Speeches

– Mr President, honourable Members, I would like to thank you for sharing your views on enlargement policy and for further stressing the importance of the Copenhagen criteria. But before thanking and concluding, I would like to reply to a few questions. First to Mr Mariani, who unfortunately left, and to Ms Konečná, on Ukraine. Only a few words. The question was: has Ukraine received special treatment due to the war? Ukraine accession process is merit-based. Ukraine has gone through the regular steps that each country who wishes to join the European Union needs to take. Since the granting of candidature status, the European Commission has published its analytical report on Ukraine’s preparations for EU accession in February 2023, and it has updated Member States on progress towards meeting the seven steps of the Commission Opinion, and Ukraine has been included in the Enlargement Package for the first time this year, alongside with Moldova and Georgia. As such, no special treatment has been given to Ukraine in the enlargement process. Despite Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine made significant progress in the implementation of the seven steps since the European Council of June last year. Ukraine has established a transparent pre-selection system for the Constitutional Court judges and reformed the judicial governance bodies. Ukraine has ensured the appointment of independent heads of the anti-corruption agencies, and has built a credible track record of high-level corruption investigations and convictions. To sustain these efforts, Ukraine took additional measures, such as the implementation of the State Anti-Corruption Programme and the restoration of the electronic asset declaration system, also with some shortcomings. Ukraine has also advanced on the alignment of its Anti-Money-Laundering Framework with the Financial Action Task Force Centres. It has adopted a comprehensive strategic plan for the reform of the law-enforcement sector. It has stepped up systematic measures against oligarchs in such areas as competition and political-party funding, and agreed to revise an anti-oligarch law to bring it in line with European law or European rule of law standards. Ukraine has aligned its media law with European Union law, and continued to strengthen the protection of national minorities by amending the laws on minorities, and the laws on education, and taking measures to implement them – just to mention a few. On Bosnia and Herzegovina, to colleague Željana Zovko, once again, we have to reiterate this: the Commission has recommended the opening negotiations once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved. President von der Leyen was clear: the Commission is opening wide the door to European Union membership and inviting Bosnia and Herzegovina to walk the walk through it, including by showing results on addressing the Opinion key priorities. The enlargement process remains merit-based, and we expect Bosnia and Herzegovina to deliver. The Council will discuss the conclusions on enlargement by December, and the Commission will report on progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the latest by March 2024. This is very important. So, if someone asks what necessary degree of compliance means, we said that the door is left open for – this concerns the requirement for membership – Copenhagen political criteria, the same formula used in the 2019 Opinion on the membership application, when the Commission identified 14 key priorities on the political criteria. So, by March 2024, we will be ready to assess again Bosnia and Herzegovina’s achievements. As evidenced by Enlargement Package published only a few days ago, 2023 has been an eventful year for enlargement. We are indeed celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Copenhagen criteria. But 2023 also marks 20 years since the Thessaloniki summit, and the first unequivocal confirmation of the European perspective for all Western Balkan countries, and also 10 years since the last enlargement to Croatia, my own country. More than ever, it is time to seize the momentum and make swift progress. I look forward to cooperating closely with our partners on meeting the Copenhagen criteria and working towards an enlarged Union. The European project is not complete without our partners from the Western Balkans and the East. The Copenhagen criteria will continue to guide us on this journey towards an enlarged European Union. Maintaining the current dynamic around enlargement is essential, and we count on that.

– Mr President, honourable Members, 30 years ago the Copenhagen Criteria were established by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 and strengthened by the Madrid European Council in 1995. They set clear benchmarks on the basis of which aspiring European Member States’ accession paths could be assessed. The Copenhagen criteria are the following: First, stability and institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for, and protection of, minorities. Second, a functioning market economy and the ability to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the European Union. And third, the ability to take on the obligations of membership, including the capacity to effectively implement the rules, standards and policies that make up the body of European law, the , and adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union. The criteria must be met for accession. They constitute a central element of our enlargement policy and remain a key pillar of our policy. Our yearly enlargement reports analyse the stability of institutions, the rule of law, known as the fundamentals of all aspiring European Union Member States. The functioning market economy and ability to cope with competitiveness are core to the economic chapters. We examine the alignment with the European in our annual enlargement package, and in more detail during the screening process and when opening chapters during accession negotiations. Two weeks ago, as all of you know, we adopted a big enlargement package. Then country reports for the first time and the growth plan for the Western Balkans. The Commission recommended that the Council open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. The Commission recommended the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia Herzegovina. Once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved, latest by March of next year. Further, we recommended to grant candidate status to Georgia on the understanding that certain steps are taken. A functioning market economy and the ability to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the European Union are equally important as democratic institutions. This is why we are boosting investment and economic growth even before accession. The aim of the growth plan is to boost the economy of the Western Balkans in the next years, in order to close the socio-economic gap between the Union and our partners by the end of this decade. The offer provided by the Growth Plan is therefore a unique opportunity for the Western Balkans to speed up their economic growth and convergence with the European Union, as well as through targeted reforms accelerating the path towards European Union membership. Therefore, the Growth Plan is creating the possibility of early integration of the region into the European Union even before they join our Union. This House has a key role in making it happen. The financial pillar of the growth plan, the EUR 6 billion growth facility, needs to be adopted during the mandate of this Parliament, as we have no time to waste. Honourable Members, the Copenhagen Criteria have stood the test of time. They capture the essence of what a candidate country needs to do in order to prepare its political, economic and legal system for European membership. But most importantly, they are an expression of the foundation and values on which the European Union is built. The existence of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for, and protection of, minorities, the existence of functioning market economies, and the ability to take on the obligations of membership. We must continue building our joint future based on these criteria.

