Speeches

I have received from the Council its position at first reading, as well as the reasons which led to its adoption and the positions and opinions of the Commission. The full title will be listed in the minutes of this sitting. The three‑month period available to Parliament to pronounce on the position begins tomorrow, 11 October.

The PfE Group has notified me of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees and delegations. These decisions will be set out in the minutes of today's sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

I have received a request from the competent authorities in Hungary for the parliamentary immunity of Péter Magyar to be waived, and this request is referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs.

I have one announcement before we go to the vote. On 16 September 2024 I informed you about the publication of the call for nominations with a view to the election of the European Ombudsman and the applicable procedure. By the closing date of 30 September 2024 I had received seven applications. Six of them fulfilled the required conditions and are therefore considered admissible. The nominees for the office of Ombudsman, in alphabetical order, are: Teresa Anjinho, Emilio de Capitani, Marino Fardelli, Julia Laffranque, Claudia Mahler and Reinier van Zutphen. I will now transmit the six nomination files to the Committee on Petitions, which will hold hearings of the nominees open to all Members on 3 December 2024. The related documents will be made available on Parliament's website.

Dear colleagues, on 1 July, Hungary assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Today we have the Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, in the European Parliament for a debate with Members. The Hungarian Presidency is the first of this new legislature, and has a particular role and responsibility in delivering on what our citizens want and expect from our European Union. We are having this debate today in the shadow of devastating floods that raged across Hungary and different Member States two weeks ago. Let me use this opportunity to reiterate this Parliament's support for all the victims of this tragedy and our commitment to help all those impacted in rebuilding and getting people back on their feet. That is Europe in action and that is European solidarity. The Hungarian Presidency arrives at an important moment of institutional change. A new mandate here brings a new challenges and opportunities, which we must jointly embrace, all together. This summer, we witnessed the highest voter turnout in the European elections in 30 years, electing this House as the voice of Europe's democracy. In the next weeks, we will vote in a new College of Commissioners to start working on addressing the priorities that matter to people, the decisions that will shape the future of Europe. There are many other significant steps forward for our Union that we will take together over the coming weeks, months and years, including supporting Ukraine, strengthening European competitiveness and building a more stable, secure Europe in a world of increasing uncertainty – a Union of democracy, prosperity and security that protects our values everywhere. Now Europe may not be perfect – it is, after all, a work in progress. And while we must be honest about where we can do better, we should also not shy away from celebrating our successes. Today, we are here to discuss the Hungarian Presidency's priorities, which I hope will lead to more European success stories. Prime Minister, many of us recall the very lively debate here in the Chamber exactly six years ago. I expect no less today, because in this House of democracy, as in Europe, where the rule of law and freedom of expression are sacrosanct, we may not always agree, but we will always give space for the respectful sharing of views. There is a saying in Hungarian: Sok kicsi sokra megy – 'lots of small will amount to a lot'. That is the power of Europe: together as Europeans we can achieve so much more than we could alone. So on that note, dear Prime Minister, the floor is yours.

Pursuant to Rules 10 and 183 of the Rules of Procedure, and after taking into account the observations of the Member concerned, I have decided to impose a penalty on Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă for having disrupted the sitting of 18 July 2024 by behaving improperly during the debate between the Members of the European Parliament and the candidate for President of the European Commission. This penalty consists of the forfeiture of her entitlement to the daily subsistence allowance for a period of seven days, as well as a temporary suspension from participation in plenary activities of Parliament for a period of seven days on which Parliament meets, starting today, 8 October 2024, without prejudice to her right to vote in plenary and subject to strict compliance with the Members' standards of conduct. The Member concerned has been notified of these decisions and lodged an internal appeal with the Bureau under Rule 184. The Bureau, at its meeting of yesterday evening, confirmed the penalty imposed, without prejudice to the external rights of appeal open to the Member concerned. The penalty is therefore considered final.

I will put Mr Leggeri's request to the vote by roll call. (Parliament rejected the request) For Tuesday, The Left Group has requested that Council and Commission statements on ‘The recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union on the EU's trade agreements with the Kingdom of Morocco’ be added as the last item on Tuesday afternoon. I give the floor to João Oliveira to move the request.

The final draft agenda, as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 2 October pursuant to Rule 163, has been distributed. With the agreement of the political groups I wish to put to the House the following proposals for changes to the final draft agenda. First of all, today the sitting is extended to 23:00. Tomorrow, Tuesday, owing to the unavailability of Commissioner Kyriakides, the Question Time scheduled for the afternoon is postponed and therefore the sitting will now end at 21:00. On Wednesday, Parliament's statements on the recent devastating floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with one round of political group speakers, are added on Wednesday afternoon after the vote, at which point we would be able to show that Parliament stands united in expressing our deepest sympathy and solidarity to those people affected by this disaster. The title of the resolution and debate under Rule 150 on 'The case of Bülent Mumay in Turkey' is changed to 'The case of Bülent Mumay in Türkiye'. If there are no objections to these three points I've just mentioned, the changes are approved and we can now move to changes requested by political groups. For Tuesday, tomorrow, the PfE Group has requested that a Commission statement on the judgment of 4 October of the Court of Justice in Joined Cases C‑608/22 and C‑609/22 and its consequences, notably in terms of immigration policies, be added as the first item in the afternoon instead of Question Time. I give the floor to Fabrice Leggeri to move the request.

To clarify, there is a new Rule in our Rules of Procedure called Rule 164, which is very arduously applied, and it is precisely for us to be able to have a little bit of control on the agenda and what is included, especially on the Monday. So this specific point could fall under Rule 164, Ms Matthieu, and what I would suggest is that for your group, if it wants to bring it back, to bring it back to the next plenary.

