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Τρίτη 8 Οκτωβρίου 2024 - Στρασβούργο

3. Προετοιμασία του Ευρωπαϊκού Συμβουλίου της 17ης και 18ης Οκτωβρίου 2024 (συζήτηση)

  El presidente. – Después de este anuncio de la presidenta, pasaríamos al primer punto del orden del día de la sesión de hoy. Se trata de las declaraciones del Consejo y de la Comisión y del debate sobre la preparación del Consejo Europeo de los próximos días 17 y 18 de octubre de 2024 (2024/2782(RSP)).

  János Bóka, President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, honourable Members, Commissioner, next week, the leaders will meet in Brussels for the October European Council. Their meeting will, as always, start with an exchange with the President of the European Parliament.

At this meeting, leaders will discuss Ukraine and the Middle East. They will also discuss stepping up the European Union's comprehensive approach to migration and take stock of efforts to enhance the EU's competitiveness, with a view to preparing the informal European Council in Budapest on 8 November. The European Council will be preceded by the first ever EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit to be held on Wednesday.

Ukraine remains a top priority for the European Council. Leaders are expected to review the situation on the ground as well as the EU's continued support. They will assess progress in providing military support to Ukraine as a follow-up to previous discussions and in view of the situation on the front line.

The situation in the Middle East is also high on the leaders' agenda. The unprecedented savage terrorist attack against Israel happened a year ago and hostages and their bodies are still kept by Hamas. The war in Gaza has now lasted for over a year and has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe. The recent escalation of violence in Lebanon and now the escalation with Iran demonstrate how crucial it is to find a sustainable solution for security and stability in the region.

Turning now to economic matters, competitiveness will also be on the table. In June, the European Council looked forward to swift and decisive progress on all strands of the new European competitiveness deal by the end of the year. Next week is therefore about taking stock of progress in areas identified at the special European Council in April. The reports by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi will, of course, feed into leaders' discussions. These reports identify several challenges spanning demographics, technology, economics and international relations that demand urgent, innovative and effective political responses.

Next week's stock-take will, in particular, contribute to the preparations for the informal European Council meeting in Budapest on 8 November, hosted by the Hungarian Presidency, where our goal is to adopt the Budapest declaration on the new European competitiveness deal.

Another important topic on the European Council agenda is migration. Leaders are expected to hold an in-depth discussion, taking stock of the implementation of the European Council's comprehensive approach to migration.

Now, turning to other items on the leaders' agenda: they are expected to take stock of preparations for the COP29 conference and the upcoming COP16 on biodiversity. The European Council will also address developments in Georgia and Moldova respectively, in the run-up to the upcoming legislative elections in Georgia and the constitutional referendum and presidential elections organised in Moldova. The situation in Venezuela and in Sudan will also merit the attention of leaders.

Reflecting on recent alarming incidents, leaders will touch upon the issue of fight against all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, intolerance, racism and xenophobia. In short, we expect a substantial European Council meeting during which leaders will address recent international development and start work on the priorities for the next five years identified in this strategic agenda. I thank you very much for your attention and I am looking forward to your feedback on these issues.

  Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Mr President, it's a pleasure to be here today to discuss preparations for the meeting of the European Council on 17 and 18 October.

Let me start with competitiveness. The leaders' exchange of views next week will feed into our work in this critical area, as we seek to enhance the EU's competitiveness, secure its economic resilience and achieve the full potential of the single market. At a time of increasing global economic uncertainty, it is vital that the European Union remains able to maintain its core strength of industry, enterprise and innovation. Europe cannot afford to fall behind its competitors and lose its competitive edge. We need to make business easier and invest in our sustainable competitiveness.

Indeed, the only way to ensure our long-term competitiveness is to move to a clean and circular economy. This was something highlighted in the report by Mario Draghi on the future of EU competitiveness, which will help steer our work going forward, as was the need to increase prosperity for all Europeans, building on our unique social model, and to build our resilience to ensure we are better protected against future shocks.

In addition, we will continue to focus on cutting red tape and the administrative burden. Notably, Commissioners will stress test the entire EU acquis to simplify the rules for our businesses. At the same time, better lawmaking has to be a joint task with all institutions involved. So the Commission very much welcomes the fact that the leaders will once again be discussing this topic.

The European Council will also discuss the latest developments in Ukraine. The EU remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine and its people for as long as necessary. It is important we now seek swift agreement on our proposals for macrofinancial assistance of up to EUR 35 billion as part of the pledge made by the G7 in June. It is imperative the funds are released by the end of this year to ensure Ukraine has the fiscal space it needs. At the same time, we are working to ensure that the country is fully prepared for the winter ahead. Together with our partners, we are repairing, reconnecting and stabilising Ukraine's energy supplies. Last month we adopted a winter plan for Ukraine, backed by EUR 160 million in funding. This comes on top of the EUR 2 billion dedicated to Ukraine's energy security so far. Our goal must continue to be to put Ukraine in a position to negotiate peace on the right terms and to help it along its path to full membership of the European Union.

Finally, I would also like to touch on the Middle East, which the leaders will also discuss. Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the acts of terror committed by Hamas, for which there can be no justification. These horrific acts brought immense suffering not only upon the people of Israel, but also upon innocent Palestinians. They led to a spiral of violence, which has brought the entire region to a state of extreme tension and volatility. The European Union stands with all the innocent people whose lives have been devastated in the past 12 months. We reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for the unconditional release of all hostages and for an end to the conflict. We support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement. We are also providing humanitarian aid, including an additional EUR 10 million to help people in Lebanon affected by the hostilities, bringing the total this year to EUR 74 million. This comes after President von der Leyen announced in June EUR 1 billion in support for Lebanon, of which around half has already been delivered. Dialogue is also ongoing with the Palestinian Authority on its reform programme to disburse the third and last instalment of our EUR 4 million short‑term emergency financial support.

I will stop here as I see that my time is up. I am very much looking forward to our debate.

  Siegfried Mureşan, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Mr President, colleagues, look, the priorities of the European citizens are now clearer than ever. People expect safety, security within Europe and people expect prosperity, a perspective that they can prosper here in Europe, that jobs are safe, stable and well-paid. And I believe, Commissioner, Council representatives, I believe these are exactly the topics that the European Council now has to discuss, on this we have to deliver.

People want to feel safe within the borders of the European Union. We have to protect our borders well. But for people to be able to feel safe within the borders of the Union, we need to be surrounded by countries which are safe and stable in our immediate neighbourhood. This is why our internal security is very much linked with our external security. We need to work with our neighbouring countries and contribute to strengthening them, to modernising them. Many of them are EU candidate countries. The more they reform, the more they modernise, the better for us, the more stable we can also be within the borders of the European Union.

Internal and external security are linked, but a strong competitive economy and security are also linked, because the private sector will only invest in the economy, it will only make the economy stronger, if they feel safe in Europe. And for us to be able to provide safety to the citizens, we will need a stronger economy contributing more to the public budgets because we have to tell people honestly, the security and the defence of Europe will cost more in the in the next years.

In the area of defence, we have to invest more at European level in research. We have to integrate our defence capabilities and it is clear that the budget of the European Union in the next years will have to do more in the area of security and defence. If we want more security for the citizens of Europe, we also have to equip the European Union with a budget which is ambitious in the area of security and defence.

When it comes to competitiveness, we have to strengthen the private sector. We have to make sure that the private sector trusts our economy, that it can invest. I believe in the Draghi report there are many good elements which pro‑European colleagues here can agree on when it comes to investments in disruptive technologies, when it comes to research, innovation, scaling up.

So what I am saying is let us unite, particularly on the economy, on security, defence, on what pro-European forces agree and deliver.

  Iratxe García Pérez, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señor presidente, el mundo atraviesa uno de los momentos más peligrosos desde la caída del Muro de Berlín. En este mundo cada vez más hostil, no podemos reaccionar por detrás de los acontecimientos. Las guerras siembran la destrucción de nuestro vecindario en Ucrania, en Oriente Medio y en el Sahel, y eso nos obliga a despertar.

