutto il mondo dai prodotti non sicuri e da altri rischi. Un successo che non va dato per scontato, ma va anzi continuamente aggiornato e sostenuto.

Brando Benifei (S&D).

Sono per questo fiero di aver lavorato come relatore al programma per il mercato interno che ne finanzia il funzionamento all'interno dell'attuale bilancio pluriennale, e non è meno importante il lavoro che stiamo facendo con molti colleghi per ammodernare il quadro legislativo nel settore del mercato unico digitale, tra le altre cose, con il primo regolamento orizzontale al mondo sull'intelligenza artificiale, su cui abbiamo lavorato alacremente, insieme anche alla vicepresidente Vestager, che è qui presente.

Insomma, solo se siamo uniti come europei possiamo dare un futuro al nostro continente. Facciamolo di più e meglio, dando ancora maggior forza alla nostra integrazione economica e sociale per superare le crisi del nostro tempo.

Catharina Rinzema (Renew). – Mr President, the 30-year anniversary of the European single market. I think we should be proud of the achievements and the opportunities which our European single market has brought us. Our SMEs especially should be acknowledged as the driving force behind this success, and they are the backbone of our European economy. But, we should not take all these benefits for granted. Some do – don't.

Catharina Rinzema (Renew).

Our European single market is not something we can afford to lose. The single market is a fundamental tool to foster our strategic autonomy, which is much needed in these current times. I don't think by subsidies, but by strengthening our strategic sectors and by ratifying more trade agreements, we are strong.

I believe our cooperation within the single market has proven crucial in responding to the crises we have faced so far. But we need to do more, and for the future, we shall continue our commitment and remain ambitious towards further development, because we really need to do more. We should actively support our SMEs and ensure a level playing field for our own businesses.

Don't take our European single market for granted.

Geert Bourgeois (ECR). – Voorzitter, commissaris, minister, de interne markt is zonder meer hét kroonjuweel van de Europese Unie. De interne handel alleen al is goed voor zomaar eventjes 56 miljoen jobs en 8 tot 9 % van ons bnp.

Geert Bourgeois (ECR).

Maar het werk is niet af. Al jaren pleit ik voor de voltooiing van de interne markt, wat een enorme groei van onze welvaart zou creëren.

Verder vraag ik de Commissie om eindelijk op te treden tegen het feitelijk protectionisme. Er zijn helaas weer grenzen. Franse retailers, bijvoorbeeld, weigeren stelselmatig om producten van onze bloeiende Vlaamse agro-industrie te verkopen. Het moet een ‘Produit de France’ zijn.

Tot slot dreigt de herziening van de staatssteunregels het gelijke speelveld voor bedrijven uit kleine lidstaten te ondergraven. Er is dus reden tot vieren, collega's, maar er ligt ook veel werk op de plank voor de Commissie en de Raad.

Maria da Graça Carvalho (PPE). – Senhor Presidente, Senhora Vice-Presidente, Senhora Ministra, caros Colegas, o Mercado Único é uma das maiores conquistas do projeto europeu. Desde 1993, suprimimos centenas de barreiras técnicas, jurídicas e burocráticas ao comércio livre e à livre circulação.

Maria da Graça Carvalho (PPE).

Nestes 30 anos, o mercado único aprofundou-se. Hoje é um espaço de prosperidade e liberdade. Oferece a 450 milhões de europeus o acesso a bens, serviços e empregos. Promove a iniciativa empresarial e cultural nos 27 Estados-Membros. No entanto, não devemos dar estas conquistas por adquiridas ou concluídas. A integração do mercado interno é um processo contínuo.

Existem, ainda, obstáculos de ordem técnica, tais como a excessiva regulamentação e burocracia, e de índole política, porque persistem protecionismos e a agenda daqueles que gostariam de ver este projeto falhar.

A Europa deve responder aos desafios atuais com mais cooperação e menos barreiras, com regras adaptadas a uma nova realidade digital, um verdadeiro mercado europeu digital.

Com a construção do mercado interno da energia, a plena realização do mercado único é fundamental para o bem-estar dos europeus e para a sua afirmação internacional e afirmação da União Europeia.

Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques (S&D). – Senhor Presidente, 447 milhões de consumidores, 23 milhões de empresas, 56 milhões de empregos. Trinta anos depois, são estes os números do Mercado Único e dizem muito sobre o seu sucesso.

Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques (S&D).

Um aniversário é um momento para celebrar, mas também para olhar para o futuro,

e por isso escolhi três desafios que devemos enfrentar. Muitas profissões – arquitetos, advogados, contabilistas – enfrentam ainda barreiras à prestação de serviços no mercado interno, prejudicando os profissionais em causa e os utilizadores dos seus serviços. Há que as remover.

Precisamos também de uma agenda social mais ambiciosa, que nivele por cima as políticas laborais e sociais, garantindo que o maior mercado no planeta é também aquele que trata melhor os seus trabalhadores.

E por fim, numa Europa que tem sido tão generosa na criação de agências – 48 no total –, é estranho, Senhora Vice-Presidente, que a nossa preocupação com os consumidores, a razão de ser deste mercado, não se traduza na criação de uma agência europeia para a sua proteção mais efetiva, integrada e harmonizada.

Por 30 anos de sucessos e por todos os que virão: parabéns ao Mercado Único e aos europeus que dele beneficiam.

Kosma Złotowski (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Pani Komisarz! UE europejska to przede wszystkim organizacja o celach gospodarczych, której jednolity rynek jest jednym z najważniejszych osiągnięć. Pozbawiony zbędnych barier handel towarami i usługami to jednak nadal ideał, do którego wciąż musimy dążyć. W sprawozdaniu mojego autorstwa, które Parlament przyjął w ubiegłym roku, wskazujemy na problemy wymagające szczególnego i pilnego zaangażowania Komisji. Kryzys wywołany pandemią czy inflacja, które dotknęły nas wszystkich, mogą wzmocnić tendencje protekcjonistyczne, które od lat są wyraźnie widoczne. Dla swobodnego przepływu usług wyzwaniem są zbędne kontrole, nieadekwatne kary czy utrudnienia ze strony lokalnych organów administracji w prowadzeniu działalności przez firmy zagraniczne, także małe i średnie przedsiębiorstwa. Również na jednolitym rynku cyfrowym, a zwłaszcza w handlu internetowym, istnieją bariery, które utrudniają życie i małym i średnim przedsiębiorcom z jednej strony a konsumentom z drugiej.

Kosma Złotowski (ECR).

Mam nadzieję, że ta rocznica będzie okazją do konstruktywnej refleksji, co jeszcze możemy zrobić, żeby jednolity rynek działał lepiej i był bardziej jednolity.

Tomislav Sokol (PPE). –. Gospodine predsjedavajući, kolegice i kolege, jedinstveno tržište jedno je od najvećih postignuća Europske unije i područje u kojem ona ima najveće mogućnosti djelovanja. Upravo zahvaljujući jedinstvenom tržištu europski se građani mogu slobodno kretati, studirati, zapošljavati i poslovati u različitim državama članicama. Pritom ono stvara 56 milijuna radnih mjesta i generira veliki postotak europskog BDP-a. Građani danas mogu telefonirati u Europskoj uniji bez straha od visokih računa, priznavanje stečenih kvalifikacija omogućuje im lakše zapošljavanje u državama članicama, a uskoro će moći koristiti i jedinstveni punjač.

Tomislav Sokol (PPE).

Međutim, unatoč brojnim pogodnostima koje jedinstveno tržište donosi, često ga se, pa i u Europskom parlamentu, neopravdano zanemaruje i uzima zdravo za gotovo. Zato je obilježavanje tridesete godišnjice njegova osnutka izvrsna prilika da jedinstveno tržište učinimo uistinu političkim prioritetom.

U bitno izmijenjenim okolnostima moramo marljivo raditi na uklanjanju preostalih birokratskih prepreka, uz osiguranje najviše razine zaštite potrošača. Bilo da se radi o označavanju hrane, zaštite od neopravdanog podizanja cijena ili minusima na tekućem računu.

Također, snažno pozdravljam i prijedlog Europske komisije o stvaranju instrumenta za hitne slučajeve. Sloboda kretanja ljudi, roba, usluge kapitala mora funkcionirati i u vremenima kriza ako ne želimo da se europska integracija uruši i kontinent utone u kaos. Uspjeh jedinstvenog tržišta ključ je konkurentnosti Europe u globalnom natjecanju i jamac očuvanja životnog standarda europskih građana.

René Repasi (S&D). – Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen!

René Repasi (S&D).

‘L'Europe ne se fera pas d'un coup, ni dans une construction d'ensemble. Elle se fera par des réalisations concrètes créant d'abord une solidarité de fait’.

Dieses Fundament der EU, wie es Robert Schuman 1950 beschrieben hat, wurde zunächst durch den Gemeinsamen Markt der EWG und seit 30 Jahren nunmehr durch den Binnenmarkt gelegt. Der Binnenmarkt dient damit einem größeren Ziel, einem politischen: dem Abbau nationaler Barrieren. Das dient dazu, Menschen zusammenzubringen, wodurch Solidarität entsteht, die die Regierungen nicht mehr auseinanderreißen können. Binnenmarkt und Solidarität gehen daher zusammen.

Ja, wir können stolz sein auf die ökonomische Stärke und die Erfolge dieses Binnenmarktes, die Begegnungen und das Zusammenwachsen, das er gebracht hat. Aber Solidarität bedeutet mehr als ökonomische Freiheiten. Wir brauchen eine gleichwertige Sicherung von Schutzstandards und Umverteilung. Der Binnenmarkt braucht ein unverkennbares soziales Europa. Und das bedeutet Verbraucherschutz, der über Informationspflichten hinausgeht, Entsenderegeln, die vor Sozialdumping schützen, EU-Steuerregeln, die Steueroptimierung unmöglich machen, und Regeln für Online-Märkte, die keine Schlupflöcher für schädliche Produkte erlauben.

Johan Nissinen (ECR). – Herr talman! På 1990-talet uppnådde EU något fantastiskt som hela världen beundrar, och som jag verkligen älskar med EU, nämligen en inre marknad på omkring nästan en halv miljard människor som handlar med varandra varje dag. Det bygger på att företagen producerar vad de är bäst på och att det råder en rättvis konkurrens utan att länder ger stöd till sin egen industri. Denna specialisering har ökat EU:s välstånd.

Johan Nissinen (ECR).

Tyvärr hotas denna framgångssaga av ett alltmer planekonomiskt och centraliserat EU som satsar på subventioner, byråkrati och en modell som ska passa alla, istället för äkta europeisk mångfald.

Jag kan därför inte annat än undra: Vad är det för feberyra som har lett till detta självskadebeteende? Varför vill man långsamt kväva den inre marknaden istället för att vårda och utveckla den?

Angelika Niebler (PPE). – Herr Präsident, Frau Vizepräsidentin, Frau Ministerin, meine sehr geehrten, lieben Kolleginnen und Kollegen! 30 Jahre Binnenmarkt: welch eine großartige Erfolgsgeschichte der Europäischen Union!

Angelika Niebler (PPE).

Was haben wir nicht alles in diesen 30 Jahren erreicht: Handelshemmnisse wurden abgebaut, beim Warenhandel innerhalb der Europäischen Union gibt es keine Ein- oder Ausfuhrzölle mehr, Handwerker aus meiner Heimatregion können ihre Dienstleistungen in der ganzen Europäischen Union anbieten. Ein in Deutschland erworbener Masterabschluss wird auch in allen anderen Mitgliedstaaten anerkannt. Erasmus ist eine Erfolgsgeschichte, gibt vielen jungen Leuten die Gelegenheit, einen Teil ihrer Ausbildung oder ihres Studiums in einem anderen europäischen Land zu absolvieren. Es gibt keine Roaminggebühren mehr.

Auch kleinere Meilensteine wurden erreicht: Bei grenzüberschreitenden Streitigkeiten bietet SOLVIT Hilfe. Es wurde eine einzige Anlaufstelle eingeführt für Unternehmen, damit nur einmal in der Europäischen Union die Umsatzsteuer angemeldet werden muss. Und, und, und.

Meine Damen und Herren, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Es ist wirklich eine großartige Leistung. Aber es gibt natürlich auch noch viel zu tun. Denn die Mitgliedstaaten sind extrem erfinderisch im Aufbau von neuen Handelshemmnissen, und dagegen müssen wir vorgehen.

Ich möchte zum Schluss einen weiteren großen Meilenstein im Binnenmarkt erwähnen, den wir in diesem Jahr feiern dürfen: 20 Jahre, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, haben wir gemeinsam daran gearbeitet, dass wir ein Einheitspatent und ein einheitliches Patentgericht in Europa bekommen. Jetzt, zum 1. April, wird dies endlich realisiert werden, wird dies möglich werden: eine Anmeldung, eine Prüfung, eine Erteilung, ein Gerichtsverfahren für Patente in der Europäischen Union.

Ich denke, das ist ein weiterer, ganz, ganz großartiger Meilenstein, auf den wir im Europäischen Parlament auch besonders stolz sein können, weil über viele, viele Jahre viele Kolleginnen und Kollegen immer wieder gedrängt haben, dass endlich die Mitgliedstaaten dies auch entsprechend umsetzen.

Clara Aguilera (S&D). – Señor presidente, señora vicepresidenta, señora ministra, tenemos derecho a celebrar los éxitos del mercado único. No tenemos por qué tener complejos ante esa celebración.

Clara Aguilera (S&D).

Creo que el mercado único ha obtenido grandes éxitos, que al minuto siguiente hemos tenido que trabajar —seguir trabajando— para mejorar y seguir consolidando esta Unión Europea. Uno de los pilares importantes de la integración europea es, sin duda, el mercado único.

Ha tenido un buen resultado este mercado único, pero tenemos que seguir abordando elementos que van en contra de este mercado único: la fragmentación, el proteccionismo y el antieuropeísmo.

Hemos visto aquí cómo los antieuropeos son a los que no les gusta el mercado único. A esos hay que combatirlos: eso es lo que hay que combatir. Y los demás podemos enorgullecernos sin parar de seguir trabajando.

Por tanto, hemos vivido difíciles momentos: la pandemia, el Brexit y ahora la guerra. Pero, sin duda, la unidad y el trabajo común nos harán más grandes.

Brexit

Michiel Hoogeveen (ECR). – Voorzitter, in de jaren 1950-1960 schreef de Duits-Amerikaanse politicoloog Ernst Bernhard Haas over Europese integratie. Hij voorspelde dat door een overloopeffect beperkte economische samenwerking zou uitlopen op steeds verdere integratie, niet alleen op het vlak van handel, maar ook in de politiek, het sociale leven en onze culturen. Deze theorie, aangehangen door EU-federalisten, had als tegenhanger het intergouvernementalisme. Intergouvernementalisten zijn niet tegen de EU, maar voor een sterke gemeenschappelijke markt, terwijl lidstaten hun soevereiniteit behouden.

Michiel Hoogeveen (ECR).

Met de viering van dertig jaar succesvolle gemeenschappelijke markt is het tijd om die intergouvernementele Europese idealen nieuw leven in te blazen. We zien eurorealistische partijen, zoals de onze, opkomen en meeregeren. Want we zien dat de mensen dat willen: een flexibele Europese samenwerking in een afgeslankte, kleinere EU. Zoals president Charles de Gaulle ooit zei: we willen een Europa van vaderlanden, geen Europa van bureaucraten.

Barbara Thaler (PPE). – Sehr geehrter Herr Präsident, liebe Frau Ministerin, sehr geehrte Frau Vizepräsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Wir feiern Geburtstag heute, und das freut mich sehr – den 30. Geburtstag unseres gemeinsamen Europäischen Binnenmarktes, dessen Vorteile wir alle jeden Tag spüren können.

Barbara Thaler (PPE).

Wir alle können in der ganzen Europäischen Union Waren bestellen. Wir können frei reisen, wir können studieren, arbeiten, leben, Kinder kriegen, in den Ruhestand gehen. Unsere Unternehmen können alle ihre Dienste in der Europäischen Union anbieten. Und ich habe mir angeschaut: Was bedeutet das für die europäischen Regionen, vor allem für meine Heimatregion? Dort hängt nämlich jeder zweite Job direkt oder indirekt vom Export ab. Und vor ungefähr 30 Jahren wurden in Tirol knapp über 3 Milliarden Euro an Waren exportiert. Heute bzw. letztes Jahr waren das 16 Milliarden Euro. Und nominell gesehen ist das ein Anstieg von außergewöhnlichen 429 Prozent. Also ich glaube, wir haben durchaus recht, heute diesen Geburtstag zu feiern.

Wir sehen aber auch, vor allem in der Pandemie, dass der Binnenmarkt bei Krisen ins Wanken kommt. Und deshalb ist mir ganz wichtig, dass eine der größten Errungenschaften der Europäischen Union kein Schönwetterkonstrukt sein darf, sondern dass wir den Binnenmarkt ständig weiterentwickeln müssen und dass wir mehr Krisenfestigkeit in ihn hineinbekommen müssen.

Liebe Kollegen, ich möchte auch noch einmal auf das Sich-Verlieben-Zitat zurückkommen, das wir heute ja schon öfters gehört haben. Jacques Delors hat gesagt: Niemand verliebt sich in einen Binnenmarkt. Ich glaube, wenn wir ihn heute hier haben würden, hier haben könnten, vielleicht würde er es anders sehen. Ich habe die letzten zwei Stunden hier zugehört, und ich habe vieles andere gehört. Ich freue mich darüber. Happy Birthday, lieber Binnenmarkt.

Happy Birthday

Цветелина Пенкова (S&D). – Г-н Председател, единният пазар постави началото на реалното икономическо и социално обединение в Европа. Европейският съюз има ключова роля в международните търговски взаимоотношения и се превърна в лидер в направления като енергетиката, защитата на правата на потребителите и опазването на околната среда. Изискваме и насърчаваме други страни да спазват същите високи стандарти. Превърнахме се в лидер в изграждането на конкурентен пазар, където малките и средни предприятия могат да достигнат своите върхове.

Цветелина Пенкова (S&D).

Днес единният пазар е най-видимото обединение в Европа, но далеч не е единственото. Шенгенското пространство и еврозоната са следващото най-силно ниво на социална и икономическа интеграция и обединение, и затова не бива да държим държави като България и Румъния, които изпълняват всички критерии и искат да завършат своята европейска интеграция, извън тези структури.

Franc Bogovič (PPE). – Gospod predsednik, enotni trg s svojimi štirimi svoboščinami je zelo velik dosežek Evropske unije, mirno lahko rečemo srčika EU-ja. Prosti prehod meje, izvoz blaga, storitev, izmenjava študentov – to je nekaj, kar nam je danes pravzaprav samo po sebi samoumevno, je pa zaradi tega, ker je bilo pred tridesetimi leti tako dogovorjeno. Prinesel je blaginjo Evropejcem, 450 milijonov nas uživa danes te koristi. Sam prihajam iz Slovenije, države, ki je odprta ekonomija, kjer izvoz predstavlja 80 % BDP-ja, tričetrt tega izvoza je v države EU-ja. In pri nas je bilo v eni študiji ugotovljeno, da je efekt skupnega trga, koristi skupnega trga petkrat večji, kot je efekt od evropskih sredstev, ki jih dobimo iz Evropske unije. Evropski trg, skupni trg tudi poskuša vplivati na globalne trge s svojimi podnebnimi pravili, pravili glede delavskih pravic, pravili okoli spoštovanja človekovih pravic. Zagotovo smo se izkazali tudi v krizah, kajti imeli smo skupne raziskave in kasneje nabavo cepiva. Danes skupaj nabavljamo plin. Pred nami so zagotovo še veliki izzivi: digitalni trg, digitalne storitve, tudi prehranska varnost bo naš velik izziv v prihodnosti. In na številne podnebne izzive/krize bomo morali odgovoriti skupaj. Protekcionizem je nekaj, kar uničuje skupni trg, in ker se ta dogaja tako znotraj Evropske unije kakor tudi zunaj naših meja, pri velikih tekmecih, pa je tudi temu potrebno posvetiti veliko pozornost.

