I am here today at the headquarters of our institution to open the December plenary session with a message of solidarity to the citizens of Strasbourg and to the French authorities.

Strasbourg, where I remember with great emotion the terrorist attack of 11 December 2018. My thoughts go out to the victims, their families and their friends.

Strasbourg and the surrounding region have suffered greatly from COVID, which has killed so many of our citizens and changed our lives. We are also aware of the social and economic difficulties the city is facing.

Parliament is on your side.

We were happy to be able to provide a solidarity kitchen and a screening centre, because it is our job to provide for those in difficulty.

It is our shared desire to hold our plenary sessions again in this hemicycle.

Parliament has acted with determination and swiftly implemented the necessary steps to continue its work under the current circumstances. The decisions were difficult and required plenary sessions to be held from Brussels.

They were essential to our democratic life.

Parliament can be proud to exercise its prerogatives and to maintain democratic accountability throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

The session will resume from Brussels, after my opening here in Strasbourg, in full compliance with the measures in force to protect public health. However, we hope to be back soon. This is our home.

The Covid-19 pandemic is having devastating social and economic consequences for our citizens and our businesses.

But from this crisis, I am convinced, we will emerge stronger and more united.

The challenges we face must become an opportunity for change:

- A change that leaves no one behind;

- A change that makes our continent a model of solidarity and sustainability.

It is time for a truly European vision.

 

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A farsighted man, former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing passed away on 2 December.

We have lost a friend and a passionate European.

In his "Mémoires" he wrote that for him it was "a source of intense satisfaction [...] to contribute to the construction of Europe".

And his immense contribution is still part of our reality today:

- a European Parliament elected by universal suffrage;

- the creation in 1979 of the European Monetary System (EMS) which 20 years later gave birth to the euro;

- and the establishment of regular "European Councils", such as the one that took place last weekend.

His European outlook made him work tirelessly for a more democratic Europe, a closer and stronger Europe and led him to lead the Convention charged with developing a European Constitution.

He strongly believed in a project that was as balanced as possible.

As Jean Monnet - who inspired him - observed Europe seemed "une étape naturelle" to Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

For this reason it is natural that Parliament pays tribute to President Giscard d'Estaing, who was a member of this Parliament from 1989 to 1993.

We will gather in this hemicycle, here in Strasbourg, on 2 February, his birthday, to honour him in a ceremony attended by President Macron and other heads of state and government.

Please join me for a minute of silence in memory of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

The time has come to keep his fight and to work for a Europe that lives up to the expectations of our citizens!

 

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This is Parliament's commitment!

Last Saturday, 5 years ago, the Paris Agreement was signed.

Since 2015, the EU and many countries, parliaments and cities have declared a climate and environmental emergency. Citizens, and especially our young people, are calling for urgent global action.

Since then we have imagined a more sustainable development model with environmental and social justice at the centre. The Green Deal is our new growth strategy and will be a game changer for decades to come. We want Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

The emission reduction targets are a measure of our ambition and, under European climate law, the European Parliament considers a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as the key to achieving our goals in the long-term term.

Through the Paris Agreement, European nations have pledged to play a leading role in achieving the green transition.

It is our responsibility, as Parliament, to ensure that the EU continues to be a pioneer in the fight against climate change. Parliament will work to ensure a green transition.

However, politics requires means.

Important votes await us and I am particularly happy that Parliament will vote on the MFF and own resources, as well as on the rule of law regulation after the Council has agreed on this issue.

This money and these new tools are badly needed by our citizens and businesses, which need support now!

Parliament was a decisive player from day one, because we wanted to reach the best possible agreement.

This debate is not just about money, but about the lives of Europeans.

Therefore, we will remain vigilant in the implementation phase.

 

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To conclude, I would like to mention that this month we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement.

While it was important at the time to stop the war, it is now time to look beyond this agreement, and into the future. A quarter of a century later, the wounds of war are still present.

Only through genuine and sincere reconciliation, can the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their political leaders build an inclusive, prosperous society orientated towards Europe, which offers a future for the younger generations.