Aunque hemos dado pasos importantes en la construcción de una política exterior y de seguridad, todavía estamos bastante lejos de lograr la Unión de la Defensa. El informe Draghi nos pide que movilicemos 800 000 millones de euros anuales a través de deuda común si queremos culminar al mismo tiempo las transiciones ecológica y digital e impulsar la industria de la defensa. El señor Draghi también nos advierte que, si no corregimos la trayectoria actual, cada vez será más difícil mantener el modelo social europeo de nuestra Unión y la Unión se convertirá en un actor irrelevante.

No busquemos atajos, señorías: la descarbonización de la economía y la transformación tecnológica solo serán realidad si acabamos con los peores enemigos de la democracia: la desigualdad y la pobreza. Solo serán realidad si garantizamos a los trabajadores empleos decentes con salarios en alza, si invertimos en vivienda pública para que los jóvenes tengan un proyecto de vida y si sacamos de la pobreza y de la exclusión social a casi una cuarta parte de la población europea.

Si aspiramos a convertirnos en el arquitecto del orden mundial, necesitamos desterrar la unanimidad en materia fiscal y de política exterior y de defensa. Es intolerable que el chantaje de Orbán ponga en peligro el apoyo a Ucrania, un país que sufre todos los días los bombardeos del régimen de Putin. Nadie quiere más que el pueblo ucraniano el fin de la guerra, pero no a costa de su libertad. Por eso, debemos permitir a Ucrania que utilice sus capacidades militares para golpear objetivos militares en territorio ruso. Porque atacar a Putin desde donde ataca es la esencia de la legítima defensa para un pueblo que no tiene otra elección que la lucha por su supervivencia.

Al mismo tiempo, debemos frenar la masacre en Gaza y la deriva irresponsable de Netanyahu hacia la guerra total. Ayer conmemoramos con dolor el primer aniversario del cruel ataque terrorista de Hamás, que terminó con más de mil fallecidos y 251 rehenes. Hoy aprovecho esta ocasión para exigir, como ayer hacíamos, la liberación de aquellos rehenes.

Después de un año de horror inaudito en el siglo XXI, Netanyahu ignora el clamor de los manifestantes israelíes para que declare un alto el fuego que permita la liberación de los rehenes. Niega la entrada de ayuda humanitaria en su brutal guerra contra Gaza y asesina con bombas en Líbano a miles de civiles, lo que constituye un crimen de guerra.

Señorías, las meras palabras de condena ya no son suficientes. Es hora de desplegar todo nuestro poder sancionador y comercial contra el Gobierno de Israel para que el Derecho internacional prevalezca. Lideremos la imposición de un embargo de armas para que la Unión Europea no sea cómplice de esta sinrazón. Después de más 41 000 vidas perdidas en Gaza, ¿cuántos muertos más tiene que haber para que la Unión Europea reaccione con una sola voz en Oriente Medio? ¿De cuánta destrucción todavía seremos testigos para que entendamos que el nacimiento de Palestina como Estado es la única solución para llevar la paz, la seguridad y el progreso a Oriente Medio?

Señorías, como en los tiempos de nuestros fundadores, ha llegado el momento de iniciar una refundación de la Unión Europea. Una refundación que solo puede estar basada en los principios y valores que hacen de nuestra Unión lo que es hoy: la mejor combinación de libertad política, prosperidad económica y cohesión social que jamás ha visto la humanidad.

  Anna Bryłka, w imieniu grupy PfE. – Panie Przewodniczący! Szanowni Państwo! Nie minęło echo raportu Draghiego, a Komisja Europejska szykuje kolejny gwóźdź do trumny Europy. Wasz plan rewolucji budżetowej w kolejnej perspektywie finansowej jest dokładnie przeciwieństwem tego, co Unia Europejska powinna teraz robić. I to powinno być przedmiotem posiedzenia Rady Europejskiej.

Centralizacja unijnej polityki spójności, likwidacja polityki regionalnej, uzależnienie podziału środków budżetowych od kwestii związanych z równością płci czy od promowania rolnictwa ekologicznego są kolejną bezczelną próbą wprowadzenia totalizmu, wprowadzenia gospodarki centralnie planowanej w imię waszych chorych ideologii. Przestańcie łamać traktaty, przestańcie wtrącać się w kompetencje rządów państw narodowych.

Szefowa Komisji Europejskiej chce finansowym szantażem poddać rządy narodowe. Chce tylnymi drzwiami wprowadzić polityki nieakceptowalne przez większość Europejczyków. Nie ma na to zgody patriotów. Stop dyktaturze von der Leyen.

  Carlo Fidanza, a nome del gruppo ECR. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, signor Vicepresidente, signor Ministro, la guerra di aggressione russa all'Ucraina sta per entrare nel suo terzo inverno e intanto assistiamo inermi alla drammatica escalation che dal 7 ottobre scorso si consuma in Medio Oriente.

Mentre ci interroghiamo sul ruolo dell'Europa nel mondo, siamo chiamati a dare una risposta al grande interrogativo del nostro tempo: esiste un'alternativa al declino culturale, geostrategico, competitivo dell'Europa? Proprio sulla competitività il prossimo Consiglio sarà chiamato a dare risposte importanti.

Negli ultimi cinque anni, noi conservatori europei abbiamo cercato di suonare la sveglia rispetto a una deriva ideologica folle che ci sta condannando alla deindustrializzazione, alla perdita di competitività rispetto a Cina e Stati Uniti e a nuove dipendenze strategiche.

Siamo stati accusati di negazionismo climatico dagli stessi che oggi applaudono Draghi senza forse nemmeno averlo compreso. Oggi è doveroso correggere quegli errori, ma per riuscirci dobbiamo mettere da parte l'ideologia della decrescita felice e riscoprire un sano pragmatismo.

Servirà pragmatismo anche per affrontare in maniera più decisa il tema immigrazione. Siamo a un bivio: possiamo continuare a perseguire politiche inefficaci che portano sempre più governi a chiudere le frontiere interne o a non voler più applicare le regole dell'Unione, oppure possiamo scegliere la strada tracciata da Giorgia Meloni, oggi studiata da leader internazionali di ogni colore politico. Lotta senza quartiere ai trafficanti di esseri umani, aumento dei rimpatri degli irregolari, nuovi accordi di cooperazione con i paesi terzi, procedure di asilo in siti extraeuropei. I risultati dimostrano che quest'ultima è sicuramente la strada giusta e noi ci auguriamo che la si voglia perseguire con decisione.

  Valérie Hayer, au nom du groupe Renew. – Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, Monsieur le Ministre, chers collègues, Vladimir Poutine prévoit d'augmenter de 30 % le budget militaire de la Russie. C'était 70 % l'année dernière. Nous l'avons proclamé: «we stand by Ukraine», mais aujourd'hui, il y a urgence. Alors qu'à l'est du continent, la Russie continue de grignoter son territoire, le peuple ukrainien compte résolument sur notre soutien. Un soutien qui doit être à la hauteur de l'enjeu géopolitique. Alors, oui à la poursuite de la livraison d'armes, oui à un nouveau plan d'assistance macrofinancière, oui à la montée en puissance d'une Europe capable de défendre ses intérêts, oui à la mobilisation des revenus des avoirs russes gelés pour aider à la reconstruction de l'Ukraine.

Toutefois, notre voix européenne, notre action, chers collègues, ne doit en aucun cas s'arrêter à nos frontières. Il y a un an, le peuple israélien était la cible d'attentats d'une barbarie sans nom, menés par le Hamas, faisant près de 1 200 morts et 250 otages. Je veux avoir une pensée fraternelle à leur égard et pour leurs proches. Mes chers collègues, depuis des mois, les combats font rage au Moyen-Orient et notre Europe est bien trop inaudible face au risque d'une déflagration régionale. La voix de la diplomatie, une fois de plus, est assourdie par le bruit des bombes. Pour contribuer à l'effort de paix, l'Europe doit mobiliser tous les leviers diplomatiques à sa disposition. Il y a urgence à la désescalade immédiate, urgence à ce que cessent les attaques massives contre Israël, à l'instar de celles de l'Iran que nous condamnons fermement, urgence à mettre fin au conflit qui ravage tant de familles à Gaza, urgence à répondre à la dramatique situation humanitaire au Liban, urgence au cessez-le-feu et des efforts redoublés en faveur de la solution à deux États.