I'd like to inform you that since the adjournment of Parliament's session on 19 September, I have signed, together with the President of the Council, one act adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with Rule 81 of Parliament's Rules. I'd also like to inform you that on Wednesday I shall sign, together with the President of the Council, three acts adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure. The titles of the acts will be published in the minutes of this sitting. ⁂ I also like to inform the House that I have received multiple requests for points of order, and I will now give the floor to colleagues in the order that I received them, starting with Jean-Paul Garraud.

The competent committees have transmitted eight corrigenda to texts adopted by Parliament. Pursuant to Rule 251, these corrigenda will be deemed approved unless, no later than 24 hours after its announcement, a request is made by a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold that they be put to the vote. The corrigenda are available on the Plenary web page. The titles will be published in the minutes of the sitting.

Following the appointment of Marcin Kierwiński to the Polish Government, Parliament takes note of the vacancy of his seat from 26 September 2024, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. Following the election of Gaëtan Dussausaye and Sylvie Josserand to the French Parliament, Parliament takes note of the vacancy of their seats from 27 September 2024, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. The competent authorities of Czechia have notified me of the election of Tomáš Kubín to the European Parliament, replacing Martin Hlaváček with effect from 1 August 2024. The competent authorities of Hungary have notified me of the election Csaba Dömötör to the European Parliament, replacing Balázs Győrffy with effect from 22 September 2024. The competent authorities of France have notified me of the election to the European Parliament of Christophe Bay, replacing Gaëtan Dussausaye, and of Sévrine Werbrouck, replacing Sylvie Josserand with effect from 27 September 2024. I wish to welcome our new colleagues and recall that they take their seats in Parliament and on its bodies in full enjoyment of their rights, pending the verification of their credentials.

Colleagues, today marks a year of heartbreak since the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel that changed everything. The horror of that day will live in infamy. There is nothing that could ever justify the indiscriminate mass murder, rape, kidnapping and torture that occurred a year ago. People were burned in their kibbutzim. Young people killed, assaulted or abducted while they danced at a music festival. Hostages, including children and elderly Holocaust survivors, were snatched from their homes. One year later, too few have been able to make it back to their loved ones. A number of families of those hostages are with us here today in the gallery. I would like to thank you for coming. (The House rose and applauded the families present in the gallery) Thank you for coming. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for being their voice. This House will continue to do what we can to help bring them all home. The 7 October attacks triggered a cycle of war, death and devastation that has seen thousands killed in Gaza; that has seen instability across the region. Too many young people now know the horror of war. Too many parents are forced to see their families go hungry. Too many children will never grow old. Too many innocents have paid the highest price. As we remember all those lost and all those taken, the European Parliament's calls for the immediate release of the remaining hostages will remain steadfast. Our calls for a ceasefire will remain resolute. Our efforts towards de-escalation will remain strong. And our work for a real, dignified, sustainable, long‑term peace in the region will remain unwavering. In memory of all the innocent lives lost I ask you now to stand for a minute of silence.

Mr Draghi, dear colleagues, the sitting will be suspended for a couple of minutes while I escort Mr Draghi, and then we start the statements on the future of European competitiveness.

Now, dear colleagues, with us today we have former Prime Minister of Italy and President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, in order to present his report to us on the future of European competitiveness. Mr Draghi, caro Mario, welcome to the European Parliament. This is not the first time that you come here, but this is the first time in your current capacity, so we are very happy and welcome you here. As we embark on a new term, your report comes at a crucial time in our discussions. We need to turn the electoral messages our voters sent to us into a political programme – one that is serious, one that is deliverable and implementable. For it to be serious, it must help our industries in their digital and green transformation, incorporating every sector to enable faster economic growth, quality jobs and a strong industrial base capable of competing globally. For it to be deliverable, it must create the right conditions and frameworks for our start-ups and SMEs to grow and stay in Europe. This means increasing productivity, innovation and speeding up investments in own industrial capabilities. It means reducing excessive bureaucracy, which risks holding us back. It also means we need to deepen our single market and ensure a level playing field through an integrated policy approach. And for our programme to be implementable, we all need to work together on how to finance these needs. Above all, we need to invest in our citizens. In order to face the challenges of the digital age and fully benefit from the green transition, we need to equip ourselves with the necessary skills. By focusing on education, we will place citizens at the centre of our policies. When it comes to making progress on all the policies, no one should be left behind. We cannot allow ourselves, our citizens, to lose out. So Mr Draghi, the European Parliament is eager to listen to your proposals on how we can bring Europe a little bit closer to how our people want it to be, to make their lives easier, our shared space safer, and our Europe better, stronger and fairer for all Europeans.

Dear colleagues, before we start the address with Mario Draghi, allow me a moment to welcome some special guests with us: women who have stood up to the climate of fear in Afghanistan, who confront tyranny. Afghan women, who we are honoured to welcome today. You can see them in the gallery. Welcome! These women with us are former members of parliament and senators. They are diplomats, doctors, athletes and activists. Some have been jailed; others have been tortured. Their backgrounds and experience are diverse, but their commitment to fighting for equality unites them. And these voices, like yours, will not be silent. Your struggle will not be ignored. And as you have just seen from the reaction of the Members of Parliament, this House is your friend and your ally, and we will continue to stand with you in solidarity. (Sustained applause)

Thank you very much. I will put the request of the ECR Group to a vote by roll call. (Parliament approved the request) So I will give you the deadlines: the motion for resolution, tomorrow at 7 p.m.; amendments to the motions for resolutions and joint motions for resolutions, Wednesday at 1 p.m.; amendments to joint motions, Wednesday at 2 p.m.; splits and separates, Wednesday at 7 p.m. The agenda is hereby adopted. The order of business is thus established.