What Sérgio spoke about.

Mr President, Mr Fitto, the new strategy and for the outermost regions recognises the permanent constraints they face, but also their geostrategic importance. I welcome the commitment to systematically apply Article 349 of the Treaty in all future Commission initiatives. Now it is necessary to move from words to deeds. As rapporteur for this Parliament, I will argue that this legislative package i

Mr President, I would like to begin by thanking all the Members involved in this report for their work. I would like to highlight three main aspects of the compromise we have reached. Firstly, this report updates procedures for vehicle inspections, ensuring that they continue to contribute to the reduction of road accidents and fatalities. Secondly, it introduces measures to combat fraud, arising

Madam President, Commissioner, today we are debating women's entrepreneurship in island and outermost rural areas. The data show clear gender inequality in the labour market. The employment rate of women is lower in the outermost regions than the European Union average, with the highest difference reaching 38.5 percentage points In my region, Madeira, women receive on average 11% less than men, de

Mr President, Commissioner, the conflict in the Middle East again exposes Europe's vulnerability to external shocks. It is crucial that we continue to invest in renewable energy and the decarbonisation of our economies, not only because of the need to combat climate change, but also as a way to reduce our dependence on the outside world. Immediately, the European Commission and the ‑ Memb

Mr President, Madam Executive Vice-President, the new mandate of the European Maritime Safety Agency represents an essential step towards a safer and more sustainable Europe in the maritime domain. This revision significantly strengthens EMSA’s competences, including in assessing the safety and sustainability of new technologies, such as alternative fuels. It also strengthens its role in maritime

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, last Friday, after strong pressure from the United States of America, the International Maritime Organization decided to postpone by one year the vote on a global instrument to promote the decarbonisation of maritime transport, which is a serious setback in the fight against climate change. In view of this, the European Union must redouble its diplomatic comm

Madam President, Commissioner, this week the European Parliament is taking an important step towards strengthening the protection of tourists when buying package travel, for example through a travel agency. We want to ensure clearer rules for quick refunds, insolvency protection and greater transparency on consumer rights. Tourists will also have more security through the harmonisation of rules on

Madam President, Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, one year after the deadline for implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, 60% of milestones and targets at European level remain unfulfilled. These figures show that funds centralised in national programmes, which were presented as a solution to improve their efficiency, have not delivered better results. And yet, in the proposal for the ne

Mr President, Commissioner, one of the greatest achievements of the European Union has been the protection of citizens' rights, particularly as consumers. It is therefore incomprehensible that, at a time when so many are questioning the usefulness of the Union and its legislation, the Council is proposing a step backwards, limiting passengers’ access to financial compensation in the event of a fli

Honourable Member, what I have come here precisely to defend and demand has been positive discrimination for outermost regions, as is the case for my region, the Autonomous Region of Madeira, the Azores and other regions in several Member States of the Union. Such positive discrimination should precisely make it possible to channel such support to the most vulnerable populations and to regions wit

Mr President, Commissioner, ensuring truly competitive, efficient and sustainable public transport is essential to achieving the Union's climate objectives and promoting territorial cohesion. Investing in public transport is investing in a fairer, greener Europe closer to its citizens. But there can be no one-size-fits-all approach. We need positive discrimination for the most vulnerable areas, fr

Mr President, Mr Tzitzikostas, investment in transport infrastructure is essential to strengthen the economic and territorial cohesion of the European Union by promoting efficient mobility of people and goods. This is particularly relevant for the outermost regions of the European Union, such as Madeira, which face unique challenges due to their geographical remoteness and insularity. Their full i

Mr President, Commissioner, the future of Europe depends on meeting the demographic challenge. In this sense, one of the main instruments at our disposal is cohesion policy, which aims to reduce economic, social and territorial disparities in the European Union. It is by strengthening cohesion policy and defending its decentralised model that we will be able to ensure the development of all our re

Mr President, Commissioner, Europe is the continent that receives the most tourists. There were more than 700 million in 2023, two million of which were in my homeland, Madeira. Tourism brings enormous economic and social benefits, creates jobs and brings cultures and communities closer together. One of the major challenges for this sector is the decarbonisation objectives that have been set for t

Mr President, Mr Executive Vice-President, I would like to begin by expressing my condolences to the families of all the victims of Cyclone Chido, which has shaken the Mayotte archipelago in recent days. This French outermost region joins so many others that have suffered devastating natural disasters this year, such as my region, Madeira, affected by large-scale fires. Due to climate change, thes

Madam President, Commissioner, Russia's use of obsolete and unsafe vessels, known as the shadow fleet Russia has two major problems. First, it allows Russia to circumvent sanctions, contrary to our objective of supporting Ukraine and ensuring that Russia suffers consequences for its illegal invasion. Secondly, these ships do not follow international standards and are not insured, thus posing a ris

Madam President, Commissioner, some 140 000 hectares of burnt area in Portugal, 8 000 in my region, Madeira, 150 houses destroyed, 177 injured and 9 killed. This is the balance sheet, still provisional, of the tragedy that struck Portugal this year. We cannot accept these catastrophes as routine. To this end, we must ensure that all possible support is given to firefighting. This includes strength