Nos priorités sont claires: libération inconditionnelle des otages, aide humanitaire massive et cessez-le-feu pour qu'enfin se taisent les armes. Ces conflits, chers collègues, ont des conséquences sur notre Europe. Pourquoi? Parce que ces conflits sur la scène mondiale, on le sait, conduisent à d'irrépressibles mouvements de populations. Or, la réponse au défi migratoire, nous la connaissons tous et nous l'avons votée ici, dans cet hémicycle. Cette réponse, c'est le pacte sur la migration et l'asile, et notre priorité absolue doit être de le mettre en œuvre et en aucun cas de tomber dans la surenchère sur les questions migratoires, car Schengen est notre bien commun et à ce titre, c'est en Européens que nous serons les plus efficaces. Alors, retroussons-nous les manches!

  Bas Eickhout, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, maybe I have to break a bit with this kind of repetition of arguments that we now see basically in the upcoming Council. Charles Michel even couldn't come to Strasbourg to celebrate his last Council, and if you read the draft conclusions, I think you can see that these are his last Council meetings, because there is no inspiration, there's no energy. It's a repetition of empty words, it's postponing things. It's really, I mean, what are we going to do in October? In that sense, we are looking forward to a new Council, new leadership, and maybe a bit more energy into it, because this Council and all the draft conclusions are not very attractive, I would say.

And therefore, if I just go a bit through all the different themes, I can say that one red thread that I can see through all these themes is that our credibility is at stake. Who really believes these empty words that we are putting in the draft conclusions? For example, on Ukraine, again, strong words on Ukraine, and we support that. Also as Greens, we do think something needs to happen and Ukraine needs to be able to defend itself, but then we still need to finalise the work on the European Peace Facility.

Ukraine is still hampered to use its facilities outside its borders to protect itself. And indeed frozen Russian assets – it has been discussed what to do with it for many times. The Commission is putting proposals there but the Council is acting slow. And if you read the conclusions, then we will again come back to the matter, you will discuss it again, but when do you now finally take some additional action?

It's the same with the Middle East. Again, our credibility is at stake. In the draft conclusions, rightfully so, we are very clearly condemning the Iranian attacks on Israel. But then, when we talk about Lebanon, we are talking about 'the escalation in Lebanon', as if there is not a clear also role there for the State of Israel playing there. When is the Council also finally going to take action on the regime of Netanyahu and make that explicit, instead of every time the vague words that 'we want a ceasefire'? Yes, we want a ceasefire, but we need clear words. We need a credible European Union. And we don't have that at this moment.

Double standards: we see that in migration, double standards and vague words. We see that in competitiveness. And I think I want to close with that one, because Draghi made very clear that we need decarbonisation and economic competitiveness, together, and it is an urgency. It was a wake-up call of Draghi. What is the Council conclusion saying? 'We will come back to that matter in November.'

That's the state of the Council. We are very much looking forward to a Council that has more energy to really solve the issues of Europe, because it is urgent and our credibility is at stake.

  Manon Aubry, au nom du groupe The Left. – Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, le Liban brûle sous nos yeux et pourrait devenir le nouveau Gaza. Pourtant, une fois encore, l'Union européenne regarde ailleurs et brille par sa passivité, voire sa complicité. Déjà près de 2 000 Libanais sont morts et un million ont été déplacés de force, soit un Libanais sur cinq. C'est un exil généralisé, dont les civils payent le prix fort. Contrairement à ce que disent ici certains porte-parole de l'armée israélienne, Israël ne mène pas une guerre contre le Hezbollah; Israël mène une guerre contre le peuple libanais et le peuple palestinien. Expliquez-moi quel rôle jouait dans l'appareil du Hezbollah la Franco-libanaise de 87 ans tuée la semaine dernière par une explosion.

C'est d'ailleurs exactement ce qu'il s'est passé à Gaza, où Israël ne cherche pas à éradiquer le Hamas, mais à organiser le nettoyage ethnique des Gazaouis. Quand on bombarde aveuglément des écoles, des hôpitaux et des habitations, on ne mène pas une guerre légitime; on viole les règles les plus élémentaires du droit humanitaire. Quand on tue volontairement des médecins, des professeurs, des journalistes et des humanitaires, on ne s'attaque pas à des terroristes; on massacre des civils et on commet un génocide.

Le drame qui se noue au Liban ne tombe pas du ciel. C'est la conséquence de vos propres renoncements, Monsieur le Commissaire. En refusant de lever le petit doigt face au calvaire des Palestiniens, l'Union européenne est directement responsable de celui des Libanais. Si l'extrême droite israélienne se permet de violer allègrement le droit international, c'est parce qu'on la laisse faire. Si Netanyahou n'a plus aucune limite, c'est parce qu'on ne lui en a imposé aucune. À Gaza, Tsahal a massacré 42 000 personnes, en majorité des femmes et des enfants. À Gaza, l'Europe n'a rien dit. Israël refuse l'entrée sur son territoire du secrétaire général des Nations unies. L'Europe n'a rien dit. Le gouvernement israélien met l'ensemble de la région à feu et à sang. L'Europe n'a rien dit. Jusqu'où? Jusqu'à ce que toute la région soit décimée?

Chers collègues, nous avons voté, à raison, des dizaines de résolutions pour dénoncer les actes du criminel de guerre Poutine et agir contre eux. Pourquoi sommes-nous incapables de faire de même pour les crimes de l'armée israélienne? Êtes-vous capables, chers collègues, de vous regarder en face le matin, quand vous considérez qu'une vie d'un Ukrainien ne vaut pas une vie d'un Palestinien ou d'un Libanais? Ce deux poids, deux mesures est insupportable.

Si l'Europe veut peser dans l'équilibre mondial, elle doit prendre ses responsabilités, en mettant en place des sanctions massives et immédiates pour contraindre le gouvernement israélien à enfin concéder un cessez-le-feu. D'abord, plus aucune arme européenne ne doit être livrée à Israël. Emmanuel Macron, le président français lui-même, a enfin appelé à cet embargo. Je note qu'il aura fallu attendre plus de 40 000 morts pour qu'il prenne position. Passons enfin des mots aux actes et imposons-le au niveau européen. Ensuite, plus aucun centime européen ne doit être versé dans le cadre de l'accord de partenariat entre Israël et l'Union européenne. Il doit être suspendu immédiatement. Je vous le dis avec gravité: chaque jour qui passe est une tache de sang supplémentaire sur notre humanité. Tout doit être fait pour arrêter ce carnage. Il est temps de ramener la paix.

  Anja Arndt, im Namen der ESN-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Unsere Wirtschaft in der Europäischen Union brennt. In Deutschland werden gerade die Landwirtschaft und die Automobilindustrie zu Grabe getragen. Die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit wird trotzdem weiterhin für eine absurde und auf falschen Klimamodellen basierende Klimarettungspolitik zerstört. Die Europäische Union schafft sich gerade ab.

Deshalb muss sich der Europäische Rat nun in diesem Monat mit diesem Thema beschäftigen. Die konkreten Ursachen sind der Green Deal und die Klimagesetze. Genau hier liegt die Lösung auf der Hand. Diese müssen sofort beendet werden! Sie sind ein Irrweg. Wir von der ESN fordern eine Rückkehr zum evidenzbasierten echten Umweltschutz. Übrigens: Die AfD hatte von Anfang an gegen die Klimagesetze gestimmt, und jetzt zeigt sich, wie recht wir hatten. Deutschland braucht die AfD, und die Europäische Union braucht die ESN!

  Dolors Montserrat (PPE). – Señor presidente, señor comisario, señorías, la defensa de Ucrania frente al dictador Putin, la lucha de Israel contra el terrorismo en Oriente Medio y el reto existencial de Europa, que es la competitividad, serán tres de los cuatro asuntos claves del Consejo Europeo los próximos 17 y 18 de octubre. Pero el cuarto, y no menos importante, tiene que ser la crisis migratoria.