Franc Bogovič (PPE).

Lara Comi (PPE). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, Commissaria, signora Ministra, quest'anno il mercato unico compie trent'anni.

Lara Comi (PPE).

Quando sono stata eletta al Parlamento europeo ne avevo 26 e decisi di partecipare alla commissione mercato interno, dove, insieme a tanti colleghi – che ringrazio e che vedo qui ancora oggi – continuo a lavorare con passione e impegno, perché credevo e credo fortemente che la vera Europa si costruisca non solo su un'Unione economica, ma su una solida unione politica.

Il roaming, il diritto dei viaggiatori, il riconoscimento delle qualifiche professionali, la direttiva sulla sicurezza dei prodotti, il Digital Markets Act, l'Erasmus sono stati alcuni provvedimenti apprezzati dai cittadini, dando loro garanzie, libertà e prosperità.

In moltissimi settori siamo i primi al mondo nel produrre ogni genere di bene e di servizio che esportiamo dappertutto. Il mercato unico ha armonizzato centinaia di atti legislativi e ha fissato norme standard in materia di protezione dei consumatori.

Come tutte le creazioni dell'uomo, tuttavia, anche il mercato unico non è e non sarà mai perfetto. Ci sono questioni aperte che dobbiamo affrontare a livello comunitario, andando oltre quelli che sono ancora oggi gli egoismi nazionali, come l'Unione fiscale, l'Unione della difesa, il costo comune del lavoro, una politica comune industriale ed energetica, oltre a una politica migratoria europea.

La pandemia, la guerra in Ucraina, l'inflazione e le ondate migratorie richiedono una risposta europea, ma una risposta che non sia ondivaga, che sia chiara e precisa. E proprio per questo il presupposto di tutto questo obiettivo è uno solo e il sogno è quello di arrivare agli Stati Uniti d'Europa, che è l'obiettivo che tutti noi ci poniamo e spero che tutti noi ci porremo insieme.

Arba Kokalari (PPE). – Herr talman! Fru kommissionär Vestager, Sveriges EU-minister Roswall! EU:s inre marknad fyller 30 år, och vi har många skäl att vara stolta. Den fria handeln inom EU utan tullar och krångel för konsumenter och företag har gjort oss till en av världens största ekonomier. Öppenhet har gett välstånd och ett starkare Europa.

Arba Kokalari (PPE).

Samtidigt är jag dock oroad. Till följd av Putins illegala krig mot Ukraina har priserna skenat. Svaret på den ekonomiska krisen får därför inte bli att vi sluter oss och skapar nya hinder mellan EU:s länder.

Om vi ska kunna fira den inre marknadens framgångar om 30 år måste Europa hålla ihop. Vi måste göra det enklare att handla med gröna produkter. Vi måste stärka handeln med tjänster, och vi måste skapa en digital marknad i EU som kan möta klimatkrisen och den globala konkurrensen.

Fri handel är inte ett hot. Fri handel är en förutsättning för ett friare, grönare och säkrare Europa.

Vystúpenia podľa postupu prihlásenia o slovo zdvihnutím ruky

Vystúpenia podľa postupu prihlásenia o slovo zdvihnutím ruky

Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D). – Señor presidente, celebramos el trigésimo aniversario del mercado único que entró en vigor el 1 de enero de 1993, tras la firma del Tratado de Maastricht, de 7 de febrero de 1992.

Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D).

Por tanto, no se trató solamente del mercado interior, que es muy importante, sino también la ciudadanía europea (propuesta por Felipe González), el euro, los partidos políticos europeos, el poder de codecisión de este Parlamento y su participación en la designación del presidente de la Comisión y también la política de cohesión.

Recordemos, por tanto, que el mercado interior es, sin duda, la profundización de aquel primer mercado que establece el Tratado de la Comunidad Europea del Carbón y del Acero y que tenía por misión —no lo olvidemos, está escrito en la Declaración Schuman— que aquella primera Comunidad fuera el primer paso para constituir una federación en Europa.

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Mr President, 30 years of the single market marks 40 years of what is the principal reason and the ultimate goal for the process of European integration: a market. Despite initial promises of a social Europe, the single market, driven by the Commission and the Court of Justice, has helped to transform into, in Wolfgang Streeck' words, ‘a machine for the liberalisation of European capitalism’. To allow this market to function, the EU has created mountains of legislation through various treaties, regulations and directives whose function has generally been to promote neo-liberalism, allowing the EU to erode policies from consumer rights, labour rights and social rights in the various Member States. Now we need an EU that rejects neo-liberalism and we should always put the interests of the ordinary citizen before those of the markets.

Mick Wallace (The Left).

(Ukončenie vystúpení podľa postupu prihlásenia sa o slovo zdvihnutím ruky)

(Ukončenie vystúpení podľa postupu prihlásenia sa o slovo zdvihnutím ruky)

Margrethe Vestager,
  Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, first of all I want to thank you for, I think, a very interesting debate. For a number of very thoughtful points raised during this discussion.

Margrethe Vestager,

Executive Vice-President of the Commission

After having heard this debate, I guess that we can all agree on one common denominator: the single market is the backbone of the European Union. As such, it needs to be preserved in times of crisis: fully implemented, where there are fragmentations that still exist, and adjusted when it comes to obsolete developments in our economy.

And there is another common denominator of this debate, and that is ambition. Ambition for more, for a better, deeper single market. For a single market that is fairer, where competition is the rule and where sustainability is promoted. And that ambition is what we built on.

And this is why this celebration of the single market is also a celebration of our democracy. For citizens to see how their representatives have been pushing forward decade after decade after decade, still with the ambition to make it better.

And I agree very much with the resolution that, in order to advance and overcome the current challenges of the single market, it needs, as it says, renewed commitment from the EU Member States and EU institutions and that strong political will is needed in this regard.

And in this respect, the European Commission is fully committed to work at all levels and with all actors to strengthen and to advance the single market. Moreover, in the light of the 30th anniversary, we are also planning a campaign to give visibility to the achievements and to have a broader discussion about the future. And, of course, we stand available to join or to promote or to participate in events in your constituencies.

The pandemic that we went through. The lockdowns, the queues. Well, it taught us that only a properly functioning single market can enable us in a critical situation and can make us come out of a critical situation strengthened. And this is why I'm confident that in five and in ten years' time, we will be able to celebrate again further progress built on the ambition expressed today.

Jessika Roswall,
  President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, honourable Members and Commissioner, thank you for the debate and inspiring debate and celebration. Your interventions today have shown that the single market remains one of the main assets of the European Union.

Jessika Roswall,

President-in-Office of the Council

It is the cornerstone of our economy and our prosperity. At times of turbulence, uncertainty, and fragmentation, it brings our countries together. It is the key to economic growth, jobs, social cohesion, resilience and recovery, today and tomorrow.

It will clearly be a building block of the long-term response to the challenges the European Union is facing, and part of the strategy to boost the competitiveness and productivity called for by the European Council in December.

So this has been a historical debate. The past 30 years have been a true success story. Let us now look forward. Our success in introducing the necessary reforms for this will be crucial for Europe's role in the global economy.

Therefore, let us work together to protect the single market, improve it, make it the cornerstone of the European competitiveness and prosperity for the next 30 years. Thank you again very much for the debate and for your attention.

Predsedajúci. – Rozprava sa skončila.

Predsedajúci. –

Hlasovanie sa uskutoční v stredu 18. Januára 2023.

Písomné vyhlásenia (článok 171)

Písomné vyhlásenia (článok 171)

Andrus Ansip (Renew),
  kirjalikult. – Eesti ekspordist läheb 70–80 protsenti teistesse Euroopa Liidu liikmesriikidesse. Võimalusel sellel turul vabalt, ilma tolli või muude barjäärideta kaubelda, on olnud Eesti majandusele palju kasu. Eesti on saanud Euroopa Liidu eelarvest märkimisväärselt suuri summasid, mille eest ma olen muidugi tänulik. Kuid ma olen veendunud, et võimalus kaubelda Euroopa ühtsel turul on mõjutanud meie majandusarengut märksa enam kui eelarvest saadud raha. Ühtset turgu tuleb kaitsta protektsionismi eest ning seda tuleb edasi arendada. Tugevdamist vajab nii teenuste turg kui ka digitaalne ühtne turg.

Andrus Ansip (Renew),

kirjalikult

Sara Cerdas (S&D),
  por escrito. – São 30 anos do Mercado Único da União Europeia, de um mercado que permite que os cidadãos europeus possam estudar, viver, trabalhar e fazer compras em qualquer Estado-Membro. De um mercado único que é a espinha dorsal da resiliência da Europa, que lhe permite emergir mais forte da pandemia COVID-19 e da atual crise energética, ajudando as empresas a diversificar as suas cadeias de abastecimento e a encontrar novas soluções e oportunidades. A ideia de uma Europa sem fronteiras ganha outra dimensão numa realidade ultraperiférica, como a das RUP. Os condicionalismos naturais dos territórios são esbatidos por este mercado livre e sem barreiras, onde as pessoas e bens circulam de forma livre. Hoje, todos os cidadãos têm mais facilidade em chegar ao Continente, seja para estudar ou para trabalhar, estreitando a distância que o oceano forma. Os bens e produtos produzidos nestas regiões são cada vez mais facilmente transacionados, com a inexistência de entraves à sua comercialização e com uma aposta cada vez maior na produção local e de qualidade. O reforço e o desenvolvimento do mercado único serão necessários para garantir que a transição ecológica e digital nestas regiões seja justa e não deixe ninguém para trás.

Sara Cerdas (S&D),

por escrito

Stefania Zambelli (ID),
  per iscritto. – Dopo oltre un mese dalla morte del ciclista Davide Rebellin, l'investitore, il camionista tedesco Wolfang Rieke, si trova ancora a piede libero in Germania e il tir che guidava non risulta sotto sequestro.

Stefania Zambelli (ID),

per iscritto

Rieke è infatti indagato dalla procura per omicidio stradale e omissione di soccorso, ma, rientrato in Germania, non esistendo il reato di omicidio stradale, si trova ora in assoluta libertà. La procura di Vicenza ha anche emanato un mandato di arresto europeo, che però risulta ancora bloccato dalla autorità tedesche.

Dov'è la giustizia per Davide? Dov'è l'Europa che dovrebbe garantire sicurezza per tutti i suoi cittadini? La libertà di movimento rappresenta una delle principali conquiste dell'Unione, ma a questa libertà deve anche corrispondere certezza delle pene in tutti gli Stati dell'UE.

Per questo è necessaria una maggior armonizzazione dei reati stradali in Unione europea, per garantire equa giustizia in qualsiasi Stato membro. Ad un unico spazio di libertà e movimento dobbiamo far corrispondere un unico spazio di giustizia e certezza della pena.

15.   Rules to prevent the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes (debate)

Predsedajúci. – Ďalším bodom programu je rozprava o správe, ktorú predkladá Lídia Pereira v mene Výboru pre hospodárske a menové veci, o návrhu Pravidlá na zabránenie zneužívaniu schránkových subjektov na daňové účely (COM(2021)0565 – C9-0041/2022 – 2021/0434(CNS)) (A9-0293/2022).

Predsedajúci. –

Lídia Pereira,
  Relatora. – Senhor Presidente, caros Colegas, a guerra de agressão da Rússia contra a Ucrânia, a crise inflacionista que daí resulta, mas que já vinha de trás, e a incerteza que paira na comunidade internacional e nos mercados antecipam um tempo difícil para todos. Tempo esse que já vemos todos os dias.

Lídia Pereira,

Relatora

A política fiscal é uma competência dos Estados, que pode e deve ser melhor utilizada em tempos de crise. Os impostos são fundamentais para promover o emprego, o crescimento e a competitividade. São uma forma direta e eficaz de diminuir os encargos das famílias e das empresas, ao mesmo tempo que salvaguardam a capacidade dos Estados para colocar os orçamentos ao serviço das pessoas.

Infelizmente, há Estados-Membros, como o meu, Portugal, que insistem em cargas fiscais excessivas sobre os contribuintes. Precisamos de respostas concretas para o aumento do custo de vida. E a primeira delas devia ser uma baixa de impostos. Transferir para os contribuintes as responsabilidades que são dos governos é socialmente injusto e economicamente errado.

A diretiva que discutimos hoje, sobre a má utilização de empresas de fachada para fins fiscais, é muito importante para garantir que a concorrência fiscal na Europa é justa, leal e transparente. Mais: é um passo concreto para erradicar esquemas fiscais que podem parecer legais, mas são imorais. São, isso sim, estratégias de algumas multinacionais para fugirem aos impostos que devem nos países em que fazem os seus lucros.

A União Europeia será o primeiro espaço a legislar sobre a má utilização de empresas de fachada. É por isso mesmo que a exigência de proporcionalidade e inteligência na regulação é ainda maior. Se, por um lado, não podemos ser transigentes com os abusos, por outro lado, não podemos criar demasiadas barreiras à instalação de empresas ou aumentar a burocracia a que muitos negócios estão sujeitos.

A posição do Parlamento Europeu é clara nas prioridades. Falta agora os governos nacionais acompanharem-nos neste empenho. Resumo as nossas propostas em três palavras: equilíbrio, transparência e exigência.

Primeiro, equilíbrio na definição das empresas que ficam abrangidas pelos deveres de informação adicionais que esta diretiva impõe. Se, por um lado, aumentamos o universo de empresas potencialmente abrangidas, por outro, clarificamos que os requisitos definidos por lei devem ser cumulativos e mantemos um conjunto de exceções importante para setores já suficientemente regulados.

Segundo, transparência no que pedimos às empresas. Se é verdade que aumentamos o nível de informação que deve ser partilhada, não é menos verdade que colocamos um ónus sobre as autoridades tributárias. Determinamos prazos concretos para respostas e a possibilidade de fazer auditorias conjuntas.

Terceiro, exigência nas consequências que determinamos para a consideração de uma empresa como de fachada. Focamos essa consequência não na emissão de um certificado de residência fiscal, mas vamos além. Diferenciamos a situação de não declaração da situação de fraude, e tornamos mais claros os valores da penalização.

de fachada

O nosso trabalho está feito. Pede-se agora aos governos nacionais que tomem uma decisão. O combate à fraude e à evasão fiscais nunca foi tão necessário e tão exigido pelos cidadãos, que querem mais justiça fiscal e maior transparência.

Tempos como os que vivemos potenciam este debate. Façamo-lo em compromisso com as soluções que defendemos, mas tenhamos coragem para decidir.

Margrethe Vestager,
  Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, a couple of years ago we were shocked by the Pandora Papers. One of the things they touched upon was the use of shell entities and change thereof to perform transactions and or hold property in an abusive manner. Unshell seeks to stop this practice within the single market so that shell entities tax-resident in the EU Member States can no more be made use of for tax avoidance purposes. As you know, Unshell aims to tackle only the EU-internal aspects of shelled entities.

Margrethe Vestager,

Executive Vice-President of the Commission

In order to address the third-country dimension of Pandora Papers, the Commission's services are working on another initiative called Safe. This initiative will address the role of those intermediaries who enable tax evasion and aggressive tax planning. And what they do is that they devise tax arrangements and schemes that include third-country dimensions. That proposal should be ready for the middle of this year.

I wish to thank the rapporteur, Ms Pereira, as well as colleague MEPs and EP colleagues who have worked on preparing this EP report on Unshell. Your commitment to Unshell is really important. This Commission and the Parliament are allies when it comes to promoting standards of tax fairness and transparency within the European Union and beyond. In the Commission, we share the key points made in this report. The report stresses the importance of ensuring that Unshell is as clear as possible. This is essential, not only for taxpayers who need to comply with it, but also for the tax administrators who have to implement it. When rules are not clear, they tend to be either avoided or poorly implemented. We don't want that to happen. Legal certainty is a must.

The report stresses the need for having proportional measures which should not interfere with genuine business practices, and of course, in particular, small and medium-sized businesses and digital startups. On the one hand, one should ensure clear, effective and strict tax consequences against shell entities. On the other, Unshell is a balancing act, and I fully share the importance of ensuring that it does its job well.

Unshell will need to put an end to entities that are empty of substance. It should not have a negative impact on the real economy. In the unlikely scenario of genuine businesses being captured by the rules, there is a procedure to request an upfront exemption.

I also want to reiterate the Commission's commitment to assist Member States in the implementation of this legislation by any appropriate and useful means. And let me also assure you that the tax consequences as laid down in the proposal for non-compliant entities will not interfere with the existing bilateral tax agreements between Member States and third countries. And that is a key aspect also in the ongoing discussions within the Council.

I would like to thank you for your suggestions regarding the definitions of beneficial owner, the minimum economic substance test and the exceptional carve-out of structures that are not used to gain tax advantages. These are indeed key elements of the legal act, and the Commission remains committed to ensuring that these concepts are adequately delineated and clear in legal terms.

Finally, let me also thank you for your interesting suggestion of adding the possibility for Member States' joint tax audits. The tax consequences for shell entities sit at the heart of Unshell, and that final step will be critical for the effectiveness of the directive. Member States are currently debating the framework in Council, and the Commission is in close cooperation with the Presidency in order to contribute in the best possible way to clarifying how the mechanism will work. We look forward to Member States' agreement on Unshell soon, and we expect such agreements to be ambitious with clear, yet strong and deterrent tax consequences in order finally to put an end to the use of such shell entities for tax purposes within our Union.

Paul Tang,
  namens de S&D-Fractie. – Voorzitter, beste collega's, beste commissaris, ja, ik spreek vandaag in het Nederlands.

Paul Tang,

namens de S&D-Fractie

Belastingontduikers en brievenbusfirma's, ze zijn haast synoniem. Het is dan ook goed dat we de stofkam door bedrijven halen en het Europese bedrijfsleven opschonen door brievenbussen eruit te halen. Brievenbussen dragen niets, maar dan ook niets bij aan de economie en bestaan alleen om belasting te ontwijken. En in dat laatste zijn ze succesvol, té succesvol.

Door brievenbusfirma's verdwijnt jaarlijks zo'n 60 miljard EUR in grijpgrage handen. Dat is een enorm bedrag, een bedrag dat we niet meer kunnen besteden aan de zorg voor onze ouders, het onderwijs van onze kinderen of broodnodige koopkracht.

Deze wet is wereldwijd de eerste in haar soort. Zij is Europees in haar reikwijdte en dat is goed. Daardoor kunnen bedrijven geen winst meer behalen door nepbedrijven op te zetten op de Amsterdamse Zuidas, de Luxemburgse Kirchberg, of waar dan ook in Europa. Er is geen ontsnappen meer aan.

Ik wil Lídia Pereira en de andere onderhandelaars bedanken voor de goede samenwerking. Dat heeft geleid tot een goed voorstel. Dit voorstel verdient het om snel ingevoerd te worden. Ik sluit me graag aan bij de oproep van Lídia Pereira aan de ministers en de landen: stel de grote schoonmaak van onze economie niet langer uit. Wel roepen wij als Europarlementariërs op het grondig aan te pakken en de stofkam langs alle hoeken van de kamer te halen. Ook de brievenbusfirma's in de financiële sector moeten onder de loep worden genomen.

Dit is dé kans om belastingontwijking een belangrijke slag toe te brengen, om eindelijk blauwe belastingenveloppen daar af te leveren waar ze horen: bij de brievenbusfirma's van de allerrijksten op deze aarde en van de allergrootste bedrijven in deze wereld. Laat die kans niet lopen.

Gilles Boyer,
  au nom du groupe Renew. – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, mes chers collègues, Madame la rapporteure – Lídia Pereira –, en 2021, cela a été dit, les Pandora Papers ont mis en lumière des pratiques d'évasion fiscale au sein même de notre Union européenne, grâce à des sociétés-écrans qui ont été créées, qui sont créées, dans le seul but d'échapper à l'impôt.

Gilles Boyer,

au nom du groupe Renew

Pandora Papers

Une réponse européenne forte était attendue, et avant d'inviter le monde entier à l'exemplarité nous devons évidemment nous en approcher nous-mêmes. Nous saluons donc, dans notre rapport et en général, la proposition de la Commission de directive ‘Unshell’, qui permettra une action coordonnée et ambitieuse.

Dans le rapport qui sera voté demain, notre Parlement insiste pour que cet outil soit juridiquement et techniquement opérationnel, et nous appelons ensuite le Conseil à adopter rapidement la directive.

Nous sommes dans un domaine où l'inventivité et la rapidité des fraudeurs est infinie. Face à cette inventivité et à cette rapidité, nous devons agir, avec diligence et avec créativité. C'est ce que nous essayons de faire. C'est vrai que parfois notre action administrative n'avance pas au même rythme que la créativité de ceux qui cherchent à contourner les règles.

Nous sommes attendus: les citoyens européens nous attendent sur la lutte contre l'évasion fiscale, sur une concurrence loyale, entre les entreprises européennes d'abord, et aussi entre les entreprises européennes et mondiales ensuite. Ce sera l'objet de votre initiative SAFE, dont vous avez parlé et qui sera très importante. Et ce sera très important que, évidemment, tous ensemble, le Conseil, la Commission et le Parlement jouent tous leur rôle pour que nous soyons au rendez vous.

Ernest Urtasun,
  en nombre del Grupo Verts/ALE. – Señor presidente, señora comisaria, la Unión Europea debe prohibir las sociedades pantalla. Espero que esta Directiva empiece a marcar el camino en esa dirección.

Ernest Urtasun,

en nombre del Grupo Verts/ALE

Las sociedades pantalla están en el centro de todos los escándalos fiscales de elusión y evasión que hemos conocido en los últimos años: los papeles de Pandora, LuxLeaks... Incluso el Fondo Monetario Internacional las señala como una estructura fundamental de la elusión.

El mecanismo es sobradamente conocido: una empresa crea una sociedad sin ningún tipo de actividad aparente, simplemente con el objetivo de trasladar allí fondos para tributar en una jurisdicción en la que, aunque aún no tenga actividad, pueda pagar muchos menos impuestos de los que debería. O, para un multimillonario, crear una sociedad pantalla también significa colocar sus activos, colocar sus bienes inmuebles, en una sociedad en la cual no tenga que tributar ni en el lugar de su residencia ni en el lugar donde está el bien inmueble.

Este es el modus operandi que hemos venido conociendo en los últimos años y hay que dejar de permitirlo, porque esto solo tiene un nombre y es piratería fiscal. Las sociedades pantalla permiten que exista en nuestras jurisdicciones auténtica piratería fiscal.

modus operandi

Es preciso señalarlo en este momento, en el que se celebra la Cumbre de Davos y en el que Oxfam, por ejemplo, acaba de publicar su informe sobre la desigualdad, señalándonos que, aproximadamente, en estos momentos, en 2020, el 1 % más rico del mundo ha capturado dos tercios de toda la riqueza creada. Estamos en un momento de una grandísima desigualdad y nuestra legislación sigue permitiendo que se pueda ocultar la riqueza de la actividad a la Hacienda.

Por lo tanto, yo celebro la aprobación por parte del Parlamento de una posición ambiciosa para esa Directiva, reforzando sanciones, reforzando la definición de qué tipo de vehículos deben ser considerados sociedades pantalla y también limitando muchísimo las excepciones.

Ahora lo que necesitamos es hacer un llamamiento al Consejo para que deje de reducir la ambición, para que deje de hacer una Directiva con menos capacidad de incidencia hacia las sociedades pantalla, para que podamos tener realmente una regulación que tenga un efecto importante.

Gunnar Beck,
  im Namen der ID-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Nach Schätzungen der Kommission gehen in der EU jährlich 35 bis 70 Milliarden Euro durch Steuervermeidung von Unternehmen verloren, teilweise durch Missbrauch von Briefkastenfirmen. Briefkastenfirmen werden oft von multinationalen Konzernen und auch Einzelpersonen genutzt, um Gewinne und Vermögen in Niedrigsteuerzonen zu verlagern und so Steuern zu umgehen oder zu hinterziehen. Die EU-weite Einführung von Mindestsubstanzvorschriften schafft einen Filter von Indikatoren, potenzielle Steuerhinterzieher und Geldwäscher-Firmen zu identifizieren und strafrechtlich zu verfolgen.

Gunnar Beck,

im Namen der ID-Fraktion

Ich erinnere jedoch freundlich daran, dass der ukrainische Präsident Selenskyj ein internationales Netzwerk von 14 Offshore-Unternehmen und Briefkastenfirmen mit Sitz in der Karibik und Zypern anführt. Die Pandora-Papers enthüllten, dass Selenskyj über dieses Spinnennetz von Offshore-Firmen 41 Millionen US-Dollar vom Oligarchen Ihor Kolomojskyj erhalten hat. Bis heute zahlt die in den Virgin-Islands registrierte Maltex Multicapital Corporation unversteuerte Dividenden an CEO Olena Selenska, Selenskyjs Ehefrau.

Wir unterstützen alle geeigneten Maßnahmen im Kampf gegen Geldwäsche und Steuerkriminalität. Doch müssen die Maßnahmen auch tatsächlich umgesetzt werden, und der EU wohlgefällige Personen dürfen nicht ausgenommen werden, selbst die, die im Ukrainekrieg Opfer sind. Die EU muss den Eindruck vermeiden, dass es gute und schlechte Geldwäscher gibt.

Michiel Hoogeveen,
  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, establishing rules to prevent the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes is something that most people will agree on is a good thing. Shell entities operating out of Europe are demonstrated to cost the tax authorities roughly EUR 20 billion per year. In addition to the financial costs, when we talk about the misuse of shell entities, we target a wide range of economic and organised crimes.

Michiel Hoogeveen,

on behalf of the ECR Group

The challenge for legislators is to ensure that our work here does not interfere with the proper functioning of business and market practices. So, I'm glad to see this positive report and look forward to seeing the cost savings and crime reduction it will bring to Member States and our taxpayers.

Congratulations to the rapporteur and thanks to my colleagues on a straightforward negotiating procedure.

Δημήτριος Παπαδημούλης,
  εξ ονόματος της ομάδας The Left. – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, οι αποκαλύψεις είναι συγκλονιστικές: Panama Papers, Bahamas Leaks, Paradise Papers, Pandora Papers. Μια φορολογική πειρατεία που κοστίζει δεκάδες δισεκατομμύρια ευρώ κάθε χρόνο. Πάρα πολύ πλούσιοι άνθρωποι —λίγοι— και μεγάλες εταιρείες χρησιμοποιούν εικονικές εταιρείες για να μην πληρώνουν φόρους και στερούν έτσι έσοδα από τον ευρωπαϊκό προϋπολογισμό και τους κρατικούς προϋπολογισμούς, οδηγώντας στην υπερφορολόγηση μισθωτών, ελεύθερων επαγγελματιών, μικρομεσαίων επιχειρήσεων. Αυτό το έγκλημα πρέπει να σταματήσει.

Δημήτριος Παπαδημούλης,

εξ ονόματος της ομάδας The Left

Η Επιτροπή μιλάει, κ. Vestager, για απώλεια από 35 έως 70 δισεκατομμυρίων ευρώ κάθε χρόνο. Ενδεχομένως αυτή η εκτίμηση να είναι και μετριοπαθής. Άρα, πρέπει να προχωρήσουμε, σύμφωνα με αυτά που ζητάει το Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο ενωμένο, και σε οδηγία και σε κανονισμό. Και επειδή ξέρουμε πολύ καλά ότι μέσα στο Συμβούλιο υπάρχουν οι υποστηρικτές της συνέχειας της φοροδιαφυγής, οι υποστηρικτές των φορολογικών παραδείσων, πρέπει Κοινοβούλιο και Επιτροπή, όπως ζήτησε και η Διάσκεψη για το μέλλον της Ευρώπης, να ενισχύσουμε σε αυτά τα θέματα της καταπολέμησης της φοροδιαφυγής την ευρωπαϊκή συνεργασία περνώντας από την ομοφωνία —που γίνεται όργανο στα χέρια των φοροφυγάδων— στις αποφάσεις με αυξημένη πλειοψηφία. Αλλιώς δεν θα έχουμε αποτέλεσμα.

Enikő Győri (NI). – Elnök Úr! A jelenlegi válságos időkben, amikor alig tudtunk talpra állni a koronavírus járványból és háború dúl a szomszédunkban, s közben a szankciókkal még lábon is lőjük magunkat, minden korábbinál fontosabb, hogy tényleg beszedjük az adókat. Ahogy arra a Bizottság hatástanulmánya is rámutatott, az adóelkerülésre használt fedőcégek EU-s szinten évente mintegy 23 milliárd euró adóbevétel-kiesésért felelősek. Ezért üdvözlöm, hogy határokon átnyúló együttműködés keretében is fellépünk ellenük.

Enikő Győri (NI).

Az Európai Parlament azonban túllő egy kissé a célon. A javaslat eredeti célja méltányos és stabil üzleti környezet megteremtése volt a vállalatok számára, de az EP a jelentéstételre kötelezett vállalatok körének kiterjesztésével, a vállalati szektor adminisztratív terheit erősen megnövelné. Az adóelkerülés elleni küzdelem során, javaslom képviselőtársaimnak a hatékonyság és a végrehajthatóság szempontjait is figyelembe venni. Abban bízom, hogy a Tanácsban a józan ész fog győzedelmeskedni, s végül egy gyakorlati szempontból is hasznot hozó, a cégeket észszerűen terhelő jogszabály születik, s azoknak okozunk csak nehézséget, akik arra tényleg rászolgálnak.

Aurore Lalucq (S&D). – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, l'évasion fiscale est une industrie. Sa patrie, ce sont les paradis fiscaux. Son peuple, ce sont les ploutocrates, les oligarques, ceux qui ont déjà tout, probablement trop, même, mais qui veulent toujours plus, ou plutôt qui ne veulent pas partager et qui ne se sentent redevables de rien. Son arme, ce sont les sociétés-écrans, ces sociétés fictives qui permettent de cacher les transactions – c'est là leur ADN et leur seul but –, des sociétés qui ont permis des choses assez aberrantes, comme le fait qu'une île anglo-normande soit devenue le premier producteur de bananes au monde, ou encore que l'île Maurice soit devenue le premier investisseur en Inde.

Aurore Lalucq (S&D).

On sait que les sociétés fictives servent à protéger les criminels et à permettre l'évasion fiscale. Ce qu'il faut retenir, c'est qu'elles servent surtout à ce qu'une partie des élites fasse en toute discrétion sécession, avec les conséquences démocratiques que l'on sait. Cette directive est extrêmement bienvenue, et ce pour des raisons démocratiques, pas uniquement économiques. On nous avait dit que c'était impossible – parce que, évidemment, à chaque fois qu'il y a de l'argent en jeu, c'est toujours impossible –, on l'a fait.

Maintenant, la prochaine étape, c'est d'enterrer réellement les sociétés-écrans et surtout de réguler leurs intermédiaires. On compte sur la Commission européenne, sur le Parlement, et aussi sur le Conseil, pour qu'il ne bloque pas.

Claude Gruffat (Verts/ALE). – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, une société, c'est une entreprise avec des bureaux, des ordinateurs, des salariés, une stratégie et des gens qui se parlent. Une société-écran, c'est une petite boîte aux lettres qui sert à dissimuler l'identité de son détenteur.

Claude Gruffat (Verts/ALE).

Depuis 2020, deux tiers des richesses produites ont été captées par 1 % des plus riches. Les sociétés-écrans jouent un rôle central pour les rendre encore plus riches, toujours moins responsables et moins visibles. Alors, je suis content qu'en miroir aux inégalités aux riches devenant ultra-riches, nous puissions nous accorder sur la fin de ce système.

Avant de crier victoire, j'aimerais rappeler que ces textes sont votés à l'unanimité des États membres, dont certains ont fait de ce genre de société leur gagne-pain. Comme par hasard, le Luxembourg est bien loti: malgré ses 55 000 sociétés-écrans, contrôlées par 90 % de propriétaires étrangers, il pourra continuer à pénaliser l'Europe entière par son comportement déloyal.

Payer des impôts n'est pas une option, c'est un pilier dans nos sociétés. Sans baisse significative des inégalités, nous ne pourrons espérer éradiquer l'extrême pauvreté. Alors souhaitons-nous un bon niveau de vie convenable et refusons de laisser augmenter de nouveau la richesse d'une poignée.

France Jamet (ID). – Monsieur le Président, ‘Dieu se rit des hommes qui pleurent sur les effets des causes qu'ils chérissent’. Je répète souvent cette phrase, ici, de Bossuet, mais les faits sont là, ils sont têtus: l'Union européenne ne sait pas lutter, l'Union européenne ne lutte pas contre l'évasion fiscale.

France Jamet (ID).

Il faudrait déjà en finir avec le modèle mondialiste, mais vous refusez de le faire. L'échec de la politique des listes noires ou grises en est un exemple cruel et patent. Ce système n'a pas empêché les multinationales ou autres spécialistes de l'évasion fiscale de s'enrichir considérablement. En revanche, c'est très bien de s'acharner sur les classes moyennes, sur nos PME, sur nos TPE, sur nos artisans, à qui l'on demande toujours de payer plus. Nous devons autre chose à nos concitoyens que de leur léguer l'injustice fiscale généralisée, alors qu'ils paient au prix fort les erreurs de Bruxelles: crise énergétique, inflation, baisse du pouvoir d'achat, délocalisations, chômage.

Oui, établir ou faire appliquer une réglementation pour prévenir l'usage des compagnies fantômes à des fins d'évasion fiscale demande du courage et de la détermination. Oui, parce que nous devons renforcer la transparence, la justice et la démocratie au sein de l'Union européenne; nous le devons à nos compatriotes car chacun doit contribuer à l'effort commun. Les sociétés-écrans et les spéculateurs aussi.

SĒDI VADA: ROBERTS ZĪLE

SĒDI VADA: ROBERTS ZĪLE

Priekšsēdētājas vietnieks

Priekšsēdētājas vietnieks

José Gusmão (The Left). – Senhor Presidente, as empresas fantasma são, há já muitos anos, um dos principais instrumentos para que as empresas reais fujam às suas obrigações fiscais.

José Gusmão (The Left).

O escândalo dos Pandora Papers mostrou como essas empresas são sistematicamente utilizadas, mas mostrou também como há jurisdições, incluindo na Europa, que favorecem, criam o quadro regulatório ideal para que essas empresas possam ser utilizadas para fugir aos impostos.

A Comissão apresentou, porque tinha que apresentar, perante este último escândalo, uma proposta para regular as companhias concha. Mas essa proposta é uma proposta absolutamente inútil, era uma proposta absolutamente inútil, que mantinha um queijo suíço de isenções, exceções e critérios de substância económica muito fáceis de cumprir;

e, ainda por cima, critérios esses que teriam de ser avaliados pelos Estados-Membros, muitos dos quais são precisamente essas jurisdições que promovem a evasão fiscal.

A proposta do Parlamento melhorou marginalmente a proposta da Comissão, e apenas por isso terá o nosso apoio, mas a verdade é que esta proposta é uma pausa para que seja feita uma reavaliação, que foi proposta pelo grupo de esquerda, e ainda bem, que também servirá para que daqui a uns anos constatemos que fizemos muito pouco progresso.

É pena que não haja vontade da Comissão para atacar este problema a sério, e é pena que os grupos da direita tenham preferido estar do lado da evasão.

Jonás Fernández (S&D). – Señor presidente, señora vicepresidenta, la batalla contra la elusión, contra el fraude fiscal, contra los paraísos fiscales, es una batalla que tenemos que ganar y es cierto que en los últimos tiempos estamos teniendo algunas buenas noticias.

Jonás Fernández (S&D).

El acuerdo de la OCDE para fijar ese tipo mínimo en el impuesto de sociedades del 15 % es una gran iniciativa que tenemos que poner en marcha ya, después de bloqueos y bloqueos de unos países o de otros y hay una agenda importante en este ámbito.

Pero también tenemos que reconocer que, si bien la persecución del fraude fiscal de las multinacionales avanza razonablemente, no estamos consiguiendo avanzar en el fraude de los grandes patrimonios de las riquezas familiares que usan estas sociedades pantalla para eludir impuestos.

Esta Directiva que presenta la Comisión es un paso en la buena dirección y este Parlamento así lo respalda y lo apoya y pedimos desde aquí o exigimos al Consejo y, especialmente, a algunos Gobiernos, que vienen bloqueando estas y otras iniciativas en el Consejo, que finalmente sigan el apoyo del Parlamento Europeo y de la Comisión.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Catch-the-eye procedure

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Mr President, Commissioner, since the revelations such as the Pandora Papers and Open Lux, it is now common knowledge that shell entities are being used to shift and hide billions in wealth and profits every year for corporations and high-net-worth individuals within the EU.

Mick Wallace (The Left).

Now, to get to the heart of an issue like this we do need ambition, and the text is a welcome step forward. But I think most of us agree that we have a lot more to do. A huge swathe of potential offenders are excluded from the text through exemptions to financial services. And what the scope limited to the EU it does nothing to tackle companies with shells registered in third-country tax havens like the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

It's a start, but we have a long way to go.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Margrethe Vestager,
  Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Mr President, thank you very much for this very useful debate. Unshell is part of our European Union toolbox, a toolbox of measures aimed at fighting abusive tax practices. It's about the lack of revenue for our welfare states. It's about the lack of fairness in our markets. And it's the sheer injustice of some thinking that they should not contribute to our societies. It is a toolbox that is not complete. It needs to be completed by other initiatives, notably to tackle the use of non-EU shell entities.

Margrethe Vestager,

Executive Vice-President of the Commission

I once again welcome your suggestions for this proposal. And I want to thank you for your steadfast dedication to fight tax avoidance, to fight tax evasion, for tax justice to be the rule of the European Union.

Lídia Pereira,
  Relatora. – Senhor Presidente, chegamos ao final deste debate com uma conclusão clara, uma pista interessante e uma sensação estranha. Retiramos a conclusão clara de que, apesar das divergências entre as famílias políticas, há um entendimento partilhado. E, sobre esta matéria, eu gostaria de responder ao deputado José Gusmão, na sua tentativa de colocar o combate à evasão sempre do lado do combate da esquerda. Pois fique sabendo que o nosso trabalho resultou do compromisso e, portanto, a direita não fica do lado da evasão, a direita fica do lado do combate à evasão e à elisão fiscais, mais uma vez. E, portanto, acho que esse não é um debate sério. Sobretudo depois de tudo aquilo que ouvimos dos colegas, em que tentámos todos remar para o mesmo lado. E foi isso que conseguimos.

Lídia Pereira,

Relatora

A política fiscal é uma competência dos Estados-Membros e este Parlamento está a sinalizar que, naquilo em que pode ajudar, está preparado para o fazer. E daí eu querer reforçar o compromisso que foi possível alcançar entre todos os grupos políticos.

Encontramos também uma pista interessante. Num parlamento com competências limitadas em matéria fiscal, temos trabalhado em soluções concretas para o futuro dos impostos e trabalhamos sempre com um espírito de compromisso que mostra que podemos ir além das nossas diferenças para decidir. Uma vez mais, o grupo da esquerda apoia este compromisso.

Finalmente, ficamos com a sensação estranha sobre o empenho dos governos nacionais neste esforço. Compreendo que haja governos que querem manter tudo na mesma, mas só há dois caminhos possíveis para garantir que os nossos orçamentos têm recursos suficientes.

Ou sobrecarregamos ainda mais os cidadãos com impostos, asfixiando-os com cargas fiscais que sequestram o seu rendimento, ou libertamos recursos, concentrando os nossos esforços no combate à evasão e à fraude, e reduzindo os impostos para as famílias.

Da minha parte, a escolha é clara: prefiro o caminho da exigência e da defesa da justiça fiscal, por isso o nosso trabalho nesta diretiva é tão importante. Veremos o que farão agora os governos nacionais. Aqui estaremos para os saudar ou para os criticar. Em qualquer caso, para os chamar à responsabilidade.

Sēdes vadītājs. – Debates ir slēgtas.

Sēdes vadītājs. –

Balsošana notiks rītdien, 2023. gada 17. janvārī.

Rakstiski paziņojumi (171. pants)

Rakstiski paziņojumi (171. pants)

Andżelika Anna Możdżanowska (ECR),
  na piśmie. – Rewelacje ‘Pandora Papers’ sprzed ponad roku ujawniły sposoby działania konstrukcji podatkowych wykorzystujących przedsiębiorstwa fasadowe. Ujawniły także korzystające z takich konstrukcji osoby. Majętne osoby fizyczne zręcznie maskowały posiadany majątek i ukrywały go pod parasolem ‘papierowych’ firm ulokowanych w rajach podatkowych. Takie działania powodują utratę dochodów przez państwa w wysokości 20 mld euro rocznie.

Andżelika Anna Możdżanowska (ECR),

na piśmie

Dlatego musimy pilnie uregulować działalność takich firm. Nie chodzi tu o to, by zakazać innowacyjnych form prowadzenia biznesu, ale właśnie w imię równych warunków gry pozbawić przywilejów podatkowych firmy, które ich nadużywają, służąc unikaniu płacenia podatku dochodowego przez majętne osoby fizyczne.

Mój kraj, Polska, od lat upomina się o sprawiedliwy i solidarny ład podatkowy w Europie. Ład podatkowy, który szanuje suwerenność podatkową państw członkowskich, ale także umożliwia elastyczne kształtowanie polityki fiskalnej, będącej istotnym filarem polityki gospodarczej.

Raport Parlamentu Europejskiego jest w tej kwestii bardzo rozsądny i wyważony. Precyzyjnie wyjaśnia konsekwencje uznania podmiotu za fasadowy, proponuje szereg kryteriów, jak np. udziału tzw. dochodów pasywnych w całości dochodu, które umożliwią krajowym organom określenie rzeczywistego celu przedsiębiorstwa i reagowanie na nadużycia. Mam nadzieję, że ta drażliwa dla niektórych członków UE regulacja znajdzie rychły finał w Radzie i tak potrzebne przepisy zwiększające transparentność będą mogły wejść w życie.

16.   Shipments of waste (debate)

Sēdes vadītājs. – Nākamais darba kārtības punkts ir debates par Pernille Weiss ziņojumu Vides, sabiedrības veselības un pārtikas nekaitīguma komitejas vārdā par priekšlikumu Eiropas Parlamenta un Padomes regulai par atkritumu sūtījumiem un ar ko groza Regulu (ES) Nr. 1257/2013 un Regulu (ES) 2020/1056 (COM(2021)0709 - C9-0426/2021 - 2021/0367(COD)) (A9-0290/2022).

Sēdes vadītājs. –

Pernille Weiss,
  Rapporteur. – Hr. Formand! Tusind tak. Kære kolleger, der så er her, og kære Kommission, som så er her. Hvad vil I egentlig helst have? At cirkulær økonomi fremover bliver formlen for al affaldsbehandling i EU? At vi bruger international handel som løftestang for miljøforsvarlig affaldsbehandling verden over? At papirjunglen afløses af digitalisering, der frigør ressourcer til mere innovation i sektoren? At vi sætter ind over for miljøskadelig affaldsbehandling, uanset om det er inden for eller uden for EU med det samme? At vi kun sender affald til lande uden for OECD, når vi ved, at de kan bære og ønsker sig opgaven? At vi skaber bedre vilkår for forskning og innovation i affaldsteknologier? At vi sætter konsekvent ind over for den affaldskriminalitet, der lige nu er nemmere at begå end det efterhånden er at undgå at få fartbøder på de tyske autobaner? Og at vi ser nært på udfordringen ved eksport af plastikaffald, så vi for alvor skubber udviklingen af bæredygtig, cirkulær brug af plastik på måder, som resten af verden kan leve af? Hvad vil I helst?

Pernille Weiss,

Rapporteur

Nej, I behøver ikke at vælge, for I kan få det hele med det forslag, som Europa-Parlamentet nu lægger frem som vores forslag til revidering af affaldstransport-forordningen. Resultaterne er opnået igennem en forhandling, der har været præget af respekt for den tekniske kompleksitet af den ældre og meget lineært orienterede lov, der i den grad trængte til at blive opdateret og komme ind i dagens klimavirkelighed. Alle politiske forhandlere fortjener stor tak for samarbejdet, for vi har bestemt ikke været enige hele vejen igennem. Men i stedet for at slås i blinde har vi åbnet øjnene for de faktiske muligheder og mekanikker i affaldssektoren og den jura, der ligger som ramme for det at være en åben økonomi i samhandel med resten af verden. På den måde har vi set mulighederne for at finde frem til balancerede og pragmatiske løsninger, der både er ambitiøse og realistiske og fuld af fagligt solide argumenter, der giver os et sikkert og selvbevidst udgangspunkt for forhandlingerne med Rådet. Vi fik et ret godt forslag fra Kommissionen, men vi vil mere end det. Og på den baggrund har vi skabt et bredt og sammenhængende sæt af ændringsforslag, som adresserer alle aktører, der er nødvendige for, at affaldstransport kan blive et bæredygtigt led i den cirkulære økonomi.

Således skal alle fra nationale myndigheder til modtagerne af de genanvendte affaldsressourcer have de bedste forudsætninger for at spille hinanden stærke og mere innovative, og balancen mellem forskellige interessenter, både miljø- og klimamæssige og ressource- og økonomimæssige, skal findes, så vi sammen kan fremtidssikre os. For når vi nu ved, at EU's affaldseksport kun er steget gennem de sidste mange år, ja hele 75 % mellem 2004 og 2020, og når vi ved, at det er vores affald, der mange steder flyder herreløst rundt på strande og lossepladser langt væk fra Europa, ja så er der ingen undskyldning for ikke at gøre noget ved det. En betydelig del af det affald er plastik. Og når vi i andre forslag, der lige nu ligger på bordene i vores forskellige udvalg her i Parlamentet, arbejder for at nedbringe vores forbrug af unødvendigt plastik, så er det naturligt, at vi også adresserer vores eksport af dette. Men det har også været en forudsætning for mig, at det sker på en måde, der er realistisk og understøtter innovation og udvikling af forretningsmodeller, der reelt er innovative og udvikler forretningsmodeller, der reelt er bæredygtige og cirkulære i deres omgang med plastik. Det handler ganske enkelt ikke om bare at flytte et problem fra ét sted til et andet, men at gøre et problem til en ressource her i EU og på sigt i hele verden. Også den del af vores mange forslag er jeg personligt meget stolt og taknemmelig for.

Med disse indledende ord ser jeg frem til debatten og håber især at høre Kommissionen byde vores ændringsforslag velkommen og konstruktivt gå til de kommende trilog-forhandlinger. Tak.

Virginijus Sinkevičius,
  Member of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, let me thank the European Parliament for the very comprehensive work that has gone into this file. My thanks go in particular to Pernille Weiss and her team, together with all the shadow rapporteurs for their very full scrutiny of this proposal for new EU rules on waste shipments.

Virginijus Sinkevičius,

Member of the Commission

The progress you have made so far is very welcome, and we particularly appreciate Parliament's strong support in keeping the essential elements that form the heart of the Commission proposal. Reducing the EU environmental footprint linked to the export of waste to third countries, building up a robust EU market for waste, going for recycling and addressing waste trafficking, which is one of the most prevalent forms of environmental crime.

Stricter controls on our waste exports will make sure that we take responsibility of the waste produced in the EU. The regulation as a whole has great potential to accelerate the transition to a more circular and climate-neutral economy. Facilitating the shipment of waste for recycling within the EU will help with the decarbonisation of EU industry, as waste reuse and recycling are both far less CO2-intensive than the use of primary raw materials.

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Finally, legal shipments: potentially compromising up to 30% of waste shipments worth 9.5 billion annually. And we need to step up action on waste trafficking. The Commission will support investigations by Member States on transnational crime linked to waste trafficking with the support of the EU Anti-Fraud Office. I also thank the Parliament for highlighting the important links between waste shipments and waste policy in general and climate change mitigation, global sustainable development and labour rights.

And let me briefly mention two elements of your report which we will need to monitor very carefully in the course of further interinstitutional discussions and negotiations.

So we take note of your call for a stricter approach on the export of plastic waste. The Commission will look into this very carefully and will have to consider the legal implications of this amendment, especially its compatibility with the EU's international commitments. We need to fully assess if a blanket ban on the general export of plastic waste would be necessary and provide a better solution than the measures the Commission proposed to achieve our policy objectives. Respecting the EU's international obligations will be, of course, key in this context.

I would also like to add a word of caution on the tasks you expect the Commission to perform once the regulation is adopted. Some of the changes proposed in your report would create a substantial additional workload for the Commission, needing a considerable increase in staff with expenditure for heading seven already close to the ceiling set for the MFF. The resource implications of the proposed amendments needs to be very carefully considered.

Honourable Members, our waste is our responsibility. Letting waste pollute the environment and end up in illegal dumpsters or in our oceans is a real loss of resources which are precious for the EU's transition to a circular economy. And this proposal is a decisive move to create the most advanced waste shipment system in the world and bring this system to the digital era, too.

Our goal is to make sure that waste generated in the EU is managed in a sustainable way so that it does not harm nature and health, but opens up new opportunities for green growth and innovation. And I am confident that we can achieve swift progress towards finalising the negotiations on this regulation. The sooner the new harmonised rules start applying, the better.

My team and I are ready to continue providing every support necessary. We look forward to start to the trilogue negotiations as soon as possible and we hope that the Council would also be ready to do so without delay. Thank you. And I, of course, now look forward to hearing your views.

Massimiliano Salini,
  a nome del gruppo PPE. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, la disciplina che stiamo affrontando, la disciplina sensibile relativa alla circolazione e all'utilizzo dei rifiuti impatta su uno degli argomenti più accattivanti del dibattito sul futuro della sostenibilità, soprattutto dal punto di vista economico e industriale in Europa.

Massimiliano Salini,

a nome del gruppo PPE

Noi dobbiamo – e in questa disciplina ci si sta riuscendo – dobbiamo favorire la libera circolazione dei rifiuti in modo tale che chi è in grado di recuperarli e riciclarli in maniera sostenibile sia messo nelle condizioni di farlo.

Vi è però un dato industriale molto rilevante sul quale ci siamo permessi di formulare alcuni emendamenti. La gran parte del rifiuto esportato dall'Unione europea è rifiuto di natura ferrosa, quindi è materia prima per la realizzazione di acciaio verde.

Questo è il punto cruciale su cui ci siamo permessi di segnalare che l'esportazione di questa materia prima, più che di questo rifiuto, potrebbe favorire paesi che, trattandoli in maniera molto meno sostenibile di quanto non accada in Europa, realizzino poi acciaio che viene poi venduto in Europa a prezzi molto bassi, essendo stato realizzato non rispettando le regole ambientali che noi rispettiamo.

È molto importante che, sul tema specifico, non tanto per creare una disciplina distinta, ma perché circa il 60 % del rifiuto esportato è esattamente di questa natura, è molto importante che su questo tema ci sia una particolare attenzione, non per ridimensionare la libertà di circolazione del rifiuto o della materia prima, ma per favorire la migliore industria sostenibile europea, in particolare nel settore siderurgico.

Cyrus Engerer,
  f'isem il-grupp S&D. – Sur President, jekk hemm ħaġa li jidher li lkoll kemm aħna nafu nagħmlu, hi li nżommu d-djar tagħna nodfa u mbagħad niġu naqgħu u nqumu minn dak li jkun qiegħed jiġri barra mill-bieb tagħna. U sal-lum dik hi wkoll il-politika Ewropea dwar l-iskart.

Cyrus Engerer,

f'isem il-grupp S&D

Iżda issa se ngħidu daqshekk. Daqshekk, għaliex ngħixu f'dinja waħda u t-tniġġiż f'naħa waħda tad-dinja jaffettwa lil kulħadd. Daqshekk, għaliex jimpurtana mis-saħħa u mid-drittijiet ta' dawk li jgħixu f'pajjiżi li għadhom qegħdin jiżviluppaw; u daqshekk, għaliex kull biċċa skart fl-Unjoni Ewropea għandna nħarsu lejha bħala riżorsa. Kollox għandu użu u l-ekonomija ċirkolari li nitkellmu u noħolmu dwarha tista' ssir realtà biss jekk inwaqqfu darba għal dejjem il-miżbliet bla standards li qed nikkreaw madwar id-dinja fl-iktar pajjżi li għandhom bżonn l-għajnuna u mhux żibel.

Sur President, kien ta' pjaċir għalija li ninnegozja din il-liġi, flimkien ma' Pernille u sħabi l-oħrajn, biex niksbu l-aqwa u l-aħjar għall-ambjent tagħna u għas-saħħa taċ-ċittadini kollha, anke dawk li jgħixu 'l bogħod minnha. U ppermettili niftaħar bl-ikbar tliet kisbiet li se nkunu qegħdin nagħmlu jekk għada tingħata l-fiduċja għax-xogħol li wettaqna matul din l-aħħar sena.

L-ewwel nett se nwaqqfu darba għal dejjem l-esportazzjoni tal-iskart tal-plastic 'il barra mill-Unjoni Ewropea. Sur Kummissarju, dan huwa skart tossiku. Qiegħed iwassal biex jinbidlu l-abitati naturali, jaffettwa l-bijodiversità, inaqqas l-abbiltà li l-ekosistemi jadattaw għat-tibdil fil-klima u għandu impatt negattiv fuq il-produzzjoni tal-ikel u l-ġustizzja soċjali.

Meta pproponejt dan il-pass, sibt ħafna reżistenza. Iżda llum għandna maġġoranza assoluta tal-gruppi politiċi f'din il-Kamra li jaqblu miegħi u jgħidu daqshekk għall-plastic.

It-tieni nett, kull skart ieħor li joħroġ 'il barra mill-Unjoni Ewropea għandu jmur biss f'impjanti li għandhom l-istess standards tagħna Ewropej. Ma nistgħu naċċettaw qatt illi dak li jsir f'darna, li ma naċċettawx dak li jsir f'darna, m'għandna naċċettawh imkien aktar madwar id-dinja.

U fl-aħħar nett, inkunu qegħdin innaqqsu l-burokrazija ġewwa l-Unjoni Ewropea biex l-iskart, din ir-riżorsa tkun tista' tiċċaqlaq minn pajjiż għall-ieħor tal-Unjoni Ewropea b'mod ħafna aktar faċli. U għalhekk, inħeġġiġkom għada ingħaqdu magħna b'vot għall-ambjent, għas-saħħa tagħna u għall-ekonomija ambjentali.

Frédérique Ries,
  au nom du groupe Renew. – Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, un petit mot pour commencer pour remercier notre rapporteure, Mme Weiss, pour cet esprit d'ouverture, cet esprit de compromis qui a permis d'atteindre un résultat collectif dont nous pouvons être fiers.

Frédérique Ries,

au nom du groupe Renew

me

Nous avons visé l'ambition, avec cette réforme d'envergure des règles européennes de transfert de déchets: mieux protéger l'environnement et la santé, éviter que certains pays restent la poubelle du globe. Et le défi est de taille: en 2020, nos exportations de déchets vers les pays tiers dépassaient les 32 millions de tonnes. C'est à peine imaginable. Nous avons ajouté plusieurs pierres à l'édifice du texte législatif qui nous a été proposé par la Commission en novembre 2021, à commencer par ce qui est l'une de mes principales batailles politiques: l'élimination de la pollution plastique sur la planète. La fin de l'exportation des déchets plastiques vers les pays tiers sera une réalité trois ans après l'entrée en vigueur de ce règlement, quatre ans pour les pays de l'OCDE.

La lutte contre les pollutions plastiques, qui mettent entre cent ans et mille ans à se dégrader et qui tuent nos océans, est mondiale: elle doit devenir totale. Il y a évidemment d'autres avancées dans notre texte: je pense à l'interdiction pure et simple d'exporter des déchets dangereux vers des pays tiers (la Chine, l'Inde, certains pays du continent africain) ou encore à cette demande pressante faite à la Commission d'une surveillance accrue des déchets exportés vers les pays de l'OCDE (les États-Unis, le Japon, Israël, la Turquie, surtout).

Je conclus sur le changement de paradigme qui est en train de s'opérer – et pour le mieux – dans l'Union européenne. Face à la fermeture par la Chine de son marché de recyclage il y a deux ans maintenant, qui a entraîné un véritable bouleversement du marché mondial, face aussi à l'épuisement des ressources naturelles, l'Europe a compris qu'elle devait prendre son destin en main et protéger son marché intérieur. Pour ce qui est des déchets, cela veut dire durcir les conditions à l'export – ce que nous faisons – et mieux les valoriser chez nous, pour que ces déchets deviennent une ressource utilisable et durable. Ce sera tout bénéfice aussi pour de très nombreux secteurs de l'industrie.

Sara Matthieu,
  namens de Verts/ALE-Fractie. – Voorzitter, beste collega's, Europa dumpt miljoenen tonnen plastic afval in landen buiten de EU die dat totaal niet aankunnen. We kennen allemaal de verschrikkelijke beelden van plastic op de stranden. We kennen de gigantische vuilnisbelten in bijvoorbeeld Turkije, waar dat plastic afval in de grond verdwijnt of verbrand wordt. En waar het wél verwerkt wordt, dan is dat vaak in heel gevaarlijke werkomstandigheden, en vaak ook nog eens met kinderarbeid. Dat is compleet onaanvaardbaar.

Sara Matthieu,

namens de Verts/ALE-Fractie

Als we dat plastic afval verbranden of onder de grond steken, dan zorgen we voor luchtverontreiniging, voor bodemverontreiniging, voor de uitstoot van gevaarlijke stoffen. Dit gigantische afvalprobleem is onze verantwoordelijkheid. België staat in de top tien van de exporteurs van plastic afval. Daarom was ik erg blij dat de Commissie heeft voorgesteld om het dumpen van afval en die illegale export ervan aan te gaan pakken. We hebben met het Parlement dit voorstel op cruciale punten verscherpt. Ik ben heel blij met de samenwerking over de verschillende fracties heen, en blij dat we hen hebben kunnen overtuigen, vooral van het volgende: een exportverbod voor al het plastic afval buiten de EU, want:

| 1) | dit is de beste oplossing voor ons plasticprobleem, |
| --- | --- |

1)

dit is de beste oplossing voor ons plasticprobleem,

| 2) | we nemen eindelijk onze historische verantwoordelijkheid, en |
| --- | --- |

2)

we nemen eindelijk onze historische verantwoordelijkheid, en

| 3) | het is echt een stimulans om minder plastic te gaan gebruiken, om het beter te ontwerpen en ook om onze recyclagecapaciteit aan te scherpen. |
| --- | --- |

3)

het is echt een stimulans om minder plastic te gaan gebruiken, om het beter te ontwerpen en ook om onze recyclagecapaciteit aan te scherpen.

Ik geloof 100 % dat onze industrie dit aankan en dat het een voordeel kan zijn voor onze circulaire economie. Ik ben ook blij dat alle afvalverwerkingsinstallaties buiten de EU nu aan dezelfde hoge normen moeten voldoen als de Europese – ook iets wat oorspronkelijk niet in het voorstel stond.

Het is tijd dat we onze eigen rotzooi opruimen. Stem dus voor een verbod op de export van afval buiten de EU en voor strengere regelgeving rond afvaltransporten.

Mathilde Androuët,
  au nom du groupe ID. – Monsieur le Président, ce texte acte symboliquement la fin de la mondialisation supposée heureuse, mais qui en réalité n'a fait que compartimenter le monde en zones: zones de production industrielle, zones de consommation, zones de services et zones poubelles.

Mathilde Androuët,

au nom du groupe ID

L'Asie, demandant légitimement plus d'égards et de respect, a renvoyé des déchets européens et américains, imposant alors de revoir notre modèle économique et écologique pour le moins bancal et injuste. Le marché du commerce des déchets représente plus de 80 milliards d'euros, pour 182 millions de tonnes échangées dans le monde. Des déchets qui, pour la plupart, sont envoyés dans des pays pauvres ou en développement, où les conditions de recyclage ne sont pas garanties, où les droits des travailleurs sont bafoués, où les trafiquants et les exploitants en tout genre pullulent. Ces déchets finissent bien souvent enfouis ou rejetés dans la mer, accentuant un peu plus la pollution de nos océans. Leur acheminement se fait par porte-conteneurs, responsables d'une large part des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Voilà la réalité des transferts de déchets et d'un monde sans aucune frontière allant jusqu'à l'absurde.

Car oui, il est absurde de retrouver des briques de lait français à l'autre bout du monde, des piles allemandes ou des cartons usagés espagnols, quand on prône à longueur de temps et de COP une écologie vertueuse. Le libre-échange et la libre circulation des biens sans entrave ni réflexion se sont heurtés à leur poubelle gigantesque, et c'est une bonne chose.

Au pied du mur, organisons donc la relocalisation d'une activité fondamentale pour notre avenir: le recyclage. En ce qu'il restreint les exportations, ce texte prend acte de la nécessité de mettre un frein à la mondialisation, de renforcer nos industries européennes et de favoriser l'économie circulaire et les circuits courts, ce que nous avons toujours défendu contre vous. Souhaitons que l'Union européenne prenne conscience de l'urgence de ces relocalisations pour répondre à l'urgence industrielle et climatique que nous subissons.

Anna Zalewska,
  w imieniu grupy ECR. – Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! Koleżanki i koledzy ! Pan Komisarz powiedział zdanie, za które bardzo dziękuję, bo ono wyraża ducha rozporządzenia. Powiedział, że nasze odpady są naszą odpowiedzialnością. Chciałoby się rzec, że to rozporządzenie sprawi, iż tak właśnie będzie, że nie będziemy się musieli wstydzić, że składamy deklaracje, po czym eksportujemy bezwstydnie do całego świata i pozbywamy się problemu. Przejrzystość, jednoznaczność, odpowiedzialność i kary za nieprzestrzeganie i za nielegalność. Tak to należy uczynić.

Anna Zalewska,

w imieniu grupy ECR

Chcę też powiedzieć, że brakuje mi w tym rozporządzeniu większej odpowiedzialności producenta. Nie trzeba jednak martwić się przemieszczaniem, ale koncentrować się i wymagać od producentów tego, by zajmowali się własnymi odpadami.

I ostatnia rzecz dla zapewnienia przejrzystości – jak najmniej aktów delegowanych. Nie pozwólmy, żeby urzędnicy decydowali o tym, w jaki sposób powinny wyglądać przepisy.

João Pimenta Lopes,
  em nome do Grupo The Left. – Senhor presidente, sejamos claros, esta discussão ocorre menos para salvaguardar os interesses dos povos e do ambiente, mais para salvaguardar os interesses de alguns, poucos, que veem no negócio do lixo um caminho para encher ainda mais os bolsos.

João Pimenta Lopes,

em nome do Grupo The Left

Um mercado de dezenas de milhares de milhões de euros que as políticas ditas verdes da União Europeia privilegiam e buscam ampliar: restringir exportações ao que tenha menos potencial económico; manter a acumulação de lucro no mercado interno; crescentes condicionalidades e interferência sobre países terceiros; retirar competências aos Estados, interferindo na gestão de resíduos em função dos seus interesses, centralizando-as na Comissão Europeia. É a liberalização deste mercado que move e onde se centra a proposta, ignorando os limites e ineficácia da gestão privada dos resíduos, mas altamente eficaz na maximização dos lucros.

É o lucro e não as necessidades reais, também do ponto de vista ambiental, que determina que parte significativa dos resíduos sejam diretamente transferidos para aterro, com baixa valorização multimaterial, sem privilegiar a reutilização ou a reciclagem. Paradigma que só pode ser alterado com uma adequada regulação e reforçando a dimensão pública na gestão dos resíduos.

Uma última nota: falamos do fim de linha, mas não do caminho. A responsabilização das empresas na escolha de materiais, no aumento da durabilidade de produtos, o combate à obsolescência programada, a não transferência dos custos para as populações deste mercado e dos lucros que querem assegurar a alguns. Preocupações, não por acaso, ausentes desta proposta.

Ivan Vilibor Sinčić (NI). – Mr President, Commissioner Sinkevičius, as I have warned the Commission and JASPERS on many occasions, waste management in Croatia is still done in a very bad way. Bad projects are still approved and they endanger the environment and destroy local communities that host them, since their operational costs are very high.

Ivan Vilibor Sinčić (NI).

In the latest case of the Šagulje waste management centre, JASPERS even allowed the implementation of the project contrary to the already adopted and existing spatial planning documents of counties and cities in Croatia. Is JASPERS unable to read existing documents before approving projects?

There are also many other problems. Questionable technology approved by JASPERS has led Croatia into a situation that design and construction work is being given to companies without any experience in design, construction and management. All the details I have elaborated in the meetings and letters. There is no progress on this issue, despite written assurance given to me by the Commission.

In order to properly spend taxpayers' money, but also to prevent that due JASPERS Croatia does not lose funds for the construction of WMCs from the OPCC programme financial envelope, please take the appropriate steps. Croatia needs and deserves better projects and it can be done since EU standards that are good do exist, but they are not followed in Croatia.

Maria Spyraki (PPE). – Mr President, dear colleagues, Commissioner Sinkevičius, today we discuss an updated legal framework which could be a game changer in terms of a global challenge. The waste shipment regulation intends to protect the environment and public health from the impacts of unsound transboundary shipments of waste, since the non-appropriately controlled shipments of waste across borders may generate risks for both the environment and human health.

Maria Spyraki (PPE).

This regulation is also enhancing EU strategic autonomy in terms of raw materials. Raw materials is a strategic priority for this House and the main key to delivering on the EU's green and digital transition. We should keep in mind that these wastes, particularly as raw materials, could benefit the economy by reducing the dependence on primary materials leading to a more secure and sustainable economy. Therefore, it is important to understand that a solid circular economy depends heavily on sufficient recycling capacity and appropriate technology to feed secondary raw materials into the production of new goods. The EU should not embrace measures that will cut off facilities, that are making sustainable progress, from the recycling markets.

I would like to make a call to all of you to support the collective agreement that our rapporteur Pernille Weiss has already concluded with our co-rapporteurs in order to have a concrete text without any additional amendments. The EU can be a global leader in the green transition, using its influence and incentives to promote transformational change, not only in our continent, but also in third countries in terms of waste management. And now is the time.

Tiemo Wölken (S&D). – Sehr geehrter Herr Präsident, sehr geehrter Herr Kommissar! 32,7 Millionen Tonnen Müll, davon 1,1 Millionen Tonnen Plastikmüll: Diese unvorstellbare Menge Müll exportierte die Europäische Union alleine im Jahr 2021 in den Rest der Welt, oft in Länder wie die Türkei oder Malaysia. Ganz getreu dem Motto: Aus dem Auge, aus dem Sinn.

Tiemo Wölken (S&D).

Nur leider verschwindet dieser Müll natürlich nicht einfach nur, weil er nicht mehr bei uns ist. Wenn es gut läuft, wird der Müll zumindest recycelt. Wenn es schlecht läuft, wie so oft, dann entstehen gigantische Mülldeponien, die Landstriche verwüsten und auch Tier- und Pflanzenwelt nachhaltig vergiften und schädigen. Und damit muss Schluss sein. Und diese klare Botschaft sendet der Bericht aus.

Besonders wichtig ist, dass wir den Export von gefährlichem, giftigem Plastikmüll verbieten wollen. Dass der Export von Plastikabfall innerhalb von vier Jahren komplett verboten werden soll, ist ein echter Erfolg. Und ich hoffe, wir können den Rat überzeugen, und ich hätte das heute gerne auch mit dem Rat besprochen.

Aber zur Wahrheit gehört auch: Über Plastik hinaus bleibt der Export von nicht recycelbarem Müll weiterhin in vielen Fällen möglich. Es fehlt leider einer Mehrheit hier im Haus an dem Mut, zu sagen: Wir Europäerinnen und Europäer übernehmen die volle Verantwortung für den Müll, den wir hier produzieren, den wir hier verursachen. Und deswegen verpassen wir leider eine Chance.

Aber trotz dieses Wermutstropfens ist der vorliegende Bericht ein riesiger Schritt in die richtige Richtung und verdient deshalb unsere volle Unterstützung.

Susana Solís Pérez (Renew). – Señor presidente, señor comisario, estamos en un momento muy difícil para Europa: altos precios de la energía de materias primas, una competencia feroz desde Estados Unidos y China y una amenaza de desindustrialización cada vez más seria.

Susana Solís Pérez (Renew).

En este contexto, la gestión responsable de nuestros residuos no es solo una cuestión medioambiental y de salud pública. Incentivar su reutilización y crear un mercado para el reciclaje dentro de nuestras fronteras y no exportar el problema a terceros países es una necesidad para la Unión Europea, que, además, tanto depende de las materias primas de otros países.

Los residuos son un recurso tremendamente valioso, con un gran potencial económico e industrial si aprendemos a utilizarlos de forma inteligente. Estoy pensando, por ejemplo, en la chatarra de hierro, tan necesaria para producir el acero verde del futuro.

El Reglamento que hoy debatimos es esencial para reducir nuestra dependencia y hacer nuestra producción más sostenible y ahora un modelo circular. Pero también creo que hay que ir más allá y, por eso, creo que debemos asegurar, con controles efectivos y con criterios muy claros, que durante todas las etapas de la gestión de los residuos no se dé la espalda a nuestros estándares con envíos masivos a terceros países.

Grace O'Sullivan (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, we pay multiple times for our addiction to plastic. We pay at the till in the shop for mountains of plastic packaging – we have no choice but to buy those products. We pay again to have it taken away and shipped off to other countries for disposal. And we all pay when that waste finds its way into our rivers, onto our beaches, and into our soils.

Grace O'Sullivan (Verts/ALE).

What we do with our waste goes to the heart of environmental justice. This means taking responsibility for the waste we produce rather than simply putting it out of sight, out of mind.

Today, Parliament moves to ban the export of plastic waste. It is a huge challenge that will require systemic change, but the cost of inaction is so much higher.

Danilo Oscar Lancini (ID). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, nel 2020 le esportazioni di rifiuti dell'Unione europea verso i paesi terzi hanno raggiunto i 32,7 milioni di tonnellate, ovvero il 16 % del commercio mondiale di rifiuti.

Danilo Oscar Lancini (ID).

La Turchia è di gran lunga la principale destinazione delle esportazioni di rifiuti dell'UE, ricevendo circa 13,7 milioni di tonnellate nel 2020. La maggior parte dei rifiuti esportati al di fuori dell'UE è costituita da rottami metallici ferrosi e non ferrosi, nonché da rifiuti di carta, plastica, tessili e vetro.

Il rottame ferroso è però una materia preziosa ed essenziale per la decarbonizzazione dell'industria siderurgica, ha poco senso esportare rifiuti all'estero quando abbiamo la possibilità di alimentare un ciclo virtuoso di un settore strategico come quello siderurgico.

Le misure di decarbonizzazione e risparmio energetico, che già interessano tale settore, comporteranno tra l'altro un importante aumento del fabbisogno di rottame nei prossimi anni: per ogni tonnellata di rottame di acciaio riciclato si ottiene un risparmio di 1,5 tonnellate di CO2 e, nel caso di rottame di acciaio inossidabile, questo risparmio è ancora maggiore, arrivando a circa 5 tonnellate di CO2.

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Mi chiedo se sia ancora il caso di chiamare e catalogare rifiuti questi materiali divenuti tanto preziosi e strategici per alimentare un ciclo virtuoso nel settore siderurgico.

Concludendo, è quindi assolutamente condivisibile adottare norme più severe sulle spedizioni di rifiuti, senza dimenticare l'importanza del monitoraggio e di misure antielusione, al fine di non indebolire tali norme, ed è proprio questo il senso degli emendamenti proposti.

Maria Angela Danzì (NI). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, più economia circolare e più raccolta differenziata: è questa la strada che oggi percorre l'Europa. Come Movimento 5 Stelle siamo orgogliosi di dare il nostro contributo.

Maria Angela Danzì (NI).

Due sono in particolare i principi fondamentali di questo nuovo regolamento: il primo è quello di proibire il trasporto tra Stati membri di tutti i rifiuti destinati allo smaltimento. Questo richiede che le amministrazioni locali devono fare funzionare in modo efficace la raccolta differenziata.

Certo, si poteva osare di più, penso allo stesso divieto applicato in ambiti regionali all'interno dello stesso paese. Bene il divieto di esportazione verso i paesi, specie quelli più poveri. Con una maggiore tracciabilità combattiamo l'illegalità e la mafia. Non dimentichiamo, infatti, che in molte realtà lo smaltimento è operato sotto il controllo della malavita.

Ritengo di dover richiamare l'attenzione sul fatto che alcune nostre imprese produttrici di carte da macero potrebbero essere penalizzate se tale riciclo non venisse considerato fuori dall'ambito dei rifiuti. Oggi, comunque, facciamo un passo avanti. Da oggi l'economia circolare è una realtà.

Hildegard Bentele (PPE). – Herr Präsident, sehr geehrter Herr Kommissar, meine sehr geehrten Damen und Herren, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Die Befassung mit der Verbringung von Abfällen mag nicht besonders sexy sein, aber sie ist sehr notwendig, wenn wir unsere Ziele erreichen wollen: nämlich eine bessere Kreislaufwirtschaft, in der Abfälle zu neuen Rohstoffen werden, nämlich kürzere Wege und mehr Effizienz in der Abfallbehandlung, indem wir endlich auch den Binnenmarkt für Abfälle realisieren und ihm den schon längst notwendigen Digitalisierungsschub geben, und schließlich mehr Sicherheit bei Abfallexporten, weil wir vorschlagen, dass die abnehmende Anlage unabhängig zertifiziert sein muss.

Hildegard Bentele (PPE).

Die mit großer Mehrheit im Ausschuss erzielte Positionierung geht natürlich immer mit Kompromissen einher. Aber ich glaube, dass wir insgesamt einen guten Ausgangspunkt für mehr Investitionen in die Recyclingindustrie und durch die Vorgabe von Recyclatanteilen richtige Anreize für den Aufbau von stabilen Sekundärrohstoffmärkten gesetzt haben. Diese Überarbeitung der Verordnung wird der Kreislaufwirtschaft neuen und guten Schwung geben.

Ich möchte meiner Kollegin Pernille Weiss herzlich und ausdrücklich für die gute Verhandlungsführung danken und bin nun gespannt, welche Verbesserungsvorschläge der leider nicht anwesende Rat für dieses Dossier noch bereithält.

Christel Schaldemose (S&D). – Hr. Formand! Vi fejrer i disse dage her netop det indre markeds 30-års jubilæum, og jeg vil gerne benytte mig af at sige, at det er rigtig godt for EU, at vi har haft dette indre marked i så lang tid. Det er kronjuvelen i det europæiske samarbejde. Men håndteringen af og transport af vores affald er faktisk en ganske afgørende del af, at vi kan have et velfungerende indre marked. Og derfor er det også vigtigt, at vi nu får kigget disse regler for affaldstransport godt og grundigt igennem. Over de seneste år er vi i stigende grad blev opmærksom på, at affald er en ressource. Men det er i hvert fald også først og fremmest vores ansvar, og derfor er jeg rigtig glad for, at Fru Weiss' betænkning lige præcis tager højde for, at vi skal håndtere affald anderledes. Det glæder mig utrolig meget, at vi vil styrke den cirkulære økonomi, og at vi faktisk tager et opgør med særligt plastikaffald. Plastikaffald er noget, vi genererer utroligt meget af, og det skal altså være EU's eget ansvar at håndtere det plastikaffald, vi selv skaber. Og det siger vi også netop i Europa-Parlamentet nu med Fru Weiss' betænkning, at det er det, vi vil gøre til lov. Det er det, vi vil have gjort noget ved. Og så må vi håbe på, vi kan få overbevist Rådet om det samme. Men helt afgørende er det altså, at vi får gjort op med, at andre skal tage sig af vores affald. Og jeg ved godt, det er svært. Jeg ved godt, det kan være vanskeligt. Jeg ved godt, der kan være forretninger, I har sendt ud af EU. Men vi har et ansvar for vores eget affald, og derfor støtter jeg denne betænkning, fordi den lige præcis sørger for, at vi tager hånd om særligt plastikaffald.

Christel Schaldemose (S&D).

Karin Karlsbro (Renew). – Herr talman! Herr kommissionär! Det fanns en tid då sopor och avfall bara slängdes i sjön eller dumpades i skogen enligt principen ‘det som inte syns, det finns inte’, men i dag vet vi bättre. Avfall är en värdefull resurs som kan användas om och om igen. Men fortfarande beter vi oss ändå som förr.

Karin Karlsbro (Renew).

Det finns risk för att europeiskt avfall hamnar i länder som saknar både regler och kompetens att ta hand om skräpet – med fara för miljön och för människors hälsa, och dessutom med hot från korruption som undergräver ansvarsfull hantering.

EU är en stor aktör när det gäller handel med avfall. Att Europa inte bara dumpar skräp och skrot och plast i andra delar av världen borde vara lika självklart som att jag inte kastar sopor i grannens trädgård.

Nya skarpare regler för internationell handel med avfall behövs. Då kan den bara ske smart, vara lönsam, skapa jobb, spara resurser och helt enkelt vara hållbar.

Roman Haider (ID). – Herr Präsident! Allein aus Österreich sind im Jahr 2021 über 130 000 Tonnen Kunststoffabfall zur Verwertung ins Ausland verschifft worden. Im Februar 2021 hat Österreich dann 100 Tonnen mit Chemikalien belasteten Plastikmüll aus Malaysia zurücknehmen müssen.

Roman Haider (ID).

Dieser Skandal war nicht nur eine Blamage für die österreichische grüne Umweltministerin. Dieser Skandal zeigt auch, wie problematisch der Export von Abfällen sein kann. Die Verschiffung von 100 Tonnen Müll um die halbe Welt und wieder zurück kann man – beim besten Willen – wirklich nicht als umweltfreundlich bezeichnen. Es besteht hier also auf jeden Fall Handlungsbedarf.

Dabei muss aber – und das ist mir wichtig – Rücksicht gerade auf kleinere und mittlere Unternehmen genommen werden. Es gilt, Rechtssicherheit ohne überbordende bürokratische Belastungen für Unternehmen herzustellen.

Mislav Kolakušić (NI). – Gospodine predsjedavajući, poštovane kolege, poštovani građani, reciklaža plastike je jedna od najvećih laži koja se stalno postavlja. Od šest temeljnih vrsta plastike, samo jedna jedina, pet ambalaža, u kojoj kupujemo sokove i vodu se reciklira. Ostalih pet se ne recikliraju ili je njihovo recikliranje zanemarivo.

Mislav Kolakušić (NI).

Što se događa s tim otpadom ? On se potajice, kao u Hrvatskoj, konstantno odvozi s ostalim otpadom na komunalna odlagališta, stvaramo brda, ili u bogatijim državama taj plastični otpad odvodi se u Afriku.

Druga najveća laž koja prati ekologiju je da će se ukidanjem jednokratnih plastičnih vrećica smanjiti količina plastičnog otpada. To je, naravno, laž. Dogodilo se višestruko povećanje plastičnog otpada jer u brojnim državama u plastiku se zamota svaka pojedinačna jabuka, komad mesa, dovodimo kući 80 posto više plastike nego ikada.

Ljudmila Novak (PPE). – Gospod predsednik, Papež Frančišek je dejal, da živimo v kulturi odmetavanja in pri tem mislil na bolne, ostarele in nezaželene v družbi. Srečujemo se tudi s kulturo oziroma nekulturo prekomernega ustvarjanja in kopičenja odpadkov, ki onesnažujejo in obremenjujejo naš planet. Z odpadki celo trgujemo, zato govorimo o notranjem trgu za pošiljke odpadkov. Z odpadki so pogosto povezani veliki zaslužki, še posebej, če jih odlagamo nepravilno in protizakonito. Zato menim, da je potrebno to področje trgovanja in pošiljanja odpadkov izven kraja nastanka temeljito urediti, izvajanje pa korektno in učinkovito nadzirati. Nikakor pa ne smemo več dopustiti, da so odpadki samo vir hitrega zaslužka in bogatenja na račun onesnaževanja našega planeta.

Ljudmila Novak (PPE).

Achille Variati (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, la revisione del regolamento sulla spedizione dei rifiuti rappresenta un'importante legislazione per tutelare sia l'ambiente che garantire la salute umana, ma al tempo stesso ha enormi potenzialità per accelerare la transizione dell'Unione verso l'economia circolare.

Achille Variati (S&D).

Il trasporto di rifiuti è infatti un'attività che necessita però di regole chiare e di controlli adeguati. Ancora oggi, purtroppo, tra il 15 e il 30 % delle spedizioni avviene in maniera illegale. Un dato del tutto inaccettabile a cui questo regolamento cerca di porre rimedio.

Ci ricordiamo bene come la decisione della Cina di non accettare più rifiuti plastici abbia avuto forti ripercussioni sulla nostra capacità di una loro corretta gestione. Il testo adottato in commissione ENVI, che prevede una graduale limitazione al loro export, vuole che questo non avvenga di nuovo. Si pone invece l'obiettivo di creare un volano sia per la progettazione di prodotti maggiormente sostenibili che per un ulteriore sviluppo della nostra capacità di riciclaggio.

Esportare i nostri rifiuti verso i paesi del Terzo mondo non può e non deve più essere la soluzione, ma si deve puntare senza ritardo sull'economia circolare e questo regolamento è un deciso passo avanti.

Dan-Ștefan Motreanu (PPE). – Domnule președinte, domnule comisar, după cum bine știți, transferurile ilegale de deșeuri au atins cote alarmante și pe teritoriul Uniunii Europene și generează consecințe grave și pe termen lung asupra sănătății publice și a mediului înconjurător. Această situație trebuie corectată urgent și îmi exprim pe această cale suportul ferm pentru acordul ambițios la care s-a ajuns în Comisia ENVI referitor la revizuirea legislației privind expedierile de deșeuri, care cuprinde reguli clare și stricte pentru combaterea traficului ilegal de deșeuri.

Dan-Ștefan Motreanu (PPE).

Susțin, de asemenea, rolul central pe care trebuie să îl joace Oficiul European de Luptă Antifraudă în investigațiile transnaționale. Consolidarea cooperării între statele membre, înăsprirea regimului de sancțiuni pentru a descuraja activitățile infracționale în acest domeniu și atrag, în final, atenția asupra nevoii urgente de a crea Planul european de acțiune pentru combaterea expedierilor ilegale de deșeuri, pentru a ne asigura astfel succesul în lupta împotriva acestui fenomen.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Catch-the-eye procedure

Marek Paweł Balt (S&D). – Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! Cieszę się, że Pan mówił o tym, że jest za gospodarką obiegu zamkniętego. Cieszę się, że mówił Pan, że jest za ograniczeniem emisji CO2. Chciałbym, żeby Pan również zajął się tematem ograniczenia eksportu złomu z Europy. To zdekarbonizowany metal. Rocznie eksportujemy 20 mln ton złomu. Przy produkcji stali ze złomu emitujemy cztery razy mniej CO2 niż przy produkcji stali z rudy żelaza. Mamy zdekarbonizowany metal, a eksportujemy go za granicę, podnosząc ceny złomu w Europie i podnosząc ceny materiałów stalowych w Europie. Stal jest głównym elementem inwestycji. Bez stali nie ma żadnych inwestycji.

Marek Paweł Balt (S&D).

2

2

Dlatego apeluję o to, aby Komisja Europejska zajęła się rynkiem złomu i ograniczeniami w eksporcie. Już wiele krajów ograniczyło eksport złomu, chroniąc swój rynek i zdekarbonizowany metal.

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Mr President, Commissioner, in 2020 the EU exported over 27 million tonnes of waste outside the EU, an increase of 75% since 2004. Between 2001 and 2019 we doubled our hazardous waste shipments from the EU. Our waste production trend seems to be going in the wrong direction.

Mick Wallace (The Left).

This report supports the introduction of a phased-in ban on the export of plastic waste outside the EU, and that's to be welcomed. But to stop us from drowning in our own waste we're going to do a lot more, and we really need to scale up recycling capacity and also significantly reduce plastic waste in the first place.

Europeans used to be resourceful, now we are wasteful. We need to change the EU's waste economy.

Clare Daly (The Left). – Mr President, in 2020, the EU exported more than 33 million tonnes of waste to non-EU countries. Among these wastes, as colleagues have pointed out, one of the biggest contributors is plastic pollution. The hundreds of millions of tonnes of waste produced every year, which degrade into microplastics end up in all the world's oceans in the bodies of humans and animals. And if nothing is done, this will almost triple by about 2060. Half will end up in landfill. Less than a fifth will be recycled.

Clare Daly (The Left).

And the truth is that the solution to plastic is not about recycling, it's about reduction. So our job really is to combat this narrative. And while waiting on the so-called reform of European rules aimed at banning waste to Africa or East Asia, it is more than urgent that we intensify our efforts to fight against illegal exports, which are a violation of the sovereignty of states and populations outside the EU. Partnership means equal treatment, not treating the others as a wasteland for our interests. A modern type of colonialism.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Virginijus Sinkevičius,
  Member of the Commission. – Honourable Members, thank you for this productive and very consensual exchange. I have taken good note of all your remarks and observations, and I'm very pleased to see a large majority supporting Ms Weiss' report.

Virginijus Sinkevičius,

Member of the Commission

Let me briefly reflect on some of the key issues raised. First of all, as regards the proposed ban on the export of plastic waste from the EU, which, as I already said in my introductory remarks, we will need to assess very carefully. The EU rules on the export of plastic waste have become stricter since 2021, and this has already led to a decrease in the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries over the last two years. Furthermore, with our proposal, we are proposing a new regime applying to the export of all waste that will, in practice, further strengthen the conditions under which plastic waste could be exported outside the European Union. We have not pursued the option of a complete export ban for plastic waste in our proposal as, according to international rules, a restriction on trade has to be grounded on purely environmental grounds and can only be imposed when no other less trade-restrictive measures are available to achieve the objectives. In this case, we believe that the measures in the Commission proposal are both effective in curbing plastic pollution caused by our exports of plastic waste and proportionate to the problems. We also believe that our proposal could contribute to raising the standards for the management of plastic waste in third countries. So, as I said, we will look at it very carefully, but we need to make sure that it is in full compliance with our international commitments.

As regards comments on exports of steel and iron scrap. The Commission proposal includes strong measures to ensure that waste, including metal waste, is treated in broadly equivalent conditions to the European Union, and these measures are expected to lead to a decrease of waste exports. And our impact assessment showed that the EU industry has the capacity to process this waste.

As regards labour conditions in third countries and sustainable management of waste, we have taken note of a proposal of the European Parliament to consider eight International Labour Organization conventions and we are open to considering including such agreements in country assessments. We want to point out that recently two additional conventions were concluded under the umbrella of ILO, and we invite colleagues to also take them into account in the light of the proposed amendment.

Finally, as regards illegal shipment activities, the Commission is working closely with enforcement agencies from the EU Member States, the EU Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law, Europol and international organisations like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Basel Convention to tackle illegal waste management activities and illegal waste shipments. And the EU notably supports cross-border investigations and cooperation between enforcement agencies in its Member States, and this is reinforced in the Waste Shipment Regulation.

So, honourable Members, as I said at the outset, the Commission is fully committed to advancing as rapidly as possible on this file. You can count on our support to help the co-legislators ensure that ambitious futureproof rules start applying to waste shipments without any delay. We hope for swift progress under the Swedish Presidency to match the pace of work in the European Parliament.

Pernille Weiss,
  Rapporteur. – Hr. Formand! Tusind tak. Kære kolleger, kære Kommission. Tusind tak især for en meget, meget frugtbar debat. Vi har været hele vejen rundt, og det tegner til, at vi forhåbentlig i morgen kan se, at vi får et meget, meget stort flertal bag kompromiserne. Så vi står meget stærkt over for Rådet i vores forhandling, der forhåbentlig også starter meget snart. Jeg deler kommissærens ambition om, at vi kommer i gang med trilog-forhandlingerne allerede lige om lidt. Det blev sagt af flere kolleger, og det er værd at understrege igen som en afsluttende kommentar, nemlig, at vi får ikke gang i en cirkulær økonomi. Vi får heller ikke gang i en bedre og bæredygtig måde at opføre os på med vores natur og vores forbrug, hvis ikke vi kommer i gang med cirkulær økonomi i vores affaldshåndtering. Og det kræver, at vi laver et indre marked for netop affald. Og det får vi med de kompromisforslag, som vi har gjort Kommissionens allerede ret gode forslag endnu bedre med. Så er der så også dem, der tænker, om vi kan holde lidt på nogle særlige materialer gennem denne her lov, således at vi kan holde på, og vi kan få, grønt stål - det er eksemplet - i fremtiden.

Pernille Weiss,

Rapporteur

Der skal man bare være opmærksom på, at den lille A-B-C for sammenhængen mellem udbud og efterspørgsel aldrig nogensinde peger på, at ved at lukke et marked, så får man både højere kvalitet og lavere pris. Nej, vi skal læne os ind i den internationale handel og sørge for, at naturligvis bliver stålprodukter behandlet der, hvor det både bliver behandlet bedst og billigst. Det er i sidste ende det, der vil være allermest i den europæiske interesse.

Og dette bliver jeg nødt til lige at kommentere; så siger Kommissær Sinkevičius, at I sådan set er med på stort set alt, hvad vi foreslår, selvfølgelig skal det være inden for skiven også rent juridisk, men I vil under alle omstændigheder have brug for formentlig flere penge. Gider I ikke godt lade være med at bruge det som argument på nuværende tidspunkt, at de ambitioner, vi har for ikke at gøre det, som Grace O'Sullivan fra venstrefløjen så klogt sagde, nemlig, at vi forsømmer rettidig omhu og det at handle, mens vi kan, mens det er billigst, alene af den grund, at Kommissionen gerne vil have flere penge. Prisen for ingenting at gøre er langt, langt højere end en diskussion lige nu på, hvorvidt Kommissionen har brug for flere penge via MFF. Her har vi en fælles opgave. Lad os løfte den og så sørge for, at næste generation kan kigge på os og sige, vi gjorde det rigtige, det rettidige og det fornuftige.

Sēdes vadītājs. – Debates ir slēgtas.

Sēdes vadītājs. –

Balsošana notiks rītdien.

Tagad pievēršamies īsajam izklāstam.

Rakstiski paziņojumi (171. pants)

Rakstiski paziņojumi (171. pants)

Robert Hajšel (S&D),
  písomne. – Ak to myslíme s klimatickými cieľmi a znižovaním emisií skutočne vážne, nemôžeme sa ďalej tváriť, že 32,7 milióna ton odpadu, ktorý sme v roku 2020 vyviezli z EÚ, a s ním súvisiace emisie, sa nás za hranicami už netýkaj. Plne preto podporujem sprísnenie pravidiel týkajúcich sa prepravy a spôsobu nakladania s odpadom, ktoré musia byť v súlade s environmentálnymi požiadavkami, ako aj zavedenie náležitých trestov za nelegálne obchodovanie, ktoré patrí medzi najrozšírenejšie ekologické zločiny. Aj prostredníctvom prostriedkov z plánu obnovy by mali krajiny podporiť cirkulárnu ekonomiku na území EÚ a zároveň zabezpečiť, aby odpad, ktorý nie je možné inak zrecyklovať, bolo možné efektívne využiť ako zdroj energie.

Robert Hajšel (S&D),

písomne

Edina Tóth (NI),
  írásban. – A legtöbb európai országban és az EU egészében a keletkező hulladék mennyisége folyamatosan növekszik, a tagállamok emiatt egyre több hulladékot exportálnak. Ennek majdnem fele olyan országokba kerül, ahol a szemetet nem környezetbarát módon kezelik, növelve ezzel a természeti károkat. Ezért is különösen fontos, hogy egységesen, uniós szintű intézkedésekkel lépjünk fel a már szinte általánossá vált negatív trendekkel szemben.

Edina Tóth (NI),

írásban

Üdvözlöm és támogatom, hogy az Európai Parlament mostani javaslatai révén a hulladékexport korlátozottabb lesz, és csak akkor lesz engedélyezhető, ha a harmadik országok hajlandóak és képesek is a hulladékok szakszerű módon történő kezelésére. Különösen fontosnak tartom azt is, hogy a hulladékszállítmányokat nyomon kövessük. Kiemelten fontos, hogy a szállítmányok felfüggeszthetőek lehessenek, amennyiben súlyos környezeti problémákat okoznak a célországban. Hangsúlyozandó, hogy a jogalkotás ne teremtsen túlzott bürokráciát. A kialakult eljárások egyszerűsítése valóban indokolt, úgy vélem, hogy ezzel jelentősen megkönnyíthetjük a hulladék körforgásos gazdaságba való visszatérését anélkül, hogy csökkenne az ellenőrzés szükséges szintje.

A hulladékszállításról szóló rendeletnek tovább kell erősíteni az illegális hulladékkereskedelem elleni fellépést, amely a környezeti bűnözés egyik legsúlyosabb formája, mivel az illegális hulladékszállítás potenciálisan a hulladékszállítás 30 százalékát teszi ki. Fontos a szabályok megfelelő átültetése és azok ellenőrzése, hiszen csak ezáltal lehet a környezeti károkat jelentősen csökkenteni.

17.   The creation of a European Capital of Local Trade (short presentation)

Sēdes vadītājs. – Nākamais darba kārtības jautājums: Īss izklāsts par rezolūcijas priekšlikumu par Eiropas vietējās tirdzniecības galvaspilsētas izveidi (2022/2874(RSP))

Sēdes vadītājs. –

Eiropas vietējās tirdzniecības galvaspilsētas izveidi

Dodu vārdu PETI komitejas priekšsēdētājai uz 4 minūtēm.

Dolors Montserrat,
  Rapporteur. – Señor presidente, señor comisario, quiero dar también la bienvenida a Vitrines d'Europe y a Barcelona Comerç, que hoy están en la tribuna.

Dolors Montserrat,

Rapporteur

Hoy es un gran día para el comercio local. Es un reconocimiento a los millones de trabajadores, autónomos, emprendedores y pymes dedicadas al comercio de proximidad en Europa. Pero también lo es para todos los ciudadanos europeos, especialmente los de Barcelona, que han visto cómo su comercio ha batallado para que hoy estemos aquí, logrando que se cree la Capital Europea del Comercio de Proximidad y que anualmente tengamos una ciudad europea capital del comercio de proximidad.

Agradezco no solo como ciudadana española, sino como europea, que los comercios de proximidad crean en ese gran proyecto que es la Unión Europea, porque es garantía de progreso económico y social.

Como presidenta de la Comisión de Peticiones, no he dejado de insistir en la necesidad de que esta iniciativa saliera adelante y, como miembro del Partido Popular Europeo, ha sido un honor conseguir esta iniciativa.

¿Qué es el comercio local? ¿Qué significa lo que hoy logramos ? El comercio local es mucho más que un escaparate o un vecino que te atiende en su tienda. El comercio de proximidad es empuje económico y social para las ciudades, vida para nuestros barrios y seguridad para nuestras calles. Representa la manera de entender las ciudades europeas, nuestra cultura, nuestro estilo de vida e identidad común.

Este es un proyecto ambicioso, de gran riqueza, generador de oportunidades económicas. La iniciativa nace en Barcelona, una ciudad española que se ha caracterizado históricamente por su riqueza en el comercio de proximidad. La identidad europea, nuestras raíces nacen en los municipios, porque Europa son también nuestras ciudades. Debemos, por tanto, poner en valor ese espíritu emprendedor de los gremios y los comerciantes, contar con ellos para la digitalización europea, la movilidad sostenible, la economía circular y verde, porque ellos son la economía que está a pie de calle.

La crisis de la COVID-19 ha puesto de relieve que cuando la ciudad cerraba su vida, los comercios esenciales permanecían en pie y abiertos. Junto a la sanidad, los profesionales del comercio local han sostenido las ciudades europeas y a sus personas. Por eso, esta iniciativa busca dar la visibilidad que necesita y merece el comercio de proximidad en toda Europa y más en un mundo globalizado en el que a veces nos olvidamos de lo que tenemos más cerca.

