Speeches

The competent authorities of Poland have addressed a request to me for the parliamentary immunity of Grzegorz Braun to be waived. This request is referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs.

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23 October 2025 (2024/2982(RSP)). Before opening the debate, I would like to inform you that President Costa is indisposed and will not be present today.

That concludes the points of order. The next item on the agenda is Council and Commission statements on the first European Annual Asylum and Migration report and the setting up of the Annual Solidarity Pool.

I would like to inform you that, together with the President of the Council, I have today signed two acts – one on soil monitoring and resilience and the other on preventing plastic pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution – adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with Rule 81. The titles of the acts will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

The LIBE Committee has transmitted eight corrigenda to texts adopted by the 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. Their titles will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

The minutes and the texts adopted of the sitting of 23 October 2025 are available. Are there any comments? No, that does not seem to be the case. Therefore, the minutes are approved.

The next vote is on report by Erik Marquardt, on behalf of Committee on Budgetary Control, on the discharge 2023: agencies (see minutes, item 11.5).

The next vote is on report by Andrzej Halicki and Matjaž Nemec, on behalf of Committee on Budgets, on the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2026 – all sections (see minutes, item 11.3).

Please, everybody, put the cards in the machines. Check that they're working. I'd like to remind you – this is important – that if you support the committee's decision to enter negotiations, you should vote in favour. If you do not support it, you should vote against. So we will vote on the decision to enter interinstitutional negotiations. It is by secret ballot and the vote is open.

Second announcement: the competent authorities of Spain have addressed a request to me for the parliamentary immunity of Alvise Pérez to be waived. The request is referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs. Now, I have two points of order. I'll ask, once again, for the colleagues to be quick. First, Paulo Cunha.

Thank you, dear Sviatlana. Now, after five long years of imprisonment in which this House called consistently for your freedom, it gives us all a great pleasure to give the floor to Sergey Tihanovski.

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on the preparation of the European Council meeting of 23 October 2025 (2025/2669(RSP)). I would like to remind you that this will be in the format that we've been putting into practice, where there will be no speakers' list. So after the first round of speakers on behalf of the groups, Members who have received speaking time from their political groups or the Non-Attached Secretariat will be called to speak and will be reminded of their allotted speaking time. Please keep an eye on the screens, and the normal rules regarding blue cards and the catch-the-eye procedure will apply during the debate.

I have received separate requests for a vote in Parliament from The Left, the Greens, the ECR, the PfE, the ESN and individual Members reaching the medium threshold on the decision of the EURI Committee to enter into negotiations on the following file: 'Corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements'. The vote will be held today by secret ballot. Concerning the joint decision of INTA and ITRE committees to enter into interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Rule 72 (1), announced that the opening of the session on Monday 20 October, I have received no request for a vote in Parliament by Members of political groups reaching the medium threshold. The INTA and ITRE committees may therefore start negotiations.

Now we come to the order of business. We will first adopt the agenda and then take the points of order. The final draft agenda, as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 15 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. The following objections are added to Thursday’s voting session: two objections pursuant to Rule 114(3) on 'Specifying a methodology for assessing greenhouse gas emissions savings from low-carbon fuels'. These are the deadlines: for amendments, tomorrow, Tuesday, 21 October, at 13:00. Split and separate votes: also tomorrow, at 19:00. If there are no objections, these changes are approved. We will now move to changes requested by political groups. For Tuesday – tomorrow – the S&D Group has requested that Council and Commission statements on ‘Criminal intimidation against investigative journalists in the EU: the attempted attack to Sigfrido Ranucci’ be added on Tuesday afternoon, after the debate on the Commission Work Programme 2026. As a consequence, the sitting would be extended to 23:00. I give the floor to Sandro Ruotolo to move the request on behalf of the S&D Group.

I would like to inform you that the laureate of the Sakharov Prize for 2025 will be announced on Wednesday – the day after tomorrow – at noon, just before the formal sitting. I warmly invite you to be present in the Chamber for this important announcement, as well as for the formal sitting.

The INTA/ITRE committees jointly and the JURI Committee have decided to enter into interinstitutional negotiations, pursuant to Rule 72(1) of the Rules of Procedure. The reports which constitute the mandate for the negotiations are available on the plenary web page, and the titles will be published in the minutes of the sitting. Pursuant to Rule 72(2), Members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold may request in writing by tomorrow, Tuesday, 21 October at midnight, that the decisions be put to the vote. If no request for a vote in Parliament is made within the deadline, the committees may start the negotiations.

The S&D Group has notified me of a decision relating to changes to appointments within delegations. This decision will be set out in the minutes of today’s sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

On the proposal of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Parliament verifies the credentials of Jaroslav Knot with effect from 31 July 2025 and of Martin Günther with effect from 16 September 2025.