Catherine Bearder, rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Regional Development. – Madam President, we have heard today about the silent crisis unfolding across Europe. It is happening right under our noses. When the rivers run dry, the forests are too small to clean the air and the ecosystem supporting our agriculture collapses, we will wonder how we did not see it happening.

Right now, too many people are choosing not to listen and not to see. Nature is dying all around us, and as we bury our heads in the ever-less-fertile soil, it will continue. There will be 30% fewer species in existence when our grandchildren grow up. As with any other crisis, it is our job as legislators to stop the problems causing this silent massacre.

I welcome this report from Mr Gerbrandy and I urge the Commission to sit up and take note. We call on you to take action to protect our generation and the generations to come. We must not end up having to face our grandchildren and admit that we stood by and did nothing as the wonderful diversity of nature on this planet – ours and theirs – silently died around us.