What Roberta spoke about.

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.

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.

Now I put the request to the vote by roll call. (Parliament rejected the request) The agenda is unchanged for Wednesday. The ECR Group has requested that the debate on the Commission statement on the devastating floods in Central and Eastern Europe, the loss of lives and the EU's preparedness to act on such disasters exacerbated by climate change would be wound up with a resolution. I give the floor to Mr Adam Bielan to move the request.

On 30 August 2024, a call for nominations with a view to the election of the European Ombudsman was published in the Official Journal. The closing date for submitting nominations is 30 September 2024. On 2 September, you received an email from me with further information on the procedure, including the standardised form for supporting signatures. I would like to recall you that, pursuant to Rule 237(2) of our Rules of Procedure, each nomination has to have the support of at least 39 Members who are nationals of at least two Member States. Each Member may support only one nomination. If you support more than one nomination, your signature will not be considered for any of the nominations in question. Also, your support will only be valid if indicated on the standardised form within the time limit for the submission of nominations. Once a nomination has been submitted, additional signatures will no longer be accepted. However, you may withdraw your signature by notifying me before the end of the time limit for nominations. I will then transmit nominations that meet all the criteria to the Committee on Petitions, which will hold hearings of the nominees at the beginning of December. These hearings will be open to all Members. The election of the new Ombudsman in plenary will then take place during the December 2024 part-session. ⁂ I would like to inform the House that I received many requests for points of order. I will take them in the order in which I received them.

I would like to inform you that, together with the President of the Council, I shall on Wednesday sign three acts adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure, in accordance with Rule 81 of the Rules of Procedure. The titles of the acts will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

The competent committees have transmitted 20 corrigenda to texts adopted by Parliament. Pursuant to Rule 251, these corrigenda will be deemed approved unless, no later than 24 hours after their 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 webpage. These titles will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

The EPP, S&D, Patriots, ECR and Greens/EFA groups have notified me of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees. 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 two requests from the competent authorities in Germany for the parliamentary immunity of Petr Bystron to be waived. I have received requests from the competent authorities in Poland for the parliamentary immunities of Adam Bielan, Michał Dworczyk, Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik to be waived. I have also received a request from the competent authorities in Hungary for the parliamentary immunities of Klára Dobrev to be waived. These requests are referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs.

Following the resignation of Martin Hlaváček, and on the proposal of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Parliament takes note of the vacancy of his seat from 1 August 2024, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, and will inform the national authority concerned thereof. Following the resignation of Balázs Győrffy, and on the proposal of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Parliament takes note of the vacancy of his seat from 2 September 2024, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, and will inform the national authority concerned. The competent authorities of Croatia have notified me of the election of Marko Vešligaj to the European Parliament, replacing Predrag Fred Matić, with effect from 5 September 2024. I wish to welcome our new colleague and recall that he takes his seat in Parliament and its bodies in full enjoyment of his rights pending the verification of his credentials.

I have a few announcements before we go to the agenda. Over the last days, we have witnessed the consequences of extreme weather and flooding in Poland, Hungary, Austria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany, which have been devastating, as are the brutal impacts of major wildfires in Portugal. We have seen stories of heartache and loss, of courage under pressure, of survival and hardship. I know that all our thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones, their homes and those missing, with the first responders, and with all those still battling. This is a moment for European solidarity, of coming together to play our respective parts however we can. In the worst of times our people need to see the best of Europe. And on behalf of the European Parliament, let me underline that we will continue to do whatever is necessary to help. The leaders of the political groups have just agreed to hold a debate in this Chamber on Wednesday in order to assess the European Union's readiness to provide immediate, crucial assistance to provide such assistance to the countries and the regions affected by these catastrophic incidents. When people look to the European Union, they will find us ready. Dear colleagues, today also marks two years since the brutal murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Iran, a date which will forever live in infamy. Let me reiterate now that the European Parliament proudly stands with those brave, defiant women and men who continue to fight for equality, for dignity and for freedom in Iran. We continue to stand with those who risk their lives, even from prison, to keep the Women, Life, Freedom movement alive. Today, we honour the legacy of Mahsa Amini, our 2023 Sakharov Prize winner, and all those who paid the price for liberty. The European Parliament remembers here, today and always. Now, dear colleagues, it is also with a very heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of our colleague and dear friend Predrag Fred Matić on 23 August. Fred was a champion of social justice, of human rights and equality. Whether it was fighting for women's rights, veterans' rights or access to health care, he did not only influence policies – he changed lives. Everyone who worked with him knew how passionate he was about the power of Europe to make a difference, how deeply he believed in politics as a force for good and the infectious nature of his enthusiasm. As a war hero, a Member of Parliament, a former minister, he was driven by a strong sense of duty and unwavering in his commitment to build a better Europe. His legacy will endure in all of us who had the honour of working with him. Our thoughts are with his family, the Croatian delegation and the S&D Group in this House. Please join me for a moment of silence to honour the memory of Mr Matić.

Good afternoon, dear colleagues, could I please ask you to take your seats? Nice to see you all after the summer break. All right, let's start. So, dear colleagues, welcome back. We are back in Strasbourg, and we start this plenary session. I declare resumed the session of the European Parliament adjourned on 19 July 2024.