Señorías, la inmigración irregular es el drama humano y político que más nos urge como europeos. No es un problema nuevo, pero las cifras en países como España empeoran cada año por la inacción, la incompetencia y la falta de liderazgo de políticos como Pedro Sánchez. Mientras hablamos aquí en este Parlamento, Canarias, Ceuta y Melilla, que son la frontera sur de Europa, se encuentran en una situación límite por la desidia de un presidente como Sánchez, que piensa que las mafias se frenan prometiendo papeles para todos en Europa, a más de 250 000 personas en Mauritania, Gambia y Senegal, y que se niega encima a pedir más ayuda a Europa para evitar tantas muertes en el océano y dar una solución a la situación insostenible de los menores no acompañados.

Señores diputados, el verdadero efecto llamada es la irresponsabilidad. El verdadero efecto llamada se llama Pedro Sánchez y ejemplo de ello son las más de 42 000 llegadas irregulares de adultos y sobre todo de menores a España en estos nueve meses.

El Pacto sobre Migración debe aplicarse y es claro. Nuestras fronteras son débiles y los retornos, ineficaces. La responsabilidad de los Estados miembros ante este problema es desigual y los mecanismos legales de entrada a Europa son insuficientes. Si pensamos que esta crisis se resolverá con retórica vacía, les anuncio que los problemas del sur hoy serán los problemas del norte mañana. Y el Partido Popular seguirá reclamando más recursos y protección para nuestras fuerzas y cuerpos de seguridad, más despliegue de Frontex y más coordinación entre países, porque así es cómo se afrontan las crisis con lealtad. Europa no debe permitir que Sánchez abra las puertas de la inmigración irregular de todo el continente. O Europa toma el control de sus fronteras o la crisis fronteriza tomará el control de Europa.

  Alex Agius Saliba (S&D). – Sur President, Matul din l-aħħar sena bdejna gwerra aggressiva tal-Iżrael kontra l-poplu Palestinjan ġewwa l-Istrippa ta' Gaża. Ġenoċidju li ġie kkundannat mill-Qorti tal-Ġustizzja Internazzjonali tan-Nazzjonijiet Uniti.

F'din is-sena biss kważi 42,000 persuna ġew maqtula, imbiċċra. Il-maġġoranza nisa u tfal. Iktar minn 97,300 persuna oħra ġew midruba. In-numri jkomplu jikbru ma' kull ġurnata li tgħaddi. Il-popolazzjoni kollha li qed tgħix f'Gaża qed tbati min-nuqqas ta' ikel, ġuħ akut, l-iżjed fost it-tfal.

Wara sena ta' ġenoċidju f'Gaża, l-Iżrael eskalat l-aggressjoni tagħha kontra l-Libanu. B'hekk ħolqot theddida ta' kunflitt reġjonali fil-Medju Orjent.

Il-gwerra għandha tieqaf. Irridu nġibu fi tmiem il-ġenoċidju kontra l-poplu Palestinjan f'Gaża. Irridu nirrikonoxxu l-hekk imsejħa Two-State Solution. Għandna nsejħu għall-waqfien mill-ġlied b'mod immedjat, b'mod permanenti. B'mod urġenti għandna nipprovdu aċċess għall-għajnuna umanitarja f'Gaża. L-aħħar iżda mhux l-inqas, biex intemmu l-ġenoċidju u l-aggressjoni għandna nimponu sanzjonijiet politiċi u ekonomiċi b'saħħithom u nissospendu t-trattat bejn l-Unjoni Ewropea u l-Iżrael immedjatament.

  Enikő Győri (PfE). – Tisztelt Elnök úr! Draghi elnök úr megadta a diagnózist, és a francia elnök is azt állítja, az EU meghalhat, ha nem válik versenyképesebbé. Mára veszélybe került az Unió jóléti modellje. Ezt az emberek a bőrükön is érzik. Csak az európai feldolgozóiparban 850 ezer munkahely szűnt meg öt év alatt.

Azonnal cselekednünk kell. Ugyanakkor az EP a Néppártól a kommunistákig kizárólag a saját hatalma bebiztosításán ügyködik, piszkos játékkal szigetelné el a 18 millió szavazó által támogatott Patriótákat, és igyekszik keresztbe tenni a magyar elnökségnek.

Arra kérem a Tisztelt Házat, hogy végre kezdjen el dolgozni. A baloldali többség elhibázott politikáit ki kell igazítani. Vállalkozás- és innovációbarát környezetre, az adminisztratív terhek csökkentésére, megfizethető energiára és ideológiamentes gazdaságpolitikára van szükség. A zöld átállást a teherbíró képességünkhöz kell igazítani. Blokkosodás és leckeadás helyett az összeköttetéseket kell erősíteni külső partnereinkkel.

Az Európai Tanácsnak pedig jövő héten egyértelmű iránymutatást kell adnia a több intézménynek, hogy még novemberben fogadja el az új versenyképességi paktumot. Ez a ház pedig mostantól ne akadályozza, hanem segítse az unió versenyképesebbé válását.

  Charlie Weimers (ECR). – Mr President, dear colleagues, you pledged to protect Europe's borders against illegal migration. Do you want to deliver on that promise? The right supports funding walls at the external border, as do a majority of Member States. Does the left? The right has long called for safe third countries to host asylum seekers, as the EPP and 15 Member States have done. Do the Social Democrats? The right wants to make trade, aid and visas conditional on returns and readmissions, as Greece and the EPP have called for. Do the Greens?

Our voters want us to deliver on our promises to secure Europe's external borders and return illegal migrants. The Council is eager to do so, and the European Parliament finally has an opportunity to get its act together. Our duty is to protect the European way of life. It is time to unite the right.

  Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Renew). – Mr President, dear colleagues, next week, among many other eminently predictable things, the Council's conclusions on competitiveness will say, and I quote, 'we endorse the Draghi report and encourage the Commission to take up its recommendations'. The question for us is, what will that actually mean? Despite many promising words in the past, we do not have a capital markets union yet, Europe needed a global pandemic to finally agree on a budget and it took a full-scale invasion of Ukraine for us to begin shaping a defence industrial policy. We do not have the luxury to now also wait for economic breakdown.

This Parliament, and that's us colleagues, must quickly forge a consensus on how to carry out Draghi's plans. And today, I call on the Member States to follow Mr Draghi's most practical advice to come to a common assessment of the current situation and also to task Mr Draghi with monitoring the implementation of this report among the Member States. We have a unique opportunity to turn the tide for our Union. Let's seize it and let's seize it now.

  Damian Boeselager (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, Minister, you updated us on what national leaders will discuss. And I have to say, even more than Bas and my previous speaker right now, I don't think that these words only lack ambition, I think they are inconsistent.

First, they will talk about migration and say, 'Oh, how bad this is!' and congratulate Chancellor Scholz for bringing up borders within the European Union again and undermining Schengen. And then they will talk about competitiveness, saying, 'Oh, it's so important, we really need it!' and 'Yeah, let's endorse Draghi!'

But what they don't do is connect the two. And migration and competitiveness are intrinsically, inherently, connected. So my main message to the national leaders is: you cannot have competitiveness without migration. We are in an ageing continent. You can reskill an upskill as much as you like, but you need to allow for intra-eu mobility and hiring people across EU borders within the European Union and you need to attract talent. If you don't do that, you will never become competitive. And this is the big hole in the Draghi report and this is because we are following the right's agenda, the right's narrative, and we need to fight that. We need migration.

  João Oliveira (The Left). – Senhor Presidente, tendo em conta a agenda do Conselho, queremos deixar um primeiro desafio: em vez de promoverem uma guerra interminável na Ucrânia, discutam soluções de paz para a Ucrânia e de segurança coletiva para toda a Europa. Em vez de assistirem de braços cruzados, discutam medidas para pôr fim à política genocida de Israel, para travar a escalada de guerra de Israel no Médio Oriente, para garantir os direitos do povo palestino.

E desafiamos também o Conselho a pôr na primeira linha de prioridades a resposta aos problemas dos povos, nomeadamente o custo de vida. Os grupos económicos e as multinacionais fixam como querem os preços, usando a pandemia e a guerra como falsos pretextos para acumular lucros especulativos. A política de altas taxas de juro do BCE torna insuportáveis os preços da habitação. As políticas nacionais e da União Europeia impõem a contenção dos salários e das pensões.

