This meeting of the European Council opens with the painful news of a horrific racist massacre perpetrated last night in the city of Hanau in Germany.

I want to express on behalf of Parliament our solidarity with the victims, their families, and the citizens and authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany. Our thoughts and our feelings go out to Chancellor Merkel.

Distinguished heads of state and government,

First, I would like to thank President Michel for his efforts. The Parliament particularly appreciated his availability and the discussions he has held with us.

I know there is great anticipation to hear the position of the European Parliament. I am sorry but I am not here today to surprise you! As you may have already heard, we are not satisfied with the current proposal.

The decision on the next multiannual financial framework and on own resources is probably the most important of this new institutional cycle, because it will allow the great ambitions that the Commission, the Council and Parliament have set for Europe and our citizens to be fulfilled.

We meet today for the first time after the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. We must demonstrate that the Union is able to overcome this crisis and remain a unique, political, economic, and trade power, which countries would like to join and which commands respect on the international scene.

We are deciding what Europe will look like in seven years, but as part of a strategy that must lead us to 2050. Therefore, we cannot back away from our responsibilities. We must equip the Union with all the means necessary to address the challenges we have decided to face together.

We know them well. The first and most urgent, which represents an existential threat not only to Europe but also to the whole planet, is climate change. We cannot prevaricate any further: we must act now. The Green Deal proposed by President Ursula von der Leyen offers an ambitious path to follow so that Europe can set an example for the rest of the world, becoming, by 2050, the first climate neutral continent.

Obviously, achieving this will require a major financial effort.

The fight against climate change is the lever for a new model of sustainable development. Do we really believe this? If yes, then resources are needed for growth and development, and to support countries, businesses, and people through this transition. Resources are needed to help our systems of production and workers adapt to the necessary changes. However, this is not all. We want resources so that Europe is always at the forefront of research and does not rely on importing new technologies to whose development it has not contributed. In the last months, everyone, including yourselves, will have seen that there is great attention on what Europe will do.

Faced with these challenges, we must demonstrate courage and ambition. We must act as real leaders. For example, we must explain to the citizens of our Member States that the transfer of resources from national budgets to the European budget means to increase the capacity of our countries, not to reduce them. The budget of the Green Deal must live up to its ambitions.

Without additional resources, the Green Deal, the digital transition and geopolitical Europe will remain empty slogans. How can we shorten the distances between the center and the periphery, if we reduce the funds for cohesion, or how can we develop a green Europe if we do not invest in agriculture? For the European Parliament, the proposed cuts on agriculture and cohesion are unacceptable. This is also the case for our fellow citizens who, increasingly, demand strong responses from the Union. Security, defence of our territory, effective management of our common borders: these are all issues on which, in the years to come, the EU will have to do more.

This will obviously not be possible without adequate funding. A clear example comes from the resources devoted to migration. Parliament and the Commission have proposed resources of over €30 billion, the "Negobox" €21 billion. If there are not adequate resources, the countries of the South will find themselves with neither a working European immigration policy - given the Council’s failure to discuss the reform of the Dublin Treaty - nor the funding they need to manage the situation.  In other words, they will be left alone. This does not only apply to the South, it also applies to the control of the northern and eastern borders. As another example, we have taken President Von der Leyen's proposal to triple the funds for Erasmus very seriously. We have given the same attention to research funds, which will allow Europe to invest in the fight against climate change and in digitalisation.

Three weeks after Brexit, we need to consolidate our unity and demonstrate, once again, that the EU is a forward-looking project. In this regard, I would like to thank President Michel for his efforts to equip the Just Transition Fund, although this needs to be further increased.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Council, it is in everyone's interest to break the artificial dichotomy between net contributors and beneficiaries: all Member States, without exception, benefit from the EU. All receive great benefits from the European budget and even more from the single market, of which the budget is a key component.

Some love to invoke the rules. Allow me, in turn, to recall what is stated at the beginning of the most important of our rules, the Treaty on European Union: the States declare themselves wanting "to deepen the solidarity between their peoples" and "resolved to continue the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe.” The system of rebates given to some States today represents a concession that contrasts with the principle of European solidarity. The European Parliament therefore opposes the perpetuation of this outdated system.

It also is appropriate to stress the need to have a new conditionality mechanism capable of protecting the budget of the Union when the rule of law is not respected and a systematic violation of European values ​​occurs.

Today we must demonstrate our ambition and our courage. I thank President Michel for his attention to the issue of own and permanent resources for the EU budget. The proposals currently under consideration represent a step in the right direction that the European Parliament has always wanted. For the first time in more than 40 years, new categories of revenue could finally be introduced which, among other things, would progressively reduce transfers from national budgets. The proposed revenue streams need to be expanded and a reasonable timetable for their implementation is essential.

Nobody intends to impose new taxes on our fellow citizens. Rather we want to make sure that everyone pays proportionately to what they produce. We think that digital giants and the financial sector must play their part. I am sure that each of you will be able to explain this to people in your country.

We are all aware that we need a European response to the problems that each country is facing. Right now, an ambitious budget is the best political response to those who want to divide Europe. You too have asked yourself the question many times: why do they want to divide us? Why do so many want to bet on the failure of the EU? Because we are the largest economic market in the world. Because we are a space of democracy and because our values ​​are the measure of our relationship with others. Everyone expects something from us, and you, more than anyone, knows that. Beyond showing economic leadership, we must show moral leadership.

The amount that the European Parliament is asking for is not an extravagance, nor the expression of a whim of some irresponsible Members. On the contrary, the contribution calculated by Parliament is very pragmatic, as Jean Monnet taught us. This is a calculation based on the needs of the Union, on the commitments made by the new Commission and by the strategic agenda of the Council. The means we ask for are intended for the Member States and our citizens. It is not necessary to repeat our dissatisfaction with a proposal that is far from meeting Europe’s needs.

I remind everyone that the European Parliament has been ready to negotiate since 2018. However, to do so, the Council needs to have a common position. This is not the time for rigidity. We await with interest the proposal that the Council will formulate so that we can negotiate a text that takes into account the position outlined by the European Parliament. 

It is essential to find an agreement in a short period on the MFF and on own resources to finalise the negotiations on sectoral programmes and thus avoid delays in the implementation of the previous financial frameworks.

The European Parliament is aware that this is the time for your discussion and for your reflection, and we have great respect for the role of the Council. Of course, in accordance with the treaties, we will also be called upon to express ourselves with a vote. In this regard, I feel obliged to say that the European Parliament will not just accept any agreement. There is a very large majority ready to reject any proposal that does not take due account of Parliament’s positions.

I am convinced that together we will be able to find a courageous agreement that meets the expectations of European citizens. The next seven years depend on it, but above all the future of Europe does.