Debate: State of the Union
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Ursula von der Leyen
Language: EN

And this has also been a time of soul-searching. People are re-evaluating their own lives. We are having wider debates on shared vaccines and shared values. But as I look back on this past year, and if I look at the state of the Union today, I see a strong soul in everything that we do. It was Robert Schuman who said: ‘Europe needs a soul, an ideal and the political will to serve this ideal’. And Europe has brought those words to life in the last twelve months. In the biggest global health crisis for a century, we chose to go it together so that every part of Europe had access to the life—saving vaccines. In the deepest global economic crisis for decades, we chose to go it together with Next Generation EU. And in the gravest planetary crisis of all time, again we chose to go it together with the European Green Deal. We did it together as a Commission, and I thank from the bottom of my heart my outstanding College of Commissioners for the enormous support during that time. We did it together as a Parliament, with 27 Member States, as one Europe, and I think we can be proud of it. But corona times are not over. There is still much grief in our society as the pandemic lingers. There are hearts we can never mend, life stories we can never finish and time we can never give back to our young. We face new and enduring challenges in a world recovering and fracturing unevenly. So there is no question, the next year will be another test of character. But I believe that it is when you are tested that your spirit, your soul, truly shines through. And as I look across our Union, I know that Europe will pass the test. And what gives me that confidence is the inspiration we can draw from Europe’s young people. Because our youth put meaning into empathy and solidarity. They believe we have a responsibility towards the planet. And while they are anxious about the future, they are determined to make it better. Our Union will be stronger if it is more like our next generation: reflective, determined and caring. Grounded in values and bold in action. And this spirit will be more important than ever over the next twelve months. This is the message in the letter of intent I sent this morning to President Sassoli and Prime Minister Janša to outline our priorities for the year ahead. Honourable Members, a year is long in the time of pandemics. When I stood here in front of you 12 months ago, I did not know when, or even if, we could have a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19. But today, against all critics, Europe is among the world leaders. More than 70% of our adult population is fully vaccinated. We were the only ones to share half of our vaccine production with the rest of the world. We delivered more than 700 million doses of vaccines to the Europeans. Indeed, we delivered also more than another 700 million to the rest of the world, to more than 130 countries. And we are the only region in the world to achieve that. Honourable Members, a pandemic is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. We followed the science. We delivered to Europe. We delivered to the rest of the world. We did it the right way, because we did it the European way. And I think it worked. But while we have every reason to be confident, we have no reason to be complacent. Our first and most urgent priority is to speed up global vaccination. With less than 1% of global doses administered in low-income countries, the scale of injustice and the level of urgency is obvious. This is one of the great geopolitical issues in our time. Team Europe is investing EUR 1 billion to ramp up mRNA production capacity with Africa. We have already committed to share 250 million doses of vaccine. I can announce today that the Commission will add a new donation of another 200 million doses until the middle of next year. This is an investment in solidarity and it is an investment also in global health. The second priority is to continue our efforts here in Europe. We see worrisome divergences between Member States where vaccination rates are concerned. So we need to keep up the momentum. And Europe is ready. We have 1.8 billion additional doses secured. This is enough for us and our neighbourhood when booster shots are needed. So let’s do everything possible that this does not turn into a pandemic of the unvaccinated. And my third point, the final priority, is to strengthen our pandemic preparedness. Last year, I said it was time to build a European health union. Today we are delivering. With our proposal we get the HERA authority up and running. This will be a huge asset to deal with future health threats earlier and better. We have the innovation and scientific capacity. We have the private sector knowledge. We have competent national authorities. And now we have to bring all of that together, including massive funding. So I am proposing a new health preparedness and resilience mission for the whole of the European Union, and it should be backed up by Team Europe investment of EUR 50 billion by 2027, to make sure that no virus will ever turn a local epidemic in a global pandemic. There is no better return on investment than that. Honourable