Speeches

The IMCO and ECON committees have decided to enter into interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Rule 71(1) of the Rules of Procedure. The reports which constitute the mandates for the negotiations are available on the plenary webpage, and their titles will be published in the minutes of the sitting. Pursuant to Rule 71(2) Members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold may request in writing by tomorrow, Tuesday 5 July at midnight, that the decisions to enter into negotiations be put to the vote. If no request for a vote in Parliament on the decisions to enter into negotiations is made within the aforementioned deadline, the committees may start the negotiations.

The minutes and the texts adopted of the sittings of 22 and 23 June are available. Are there any comments? That does not seem to be the case, and therefore the minutes have been approved.

So, dear colleagues, we are here today, a day after a horrific shooting in Copenhagen where three people were murdered in a shopping mall after being shot by an armed assailant. I think I speak for everyone here when I say our thoughts are with all the victims, their families and everyone in Copenhagen. Denmark, we are with you. Yesterday, we also saw the terrible news emerge of a mountain glacier collapsing in the Alps in Italy, leaving at least six persons dead, eight injured and twenty missing. Experts have told us that the warming temperature means that the entire glacier is under threat. The horrible tragedy in the Dolomites between the northern Italian regions of Trentino and Veneto has shocked all of us. And I wanted to use this opportunity to offer our deepest condolences and those of the European Parliament to those affected. I would like to ask you, dear colleagues, to join us in having a minute of silence. (The House rose and observed a minute’s silence)

The joint resolution is overwhelmingly adopted. (Loud and sustained applause) Congratulations, dear colleagues. I will convey this message of the strongest support this afternoon in a few hours at the European Council.

Before our session, I have one announcement, dear colleagues, before we go to the votes. Following the resignation of Fernando Barrena Arza, Parliament takes note that, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, his seat will be vacant as from 3 September 2022. Parliament will inform the national authority accordingly.

Dear colleagues, dear President Hichilema, in May 2017, this House adopted a resolution in which we expressed grave concern over your arrest, Mr President, and incarceration on fabricated, politically motivated charges. We insisted on the need to ensure fairness, diligence and transparency during your trial. After the abuse and hardship you suffered, you now address us as the democratically elected President of your country. It is indeed, therefore, a great honour to have you with us today. Zambia is a democratic model in Southern Africa and an example of a mature democracy for the whole African continent. In the current troubled geopolitical context, it is important that democratic forces nourish and further develop cooperation with each other. This applies especially for Africa, where we see the increasing influence of Russia and other malign players. Zambia is a long—term, stable partner of the European Union and plays a key regional role. Our relationship is rooted in a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation. It is based on shared values of democracy, respect for the rule of law, human rights and rules-based multilateralism. We are well aware of the serious economic challenges brought on your country by the pandemic and exacerbated by the increased prices of fuel and fertilisers resulting from the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The European Union stands ready to mitigate these consequences through the ‘Global Gateway Africa’ initiative and through reinforced political dialogue. This Parliament fully supports your government in its endeavours to tackle your main challenges and priorities – notably the fight against poverty, encouraging economic recovery, the creation of decent jobs and the promotion of good governance. Dear President, the floor is yours.

Prime Minister, I now give you the floor to respond to the questions, the comments, the gifts, the attributions, the books that you have received.

The next item is the ‘This is Europe’ debate with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković (2022/2709(RSP)). Dear colleagues, we have the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković with us today. Prime Minister, welcome back to the European Parliament. It is a House that you know so well. We know you as a proud pro-European who, as State Secretary for European integration, laid the groundwork for Croatia’s accession to the European Union in 2013, and as a Member of the European Parliament you worked closely with all of us and also our Ukrainian colleagues. Today, it is under your leadership, as Prime Minister of Croatia, that your country has successfully met all the legal criteria for entry into the euro area. Congratulations! At the start of the year, our House celebrated the euro’s 20th anniversary and it is fitting that Croatia will soon become the 20th member of the eurozone. This marks a true defining moment for Croatia and our Union, but in order to remain credible we must also be consistent. Croatia is ready for Schengen. The European Parliament has long recognised that Croatia has met all the necessary requirements to join the Schengen area and we will continue to support that. Croatia’s European story is a success story. It gives hope. It shows results. With a war on our continent, with the decisions that we must take this week, the importance of hope cannot be underestimated. But hope alone will only get us so far. When countries look to Europe, they expect us to keep our promises and they expect tangible progress, because Europe can be more. On that note I thank you, Prime Minister, dear Andrej, for being a staunch supporter of Europe, for your leadership and for your tireless endeavours to maintain a viable EU perspective for the region. Prime Minister, Andrej, the floor is yours.

Thank you Mr Liese, especially for thanking the staff. Therefore we vote on referral back to committee. (Parliament agreed to the request for referral back to committee)

So colleagues, thank you for the points that you made. Two weeks ago we took the decision in the plenary to refer the ETS and the CBAM files back to the ENVI Committee. Since 8 June, we – you – have worked hard to unblock the situation and we now have I think the shared responsibility to move forward on these important files and to start interinstitutional negotiations swiftly. And it is exactly for situations such as these that our Rules of Procedure rarely, but necessarily, foresee different options to facilitate votes. And I insist on the word ‘facilitate’. Rule 183(3) gives us the tools that we need in this situation and it is the prerogative, but most of all the duty, of the President to make use of it to ease plenary votes. It is not the first time that amendments jointly tabled by multiple groups have been put to the vote first. So I will give the floor now to a round of political group speakers, as was agreed.