– Mr President, honourable members, dear colleagues, I want to thank you for your views and for your comments. Before I start concluding, may I reply to Ms in ‘t Veld, to Mr Georgiou, to Mr Fuglsang. I will repeat, the European Commission opened an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Cyprus on 14 July this year, on the grounds of its incorrect transposition of the current, fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Cyprus had notified the complete transposition of the directive, but the Commission has identified several instances of incorrect transposition, mainly related to the functioning of the national beneficial ownership register. The Commission is closely following once again the situation and assessing recent developments in Cyprus, as Cyprus has recently launched its electronic system of beneficial ownership register, last week, on 14 November, with the rollout of the entire system planned for 2024, as I said in my introductory remarks. I want to mention some of the measures in the July 2021 anti-money laundering package, which will strengthen our arsenal in the fight against money laundering. First, there is the European anti-money laundering authority. In the Commission proposal, the authority will be responsible for supervision and support financial intelligence units. Second, the single EU rulebook will bring more consistency, with detailed rules for the private sector in a directly applicable regulation. In the Commission proposal, we addressed auditors, trust and company services providers and other enablers. These enablers present specific risks, as emphasised by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The rules in the anti-money laundering regulation would apply also to these operators, not only to banks or financial institutions. Our proposed package is also ambitious on the transparency of beneficial owners. Non-EU legal entities linked with the European Union would have to sign up to the European Union’s beneficial ownership registers. We have already agreed on some groundbreaking parts of the package – that includes the Transfer of Funds Regulation and the Markets in Crypto Asset Regulation. This means that new technological avenues for money laundering and terrorist financing are covered. We do believe our future rules will help make sure that European Union gatekeepers are well supervised and carry out their work well, whether they are inside or outside the financial sector, and regardless of which Member States they operate in. So I repeat my call to Parliament and the Council to conclude negotiations on the anti-money laundering package as soon as possible and with as much ambition as possible. We also have efforts on the taxation side of things. The Council recently adopted the eighth Administrative Cooperation Directive. This sets rules for reporting crypto-asset transactions and allows for the automatic exchange of information between tax authorities. Finally, it is important that the Council addresses the use of shell structures within the European Union. We have a directive pending, which should be concluded quickly and ambitiously.

– Mr President, the Cyprus Confidential investigation has made serious allegations of sanctions circumvention and money laundering in Cyprus. According to the investigation, there may also have been instances of tax avoidance or even tax evasion involved. We note that the Cypriot authorities have already announced that they will investigate these matters. We are raising these issues with them too. A year and a half after the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, it is essential for us to stay vigilant about any violation or circumvention attempts that could weaken the intended impact of our sanctions. As you know, we have 11 packages of far-reaching sanctions in place. The High Representative and the Commission proposed a 12th package on 14 November. This is currently being discussed in the Council. We take any allegation of breaches of European sanctions very seriously. We have also been determined to drive forward a very ambitious agenda to fight money laundering and terrorist financing. As a result, the European Union has some of the toughest money laundering rules in the world, thanks also to the commitment of this House. As you know, we are working to strengthen our tools to fight money laundering with the ambitious package under negotiation. There is no room for complacency. We have to ensure that European rules are correctly implemented by Member States and European operators to prevent crime, protect the European Union financial system and ensure sanctions are enforced. In July, the Commission opened an infringement procedure against Cyprus on the grounds of incorrect transposition of the fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive. This action was taken before the Cyprus Confidential investigation. We keep a close eye on the implementation of European law. This infringement mainly relates to how the national beneficial ownership register works. The beneficial ownership register is a pillar of any national framework against money laundering. It contains data on the beneficial owners of companies and trusts: who actually owns what. A complete and accurate beneficial ownership register is essential for enforcing sanctions because it can help identify the true owners, who often are behind complex corporate structures. The EU Member States are responsible for implementing and enforcing sanctions. The Commission has dedicated significant efforts to support Member States in this task. We provide guidance and bring national authorities together on a regular basis to exchange data and best practices. We want to help make sure that sanctions are uniformly applied across the European Union. We set up the ‘freeze and seize task force’ to improve the cooperation with and among Member States on sanctions implementation. But there will always be unscrupulous actors looking to make a profit no matter what, including by violating or circumventing sanctions. Violating sanctions is a crime in most Member States, but how offences are defined and the types and levels of penalties differ significantly across the Member States. To address this problem, the Commission last year proposed a directive to harmonise definitions and penalties for sanctions violation. The proposal contains a detailed list of criminal offences targeting violations of different types of European sanctions, such as asset-freeze measures, sectorial measures, travel bans and arms embargoes. The list of criminal offences also covers specific cases of sanction circumvention. I want to thank the rapporteurs, the shadow rapporteurs and their teams working on anti-money laundering files and the proposal on the violation of sanctions. I know that Parliament takes these matters as seriously as the Commission does. The Commission is closely following developments in Cyprus. Last week, 14 November, Cyprus launched its electronic system for the beneficial ownership register. The roll-out of the whole system is planned for 2024. The Commission is working closely with national authorities to address risks of circumvention, including providing guidance and legal clarity. In June of this year, a Commission delegation travelled to Nicosia to meet Cypriot officials responsible for sanctions implementation and enforcement. Cyprus is setting up a National Sanctions Implementation Unit. We are watching these efforts closely. We will continue to monitor the situation, and we are available to help the relevant authorities in Cyprus on this matter. I look forward to your views.

– