Debate: Conclusions of the European Council meeting of  December
Date: WEDNESDAY, 18 JANUARY 2023
Speaker: Siegfried Mureşan
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: EN

We have also seen the fundamental difference between the European model and the Russian autocratic model. We are a model that puts the citizen at the centre of our action, we act for the citizens; Russia and all autocrats around the world act against the citizens. They use people just for the will of political leadership. While Russia talks about the past, we prepare for the future. We are ready to modernise our countries, to further develop, to provide jobs, to care for the people, also in the future. We know that Russia is losing militarily. We see that Russia is losing economically, politically, and they have already lost morally. This is why the European model is the model that people have to look to. And the Russian model and any autocratic tendencies around the world are worth turning our backs upon them. This year will still be a difficult year for all of us, but we are also seeing the strength and the resilience of Europe. We see that unemployment is low, that people have jobs. We see that production is stable. We see that consumption is stable. And we see that EU Member States are helping the most vulnerable people in the face of this crisis, with fiscal measures, with measures to overcome well this winter, this period. We also see that the European Union has done its part. Just one week before Christmas we have managed to get the European Parliament Council and Commission to successfully conclude the negotiations on REPowerEU. This will help improve our infrastructure, further reduce our dependency on Russia, and it will bring European money to help companies in need and to help people in need. Last year we have managed to reduce our dependency on Russian gas, on Russian energy. We have taken first measures to reduce prices of energy in Europe, and this year, with the measures announced by the President, with the measures that we are going to do together, buying together, storing together, we are going to make sure that prices remain predictable, controllable, no more price—hikes in the future. And this is good for the people in Europe and it is bad for the Russian leadership. Competitiveness will also be important because we can only secure high standards of living, high social standards in Europe if our economy is strong, if there is global demand for our goods. This is why, in the Conference on the Future of Europe, we have together agreed on the competitiveness check to make sure that any legislation that we put forward together in the future does not harm the competitiveness of our economies. The European Parliament, national parliaments, Council, Commission, citizens, businesses support this, so let us work on this deal. Make sure that it sees the light of the day. And yes, simplifying and financing the transition to the green economy will be key. This is what we have started last year. This is what we have to continue this year. Let us do this together. It is all about preparing and acting together to overcome this situation. We have done a lot. I think premises are good to overcome difficulties this year together.