We now come to the vote on the request for urgent procedure from the AGRI Committee on ‘Exceptional temporary support under EAFRD in response to the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’ (COM(2022)0242 – C9-0185/2022 – 2022/0166(COD)). Before the vote only the mover and one speaker against may be heard, along with the Chair or rapporteur of the committee responsible. Is there any Member who would like to speak or shall we go directly to the vote? We shall go directly to the vote. (Parliament agreed to the request for urgent procedure) The vote will be held tomorrow, Thursday 23 June at 11.30. The deadline for tabling amendments is today, Wednesday 22 June at 17.00. The deadline for tabling split and separate votes is today, Wednesday, at 20.00.

Thank you very much Mr Lamberts. I have received the same request from The Left and the S&D Group. This is a request for Council and Commission statements on ‘National vetoes to undermine the global tax deal’ to be added as the second point in the morning on Thursday. This would mean that the Council and Commission statements on ‘The relations of the Russian Government and diplomatic network with parties of the European extreme right and extreme left in the context of the war’ would be postponed, and this new debate would be wound up with a resolution that will be voted in July. I now put the request to the vote. (Parliament approved the request) The debate will take place and what was previously foreseen will be postponed. The agenda is adopted and the order of business is thus established.

The S&D and ID groups have notified me of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees and delegations. Those decisions will be set out in the minutes of today’s sitting and shall take effect on the date of this announcement.

Dear colleagues, a number of Group leaders have asked to be given the floor. Manfred Weber first, please, and then Stéphane, but quickly we have more files to vote on.

I just wanted to inform you before we start, dear colleagues, that we have just received word of an incident in Berlin where a car has reportedly hit a crowd of people. At least one person has lost their life and some 30 others are injured. So while we wait for more information and details, I wanted, on behalf of the European Parliament, to say that our thoughts are with the loved ones of the person killed and with all the survivors. We will keep you updated with the information as we receive it.

Thank you so much, dear Ruslan, thank you. As you can see from the very long standing ovation that you received, this Parliament stands with you. We stand with Ukraine and we will not stop until Ukraine wins. (The sitting was suspended at 12.02) ⁂ (Ceremony: presentation of the LUX Audience Award)

In relation to the decisions by the ITRE and ECON committees to enter into interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Rule 71(1) announced at the opening of the session on Monday 6 June, I have received no request for a vote in Parliament by Members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold. The committees may therefore start the negotiations. (The sitting was suspended for a few moments)

The first item is the ceremony on the 60th anniversary of the common agricultural policy. This is an important point, dear colleagues. Today we have with us Minister Fesneau and Commissioner Wojciechowski. A few words from my side before we watch a short video. Today we mark the 60th anniversary of our common agricultural policy, a monumental policy for our Union. This is a policy that has enabled us to increase productivity, ensure the availability of reasonably priced food and provide fair living standards to farmers. Colleagues, our common agricultural policy has transformed Europe. Our farmers not only provide us with the food security we need: they also export around EUR 180 billion-worth of agri-products to third countries. Europe’s quality products have helped feed the world. But we must also consider the challenges that lie ahead. Only 11% of farm managers in the EU are under the age of 40. Our agri-sector is in desperate need of an influx of skilled young farmers that can boost innovation. We need to approach farming with a fresh perspective. We also need to pay closer attention to the quality of our products and the sustainability of production processes. This is why we need to speed up and gear up our efforts to make farming as environmentally friendly as possible. The reform of the common agricultural policy, together with the Farm to Fork strategy, are tailor-made for this purpose. Another challenge is the rising costs of production that will soon lead to higher food prices. Fertiliser prices rose by 30% since the beginning of 2022. Increases in fuel costs are reaching record levels. Inflationary pressure is having an enormous effect on the day-to-day management of our 10 million farms in the European Union. And here I must emphasise the immense disruption of trade in grain and cereals as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Blockades of ports and an inability to find alternative ways to transport agricultural products into and out of Ukraine have led to higher prices and a sense of instability. The pressure that it has caused on global food supply chains is extremely worrying. If Ukraine is not allowed to toil its fields, we are looking at a global, multi-year lack of food supplies. All these challenges need a decisive and firm reaction from us. Agriculture is a strategic sector of our economy. On this milestone anniversary, let me end by paying tribute to all the people behind the success of our common agricultural policy: the farmers, their families and all other ancillary workers that put a huge effort in the fields, come rain or shine. They are the true narrators of this success story. (A video was shown in the Chamber)

The request is rejected, so the agenda remains unchanged. For Thursday, the PPE Group has asked that the debate and the resolution on the Council and Commission statements on ‘The call for a convention for the revision of the Treaties’ taking place on Thursday morning be postponed to the June II part—session. I give the floor to Sven Simon to move the request on behalf of the PPE Group.