Controlar os preços, aumentar salários e pensões: essas são algumas das soluções que se impõe concretizar e que o Conselho deveria discutir.

  Michael von der Schulenburg (NI). – Herr Präsident! Die Staats‑ und Regierungschefs des Europäischen Rates stehen heute vor einer großen Verantwortung den Menschen Europas gegenüber, sie vor den zunehmenden Gefahren des Ukrainekrieges zu schützen. Da die bestehende Ukrainepolitik darin völlig versagt hat, müssen sie jetzt den mutigen Schritt machen, sich den Realitäten des Krieges erneut zu stellen.

Dazu müssen sie endlich mit den einseitigen Beschuldigungen gegen Russland aufhören und eine realistischere Beurteilung der Gründe, die zu diesem Krieg geführt haben, anerkennen. Sie müssen aufhören, weiterhin der Illusion eines militärischen Sieges über Russland nachzuhängen, und sich zu einer realistischeren Einschätzung der verheerenden militärischen Lage im Ukrainekrieg durchringen.

Sie müssen aufhören zu glauben, dass mehr Waffen einen Frieden bringen würden. Für jeden Krieg gilt: Mit Benzin löscht man kein Feuer. Sie müssen aufhören, jede Form der Diplomatie sowie Verhandlungen ohne Vorbedingungen mit Russland abzulehnen, und sich Friedensvorschlägen, wie sie China und Brasilien unterbreitet haben, öffnen. Sie müssen damit aufhören, der Ukraine Versprechungen zu machen, die sie dann nicht mehr halten können.

  Paulo Cunha (PPE). – Senhor Presidente, Senhor Comissário, Senhoras e Senhores Deputados, o atual contexto geopolítico desafia os valores da liberdade e da democracia, pondo em causa o modo de vida futuro dos povos europeus de que devemos cuidar.

Apoiamos incondicionalmente a Ucrânia e a sua rápida adesão à União Europeia, para o que nos devemos preparar o mais rapidamente possível do ponto de vista financeiro e institucional. Assim, fortaleceremos o nosso continente e enviaremos uma clara mensagem de solidariedade contra ameaças externas.

A situação no Médio Oriente exige atenção imediata. Devemos buscar soluções que promovam a paz e a estabilidade na região.

Na Venezuela, é imperativo que a União Europeia lidere a defesa dos direitos humanos e democráticos, promovendo uma solução que respeite a vontade do povo.

No contexto interno, precisamos de compromissos claros da política de imigração, procedimentos robustos para pedidos de asilo e retorno devem ser implementados, e devemos combater a migração irregular, melhorando a segurança nas fronteiras da União. Simultaneamente, é crucial promover vias legais para a migração, estimulando a entrada de recursos humanos que fortaleçam a nossa economia.

Em termos de competitividade, apoiamos a Europa com o fator industrial e tecnológico. As nossas pequenas e médias empresas são cruciais para a inovação e crescimento económico e social. O acesso ao financiamento e a redução de barreiras são essenciais para que possam competir internacionalmente. Devemos, por isso, acelerar o chamado From Lab to Fab, garantindo uma rápida transferência de conhecimento para que a inovação chegue rapidamente ao mercado.

Por fim, acreditamos que a competitividade e a inclusão social devem caminhar juntas. As políticas de crescimento económico devem assegurar que os benefícios sejam partilhados por todos.

  Nicola Zingaretti (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, le paure si combattono con un'Europa più forte e più umana e non certo creando paure o indicando capri espiatori come sull'immigrazione.

Per questo ieri in commissione il Parlamento ha respinto la proposta del bilancio europeo avanzata dal Consiglio. Una proposta che taglia sul futuro e taglia centinaia di milioni sui programmi rivolti ai giovani, sulla ricerca, sulla salute e sulla formazione professionale: 295 milioni in meno per Erasmus, 400 in meno per Horizon, 100 milioni in meno per le infrastrutture per la connettività.

È davvero stravagante introdurre dazi sulle auto elettriche prodotte in Cina e poi tagliare i fondi per la ricerca che può renderci più competitivi. Le persone si aspettano da noi politiche comuni per rilanciare lo sviluppo, creare lavoro, sostenere l'innovazione, accompagnare la transizione ecologica.

Così si proteggono le persone. Non la strada che vogliono prendere i governi di destra in questo momento: una strada che non va verso il futuro, ma ci riporta al passato e lascia sole le persone. Questa non è l'Europa di cui il mondo ha bisogno e i governi stanno sbagliando perché servono scelte e investimenti coraggiosi, soprattutto per i giovani, come ci ha ricordato Mario Draghi. Noi non vogliamo l'Europa complice delle paure, ma un'Europa che crei speranza.

  Gilles Pennelle (PfE). – Monsieur le Président, à l'échelle de l'histoire, l'Europe connaît une immigration massive, une submersion migratoire inédite. Les peuples européens n'en veulent plus, les peuples européens n'en peuvent plus. Ils l'ont démontré aux dernières élections, européennes bien sûr, mais aussi nationales. Cette immigration massive a, partout en Europe, un coût très élevé. Elle menace notre identité et notre mode de vie. Les derniers événements nous ont démontré que cette immigration est aussi source d'une insécurité record. Les atrocités commises par des migrants à Solingen ou en France, avec le meurtre ignoble de la petite Philippine, nous démontrent qu'il faut cesser cette politique. L'Union européenne nous démontre aussi que pour elle, l'immigration n'est pas un problème, mais un projet. Nous l'avons encore vu cet été sur les plages des Canaries: l'Europe est une véritable passoire. Des milliers d'immigrés rentrent librement chez nous et poseront demain d'énormes problèmes.

Alors, face à cela, nous le voyons bien évidemment, certains États tournent le dos à la politique européenne et reprennent en main leur politique nationale. Nous l'avons vu en Allemagne, nous le voyons aussi aux Pays-Bas, nous le voyons en Italie et ceci est une bonne chose. Cependant, il est temps que le Conseil européen s'empare de ce dossier urgent qu'est cette immigration non contrôlée, voire imposée. Les peuples européens le demandent, les peuples européens l'exigent.

  Beata Szydło (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący, Szanowny Panie Komisarzu, Szanowni Państwo! Gospodarka Unii Europejskiej jest w coraz gorszej kondycji. Przedsiębiorstwa zamykają swoją produkcję albo przenoszą ją poza granice Unii Europejskiej. Ludzie tracą pracę. Koszty życia są coraz wyższe. Co jest tego przyczyną? Można zastanawiać się, jakie są powody, ale myślę, że wszyscy tutaj, na tej sali, wiemy, że to są między innymi błędne decyzje podejmowane tutaj, w Unii Europejskiej, w ostatnich latach. Zielony ład, to wszystko, co związane było z tymi pomysłami, doprowadziło właśnie do takiej sytuacji.

Rada Europejska będzie zajmowała się na najbliższym posiedzeniu tematem konkurencyjności. I myślą Państwo, że jest jakaś refleksja czy będzie debata o tym, co zrobić, żeby zmienić te powody, żeby odejść od tych polityk, które doprowadziły do tego, że właśnie tej konkurencyjności gospodarki europejskiej nie ma? Nie, wręcz odwrotnie – będzie dokładnie dalej kontynuowana ta linia. Jeżeli będziemy w taki sposób postępować, to gospodarka Unii Europejskiej niedługo będzie już absolutnie, zupełnie niekonkurencyjna.

  Karlo Ressler (PPE). – Poštovani predsjedavajući, poštovani povjereniče, kolegice i kolege, Europa svakim danom ima sve manje vremena preokrenuti dramatično loše trendove, pogotovo u tri ključna područja u kojima se mora pod hitno probuditi.

Treba nam prije svega više gospodarskog razvoja, više proizvodnje, više inovacija, više ulaganja, nasuprot proturazvojnim politikama odrasta ili deindustrijalizacije. Treba nam više konkurentnosti pristupa kapitalu, prije svega za mala i srednja poduzeća, prilagodbe na novo digitalno okruženje i prije svega također rast produktivnosti.