Members, the work on the European Health Union is a big step forward. And I want to thank this House for your support. We have shown that when we act together, we are can act fast. Take the EU digital certificate. Today, more than 400 million certificates have been generated across Europe. Forty-two countries in four different continents are plugged in. We proposed it in March. You pushed hard, you helped enormously. Three months later – three months later only – it was up and running. So while the rest of the world was talking about it, Europe just did it. And we did a lot of things right. We moved fast to create SURE. This supported over 31 million workers and 2.5 million companies across Europe. We learned the lessons from the past when we were too divided and too delayed. And the difference is stark. Last time it took us eight years for the eurozone GDP to get back to pre-crisis levels. This time we expect 19 countries to be at pre-pandemic levels this year, with the rest following next. Growth in the euro area outpaced both the US and China in the last quarter. But this is only the beginning. And the lessons from the financial crisis could serve as a cautionary tale. At that time, Europe declared victory too soon and we paid the price for that. And we will not repeat that mistake. The good news is that with Next Generation EU we will both invest in short—term recovery and in the long-term prosperity. We will address structural issues in our economy, from labour market reforms in Spain to pension reforms in Slovenia, or to tax reform in Austria for example. In an unprecedented manner, we will invest in 5G and fibre. But equally important is the investment in digital skills. This is such an important topic. This task needs leaders’ attention and it needs a structured dialogue at top level. We really have to emphasise that and put a strong focus on it. Our response provides a clear direction to market and investors alike. But, as we look ahead, we also need to reflect on how the crisis has affected the shape of our economy, from increased debts, to uneven impact on different sectors, or new ways of working. And to do that, the Commission will relaunch the discussion on the Economic Governance Review in the coming weeks. The aim is to build a consensus on the way forward well ahead of 2023. Honourable Members, we will soon celebrate 30 years of the single market. For 30 years it has been the great enabler of progress and prosperity in Europe. At the outset of the pandemic, we had to defend it against the pressures of erosion and fragmentation. For our recovery, the single market is the driver of good jobs and competitiveness, and that is particularly important in the digital single market. We have made ambitious proposals in the last year. For example to contain the gatekeeper power of the major platforms; to underpin the democratic responsibilities of those platforms; to foster innovation; to channel the power of artificial intelligence. Digital is the make-or-break issue and Member States also share that view. For example if you look at the digital spending in Next Generation EU – and you know we have a 20% target – we will even overshoot that 20% target. That is good. That reflects the importance of investing in our European tech sovereignty. But allow me to focus on semi-conductors for a moment. These tiny chips that make everything work, from smartphones to electric scooters, from trains or entire smart factories. There is no digital without those chips. And while we speak, whole production lines are already working at reduced speed – despite growing demand – because of a shortage of semiconductors. And while global demand has exploded, Europe’s share across the entire value chain, from the design or manufacturing capacities, has shrunk. We depend right now on state-of-the-art chips manufactured by Asia. So this is not just a matter of our competitiveness. This is also a matter of tech sovereignty. So let’s put all of our forces in it to improve the situation. We will present a new European Chips Act. We need to link together our world-class research, design and testing capacities. We need to coordinate the European level and national investment along the value chain. And the aim is to jointly create a state-of-the-art European chip ecosystem, including production. That ensures our security of supply and will develop new markets for ground-breaking European tech. And yes, I know this is a daunting task, without any question. It is a big, big goal that I put out there. And I know that there are some now that claim it cannot be done. But they have said the same 20 years ago about Galileo, and now look where we are. We got our act together. Today Europe satellite provide the navigation system for more than 2 billion smartphones worldwide. So we did it once. We are world leaders in Galileo now. Let’s be bold again and let’s focus all our forces on the semi—conductors, and let’s go and be a world leader again. This should be our aim. Mesdames et Messieurs les députés, la pandémie a laissé de profondes cicatrices, impactant énormément notre économie sociale de marché. Soir après soir, nous étions tous là, à nos fenêtres, devant nos portes, pour applaudir les travailleurs de première ligne. Nous avons tous senti