What José Manuel spoke about.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union, the institutions, have given the Member States instruments which make it possible to improve the living conditions of the population, of the citizens of the European Union, to improve their salaries, and which are not being used. The Recovery and Resilience Plan is not being well implemented and implemented as it should be in

Mr President, there are people who, by imposing more bureaucracy, introducing rules that distort the market, bringing more expensive food to citizens, do not realize that they are being the best friends of the far-right, do not realize that it is then impossible to move towards legislation with animal welfare objectives with which we all agree. You are the best friends of the far-right. If you say

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, it is essential that the legislation that exists is applied and is applied in particular by the Member States of the European Union. Then new legislation and rules are welcome for animal welfare, but it is essential that they are balanced. It is important that they do not bring more bureaucracy, more burdens on farmers and, at the

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union's budget, although small – around 1% of the European Union's GDP – makes an important contribution to competitiveness, territorial cohesion, productivity and sustainability. It is essential that, in 2025, small and medium-sized enterprises are supported in the context in which we live, farmers, young people, reinforcing Erasmus+.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Investment Bank plays a fundamental, crucial role, it is an asset for investment in the European Union and for the pursuit of our objectives, particularly in the context of the climate and digital transitions. The European Investment Bank, we are not always aware, is the world's largest issuer of green bonds, but we need to do more, particularly in

Mr President, geographical indications value our roots and traditions, promote our cultural and gastronomic heritage, defend authenticity, defend the rural world, are a sign of quality, are an asset, are a heritage and a legacy that we must nurture. We must protect the products, even if some are impossible to replicate, as is the case with green wine. We need to simplify and simplify so that we ca

Madam President, STEP makes it possible to finance emerging technologies, strategic projects, an opportunity that we must not miss, which we must not waste. All companies are eligible, but small and medium-sized enterprises have a special focus. Skills, too, will have to be used and they too will have to be improved and STEP allows this. We can and have an obligation to improve salaries and attrac

Mr President, Commissioner, Council, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union will only meet the challenges it faces if it acts firmly, courageously, ambitiously and unitedly, in solidarity. With this revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework, which we finally have after some attempts at blocking and blackmailing, we have been able to show that we are able when we are together to deliberate,

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, more than statements and proclamations by the Commission and the Council, we need action, action in favour of European farmers and citizens. They are paying more and more expensive food prices and farmers are getting less and less. A coordinated Europe-wide action plan is needed to prevent speculation and for us to strengthen our autonomy, particularly on the is

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, farmers are rightly protesting and protesting. We have an obligation to know how to hear the cry of revolt in order to act, to act accordingly. Farmers deserve support. And here I turn to the Council: missed an opportunity, had the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework, where they could have increased amounts for farmers. And what did they do? They

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the agreement reached unanimously by the Council is generally positive. We will have the resources to show our commitment and solidarity with Ukraine and also with migration. But there are negative aspects that need to be corrected. We need a European Union that focuses on research and innovation. The Council cuts in research and innovation. In the pandemic,

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we must value, we must support farmers. They produce high-quality food, respecting the highest environmental and food safety standards. We cannot overburden farmers with red tape, meaningless rules, impossible demands, as many colleagues have approved and defended here in the European Parliament, and now they are making speeches here in which they appear to b

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is not acceptable for a ruler, a single ruler, Mr Viktor Orbán, to harm European citizens – the 450 million European citizens – by blackmailing and blocking them, and blackmail can never be rewarded. The challenges we face imply de facto solidarity: concrete actions and coordinated and joint actions. Nationalism is not the solution. Proudly alone is not a sol

Madam President, Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Belgian Presidency has a duty – indeed an obligation – to contribute to a strong, capable, secure European Union; a European Union that is both competitive, solidarity-based and cohesive; a geopolitical European Union with global strength; a European Union that, for this, must have common projects, strategic investments. I ask the Prime Mi

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, my first message goes to the Council. There are new revenues on the table, new own resources, worth EUR 40 billion a year, which gives us the European Union that we all want and that you also proclaim: a strong, capable, geopolitical European Union that delivers on its commitments. Make up your mind! We've made up our minds. The European Commission has also p

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a compliment also to the Presidency of the Council, we all know that the budget of the European Union is small: around 1% of the European Union’s gross domestic product, and around €189 billion in 2024. But it is essential for our competitiveness, for our productivity, for the cohesion of the territory, for our internal solidarity and external soli

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, today the European Parliament will give the green light for the introduction of three new own resources, three new revenue for the European Union budget. There is an urgent need for the Council to decide. It is unacceptable for the Council to delay. The own resources decision-making process is one of the most time-consuming. The European Commiss

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, my words go to the co-rapporteur, Valérie Hayer, with whom we have done a fruitful job for this objective, this long-standing desire, which is to have new revenue for the European Union budget. It has always been our objective and, moreover, it should be noted that the revenue from the Union budget should be genuine. No one can feel t

Madam President, we need a strong, competitive, inclusive Europe, a secure Europe, a geopolitical Europe, and for that we need the Energy Union, interconnections, the Digital Union, the Union of defence, civil protection, health... And besides, we can't shut ourselves down. And here, trade agreements with Africa and Latin America, in particular Mercosur, are important. And I ask: How is the Mercos

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, my questions are to the Council. Why do they take so long to decide and often don't? And then European citizens put everything in the same bag and think it's the fault of Brussels, the European Parliament, the Commission. It's your responsibility! The Multiannual Financial Framework - there is an urgent need t

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, Presidency, European citizens deserve a budget that lives up to their expectations and responds to the needs and challenges we face. And for that, we need a sufficient budget, a capable budget, a budget that supports research, farmers - and here a highlight to a proposal that we have for an increase of EUR 40 million for young farmers, young people

Madam President, we would like to request a plenary vote on the referral back to committee for interinstitutional negotiations in accordance with Rule 59(4).

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, I want to thank all this debate by those who are pro-European and who want the well-being of European citizens. This debate has also proved, once again, that the extreme – left and the extreme – right unite against everything that is progress, development, resources for financing, even in this objective of strengthening the strategic autonomy of

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, the European Union's strategic autonomy is essential for our competitiveness, for our social cohesion, for our quality of life and, therefore, we must ensure that, rather than words, it is a reality. We must therefore move on to action instead of sticking to the proclamations that so often exist in the Council, and then there is no such will to mat

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, it is our obligation to defend freedom, democracy, the rule of law, the defence of life and human dignity and, therefore, we support Ukraine and, therefore, we must continue to support these values. By supporting Ukraine, we are defending the citizens of the European Union. There is an urgent need for the Council to decide and decide, inter alia, t