Drugo, i Draghijevo izvješće prepoznaje snažan utjecaj populacijskih kretanja na gospodarski rast, na gospodarska kretanja. Nemoguće je više zatvarati oči pred populacijskim kolapsom koji prijeti cijeloj Europi i u tom kontekstu treba nam više komplementarne podrške i roditeljima i obiteljima, i na nacionalnoj i na regionalnoj razini, ali također u jednom jasnom europskom kontekstu.

Treće, treba nam više sigurnosti, nasuprot različitim relativizacijama sigurnosnih ugroza, uključujući i nekontroliranih migracijskih kretanja, ali isto tako i nasuprot otužnim kalkuliranjima, stajanju po strani ili izjednačavanju agresora i žrtve, kao što, nažalost, sve češće imamo prilike čuti i ovdje u Europskom parlamentu, ali isto tako i u Hrvatskoj u kontekstu teškog rata u Ukrajini.

Europska civilizacija se danas bori ne samo govorima, ne samo riječima, nego prije svega djelima.

  Javier Moreno Sánchez (S&D). – Señor presidente, señor vicepresidente, empezamos esta legislatura con dos guerras a nuestras puertas y en un contexto geopolítico y geoeconómico convulso. La Unión Europea está en una encrucijada. Son necesarios los 800 000 millones de euros propuestos en el informe Draghi y también iniciativas como el Laboratorio Europeo de Competitividad propuesto ayer por el ministro español de Economía, Carlos Cuerpo, para reactivar su potencial económico, ser competitiva y volver a situarla como potencia en el mapa mundial.

Ahora bien, tenemos que abogar por una competitividad social y sostenible. Tenemos que invertir en las personas, en su salud y bienestar. Si está bien que invirtamos en inteligencia artificial, más importante aún es la inteligencia humana. Invertir en educación y capacitación para crear empleos de calidad y garantizar la inclusión y la cohesión social. En definitiva, invertir en igualdad y, especialmente, en igualdad de género.

Señorías, aboguemos también por una competitividad sostenible, por invertir en tecnologías y energías limpias. El Pacto Verde no es un freno, sino una oportunidad para la innovación y el desarrollo económico sostenible. De poco serviría la competitividad europea sin seres humanos y sin planeta.

  Csaba Dömötör (PfE). – Tisztelt Elnök Úr! A közelgő Európai Tanács ülés alapvető körülménye, hogy Európát hármas válság sújtja. A háborús helyzet és a gazdasági nehézségek mellett a migrációs politikában is újragondolásra van szükség.

Németország nemrég lezárta a határait, és más országok is sorra vezetnek be belső határvédelmi szigorításokat. Jelenleg már nyolc schengeni országban van ellenőrzés. A schengeni rendszer a szemünk előtt kezd összeomlani. Oda jutottunk tehát, hogy Európa egy újabb vívmányát kénytelen feladni: a szabad mozgásét. Ide vezetett a csúcsra járatott liberális migrációs politika. Európa kapuit nyitva hagyták, azokat pedig, akik határvédelmet akartak, egyedül hagyták, sőt büntették. Magyarország például nem kapott támogatást a határkerítésre, kap viszont büntetést, 200 millió eurónyit.

Mi kilenc éve mondjuk: mindenekelőtt a külső határokat kell megvédeni. Sokan gondoljuk és sokan reméljük, hogy még nem késő az irányváltás. Ha nincs rá szándék, előbb utóbb a választók fogják azt kikényszeríteni.

  Nicolas Bay (ECR). – Monsieur le Président, il y a deux semaines on retrouvait le corps de Philippine. Cette jeune Française a été violée puis tuée par un récidiviste, un clandestin qui n'aurait jamais dû se trouver en France et aurait dû en être immédiatement expulsé. Combien de Philippine faudra-t-il? Elle-même n'est malheureusement que la dernière d'une longue liste faite de Timothy, Maria, Leoni, Eva: des enfants de tous nos pays d'Europe qui ont été tués par l'immigration que vous encouragez.

Que le Conseil européen abroge donc le pacte sur l'asile voté il y a quelques mois, qu'il propose à la place un pacte pour l'expulsion des clandestins et la protection effective de nos frontières.

Lors de la prochaine réunion du Conseil, il sera aussi question de compétitivité. Le rapport Draghi a confirmé ce que notre groupe des conservateurs demande depuis toujours: moins de taxes, moins de normes, moins de paperasse et de bureaucratie, qui écrasent, qui étouffent notre industrie, nos agriculteurs, nos entrepreneurs, nos chercheurs et notre innovation. Dans le même temps, il faut lutter contre la concurrence déloyale, pour que nos acteurs économiques soient enfin à armes égales avec nos partenaires commerciaux qui s'affranchissent de règles que nous sommes les seuls, finalement, à respecter. En immigration comme en économie, arrêtons la naïveté et retrouvons enfin la maîtrise de notre destin.

  Luděk Niedermayer (PPE). – Mr President, the competitiveness is economic topic of the day – by far the most important. We need to finally move from nice slogans to real action that will deliver.

Letta report, Draghi report provide a good guidance how to go. But at the same time, we should not forget that there are pending proposals that will deliver improvement in our economy, like digital taxation proposal ViDA, and it's frustrating that due to the blockage of one Member State, we are not able to proceed.

There is no silver bullet to really enhance quickly our economy. It's not an accident that Draghi report is more than 400 pages long. There is more than 100 recommendations and we should prioritise, and we should see what is the most important and what we should deliver quickly.

For me, there are three areas. The first: making electricity cheaper. It is possible. We need investment. We need better market rules.

The second: capital market and financial markets should become more European. It should be more consistent with the single market. This is not the point where we are.

Last not least: economy of decarbonisation. We have good clear rules. We have the technologies, but it's very difficult to employ them quickly and to provide the benefits for our economy and become the leader in most of these technologies. For this we need enabling policies most probably that will be functional across Europe, that will ensure that Europe will deliver and Europe will get the economic benefits, and the Council should act on that.

  Matjaž Nemec (S&D). – Spoštovani predsednik! Zdi se, da je svet se znašel pred resno preizkušnjo. Soočamo se z enim izmed najtemnejših obdobij od konca druge svetovne vojne. Konflikt na Bližnjem vzhodu se močno zaostruje, zlasti ker tisti, ki najbolj potrebujejo mir, tega najbolj zavračajo.

Razmere so še naprej resne tudi v Ukrajini ter še v več kot petdesetih žariščih po celotnem svetu. Ob tem vse bolj postaja očitno, da niso vsa življenja enakovredna, kot tudi, da so temelji mednarodnega sodelovanja, ki smo jih skupaj postavili po drugi svetovni vojni, resno ogroženi.

Vse pogosteje se soočamo tudi z vse hujšimi naravnimi katastrofami. Naše misli so v teh dneh z ljudmi iz Bosne in Hercegovine.

Torej, spoštovani, potrebujemo odločen in enoten odziv Evrope na krize in globalne konflikte in odločno ukrepanje voditeljev Evropske unije. Z vsem, kar premoremo, se moramo postaviti za mir in dialog.

Ne nasedajmo demoniziranju vseh, ki nam nastavljajo ogledalo. Odločno se moramo postaviti v bran mednarodnih institucij in mednarodnega prava, v bran človečnosti.