combien nous dépendions de ces travailleurs, de celles et ceux qui se dévouent pour un salaire inférieur, moins de protections, moins de sécurité. Les applaudissements se sont peut-être estompés, mais la force de nos émotions doit perdurer. Et c’est pourquoi la mise en œuvre du socle européen des droits sociaux est si importante. Il s’agit d’emplois décents, de conditions de travail justes, de soins de santé meilleurs et d’un bon équilibre de vie. Si la pandémie nous a appris une chose, c’est bien la valeur du temps et qu’il n’y a point de temps aussi précieux que le temps consacré à nos proches. C’est ainsi que nous proposerons une nouvelle stratégie européenne de soins afin que chaque homme et chaque femme puisse bénéficier des meilleurs soins possibles et trouver le meilleur équilibre de vie. Mais, Mesdames et Messieurs, l’équité sociale n’est pas seulement une question de temps; c’est également une question d’équité fiscale.  Dans notre économie sociale de marché, il est bon que les entreprises réalisent des profits. Mais si elles réalisent des profits, c’est bien grâce à la qualité de nos infrastructures, de notre sécurité sociale, de nos systèmes éducatifs. Alors, c’est la moindre des choses qu’elles paient leur juste contribution. Et c’est pourquoi nous continuerons à lutter contre l’évasion et la fraude fiscale. Nous proposerons un projet de loi ciblant les profits dissimulés derrière des sociétés-écrans et nous mettrons tout en œuvre pour sceller l’accord mondial historique sur le taux minimal d’impôt sur les sociétés. Payer un juste montant d’impôt n’est pas seulement une question de finances publiques, mais surtout une simple question d’équité. Mesdames et Messieurs les députés, nous avons tous profité des fondements de notre économie européenne, sociale, de marché et nous devons faire en sorte que la prochaine génération puisse construire son avenir. Nous sommes en présence d’une jeune génération hautement éduquée, extrêmement talentueuse et fortement motivée, d’une génération qui a tellement sacrifié pour préserver la sécurité des autres. La jeunesse, c’est normalement le moment de la découverte, là où on fait de nouvelles expériences, où on trouve les amis de toute une vie, où on découvre son propre chemin. Mais qu’est-ce qu’on a demandé aux jeunes aujourd’hui? De garder les distances sociales, de rester confinés et de faire l’école à la maison, pendant plus d’un an. C’est ainsi que tout ce que nous faisons, du pacte vert à Next Generation EU, vise à protéger leur avenir. C’est aussi pourquoi Next Generation EU doit être financée par de nouvelles ressources propres, sur lesquelles nous travaillons. Mais nous devons également veiller à ne pas créer de nouvelles failles parce que l’Europe a besoin de toute sa jeunesse. Nous devons encourager ceux qui tombent entre les mailles du filet. Ceux qui n’ont pas d’emploi. Ceux qui ne suivent ni enseignement ni formation. Pour eux, nous allons offrir un nouveau programme: Alma. Alma offrira à ces jeunes la possibilité d’une expérience professionnelle temporaire dans un autre État membre, parce qu’ils méritent eux aussi de vivre une expérience comme Erasmus pour acquérir des compétences, pour créer des liens et se forger leur propre identité européenne. Mais si nous voulons façonner notre Union à leur image, les jeunes doivent pouvoir façonner l’avenir de l’Europe. Une union doit avoir une âme et une vision qui leur parle, comme Jacques Delors le demandait. Et, je cite, «Comment fera-t-on l’Europe si les jeunes ne voient pas en elle un projet collectif et une représentation de leur propre avenir?». C’est pourquoi nous proposerons de faire de 2022 l’année de la jeunesse européenne. Faisons une année consacrée à valoriser les jeunes qui ont tant consacré aux autres. Et les jeunes doivent mener les débats de la conférence sur l’avenir de l’Europe; c’est leur avenir et ça doit être leur conférence. Et comme nous l’avons dit au début du mandat, la Commission sera disposée à donner suite aux points qui seront décidés par la Conférence. This is a generation with a conscience. They are pushing us to go further and faster to tackle the climate crisis. And the events of the summer only served to explain why. We saw floods in Belgium and Germany. And wildfires burning from the Greek islands to the hills in France. And if we don’t believe our own eyes, we only have to follow the science. The United Nations recently published an IPCC report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It is the authority on the science As I heard it said: it’s warming. It’s us. We’re sure. It’s bad, but we can fix it. And change is already happening. More electric vehicles than diesel cars were registered in Germany in the first half of this year. Poland is now the EU’s largest exporter of batteries and electric buses. Or take the New European Bauhaus So clearly something is on the move. And this is what the European Green Deal is all about. In my speech last year, I announced our target of at least 55% emissions reduction by 2030. Since then we have together turned our climate goals into legal obligations. And we are the first major economy to present comprehensive legislation in order to get it done. You have seen the complexity of the detail. But the goal is simple. We will put