Debate: Presentation of the programme of activities of the Portuguese Presidency
Date: WEDNESDAY, 20 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Ursula von der Leyen
Language: FR

Mesdames et Messieurs les députés, c’est dans les périodes de grand bouleversement que notre tissu social est le plus mis à l’épreuve. Nous le constatons en Europe et dans le reste du monde, les évolutions démographiques, sociétales et technologiques sont allées plus vite que notre capacité à répondre aux attentes des gens. Pour trop de gens, c’est une source de frustration et de division. Mais leurs attentes n’ont pas changé. Their expectations have not changed. They want jobs for a decent living, they want fairness, equality and social protection in times of need. They want to know that if they work hard and do their fair share they will not lose out. These are the unwritten rules and norms that make up our social market economy.  But while expectations have not changed, society and economy have, and our current rules are based on old realities. They do not entirely reflect any more the speed and the scale of transformations we are embarking on. So, as we overcome the pandemic, as we prepare necessary reforms, and as we speed up the twin green and digital transitions, I believe it is time to also adapt the social rule book. A rule book which ensures solidarity between the generations, a rule book that rewards the entrepreneurs who take care of their employees, which focuses on jobs and opens up opportunities, which puts skills, innovation and social protection on an equal footing. The good news is that with Next Generation EU we have all chosen to recover from this crisis together, rather than scrap for ourselves and widen social disparities.  With our SURE programme we have shown our commitment to protect jobs and workers. This has helped provide EUR 90 billion to support employees and employers in 18 Member States of the European Union, but there’s much more to do. This is why we will update our industrial strategy to make sure we can create quality jobs in the post-pandemic world, because the green digital and fair recovery must be a jobs recovery.  In the next month we will address some of the underlying societal trends. In March, indeed, we will bring forward our action plan on the European pillar of social rights, and I’m looking forward to the social summit in Porto in May where we can send a united message, along with social partners, with trade unions, with employer unions and the EU institutions. I want to thank you, António, for your leadership on this.  Honourable Members, as we all know, any recovery depends on overcoming the pandemic. I will not repeat what you already heard yesterday in your debate on the vaccine strategy, but I want to say this. Staying united at 27 on vaccines was the best choice. It was Europe at its best. And if anyone has any doubts, I simply urge you to look at the list of the top 50 countries in the world who have vaccinated the highest percentage of their population. All 27 Member States are on that list. Without a common EU approach, how many Member States would have been on that list? Without a common EU approach how many Member States would not have been able to negotiate a single contract? What would it have meant for our Union if one Member State had vaccinated almost all of its citizens before others have even started. But by working together the Commission was able to secure the broadest portfolio of vaccines in the world. As you know, this gives us access to 2.3 billion doses and this is more than enough for Europe, and our neighbourhood.  And a word on our neighbourhood. We need to support them to start vaccinating their front-line workers, from the Western Balkans to the Eastern Partnership, to our African partners in the south. This is why the Commission is proposing an EU vaccine-sharing mechanism. This will channel vaccines either directly or through the COVAX Facility, in which the EU is the largest contributor, to low and middle-income countries. In total, Team Europe has already provided almost EUR 40 billion of support to our partners since last April, and we need to show the same leadership when it comes to vaccines.  I know some will ask how we can talk about sharing vaccines with others when we are not all vaccinated ourselves. To them I say: this is not only a matter of solidarity, but also a matter of self-interest. We will only come out of this pandemic together. This is true for our health. This is true for our economies. This is true for our supply chains, and this is also true for our geopolitical credibility and influence. Those who show support to their partners with doses and deeds will not be forgotten. But those who do not will be remembered, but for very different reasons, and I am determined that Europe must be on the right side of history and humanity and I know this House feels the same way too. Honourable members,  Es ist ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit. Wir sind mit beispielloser Geschwindigkeit vorangekommen. Was wir in zehn Monaten bei der Impfstoffentwicklung geschafft haben, braucht in der Regel zehn Jahre. Selbstverständlich haben alle Staaten weltweit auf der Strecke mit Schwierigkeiten zu kämpfen – sei es bei der Produktion, beim Vertrieb, bei der Logistik. Aber das werden wir überwinden, und wir werden das rasch tun. Aber auch hier gilt, dass es nur gelingt, wenn wir gemeinsam handeln. Ich werde morgen auf der Videokonferenz mit den Staats- und Regierungschefs Kernpunkte ansprechen: Wir müssen schneller werden beim Impfen. Das Tempo in Europa ist noch viel zu unterschiedlich. Wir müssen die Unternehmen mehr dabei unterstützen, die Produktionskapazität zu erhöhen, und das können wir auch, und das ist schon auf dem Weg. Und wir müssen die Ausbreitung der neuen Varianten des Virus präzise verfolgen. The spread of these variants is a cause for severe concern. This is indeed a race against time. The EU urgently needs to speed up genome sequencing. Currently only one Member State is testing above 1% of positive tests, and many have not even yet started. This makes it very difficult to identify the progress of the variants or to detect potential new ones. We should aim for every Member State to scale up sequencing to 5% to 10% of the positive tests. And I know not every country has the capacity to do so, but our agency, ECDC, does and every Member State has access to that capacity, but only two so far have used it. My last point is about preserving our single market. The message is clear. The blanket closure of borders in this situation makes no sense. They harm the functioning of the single market and they are not as effective as targeted measures, and this is why we need a common approach to test, trace, travel and borders, and the Commission has put everything on the table to ensure that we can do that.  Honourable Members, all of this will take continued efforts from us all and I’m delighted that we will have the Portuguese Presidency alongside us to make it happen. Together we will overcome the pandemic and, as the Portuguese Presidency so aptly says in its motto, it’s time to deliver.