  Εμμανουήλ Φράγκος (ECR). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, στην Ελλάδα δεν υφίσταται η πολυδιαφημισμένη ευρωπαϊκή κοινωνική οικονομία της αγοράς. Κάθε τομέας της Ελλάδας ελέγχεται από μερικούς φίλους της κυβέρνησης, και η ελληνική κυβέρνηση έχει παραδώσει τα δισεκατομμύρια του Ταμείου Ανάκαμψης σε αυτούς τους φίλους της, ενώ έπρεπε να πηγαίνουν κανονικά στον Έλληνα μικρομεσαίο. Δυστυχώς, η λεγόμενη επιτροπή Ανταγωνισμού, ή καλύτερα η «επιτροπή των προσχημάτων», δεν κάνει το παραμικρό για να σπάσουν αυτά τα ολιγοπώλια. Με αυτές τις πρακτικές δεν δημιουργούνται εθνικοί πρωταθλητές, αλλά κρατικοδίαιτοι και διαπλεκόμενοι ολιγάρχες που ζουν σε βάρος των πολλών. Ολιγάρχες στα τρόφιμα, στα σουπερμάρκετ, στο γάλα, στην ενέργεια, στις τράπεζες και στις μεταφορές. Οι καταγγελίες των πολιτών πρέπει επιτέλους να φτάσουν στα ευρωπαϊκά δικαστήρια, ώστε να σπάσουν αυτά τα καρτέλ. Μέχρι πότε η Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή θα σφυρίζει αδιάφορα για αυτή την κατάσταση που επικρατεί στην Ελλάδα;

  Seán Kelly (PPE). – A Uachtaráin, Europe's competitiveness is facing a fundamental challenge and, as Mario Draghi's report highlights, we cannot ignore the underlying structural causes. It has become abundantly clear to me, particularly since the onset of the recent energy crisis, that there can be no competitive Europe without cheap and predictable energy costs. As long as we remain dependent on imported fossil fuels, and as long as volatile fossil fuels set the cost of electricity, we will continue to struggle. We must break this cycle.

European competitiveness requires European energy independence and that independence must be based on indigenous, cost-effective, renewable energy: wind, solar and, critically, storage solutions such as batteries and long-duration storage technologies. It is through these technologies that we can stabilise electricity prices, provide predictability for businesses and ensure long-term competitiveness. This means accelerating the roll-out of renewables, modernising our grid and removing the bottlenecks that slow down progress, especially our planning process. By decoupling electricity prices from fossil fuels, we can lower costs for industries and consumers alike, giving Europe a competitive edge and reducing our reliance on volatile external markets.

The time for action is now. A strong statement from Council next week will be very welcome in this regard.

  Dan Nica (S&D). – Domnule președinte, domnule vicepreședinte Šefčovič, discutăm despre competitivitatea industriei europene și aș vrea să vă atrag atenția astăzi asupra situației industriei oțelului din economia Uniunii Europene.

Am pierdut în industria oțelului, în Uniunea Europeană în ultimii ani, peste 20 de milioane de tone capacitate de oțel, din două motive: 1. prețurile la energie, care au avut o fluctuație absolut inacceptabilă. Diferența într-un an de zile dintre prețul minim și maxim a fost de 65 % în 2022, și această diferență a crescut cu încă 15 % în 2023. Nimeni nu poate să facă un plan de afaceri sau să supraviețuiască în condițiile în care există o asemenea volatilitate, și cred că această măsură de a interveni rapid pe piața energiei electrice și de a decupla prețul energiei electrice de gaze este o urgență.

Și, în al doilea rând, importurile din afara Uniunii Europene: importăm oțel care nu este purtător de taxe, nici de dioxid de carbon, nici alte taxe și evident că industria oțelului din Uniunea Europeană este necompetitivă.

Dacă nu luăm aceste măsuri de a corecta această situație imediat, din păcate, vom pierde o industrie și locuri de muncă care vor afecta grav și economia, și zeci și sute de mii de salariați.

  Kris Van Dijck (ECR). – Voorzitter, mijnheer de minister, mijnheer de commissaris, het gaat niet goed met onze industrie: afvloeiingen, bedrijfssluitingen en grote ondernemingen die aankondigen niet langer in Europa te investeren. De energiekost en de veelheid aan regels zijn de alom gekende boosdoeners. De poten van welvaart worden onder onze stoel weggezaagd.

Ik hoorde hier een roep om daden. Welnu, hierbij een oproep aan onze Europese Raad met een handvol concrete acties:

Eén: verminder de regeldruk en de daaraan gebonden rapporteringsverplichting. Dat kost niks. Integendeel, het ontlast onze ondernemingen en geeft ze ademruimte om te innoveren en te investeren. Hanteer de norm van haalbaarheid en betaalbaarheid bij wetgeving voor burgers en bedrijven.

Versterk onze interne markt, onder andere in transport, energie en diensten. Zorg voor een gelijk speelveld binnen de interne markt en stop met het versoepelen van staatssteun, wat nefast is voor kleine landen.

Ten slotte: herontdek de nucleaire mogelijkheden. Want naast het bestaande nucleaire park bieden ook daar nieuwe evoluties perspectief voor duurzaamheid, betaalbaarheid en zekerheid.

Het is vijf voor twaalf.

  Wouter Beke (PPE). – Voorzitter, beste leden van de Commissie, ik wil van de gelegenheid gebruikmaken om de aandacht te vragen voor de situatie in Oekraïne, ook bij de voorbereiding van deze Europese Raad.

Het gaat niet goed in Oekraïne. De Donbas staat onder druk en ook voor het Oekraïense volk komen er moeilijke tijden aan. De winter komt eraan. Rusland is erin geslaagd om twee derde van de energie‑opwekkende capaciteit in Oekraïne te vernietigen. Tachtig procent van de thermische capaciteit is vernietigd door het Russische leger. Energie die de Oekraïense bevolking nodig heeft om letterlijk te kunnen overleven. Zeventien gigawatt is er nodig de komende maanden.

Europa kan daar iets aan doen. Er is op de G7 beslist om een lening van 45 miljard toe te kennen aan Oekraïne. Die lening is van levensbelang voor de komende maanden. Daarom zou ik uw aandacht willen vragen om daar een akkoord over te bereiken en deze middelen heel snel vrij te maken. Want als de lamp niet blijft branden in Oekraïne, dan zal er in heel Europa een duistere situatie optreden. En dan is er maar één man die daarvan zal genieten, en dat is Poetin. Dat kunnen we hem niet gunnen.

  Jaak Madison (ECR). – Austatud istungi juhataja! Ja räägime siis eesti keeles.

Esiteks, kuna ma olen viimane kõneleja, siis ilmselgelt on kõige rohkem läbi kõlanud teemaks majandus. Majandus, Euroopa konkurentsivõime, Euroopa tööstus, töökohtade säilimine.

Kuid kiiresti markeeris ära Ukraina küsimuse, mis peab ilmselgelt olema ülemkogul üks olulisemaid teemasid, siis on kindlasti hea võimalus ka nii eesistujal küsida näiteks härra Scholzi käest, et millal lõpuks siis Saksamaa annab loa Ukrainale kaitsta ennast efektiivselt enne saabuvat talve, et Venemaa ei hävitaks näiteks nende energiataristut ja jätaks ukrainlased külma kätte. Või on hoopis härra Scholzil mingisugune salakokkulepe Venemaaga, et mängitakse niiöelda kassi-hiire mängu, et mis see tegelik põhjus on, miks Saksamaa vingerdab?

Teiseks, kui me räägime Mario Draghi raportist, siis ilmselgelt peab Euroopa investeerima. Kahtlemata. Kuid investeeringutest on vähe kasu, kui me samal ajal jätkame roheäärmuslusega, mille tulemusel bürokraatia kasvab nagu vähkkasvaja, mille tulemusel ettevõtted sulgevad uksi, nad kolivad välja Euroopast ja lõppkokkuvõttes me vaesume.

Ja siis me siin halame Euroopa Parlamendis, et miks küll nii juhtus. Tegelikult meil on vaja lõpetada roheäärmuslus – vähem regulatsioone, vähem bürokraatiat, kolmandik ametnikke lahti lasta ja anda vabad käed ettevõtjatele, et nad saaksid töökohti luua ja makse maksta.

Solicitudes incidentales de uso de la palabra («catch the eye»)

  Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, domnule ministru, domnule comisar, s-au folosit aici cuvinte foarte importante: competitivitate, industrie inovatoare, locuri de muncă, creșterea nivelului de trai. Eu sper că Consiliul de săptămâna viitoare nu este așa, doar să bifăm raportul Draghi și să vorbim despre competitivitate.

Cum să facem, domnule comisar, cum să facem, domnule ministru, cu energie de trei ori mai scumpă decât în Statele Unite? Cum să avem aceeași egalitate despre care se vorbea aici, în piața unică, pentru care nici nu mai avem un portofoliu? Pentru prima dată, Comisia nu are un portofoliu pentru piața unică, când avem fragmentată piața unică. Pe lângă costurile pe care le avem cu energia, întreprinzătorii din țara mea mai au costuri și cu statul ore în șir la graniță, pentru că nu suntem în Schengen.