a price on pollution. We will clean the energy we use. We will have smarter cars and cleaner airplanes. And we will make sure that higher climate ambition comes with more social ambition, because this must be a fair green transition. This is why we proposed a new social climate fund So I count on both Parliament and Member States to keep the package and to keep the ambition together. When it comes to climate change and the nature crisis, Europe can do a lot. And it will support others. I am proud to announce today that the European Union will double its external funding for biodiversity, in particular for the most vulnerable countries. But Europe cannot do it alone. The COP26 in Glasgow will be a moment of truth for the global community. Major economies, from the US to Japan, have set ambitions for climate neutrality in 2050 or shortly after. That’s good. But they need now to be backed up by concrete plans in time for Glasgow. Because current commitments for 2030 will not keep global warming at 1.5°C within reach.  Every country has a responsibility. The goals that President Xi has set out for China are encouraging. But we call for that same leadership on setting out how China will get there. The world would be relieved if they showed they could peak emissions by mid-decade and move away from coal at home and abroad. But while every country has a responsibility, major economies like us do have a special duty to the least In Mexico and in Paris, the major economies committed to provide USD 100 billion a year until 2025 to the least developed and most vulnerable countries. We deliver on our commitments. Team Europe contributes USD 25 billion a year. My message today is that Europe is ready to do more. We will now propose an additional EUR 4 billion for climate finance until 2027. This climate and economic leadership is central to Europe’s global and security objectives. It also reflects a wider shift in world affairs at a time of transition towards a new international order. We are entering a new era of hyper-competitiveness. An era in which some stop at nothing to gain influence, from vaccine promises to high interest loans, from missiles to misinformation. An era of regional rivalries and major powers refocusing their attention towards each other. Recent events in Afghanistan are not the cause of this change, but they are a symptom of it. And first and foremost, I want to be clear. We stand by the Afghan people.  We stand by the Afghan people, the women and children, prosecutors, journalists and human rights defenders. I think in particular of women judges who are now in hiding from the men they jailed. They have been put at risk for their contribution to justice and the rule of law. We must support them and we will coordinate all efforts with Member States to bring them to safety. And we must continue supporting all Afghans in the country and in neighbouring countries. We must do everything to avert the real risk that is out there of a major famine and a humanitarian disaster. And we will do our part. We will increase again humanitarian aid for Afghanistan by EUR 100 million. This will be part of a new, wider Afghan support package Witnessing events unfold in Afghanistan was profoundly painful for the families and friends of fallen servicemen and servicewomen. We bow to the sacrifice of those soldiers, diplomats and aid workers who laid down their lives for our common cause.  To make sure that their service will never be in vain, we have to reflect on how this mission could end so abruptly. There are deeply troubling questions that allies will have to tackle within NATO. But there is simply no security and defence issue where less But this is only one part of the equation. Europe can, and clearly should, be able and willing to do more on its own. But if we are to do more, we first need to explain why. I see three broad categories. First, we need to provide stability in our neighbourhood and across different regions. We are connected to the world by narrow straits, stormy seas and vast land borders. And because of that geography, Europe knows better than anyone else that if you don’t deal in time with a crisis abroad, the crisis will come to you. Secondly, the nature of the threats we face is evolving rapidly, from hybrid to cyberattacks to the growing arms race in space. We see that disruptive technology has been the great equaliser in the way power can be used today by rogue states and non-state groups. You no longer need an army or missile to cause mass damage. You can paralyse industrial plants, city administrations and hospitals, all you need is your laptop. You can disrupt entire elections with a smartphone and an internet connection. And the third reason is that our European Union is a unique security provider. There will be missions where NATO or the United Nations will not be present, but where Europe should be. On the ground, our soldiers work side-by-side with police officers, lawyers and doctors, with humanitarian workers and human rights defenders, with teachers and engineers. We can combine military and civilian, alongside with diplomatic and development, and we have a long history in building and protecting peace. The good news is that over the past years, we have started to develop a kind of European defence ecosystem. But what we need now is the European defence union. In the last weeks, there have been many discussions on expeditionary forces, on what type and how many we need, battlegroups and EU entry forces.  