Ladies and gentlemen,

More than a year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we still find ourselves in a situation of unprecedented challenges. The vaccination campaign is advancing, the recovery mechanisms have started, but new threats to our safety require a strong European voice. The events in Belarus, with the hijacking of a civil plane to arrest opponents of the regime, require a leap forward in our response in both strength and speed. I will return on this point, but I would first like to take the opportunity to make a preliminary observation on the functioning of our institutions.

Climate change

Today you are called to discuss important measures concerning the commitments made by the European Union within the framework of the Paris climate agreement.

Our citizens rightly expect those promises to be respected and Parliament is working on legislative proposals.

More precisely, as you know, we are negotiating the law on the climate together with the Council. The question of the 2030 climate goals and the application of the principle of climate neutrality have been subject to complex discussions. We have now reached an agreement, which is in itself good news. However, there remains a lot of work to be done.  

I would respectfully remark that, according to the treaties, the conclusions of the European Council are political agreements between the heads of state and government. Parliament cannot be asked to just give its rubber stamp to these conclusions. The role of the European Parliament as co-legislator, in the areas attributed by the treaties, must not be compromised.

Unfortunately, we have witnessed attempts in this regard in various sectors and on different subjects, particularly regarding the climate law. I am sure that even in this case - as for the MFF - we can find a way to work together in compliance with the respective prerogatives, for a better result for the European Union.

As far as we are concerned, Parliament is working to reach an ambitious climate and energy package before summer, with a strengthened emissions exchange system and more ambitious targets on renewable energy and energy efficiency. This commitment is indivisible from the adoption of wide-reaching social measures: the green transition must be fair and accompany workers during this period of change, with training, protection and support for employment. In Porto, we gave our word to social partners and European citizens and we must work to keep those promises.

External relations / Russia

On the international scene now, more than ever, we need a strong and common European voice. Democracy is not set in stone. It is fragile and if we do not protect it, it can crumble faster than we dare to imagine. We have seen an increase in disinformation, provocations directed at Member States and the entire EU, and authoritarian regimes exploiting the crisis to silence critical voices or limit media freedoms. In this changeable moment, the EU must redefine and strengthen its role on the world stage. An attack on a Member State is an attack on us all. In fact, the safety of one is the safety of all.

Yesterday’s events regarding the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk, en route from Athens to Vilnius, are of unprecedented gravity.

President Lukashenko's regime has deprived Roman Protasevich and another person who accompanied him of their liberty, and held them in Minsk.

We demand their immediate and unconditional release and the possibility for them to leave the country.

An international investigation is undoubtedly needed to verify whether air transport and passenger safety was jeopardised by a sovereign state and if there has been a violation of the Chicago Convention.

Our response must be strong, immediate and unified. The European Union must act without hesitation and punish those responsible. Tonight you have a great responsibility to show that the Union is not a paper tiger.

As for our relations with Russia and China, or our enlargement or neighborhood policies, Parliament has always stated that our strategic interests go hand in hand with our values.

It is evident that the latest sanctions from Russia were not directed only against Vice President Jourova and myself but also against our respective institutions. Instead of intimating us, this only encourages us not to stop.

Russia must release Alexei Navalny.

Next Generation EU / own resources

Last year, we showed what we are capable of when we are united. We adopted an important new tool in our arsenal. For the first time in the history of the European Union, significant budgetary resources financed by a common loan, are available for EU Member States. It is worth stressing that we are talking about a total of 390 billion Euros in grants over three years. Now we must concentrate on the implementation of the device for recovery and resilience, which will be decisive in supporting the recovery in Europe after Covid-19. It offers unique opportunities to boost the growth potential of European economies, while also promoting EU objectives of improving economic equity and reducing the effects of climate change.

The adoption of the decision on own resources is necessary to boost our recovery. We count on parliaments and national governments to complete the ratification processes.

European COVID-19 certificate

We are approaching the second summer since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and people want a well-deserved break. Unfortunately, the virus does not go on vacation. For this reason, our citizens look to us for a solution that guarantees the protection of their health but also the return of travel and normal life.

We are particularly satisfied with the work carried out together with the Council on the COVID-19 certificate to avoid a patchwork of national solutions that would have had harmful effects for citizens, for tourism and for our economic recovery. We welcome the results of the trilogue that reached an initial agreement last Thursday.

For Parliament, the certificate cannot be a condition for free movement. We also clearly indicated that no one must be discriminated against due to health conditions or health choices and we want only necessary data to be included in the certificate.

The real turning point is the rapidity of the vaccination campaign in the European Union. Furthermore, given the current health situation in many countries of the world, it is essential to think and act beyond our borders. For this reason, as I told the G20 Global Health Forum, you should all follow the example of the European Union by exporting vaccines and providing doses to low and medium income countries.

However, this alone is not enough. It is necessary to enhance production in these countries and, in the medium term, allow mandatory sharing of licenses for this purpose - using the flexibility already allowed within the TRIPS agreements at the WTO.

I welcome the Commission’s proposal at the WTO, it is courageous and shows that the Union is working together to support innovative multilateral global action to address this crisis. 

We also believe that it is right to explore all options that can help vaccinate the world’s population in the shortest time, including patent suspension options, if they can contribute to this end.

Immigration

Ladies and gentlemen,

I know that today you will not talk about immigration, but I believe that with the year we have experienced - in which we have taken together courageous and unprecedented decisions - gives us the responsibility to make further equally courageous choices.

A great power such as the European Union can only be a truly global actor if it shows itself able to manage structural phenomenon such as human migration together.

Instead, even today, we witness shipwrecked boats in the Mediterranean, desperate people attempting to swim across the Spanish coast, and many human tragedies on the routes through the Balkans or in the Italian or French Alps. 

Is this really our identity card? Is this lack of cooperation really fitting of our history?

I believe it is not and that it is necessary to act on these three principles.

First, save human lives.

This is a legal and moral obligation and we cannot leave this responsibility only to the NGOs that carry out a supporting function in the Mediterranean. We must return to the idea of a large-scale common operation of the EU in the Mediterranean that saves lives and disrupts traffickers. A European search and rescue mechanism is needed at sea, using the competences of all the actors involved, from Member States to civil society to European agencies.

Second, those in need of protection must be able to arrive in the European Union safely, without needing to risk their lives. We need humanitarian channels to be defined together with the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees and a European resettlement system based on our shared responsibility. We are talking about people who can make an important contribution to the recovery of our societies affected by the pandemic and demographic decline, thanks to their work and their skills.

Finally, therefore, we need a true European migration reception policy. The European Parliament adopted its resolution on the subject last week. We define together the criteria of a single entry and residence permit and we evaluate the needs of our labour markets at national level, which is great - we have seen it during the pandemic when entire economic sectors have stopped due to the absence of immigrant workers. We need to open our doors to regulated and needed immigration for the future of our societies and our social protection systems.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We cannot just ask to be closer to citizens during interventions on Europe Day. This principle must guide all of our actions and be at the centre of our discussions, even those taking place today.

Thank you.