Vă propuneți, domnule ministru, până la sfârșitul mandatului, să discutați și această problemă, să nu mai avem două spații în Uniunea Europeană, Schengen și non-Schengen? Vă propuneți să nu se mai introducă controale la frontieră și în statele care sunt acum în Schengen? Despre asta putem vorbi ca să avem competitivitate, ca să avem creștere economică, ca să avem locuri de muncă sigure și, bineînțeles, ca să avem creșterea nivelului de trai.

  Tobiasz Bocheński (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Szanowni Państwo! Cała agenda najbliższej Rady Europejskiej pokazuje, w jakim poważnym kryzysie znajduje się Unia Europejska. Rządzący Europą nie zdają sobie sprawy, do czego doprowadziła ich polityka i w jakiej sytuacji się znajdujemy. Mamy kryzys strefy Schengen, przegrywamy gospodarczo z Chinami, przegrywamy gospodarczo ze Stanami Zjednoczonymi, a u granic Europy toczy się wojna. Nie ma żadnej poważnej refleksji w tym momencie dotyczącej reformy Unii Europejskiej w takim kierunku, w którym powinna zmierzać.

Sprawozdanie Draghiego jest druzgocące w sferze diagnozy sytuacji gospodarczej Unii Europejskiej. Ale jakie są recepty proponowane przez jego autora? Receptą jest wciśnięcie pedału gazu i wjechanie na ścianę, ponieważ chce się kontynuować politykę, która doprowadziła nas do kryzysu. Widać ściśle korelację pomiędzy traktatem z Lizbony, inflacją prawa, liczbą rozporządzeń i dyrektyw, które doprowadziły do sytuacji, w której nasza gospodarka jest nieefektywna. Unia potrzebuje reformy i Komisja, jak i Rada powinny zdać sobie wreszcie z tego sprawę.

  Lukas Sieper (NI). – (Start of speech off mic) … House, praised leaders of Europe: war and foreign policy, economy, migration, climate and biodiversity. Important topics, big-boy topics that give a chance for empowering political speeches, juicy press shots and lovely dinner receptions.

You might think differently now, but I actually support those line of topics. But those are all topics related to recent political crises in Europe. What about a vision for the average people that we represent? What about education? What about internal security? What about the development of the welfare state or the upholding of the rule of law?

Honourable House, praised leaders of Europe, widen your scope. Try to look at this upcoming European Council from the eyes of the average people that you represent. Ask yourself: what line of topics would they put forward?

  Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Señor presidente, señor comisario Šefčovič, acerca de la preparación del Consejo Europeo de octubre, capítulo sobre las migraciones, no veo mayor prioridad que exigir de los Estados miembros que eleven sus planes de ejecución del Pacto sobre Migración y Asilo, con un compromiso leal de cumplimiento de sus obligaciones en materia de solidaridad y ofertas de solidaridad con las fronteras exteriores.

Canarias es de lejos la ruta más mortífera de migración a la Unión Europea, con tragedias como las aguas de El Hierro, que pude comentar en el Pleno de ayer. Pero hemos escuchado hoy demagogia por parte del Partido Popular, pretendiendo que la política responsable europea y humanitaria del Gobierno de España genera un efecto llamada.

Si el Partido Popular quiere ayudar en Canarias, que empiece por exigir de sus comunidades autónomas la redistribución solidaria de los menores no acompañados, que saturan la capacidad de acogida; que apruebe la reforma de la Ley de extranjería que promueve el Gobierno para conseguir ese objetivo, y que exija de esa mayoría de Gobiernos del Partido Popular en la Unión Europea que eleve esas ofertas de solidaridad, que marcarán una diferencia con respecto de las regiones de frontera, que en estos momentos están saturadas.

  Grzegorz Braun (NI). – Mr President, Laudetur Jesus Christus, down with your sustainable development, which is just another name for Soviet/Nazi control! If this is your only offer for the Europeans – Green Deal, Blue Deal, rainbow deal, migration pact, warmongering – then there is no offer. At the same time you are shutting down the Schengen Treaty, then you should shut down this House, probably, because this is fruitless. This is counterproductive, what you are doing here, since you cannot – cannot – save the Schengen group and your only offer is totalitarian control, censorship and pushing European nations for different wars that are not our wars. You should shut down. You should close this ugly, nasty, fruitless project that the European Union currently is. Down with your euro commune!

(Fin de las intervenciones con arreglo al procedimiento de solicitud incidental de uso de la palabra («catch the eye»))

  Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, despite the last intervention, I still would like to very much appreciate the overall debate and the way how most of you, honourable Members, highlighted the sense of urgency of the topics we have been discussing today and the European leaders will discuss next week.

I appreciate almost universal support for Mr Draghi's report, as it was underlined in the interventions of Ms García Pérez, Mr Mureşan or Mr Eickhout, and many others who intervened after them.

As you already know, this report was an important source of inspiration for the Political Guidelines of President Ursula von der Leyen. But also, as I'm sure you already know very well, it's reflected in the mission letters of all Commissioners-designate.

After listening to you, it just reconfirmed the overall need to build wide consensus on the way forward. What we can do to accelerate the completion of the capital markets union, as Mr Gerbrandy was underscoring. How to deal with the future of financing of the EU priorities, which I'm sure will come into the forefront in the discussions which will start next year on the next multiannual financial perspective. But also how to deal with the challenges presented by Ms Grapini, Mr Nica, but also Mr Niedermayer, in the area of energy prices and of course the industry, which goes through very, very challenging times.

We would all agree that we cannot afford any more to lose the potential of the European savings and a potential investment into the European start-ups and scale-ups, and simply to offer alternative for the pension managers and wealth managers in Europe to invest here in Europe, in the European economy, because we are talking about hundreds of billions of euros every year outflowing from Europe. We need to keep them here and we need to offer them good investment opportunities.

Another common line in all the interventions was the underscoring of the importance of competitiveness. How can we build on the EU strengths, robust green and digital policies, strong manufacturing base, high quality of our education, but also top-class research and innovation we have in Europe? And how to tackle the weaknesses, which again was coming like the common line through the interventions, and this is even more focused on cutting the red tape, and I can reassure you that this will be the priority for all commissioners in the next college, who will be coming regularly to debrief you and inform you how they are dealing with this priority.

If you allow me to conclude, Mr President, on one very important point, because many of the honourable Members have been referring to the European standing, or the position of the EU in the global negotiations, in the peace talks, in the debate on terrible conflicts, which are incredibly close to our border. I think that lesson from the past is very clear: more united we are in the European Union, more respected we are abroad, more impact we have on these negotiations, and more important we'll be in finding peaceful resolution of these wars, which are so important for our citizens and for the European Union.

So, if you allow me, Mr President, I would conclude by appealing to all of us to work even harder to forge this unity, because this is our most important strength and this is our key leverage.

  János Bóka, President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, honourable Members, Commissioner, I thank you for your remarks and comments. I will convey them to the President of the European Council. I also take this opportunity to react to some of the comments and remarks, to the extent that they are addressed to the Presidency.

The Presidency will keep the support for Ukraine's winter preparations on the agenda. The TTE (Energy) Council will discuss this issue on 15 October. On financial support to Ukraine, we are committed to a smooth and quick procedure between the co-legislators so that the loan, the mechanism and the funding can be in place as soon as possible. We also expect to agree on the final text of the Council implementing decision and regulation on the allocation of funds quickly.

On the EPF – the European Peace Facility – there are remaining decisions to be taken. Discussions continue with a view to finding a solution. PSC ambassadors will discuss a recent European External Action Service proposal today. A state of play on the extension of the Schengen Area is scheduled for the next Justice and Home Affairs Council.

Coming back to the European Council meeting of 17 and 18 October. Indeed, this meeting has a substantial agenda. Leaders will deal with immediate crises, such as the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, but also with more long-term challenges, including the need for a comprehensive approach to migration and ensuring the EU's competitiveness in an increasingly volatile world.

  El presidente. – Se cierra el debate.