This is no doubt part of the debate and I think it will be part of the solution, but the more fundamental issue is, why this has not worked in the past. You can have the most advanced forces in the world, but if you are never prepared to use them, of what use are they? What has held us back until now is not just a shortfall of capacity, it is the lack of political will. And if we develop this political will, there is a lot that we can do at EU level. Allow me to give you three concrete examples. First, we need to build the foundation for collective decision-making, and this is what I call situational awareness. We fall short if Member States active in the same region do not share their information at the EU level. It is vital that we improve intelligence cooperation. But this is not just about intelligence in the narrow sense. It is about bringing together the knowledge from all services and all sources, from space to police trainers, from open source to development agencies.  The European Union could have a unique scope and depth of knowledge. It is out there. But we can only use that information and make decisions if we have the full picture. And this is currently not the case. We have the knowledge, but it is disjointed. We have the information but it is fragmented. And this is why the European Union could consider its own Joint Situational Awareness Centre to fuse all of these different pieces of information and to be better prepared, to be fully informed and thus to be able to decide. Secondly, we need to improve interoperability. This is why we are already investing in common European platforms, from fighter jets to drones and cyber. You know that. But we have to keep thinking of new ways to use all the possible synergies. One example could be to consider waiving value added tax, the VAT, when buying defence equipment developed and produced in Europe. This would not only increase our interoperability, but it would also decrease our dependencies of today. And the third point is, we cannot talk about defence without talking about cyber. If everything is connected, everything can be hacked. Given that resources are scarce, we have to bundle our forces. And we should not just be satisfied to address the cyber threat, but also strive to become a leader in cyber security.  It should be here in Europe where cyber defence tools are developed. And this is why we need a European cyber defence policy, including legislation on common standards under a new European cyber resilience act. So, we can do a lot at EU level. But Member States need to do more too. And this starts with a common assessment of the threats we face and a common approach to dealing with them. The upcoming Strategic Compass In a more contested world, protecting our interests is not only about defending ourselves. It is also about forging strong and reliable partnerships. This is not a luxury, it is essential for our future stability, security and prosperity. And this work starts by deepening our partnership with our closest allies. With the United States we will develop our new agenda for global change. From the new Tech and Technology Council And of course the same goes for our neighbours in the Western Balkans. Before the end of the month, I will travel to the region to send a strong signal of our commitment to the accession process. We owe it to all those young people who believe in a future, in Europe. And this is why we are ramping up our support through our new investment and economic plan, with around a third of the region’s GDP. Because investment in the future of the Western Balkans is an investment in the future of the European Union. And we will also continue investing in our partnerships in our neighbourhood, from stepping up our engagement in the Eastern Partnership to implementing the new agenda for the Mediterranean and continuing to work on the different aspects of our relationship to Turkey. If Europe is to become a more active global player, it also needs to focus on the next generation of partnerships. In this spirit, today’s new EU-Indo-Pacific strategy is a milestone. It reflects the growing importance of the region to our prosperity and our security. But it also reflects the fact that autocratic regimes use it to try to expand their influence. Europe needs to be more active and to be more present in the region. So we will work together to deepen trade links, strengthen global supply chains and develop new investment projects on green and digital technologies. This is a template for how Europe can redesign its model to connect the world. We are pretty good at financing roads. But it does not make any sense for Europe if we build a perfect road between a Chinese copper mine, that is Chinese-owned, and a harbour that is Chinese-owned. So we have to get smarter when it comes to these kinds of investments. And this is why we will soon present our new connectivity strategy called Global Gateway. We will build Global Gateway partnerships Since the summer, a new underwater fibre optic cable has connected Brazil to Portugal. We will invest with Africa to create a market for green hydrogen that connects the two shores of the Mediterranean. We need a Team Europe approach to make Global Gateway happen. We will connect institutions and investment, banks and business community. And we will make this a priority for regional summits, starting with the next EU-Africa Summit in February. We want to turn Global Gateway into a trusted brand around the world.  