La iniciativa le da valor a lo cercano y está muy ligada a nuestra historia como europeos. La globalización es, sin duda, una razón fundamental para el crecimiento económico y el empleo, pero eso no puede llevarnos a dar la espalda y abandonar a nuestro comercio más cercano, sino todo lo contrario. Nos debe llevar a potenciarlo y, desde las instituciones europeas, a promocionarlo.

Hay mucho empleo en juego, hay economía familiar y merecen todo nuestro apoyo. Lo digo siempre y hoy lo vuelvo a decir: el comercio de proximidad representa vida. Si hay comercio, hay vida, hay color en las calles, hay más convivencia entre las personas y los vecinos de un barrio.

El comercio de proximidad realiza una función social con los vecinos de su zona. Precisamente esa proximidad y cercanía hacen que el comerciante tenga una sensibilidad especial y particular ante las necesidades concretas de algún vecino. Por ello, hemos de cuidar y ayudar a nuestro tejido comercial, que es importantísimo en nuestra economía y en la armonía social de nuestros barrios.

El comercio local ha sabido reinventarse, ha resistido a todos los desafíos y lo siguen haciendo con enormes dificultades, como la crisis generada por la COVID-19 o esta brutal inflación que estamos sufriendo. Por ello, la Unión Europea debe ser su mejor aliado.

El comercio local de proximidad es una causa común de Europa y hoy pido a la Comisión que, junto al Parlamento, haga realidad esta iniciativa. Y pido también a todos los diputados de este Parlamento que voten mañana a favor de la creación de la Capital Europea del Comercio de Proximidad, porque así conseguiremos y aseguraremos más comercio, más ciudad y más Europa.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Catch-the-eye procedure

Jordi Cañas (Renew). – Señor presidente, en primer lugar, quería agradecer y felicitar a los proponentes que han llevado esta iniciativa hasta este punto, hasta el Parlamento Europeo.

Jordi Cañas (Renew).

Es muy importante porque el comercio de proximidad a mí me recuerda muchísimo a un ensayo de George Steiner que hablaba sobre la idea de Europa, que decía que la idea de Europa se construía sobre los cafés, sobre esas calles que tienen nombres de personas famosas, de literatos, de científicos; sobre ese paisaje, esa geografía que se anda, que se conoce.

Yo añadiría a estas ideas de Steiner sobre la identidad de lo que es Europa el comercio de proximidad. Esa identidad de que aquellos que vivimos en ciudades bajamos a nuestras calles y encontramos allí ese comercio próximo que conoce, que atiende, que está cerca de aquello que necesitamos, que conoce a las personas mayores, que sabe los problemas que tienen. Es el comercio que ha resistido pandemias, que ha resistido crisis, que ha resistido franquicias, modelos de consumo, pero que es imprescindible para mantener nuestra idea de Europa.

Por eso, quería proponer a la Comisión que haga suya esta propuesta. Me gustaría agradecer nuevamente a los proponentes y, como estoy convencido de que la Comisión va a hacer suya esta propuesta, como barcelonés, también proponer a Barcelona como esa primera Capital Europea del Comercio de Proximidad.

Jordi Solé (Verts/ALE). – Señor presidente, quiero dar la bienvenida y, evidentemente, apoyar esta iniciativa sobre la Capital Europea del Comercio de Proximidad, así como agradecer la propuesta, particularmente, a la Fundació Barcelona Comerç y también a las Administraciones catalanas que les han estado dando apoyo.

Jordi Solé (Verts/ALE).

Una propuesta para poner en valor todo lo que hace y todo lo que significa el comercio de proximidad y ayudarle también a afrontar sus retos más apremiantes, que no son pocos. Si queremos tener ciudades, barrios y pueblos vibrantes, con identidad y con cohesión social, tramas urbanas con diversidad de usos, economías locales que apuesten por el tejido comercial como uno de sus pilares principales, es necesario que la Unión Europea apueste por el comercio de proximidad.

Si no, nos arriesgamos a tener ciudades con centros comerciales y zonas de ocio magníficas, pero replicables en casi cualquier lugar del mundo, carentes de autenticidad y desarraigadas respecto al comercio local y al territorio. Así que enhorabuena por la iniciativa, espero que la Comisión la haga suya y también me sumo a la propuesta de mi compañero de proponer Barcelona para que sea la primera Capital Europea del Comercio de Proximidad.

Ernest Urtasun (Verts/ALE). – Señor presidente, quiero apoyar también, con toda la fortaleza, esta propuesta para la creación de una Capital Europea del Comercio de Proximidad. Se ha dicho ya, yo creo que forma parte de la cultura europea, que es algo que debe preservarse.

Ernest Urtasun (Verts/ALE).

Es imprescindible por la actividad económica que genera, por los puestos de trabajo que genera, por la cohesión social que genera el hecho de tener el comercio de proximidad en las ciudades y, sobre todo, para mantener el carácter vivo de nuestras ciudades. Lo peor que le podría pasar a Europa es que todos los centros de la ciudad se parecieran o fueran todos iguales, con grandes almacenes, y que perdiéramos ese carácter que da el comercio de proximidad.

Así que mañana creo que el Parlamento va a dar un mensaje claro. Queremos que el comercio de proximidad sea reconocido a través de un año específico. Yo también me sumo a la petición de que Barcelona pueda acoger la primera capitalidad. Además, el Ayuntamiento de Barcelona apoya firmemente esta propuesta y creo que haríamos un grandísimo servicio a la actividad económica europea.

También quiero agradecer a Barcelona Comerç por su presencia hoy aquí y por el excelente trabajo que ha realizado hasta ahora.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Virginijus Sinkevičius,
  Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I thank the honourable Members, and let me also join the warm welcome to the group of petitioners from Spain who are present here. Today we are discussing a motion for a resolution on the creation of a European capital of local trade and retail, and this proposal is built upon a petition put forward by federations of small retailers keen to give a more prominent role to local trade and small retail.

Virginijus Sinkevičius,

Member of the Commission

The Petition Committee was unanimous to support this petition, and the Commission also sees value added in this initiative. First, let me emphasise the economic importance of the retail industrial ecosystem. It represents 11.5% of EU value added. It directly employs more than 29 million people across Europe, and it's key for our citizens. Consumers spend on average 30% of their budget for their shopping through retail.

And of course, the SME dimension is crucial: 5.5 million companies are active in the ecosystem, 99% of which are SMEs. And we know how the retail ecosystem was badly hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shops were either closed or bound by stringent precautionary measures. Thanks to a strong and ambitious EU response we managed to alleviate many of these impacts, but still SMEs were the ones which suffered most.

So today the energy crisis is also harsh on retailers and in particular on retail SMEs. We all have in mind the bakeries example, here again we have worked hard to provide emergency solutions through energy policy or state-aid tools.

Honourable Members, retailers play a crucial role in our communities. They provide local employment, proximity to consumers and build the social fabric. A thriving small retail sector is essential for attracting city centres. Retail is equally important for maintaining lively rural areas and boosting local supply chains, and through its ‘Revitalise Retail’ actions, the Commission is supporting these objectives.

Back in 2018, the Commission published a guide for competent authorities to help them support their local small retailers to modernise and revitalise. Based on the guide, the Commission has organised workshops to encourage sharing best practices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we held virtual worship workshops with a focus on sharing innovative ways to keep in touch with consumers. And currently we are gathering stories of retail SMEs who have successfully embraced innovative green and digital solutions and transformed their business models. They should provide inspiration for SMEs wishing to respond to the challenges of digital and green transition.

Last but not least, I would like to mention the transition pathways announced in the industrial strategy update. Such pathways support the green and digital transition of industrial ecosystems, among which the retail ecosystem. The Commission is planning the launch of a public consultation on it in the coming months.

But it may be not enough. In this context, the Commission considers that the proposal to create a European capital of local trade and small retail can take the Revitalise Retail action even further.

Beyond that, the draft resolution also includes several additional proposed measures, which confirms a lot of enthusiasm, and many ideas to support the small retail sector. And we will assess further how to benefit and how to best follow up on these measures while avoiding duplications.

And on the central issue of the creation of the European capital of local trade, the Commission would welcome if the European Parliament would support the action through a pilot project, and I'm convinced it would be a very positive development in the long-standing Commission and the European Parliament commitment to support SMEs and in particular retail SMEs.

Sēdes vadītājs. – Debates ir slēgtas.

Sēdes vadītājs. –

Balsošana notiks rītdien.

18.   One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Sēdes vadītājs. – Nākamais darba kārtības jautājums: Vienu minūti ilgas uzstāšanās (Reglamenta 172. pants).

Sēdes vadītājs. –

Vēlos jūs informēt, ka vienu minūti ilgas uzstāšanās laikā esat aicināti klātesošos uzrunāt no savas vietas.

Karlo Ressler (PPE). –. ...(početak govora bez mikrofona)...i najneiskvarenija ljudska bića, kao i najveće bogatstvo. Zbog čega, ma gdje se rodila, ma kako se zvala, zaslužuju našu posebnu zaštitu. Ona su ono što ostaje iza nas, pokazuju kako smo živjeli, koje smo im vrijednosti usadili i u kakve smo ih ljude odgojili. Civilizacijska snaga jednog društva zato se uvelike mjeri i u tome kako se odnosi prema najranjivijima, prema djeci. Onoj rođenoj i onoj nerođenoj, onoj vlastitoj, ali i onoj tuđoj.

Karlo Ressler (PPE).

(početak govora bez mikrofona)

I zato trgovanje djecom i različite povezane prakse te instrumentalizacija djece radi ideoloških hirova moraju biti zaustavljeni. Posvojenje je plemenito djelo, ali se sve sumnje na prodavanje djece pod krinkom ilegalnih međunarodnih posvojenja moraju razjasniti i, ako se utvrdi krivnja, najoštrije kazniti.

Carmen Avram (S&D). – Domnule președinte, aniversarea celor 30 de ani de piață unică e, pentru unii, moment de sărbătoare și pentru alții motiv de tristă rememorare.

Carmen Avram (S&D).

Căci, trei decenii mai târziu, în această piață, teoretic, unică, oferind, ni se spune oportunități și responsabilități egale, există state membre care încă sunt victimele dublului standard.

De exemplu, țara mea. Deși de16 ani România joacă după toate regulile, respectând și piața unică, și companiile europene prezente pe teritoriul ei, economia noastră nu beneficiază de toate șansele de dezvoltare, pentru că unui alt stat membru i se permite să facă jocuri politice murdare și să se opună ilegal intrării noastre în Schengen.

Sau fermierii români, deși loviți astăzi de aceleași crize ca și restul Uniunii, plus războiul de la frontieră care le-a adus falimentul la poarta fermei, ei trebuie să se descurce și să fie competitivi, cu subvenții care rămân mult sub media europeană. Tot din motive politice.

În această zi aniversară, deci, reamintesc Consiliului și Comisiei Europene că standardul dublu creează două piețe distincte atâta vreme cât toți au responsabilități, însă doar unii oportunități.

Ελισσάβετ Βόζεμπεργκ-Βρυωνίδη (PPE). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, η ένταση της επιθετικότητας της Τουρκίας κατά της χώρας μου, της Ελλάδας, έχει αυξηθεί κατακόρυφα. Προ δεκαημέρου, τουρκική ακταιωρός παρενόχλησε σκάφος του Λιμενικού που επιχειρούσε αναγνώριση τριών τουρκικών σκαφών που αλίευαν παράνομα στα ελληνικά χωρικά ύδατα στο Φαρμακονήσι. Σκόπιμα οι Τούρκοι επιδιώκουν την πρόκληση ατυχήματος με σκοπό την εργαλειοποίηση ενόψει των τουρκικών εκλογών. Παράλληλα, ο πρόεδρος Ερντογάν επανέφερε το casus belli, απειλώντας ευθέως την Ελλάδα με πόλεμο αν επεκτείνει την αιγιαλίτιδα ζώνη στα 12 ναυτικά μίλια νότια της Κρήτης. Ήδη ο Έλληνας υπουργός Εξωτερικών ενημέρωσε με επιστολή τον Ύπατο Εκπρόσωπο κ. Borrell, τον Αντιπρόεδρο κ. Σχοινά και τον Επίτροπο για την Αλιεία, ζητώντας άμεση αντίδραση.

Ελισσάβετ Βόζεμπεργκ-Βρυωνίδη (PPE).

Αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι, εν όψει προεκλογικής περιόδου Τουρκίας και Ελλάδας και με δεδομένες τις αναθεωρητικές προθέσεις της γείτονος, σήμερα —περισσότερο από κάθε άλλη φορά— είναι αναγκαία η άμεση απόδειξη της οφειλόμενης αλληλεγγύης μας προς την Ελλάδα. Επιβάλλεται η λήψη απόφασης ικανής να αποτρέψει την επιθετικότητα της Τουρκίας κατά ενός κράτους μέλους της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης.

Lara Wolters (S&D). – Voorzitter, naar aanleiding van de onbehouwen uitspraken van de topman van Boskalis wilde ik het hebben over verantwoord ondernemen. Peter Berdowski stelt dat verantwoord ondernemen Nederlandse bedrijven de kop gaat kosten. Dat onverantwoord ondernemen werknemers en de natuur de kop kosten, daar rept hij met geen woord over en dat stoort mij. Het argument dat Nederland als dominee vooroploopt en onze bedrijven gaat opzadelen met een ongelijk speelveld is een baggerargument. Want Frankrijk en Duitsland gingen Nederland al voor met wetgeving om verantwoord ondernemen wettelijk verplicht te maken. En Luxemburg, Ierland, België, Finland, Zweden, Spanje, Oostenrijk, Denemarken, Italië: in al die landen worden ook stappen ondernomen. Vandaar dat ik mij al jaren hard maak voor een Europese wet verantwoord ondernemen die zal gelden voor 27 Europese landen en voor bedrijven van buiten Europa die hier zaken willen doen. Die trein is lang en breed vertrokken en voor het eind van het jaar is die wet een feit. Meneer Berdowski voert een achterhoedegevecht. Het zou Boskalis sieren als het zich constructief opstelde in deze discussie en daarmee weer het internationale bedrijf werd waar Nederland trots op kan zijn.

Lara Wolters (S&D).

Barry Andrews (Renew). – Mr President, I want to take this opportunity to raise the very tragic decision by the Taliban to ban female staff from working for local and international NGOs in Afghanistan. This is the decision taken on 24 December. It has had obviously tragic consequences, especially for female staff who were the only breadwinners in their households. It's had very ridiculous consequences; for example, men giving breastfeeding classes to men in Kandahar, according to some reports. But ultimately, of course, it is a tragic breach of international human rights law.

Barry Andrews (Renew).

And now NGOs are faced with a terrible dilemma. Do they continue to muddle on? Do they continue to provide services, or do they take a stand? And this is a country where two thirds of people rely on aid. So it's not an easy decision. So I just want to take this opportunity to commend the EU representation in Kabul for staying the course, to call on Martin Griffiths and David Bennett and Richard Bennett and all the local and international NGOs working in Kabul to stay the course and to take on the Taliban on this key issue.

Ana Miranda (Verts/ALE). – Senhor Presidente, muitas famílias galegas apertam o cinto devido à subida dos preços e dos créditos. Mais de duzentas mil famílias hipotecadas que, em julho, veem a Sra. Lagarde subir as taxas Euribor.

Ana Miranda (Verts/ALE).

O Banco Central Europeu nunca teve piedade, subindo agora a alta velocidade as taxas de juro que impactam a carteira dos povos. Depois de anos firmemente ancoradas abaixo de zero, e após atingirem mínimos históricos, as taxas de juro Euribor iniciaram em janeiro uma trajetória de forte subida que é injusta e antissocial.

Uma média de 200 EUR por mês que afoga ainda mais as famílias, enquanto os bancos aumentam os ganhos. Os bancos resgatados, as famílias abandonadas.

É necessário um fundo de resgate hipotecário destinado a pessoas com rendimentos baixos, que destinam mais de 30% para pagar o crédito da sua residência habitual. Um fundo que deve negociar-se com os bancos, porque são eles que devem contribuir com 75 % do financiamento.

Gianantonio Da Re (ID). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, dopo le larve e le locuste, la Commissione ha dato il via libera all'immissione nel mercato europeo dei grilli in polvere.

Gianantonio Da Re (ID).

In piena crisi economica dovuta alla pandemia, poi all'invasione russa, la priorità dell'Europa è portare sulle tavole dei cittadini europei gli insetti provenienti da paesi extraeuropei come il Vietnam, la Cina e la Thailandia, paesi ai vertici delle classifiche per numero di allarmi alimentari.

La commercializzazione degli insetti pone precisi interrogativi di carattere sanitario, ai quali è necessario dare risposte facendo chiarezza sui metodi di produzione, sulla provenienza e tracciabilità di tali prodotti. L'Europa lasci perdere i grilli e supporti la nostra agricoltura e i nostri agricoltori. La priorità deve essere la salvaguardia delle eccellenze del nostro territorio, che sono l'espressione di realtà produttive e culturali uniche al mondo.

Sostenere la nostra agricoltura significa aiutare l'intera economia europea e sostenere la competitività. Insetti nel mio piatto ? No grazie, mangiateli voi.

Johan Nissinen (ECR). – Herr talman! När statsminister Ulf Kristersson presenterade det svenska ordförandeskapet i EU var han tydlig med vikten att lägga nationella intressen åt sidan och att det inte är till för att vifta med den stora svenska flaggan.

Johan Nissinen (ECR).

Att tänka europeiskt innebär nuförtiden att Sverige ska betala mer eller kompromissa bort sina intressen. I Bryssel vet man, till skillnad från i Stockholm, vad Macron menar när han säger ‘försvara europeiska värden’. För honom är det exakt samma sak som franska intressen. Sverige däremot gynnas inte av mer planekonomi, mer makt till Bryssel och pengar som möjliggör generösa pensionssystem i andra länder.

Så jag undrar: När tycker Kristersson egentligen att det är rätt tillfälle att vifta med svenska flaggan?

Kateřina Konečná (The Left). – Pane předsedající, vážení kolegové, v České republice dlouhodobě chybí na trhu základní léky. Bohužel nejde tak o následek zvýšeného výskytu respiračních onemocnění jako spíš o systémový problém. U nás chybí hlavně penicilin a další antibiotika a léky pro děti jako sirupy proti kašli apod. Výpadek je nejhorší za 30 let a může trvat několik dalších měsíců.

Kateřina Konečná (The Left).

Systémových příčin je mnoho: nefunkční patentové právo, výroba léků a extrakce nezbytných látek k jejich výrobě za hranicemi EU, paralelní reexport léků mezi členskými státy s odlišnými cenovými hladinami, neexistence centrálních registrů o dostupnosti léků přímo v jednotlivých lékárnách či nedostatečná harmonizace práva v oblasti zdravotnictví.

Situaci ani nepřispívá to, že v Česku máme ministra, který je neschopný a odvolává se na řešení na úrovni Evropské unie. Bohužel veškeré změny, které v Evropské unii nebo na národní úrovni děláme, jsou kosmetické. Léčí symptomy nemoci, ale nikoliv její příčiny. Z mého pohledu je nutné celý tento systém rozbít a vystavět znovu. Přinejmenším je nutné zrušit současné patentové právo a zajistit, aby léky nepodléhaly volnému pohybu zboží. Ráda k tomu v debatě zítra řeknu více.

