Debate: Council and Commission statements - Preparation of the European Council meeting of  and  March
Date: TUESDAY, 12 MARCH 2024
Speaker: Manfred Weber
Political group: PPE
Country: Austria
Language: EN

Today, I want to focus on the perspective of the citizens of Europe and the biggest demand in this moment of time is security in a broader sense. Europe must take its security into its own hands. As Adam Smith wrote, I quote, security is more important than wealth. There can be no successful economy and social security system in an insecure society. That’s why we have to prioritise now security. For us as EPP, we had our congress last week in Bucharest. This is deeply rooted in our DNA. We were shaping NATO of today in the past and, even today, we are leading the way towards NATO in Sweden and Finland. Our member parties, as EPP, were the first to call for NATO membership. Socialists, I have again to say, opposed over decades for joining the NATO in Sweden and Finland. Today, we welcome both of them inside of the family.  And we think NATO and EU, together now with a commissioner for defence, a single market for defence, our EPP initiatives, EPP has put this also in our manifesto for the next five years and we will deliver. But, after this, we have to do to do further steps, security in a broader sense. Example one: production security. Europe must become more competitive but also use its competitiveness against Putin. We are the third-largest economy in the world, 10 times in size as Russia’s economies. If we work together, no aggressor stands a chance against our production and innovation capabilities. But, are we really using them? The terrorist debate is damaging, but just as damaging is that we are not ramping up our production. We are simply harming ourselves. Every war-relevant product that is not manufactured in the European Union benefits Putin. We must do more so that Ukraine does not run out of weapons and ammunition. Example two: food security. The first thing Putin interrupted in Ukraine was grain production. Food security is not a luxury, but a vital asset. Farmers must be able to produce affordable and safe food at critical times. In the first year of the war, food prices rose by one-fifth. We were able to counteract this not with bureaucracy, but with reducing the burden on farmers. More grain instead of less helps the free world. The next CIP must place a greater emphasis on its own food security for Europe. Agriculture is a strategic economic sector to make Europe more sovereign. Every farmer contributes to making Europe stronger. Example three: energy security. Energy is not just a commodity. It keeps hospitals open and factories running. It is not without reason that European integration was founded on the defence and on energy. They are two sides of the same coin. They provide security. Example four: raw materials security. Innovation and access to necessary raw materials goes hand in hand. There will not be any innovative Europe if we depend on autocratic regimes to produce our innovation. To be secure, Europe must ensure access to the most important raw materials for technologies of the future. We have to stop being dependent on Russian gas, yes, but now we should not become depending on Chinese lithium. Europe’s security is being defended in Ukraine, but we are creating the conditions for this inside of the European Union. Let us think comprehensively about security for tomorrow. We can do it, so let’s do it.