And let me be very clear about one more point. Doing business around the world is good. Global trade around the world, that is good and necessary. But this can never, ever be done at the expense of people’s dignity and freedom. Today, there are around 25 million people out there who are threatened or coerced into forced labour. We can never accept that they are forced to make products and that these products then end up for sale here in shops in Europe. So we will propose a ban on products in our market that have been made by forced labour, because human rights are not for sale – at any price.  Human beings are not bargaining chips. Look at what happened at our borders with Belarus. The regime in Minsk has instrumentalised human beings. They have put people on planes and literally pushed them towards Europe’s border. This can never be tolerated. And the quick European reaction shows that. And rest assured, we will continue to stand together with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. And, let’s call it what it is: this is a hybrid attack to destabilise Europe. We’ll never tolerate that. These are not isolated events. We saw similar incidents at other borders. And we can expect to see it again Meanwhile, human traffickers continue to exploit people through deadly routes across the Mediterranean. And these events show us that every country has a stake in building a European migration system. The new pact on migration and asylum We know that we can find common ground. But in the year since the Commission presented the pact, progress has been painfully slow, and I think this is the moment now for a European This ultimately comes down to a question of trust. Trust between Member States. Trust for Europeans that migration can be managed. Trust that Europe will always live up to its enduring duty to the most vulnerable and most in need. I know that there are many strongly held views on migration in Europe but I believe the common ground is not so far away. Because if you ask most Europeans, they would agree that we should act to curb irregular migration but they would also agree that we have to act to provide a refuge for those forced to flee. They would agree that we should return those who have no right to stay. But they would also agree that we should welcome those who come here legally and make such a vital contribution to our society and our economies. And we should all I am convinced that there is a way that Europe can build trust amongst us when it comes to migration. Meine Damen und Herren Abgeordnete! Gesellschaften, die auf Demokratie und gemeinsame Werte bauen, stehen auf einem stabilen Fundament. Sie trauen den Menschen etwas zu. Und so entwickeln sich neue Ideen, so entsteht Veränderung, so überwinden wir Unrecht. Das Vertrauen auf genau diese gemeinsamen Werte, das führte unsere Gründerväter und Gründermütter nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg zusammen.  Und es sind genau die gleichen Werte, die die Freiheitskämpfer einten, die vor nun mehr als 30 Jahren den Eisernen Vorhang niederrissen. Sie wollten Demokratie. Sie wollten ihre Regierung frei wählen. Sie wollten den Rechtsstaat, vor Gericht sollen alle gleich sein. Sie wollten der Bespitzelung und staatlichen Spionage ein Ende setzen und die Korruption bekämpfen. Sie wollten die Freiheit, anders zu sein als die Mehrheit. Oder, wie es der ehemalige tschechische Präsident Václav Havel auch so wunderbar auf den Punkt gebracht hat, sie wollten – und ich zitiere – „alle diese großartigen europäischen Werte“.  Es sind diese Werte, die dem kulturellen, religiösen und humanistischen Erbe Europas entstammen. Sie sind Teil unserer Seele, Teil dessen, was uns heute ausmacht. Und diese Werte sind nun in unseren Europäischen Verträgen verankert. Und wir haben uns alle dazu verpflichtet, sie einzuhalten, als wir als freie und souveräne Staaten Teil dieser Union wurden. Wir sind entschlossen, diese Werte zu verteidigen. Und wir werden in dieser Entschlossenheit niemals nachlassen. Unsere Werte sind durch unsere Rechtsordnung garantiert, und die Urteile des Europäischen Gerichtshofs sichern sie. Und diese Urteile sind bindend. Und wir achten darauf, dass sie eingehalten werden, und zwar in jedem Mitgliedstaat unserer Union. Denn der Schutz der Rechtsstaatlichkeit ist nicht nur ein nobles Ziel, er ist auch harte Arbeit und ein tägliches Ringen um Verbesserung. Unsere Berichte zur Rechtsstaatlichkeit sind durch die Reformen ein Teil dieses Prozesses. Ein positives Beispiel dafür sind jetzt die Justizreformen in Malta oder die Korruptionsuntersuchungen in der Slowakei. Und ab 2022 werden diese Berichte zur Rechtsstaatlichkeit zusätzlich konkrete Empfehlungen an die Mitgliedstaaten enthalten. Trotzdem gibt es in einigen Mitgliedstaaten besorgniserregende Entwicklungen. Und hier ist mir eines wichtig: Am Anfang