Tatjana Ždanoka (NI). – Mr President, it seems that the right to freedom of expression and prohibition of discrimination on grounds of political opinion is not more protected in the EU. My country, Latvia, is often formally praised for including citizens' initiatives in the legislative process. But what if initiators are proposing to deprive a large number of citizens of the rights guaranteed in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights?

Tatjana Ždanoka (NI).

The Latvian Parliament begins a new legislative year by moving forward an initiative to deprive so-called Kremlin-minded people of the right to stand for elections, to take posts in the state and self-government institutions. In addition to political prisoners, whose number is constantly growing in Latvia, almost all of them are journalists. The politically disqualified will appear in the country. How shall the people whom the petitioners call harmful or not loyal to the State be appointed? Most likely, as happened in Latvia in the times of deportations, on the basis of denunciation. Shall we allow those times to return?

Peter Pollák (PPE). – Vážený pán predsedajúci. Ataky extrémistov sa na Slovensku stupňujú. Tentokrát sú objektom ich útokov Rómovia v meste Michalovce, ktoré sú už niekoľko týždňov terorizované fašistickými politikmi, ktorí využili brutálny trestný čin jednotlivca, človeka žijúceho v rómskej komunite, na to, aby uplatnením kolektívnej viny terorizovali všetkých Rómov na Slovensku. Došlo to tak ďaleko, že fašisti chcú zriaďovať domobrany ako nástroj na fyzické zakročenie voči chudobným ľuďom žijúcim v rómskych komunitách.

Peter Pollák (PPE).

Je absurdné, čo všetko naše demokratické systémy dokážu prehliadať. Prehliadame rasistické útoky na sociálnych sieťach, prehliadame fašistické vyhrážky, ponižovanie, uplatňovanie kolektívnej viny. Mnohí z týchto politikov, ktorí sa dnes na Slovensku Rómom vyhrážajú, beztrestne obdivujú Hitlera, popierajú holokaust, a my sme stále ticho. Dokedy chcete byť ticho, vážení kolegovia? Dokedy budú fašistickí politici na slobode, či dokonca v demokratických inštitúciách, ako je tento parlament?

Łukasz Kohut (S&D). – Panie Przewodniczący! Styczeń 45 roku – trwa sowiecka ofensywa, która finalnie doprowadzi do wyzwolenia od nazizmu. Jednocześnie trwa zniewolenie i trwają mordy na Śląsku, dokonywane przez rosyjskich żołnierzy i nową polską władzę. Jeden totalitaryzm został zastąpiony drugim. Pierwszymi ofiarami Tragedii Górnośląskiej były kobiety. Ślązaczki.

Łukasz Kohut (S&D).

27 stycznia Armia Czerwona wkroczyła do Przyszowic, koło Rybnika. Czerwonoarmiści zapędzili w jedno miejsce wszystkie kobiety - dziewczynki, nastolatki, matki i babki. Wszystkie wielokrotnie i brutalnie zgwałcono. Wszystkie. Zamordowano próbujących je bronić synów, mężów, ojców i dziadków. Zamordowano nawet broniących kobiet uciekinierów z Auschwitz, obywateli Włoch i Węgier. W Miechowicach, obecnie dzielnicy Bytomia, gehenna trwała trzy pełne dni. Gwałty na oczach dzieci, mężów czy rodziców ofiar.

Musimy przypominać. Nie możemy pozwolić zapomnieć. Nie po to, aby rozdrapywać stare rany. Ale musimy pamiętać przez szacunek dla ofiar. Cześć pamięci ofiar Tragedii Górnośląskiej!

Patricia Chagnon (ID). – Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, certains artisans boulangers du Crotoy et d'Abbeville que j'ai rencontrés la semaine dernière ont vu leur facture d'électricité multipliée par cinq, et 80 % d'entre eux redoutent la faillite.

Patricia Chagnon (ID).

La France, pendant très longtemps, a pu garantir une énergie propre et peu chère à sa population et à ses entreprises. Mais, sous l'impulsion de la Commission européenne, au lieu de renforcer son savoir-faire nucléaire, elle s'est fait entraîner dans des programmes de transition énergétique, notamment éolien, négligeant la recherche et le développement dans son propre domaine d'excellence et en sacrifiant sa souveraineté énergétique. Le coup de grâce est porté aujourd'hui par le marché européen de l'énergie, qui couple le prix de l'électricité au prix du gaz. Avec l'augmentation du prix du gaz, on assiste alors, de façon totalement artificielle, à une flambée inédite du prix de l'électricité en France.

Nous, élus du Rassemblement national, réclamons sans attendre la révision des règles et une baisse généralisée de la TVA sur les matières essentielles. La France ne serait plus la France sans la baguette, et aux côtés de Marine Le Pen et de Jordan Bardella tous les élus de notre mouvement témoignent leur soutien infaillible aux boulangers artisans de France pour assurer la pérennité de leur métier, véritable icône de la France. Notre soutien à vous, mes chers amis boulangers artisans (le Président retire la parole à l'oratrice)

(le Président retire la parole à l'oratrice)

Michiel Hoogeveen (ECR). – Mr President, social media enriches our lives in many ways. People are more connected than ever. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Algorithms that make us see funny cats, shallow celebrities, pie-eating contests, mediocre influencers and fake news. While at the same time Chinese children see educational videos, science experiments and successful patriots. Colleagues we need to talk about TikTok owned by a Chinese company. The Chinese version is very different than the one in the West. We should be highly concerned about the addictive algorithms of TikTok. They are profiling our children, risking to undermine our society in the long run. It almost looks like psychological warfare.

Michiel Hoogeveen (ECR).

It's time we take a critical look at our social media landscape with national security in the back of our minds. Because who needs the Chinese People's Liberation Army when we are destroying ourselves from within?

Sandra Pereira (The Left). – Senhor Presidente, a atualidade é marcada pela acelerada degradação das condições de vida, com o aumento dos preços e a perda real de poder de compra.

Sandra Pereira (The Left).

O problema da habitação é ainda mais central neste contexto, devido à especulação no arrendamento e compra, agravada pelos sucessivos e significativos aumentos das taxas de juro impostos pelo BCE, com incomportáveis aumentos das prestações de crédito à habitação.

A decisão do aumento das taxas de juro coloca milhares de famílias numa situação em que podem não conseguir suportar o pagamento das prestações do crédito bancário, ficando ameaçadas de perder a sua casa.

São, pois, necessárias medidas urgentes que, cortando na ganância do lucro da banca, deem às famílias segurança quanto à possibilidade de manterem a sua habitação. Desde logo, com a regulação do mercado da habitação, a fixação de spreads máximos e a possibilidade de renegociação dos créditos, bem como o necessário investimento público em habitação, com vista a combater a especulação e os aproveitamentos e a alargar a oferta pública de habitação, que é um direito constitucionalmente consagrado em Portugal.

spreads

Eugen Tomac (PPE). – Domnule președinte, sărbătorim 30 de ani de piață unică.

Eugen Tomac (PPE).

Ce definește însă piața unică ? Sunt cele patru libertăți fundamentale ale Uniunii Europene: libertatea de circulație, libertatea bunurilor, libertatea de circulație a capitalului și a serviciilor.

Însă, observăm cum două dintre aceste drepturi fundamentale românilor le sunt îngrădite, pentru că, deși din iunie 2010 Comisia Europeană cere Consiliului ca România să fie acceptată în spațiul Schengen, prin jocuri politice extrem de străine spiritului european, douăzeci de milioane de cetățeni români sunt ținuți departe de libera circulație a Uniunii Europene.

Este inacceptabil ca un cancelar precum Neihammer, un antieuropean, să șantajeze o țară de 20 de milioane de cetățeni români.

Am aici un document publicat pe 19 decembrie, în ultima zi a Consiliului Uniunii Europene, prin care Austriei i se cere să respecte spațiul Schengen. Or, aici deja discutăm despre alte lucruri care nu mai au nimic în comun cu spiritul european și cer președinției suedeze să pună pe ordinea de zi extinderea spațiului Schengen.

Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, domnule comisar, este aproape un an de zile de când războiul între Ucraina și Rusia a dus la pierderea de vieți omenești. Și pier acolo nu numai ucraineni și minorități.

Maria Grapini (S&D).

Țara mea a ajutat, a primit milioane de ucraineni și a ajutat Ucraina. Care este răsplata ? Președintele Zelenskyy promulgă o lege, deși a fost atenționat, și eu am făcut aceste demersuri, să nu promulge legea prin care se interzice minorităților, românilor, peste 400 000, să vorbească și să învețe în limba română.

Ieri, România a sărbătorit Ziua Culturii și ziua celui mai mare poet, Mihai Eminescu, poet cunoscut internațional, născut la Cernăuți, care acum este pământ ucrainean, cândva românesc. Românii de acolo nu au putut să organizeze nimic, nu pot să vorbească. Preoților români li se închid bisericile.

Rog Comisia Europeană să verifice acordul de aderare. Am votat acordul de aderare a Ucrainei. Acolo este un punct prin care se cere respectarea drepturilor minorităților. Nu mai respectă domnul președinte Zelenskyy acest lucru.

Și să nu confundăm războiul cu drepturile minorităților. M-am îmbrăcat în alb în semn de pace, dar lupt pentru românii mei de acolo ca să li se respecte drepturile.

Gunnar Beck (ID). – Herr Präsident! EU-Kommissarin Ylva Johansson verspricht, mehr abgelehnte Asylbewerber abzuschieben. Zurzeit seien es nur 23 Prozent. Tatsächlich sind es weniger als die Hälfte und in Deutschland jährlich ein paar Tausend oder höchstens 1 oder 2 Prozent. Gleichzeitig wollen Kommission und die scheindemokratische Konferenz zur Zukunft Europas den Begriff illegale Migration abschaffen.

Gunnar Beck (ID).

Laut den Studien von Jan van de Beek und der dänischen sozialdemokratischen Regierung kostet jeder afrikanische oder muslimische Migrant einen modernen Sozialstaat fast 700 000 Euro lebenslang.

Würde jeder abgelehnte Asylant auch abgeschoben, verblieben noch 1,5 Mal so viele Migranten, weil sie Asyl bekommen trotz illegaler Einreise und genauso teuer sind. Wir können nicht Dutzende Millionen Migranten aufnehmen, ohne dass der Sozialstaat kollabiert. Immanuel Kant sagte: Was wir sollen, müssen wir können. Nur Merkel meinte: Wir schaffen das, weil wir es sollen.

Cristian Terheș (ECR). – Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, considering the severe increase in adverse effects after the COVID-19 vaccines, including many debts, I urge the European Parliament and the European Commission to create a big pharma victim reparation fund. Similar funds were created for those who suffer from pollution of different companies under the principle that polluters pay.

Cristian Terheș (ECR).

On 28 April 2021, in this plenary Commissioner Didier Reynders said when he referred to the digital green certificate, and I quote, ‘we do not yet have full scientific evidence about the effects of the vaccines, but we cannot wait for all these questions to be answered to start taking action’.

We see now the adverse effects of these vaccines, which without any doubt are creating many problems for many people, incapacitated many of them, and nevertheless killing some of them. I urge you, therefore, to support the creation of such a fund so the innocent people who were vaccinated can be compensated.

João Pimenta Lopes (The Left). – Senhor Presidente, por estes dias realiza-se, no campo de refugiados sarauís de Dakhla, o 16.o Congresso da Frente Polisário, legítimo representante do povo sarauí.

João Pimenta Lopes (The Left).

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Há cinquenta anos que este povo trava uma luta heroica contra a ocupação ilegal do seu território pelo Reino de Marrocos, que impõe no Sara Ocidental a última colonização em África, através de violenta repressão e do encarceramento de ativistas que lutam pelo fim da ilegal ocupação da sua pátria.

É preciso pôr fim a esta ocupação, fazendo cumprir o direito internacional, os princípios da Carta das Nações Unidas, as relevantes resoluções da ONU e os acordos firmados.

É preciso pôr fim à conivência daqueles que, como a União Europeia e os Estados Unidos, pactuam com o desrespeito dos direitos nacionais do povo sarauí e a ilegal exploração das suas riquezas por parte das autoridades marroquinas.

Daqui expressamos toda a solidariedade com o povo sarauí e a sua causa, pelo direito à autodeterminação, libertação dos territórios ocupados e garantir um Sara Ocidental livre, independente e soberano. Certos que, mais cedo que tarde, o povo sarauí vencerá.

Dino Giarrusso (NI). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, oggi in Italia è stato arrestato Matteo Messina Denaro, boss della mafia, considerato uno dei latitanti più pericolosi al mondo.

Dino Giarrusso (NI).

È un'ottima notizia, una vittoria dei cittadini onesti, della magistratura e delle forze dell'ordine contro il maledetto cancro chiamato mafia e contro tutte quelle forze politiche e imprenditoriali che con la mafia hanno avuto a che fare, tanto da vedere alcuni loro importanti esponenti condannati per mafia.

Eppure, in un giorno così importante, dobbiamo chiederci come sia possibile per un boss restare latitante per trent'anni dopo aver oppresso milioni di siciliani. Trent'anni impunito. E come sia possibile che fosse libero in una clinica del centro di Palermo come un qualunque cittadino. Come è possibile, chi ha coperto questo feroce criminale fino a stamattina? E perché? E perché, anche dopo questo arresto per cui sono state fondamentali le intercettazioni, come del resto per scoprire il Quatargate, in Italia c'è chi vorrebbe limitarle, perché?

Cari colleghi, è ora di accelerare con la Procura antimafia europea e di lavorare insieme per sconfiggere la cultura mafiosa, la cultura della sopraffazione, della corruzione, dell'omertà e dei legami politici opachi. Gli italiani onesti stanno facendo la loro parte, la faccia anche l'Europa, la faccia questo palazzo, la si faccia anche tutti noi.

Michaela Šojdrová (PPE). – Pane předsedající, chtěla bych tady otevřít otázku, která je velkým problémem vnitřního trhu. Je to šíření nemocí hospodářských zvířat a podmínky jejich chovu.

Michaela Šojdrová (PPE).

V České republice bylo minulý týden potvrzeno již šesté ohnisko ptačí chřipky v letošním roce. Incidence ptačí chřipky je největší v její historii v celé Evropské unii. Kvůli tomuto ohnisku v jednom z velkochovů nosnic v České republice bylo nutné utratit 750 tisíc nosnic. Tyto slepice každý den snášely až 600 000 vajec – 18,5 milionu vajec měsíčně. To už není velkochov, ale to je prostě výroba.

Na tomto příkladu se ukazuje, jak rizikové jsou masové chovy zvířat. Ve velkochovech se samozřejmě chřipka okamžitě rozšíří. Tyto slepice mají nižší imunitu, vyšší rezistenci proti antibiotikům. Nemusím připomínat, že nepřijatelné jsou životní podmínky v klecových chovech nosnic, kde by se údajně mělo více bránit šíření nemocí, ale právě tady byly tyto slepice vybíjeny. Proto se díváme na Evropskou komisi, která by měla předložit novou celoevropskou legislativu na zákaz klecových chovů.

Vlad-Marius Botoș (Renew). – Domnule președinte, energia electrică este unul dintre produsele esențiale care nu poate lipsi din viața noastră la ora actuală, fie că vorbim de viața privată sau cea profesională. Prețul acestei energii se resimte în toate produsele și serviciile de care avem nevoie.

Vlad-Marius Botoș (Renew).

Actuala criză provocată de Rusia a dus la creșteri mult prea mari ale prețului la energie, iar oamenii care muncesc din greu au ajuns să nu-și mai poată permite o viață decentă.

Însă, trebuie să recunoaștem că piața energetică, așa cum este ea reglementată în acest moment, permite o marjă foarte mare de speculație.

Creșterea nu se datorează în totalitate crizei de gaz sau războiului declanșat de Rusia în Ucraina, iar noi nu ar trebui să acceptăm speculațiile care creează atât de multe probleme în societate.

Reglementarea pieței trebuie revizuită, iar măsurile menite să mențină prețul energiei la un nivel accesibil pentru toți cetățenii trebuie să fie obligatorii pentru toate statele Uniunii Europene. Pentru că noi suntem aici, dragi colegi, pentru a proteja toți cetățenii europeni, indiferent de țara, de regiunea în care trăiesc.

Clare Daly (The Left). – Mr President, last week, Ireland lost a true revolutionary and one of her best poets, Kevin Higgins. We lost our friend and his last poem was called I Always Thought I'd Live, and I'd like to read a piece from that: ‘I always thought I'd live to tidy the books off the study floor and see fascists give up stabbing black boys at bus stops because peaceful protests have eloquently made them see the error of their ways. But the books that made me still decorate the study floor and I don't have the oxygen to shift them. My consultants are unanimous. My days marching to places like Welling and Trafalgar Square are over. The risk of getting tossed into the back of a police van by overenthusiastic members of the constabulary is a luxury my lungs can no longer afford. Even holding a placard in my wheelchair would soon have me gasping for breath. And I thought I'd always live.’ Kevin's funeral was yesterday. He will always live in his words.

Clare Daly (The Left).

I Always Thought I'd Live,

Slán abhaile, a chairde.

Stanislav Polčák (PPE). – Mr President, dear colleagues, last Tuesday, former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who is notorious for his populist agenda, visited French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The meeting took place just three days before the first round of Czech presidential elections, in which Mr Babiš, currently leader of one of the opposition parties, is taking part. I must very strictly denounce this rendezvous under this circumstance.

Stanislav Polčák (PPE).

Although the Élysée Palace was trying to persuade the world that the meeting in question wasn't meant to support Mr Babiš in his electoral effort, it actually helped him a lot. In my opinion, the heads of EU Member States and also high representatives of EU must show restraint when it comes to elections in the EU countries. Intrusions like the one perpetrated by the French President is simply unacceptable. Please mind your own business, President Macron, and let the Czech voters decide.

Mick Wallace (The Left). – Mr President, many years ago the great American singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie said, ‘if we fix it so you can't make money on a war, we'll all forget what we're killing folks for’. War is a money racket. Lobbyists for the military industrial complex are wearing out the carpets in Brussels promoting war, promoting debt. The war in Ukraine is not a war for democracy. It's just one more imperialist war with the less privileged dying in their thousands and thousands.

Mick Wallace (The Left).

Why are our politicians promoting war? War is ugly. War is stupid. Whatever happened to our desire for peace? Where do we think this is going? There was a time when we had a different approach. There was a time when we weren't so subservient to the military industrial complex or to US imperialism. What's gone damn wrong with us? You keep talking about being worried about the European Union. Well, listen, if you are so worried about start working for peace and stop promoting war.

Sēdes vadītājs. – Līdz ar to šā darba kārtības punkta izskatīšana ir pabeigta.

Sēdes vadītājs. –

19.   Agenda of the next sitting

Sēdes vadītājs. – Nākamā sēde sāksies rītdien, proti, otrdien, 2023. gada 17. janvārī, plkst. 9.00.

Sēdes vadītājs. –

Darba kārtība ir publicēta, un tā ir pieejama Eiropas Parlamenta tīmekļa vietnē.

20.   Approval of the minutes of the sitting

Sēdes vadītājs. – Šīs sēdes protokols būs iesniegts Parlamentam apstiprināšanai rītdien, pēcpusdienas sākumā.

Sēdes vadītājs. –

21.   Closure of the sitting

Sēdes vadītājs. –
  (Sēde tika slēgta plkst. 22.05.)

Sēdes vadītājs. –

(Sēde tika slēgta plkst. 22.05.)

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