steht immer der Dialog. Aber der Dialog ist kein Selbstzweck, er muss auch zu einem Ziel führen. Und deshalb verfolgen wir den dualen Ansatz aus Dialog und entschlossenem Handeln. Und genau das haben wir letzte Woche getan, und das werden wir auch weiterhin tun. Denn das Recht auf eine unabhängige Justiz, das Recht, vor dem Gesetz gleich behandelt zu werden, auf diese Rechte müssen sich Menschen verlassen können, und zwar überall in Europa und unabhängig davon, ob sie einer Mehrheit angehören oder einer Minderheit. Das ist die Seele unseres Europas, und die müssen wir verteidigen. Und, meine Damen und Herren Abgeordnete, der europäische Haushalt ist die in Zahlen gegossene Zukunft unserer Union. Und deshalb muss auch er geschützt werden. Wir müssen dafür sorgen, dass jeder Euro und jeder Cent seinem Zweck zugutekommt und nach rechtsstaatlichen Grundsätzen ausgegeben wird. Investitionen, die unseren Kindern in Zukunft zugutekommen werden, dürfen nicht in finsteren Kanälen verschwinden. Korruption – Korruption bedeutet nicht nur den Diebstahl am Steuerzahler. Korruption bedeutet nicht nur, dass Investoren abgeschreckt werden. Korruption führt dazu, dass großes Geld sich große und kleine Gefälligkeiten kaufen kann und dass die Mächtigen demokratische Regeln aushebeln können. Und wenn es um den Schutz unseres Budgets geht, werden wir jeden Fall verfolgen, mit allem, was in unserer Macht steht, und in Kürze damit beginnen. Meine Damen und Herren Abgeordnete, wenn wir unsere Werte verteidigen, dann verteidigen wir auch die Freiheit. Die Freiheit, zu sein, wer man ist, die Freiheit, zu sagen, was einem durch den Kopf geht, die Freiheit, zu lieben, wen man will. Freiheit bedeutet aber auch die Freiheit von Angst. Während der Pandemie wurden zu viele Frauen dieser Freiheit beraubt. Es muss eine besonders schreckliche Zeit für diejenigen gewesen sein, die sich nirgendwo verstecken konnten, die nirgendwo vor ihren Peinigern fliehen konnten. Wir müssen Licht in dieses Dunkel bringen. Wir müssen Wege aus dem Schmerz aufzeigen, ihre Peiniger müssen vor Gericht gestellt werden. Und diese Frauen müssen wieder frei und selbstbestimmt leben können. Wir werden deshalb bis Ende des Jahres ein Gesetz zur Bekämpfung von Gewalt gegen Frauen auf den Weg bringen. Es geht um wirksame Strafverfolgung, um Prävention und Schutz, online wie offline. Es geht um die Würde jeder Einzelnen, und es geht um Gerechtigkeit. Und auch das ist die Seele Europas. Und dafür werden wir kämpfen. Meine Damen und Herren Abgeordnete, lassen Sie uns zum Schluss auf eine Freiheit blicken, die allen anderen Freiheiten eine Stimme gibt – und das ist die Medienfreiheit. Journalistinnen und Journalisten werden angegriffen, einfach nur, weil sie ihre Arbeit machen. Einige werden bedroht und verprügelt, andere tragischerweise ermordet – mitten in unserer Union. Ich möchte hier einige Namen nennen: Daphne Caruana Galizia, Ján Kuciak, Peter de Vries. Ihre Geschichten mögen sich in den Details unterscheiden. Doch eines ist ihnen gemeinsam: Sie haben für unser Recht auf Information gekämpft, und dafür sind sie gestorben. Information ist ein öffentliches Gut. Wir müssen diejenigen schützen, die Transparenz schaffen: die Journalistinnen und Journalisten. Und deshalb haben wir heute eine Empfehlung zum besseren Schutz von Journalistinnen und Journalisten vorgelegt. Und wir müssen denjenigen Einhalt gebieten, die die Medienfreiheit bedrohen. Medienhäuser sind nicht einfach x-beliebige Wirtschaftsunternehmen. Ihre Unabhängigkeit ist essenziell, und deshalb braucht Europa ein Gesetz, das diese Unabhängigkeit sichert. Und genau ein solches Medienfreiheitsgesetz werden wir im nächsten Jahr vorlegen. Denn wenn wir die Freiheit der Medien verteidigen, dann verteidigen wir auch unsere Demokratie. Honourable Members, strengthening Schuman’s European ideal that I invoked earlier is a continuous work. And we should not hide away from our inconsistencies and imperfections. But imperfect as we might be, our Union is both beautifully unique and uniquely beautiful. It is a Union where we strengthen our individual liberty through the strength of our community. A Union shaped as much by our shared history and values as by our different cultures and perspectives. It is a Union with a soul. Trying to find the right words to capture the essence of this feeling is not easy. But it is easier when you borrow them from someone who inspires you. And this is why I have invited a guest of honour to be with us today. Many of you might know her – a gold medallist from Italy who captured my heart this summer. But what you might not know is that only in April she was told her life was in peril. She went through surgery, she fought back, she recovered. And only 119 days after she left the hospital, she won Paralympic gold. Honourable Members, please join me in welcoming Bebe Vio. Bebe has overcome so much, so young. Her story is one of rising against all odds And this was the spirit of European founders and this is the spirit of Europe’s next generation. So let’s be inspired by Bebe and by all the young people who change our perception of the possible. Who show us that you can be what you want to be and that you can achieve Honourable Members, that is the soul of Europe. That is the future Viva l’Europa!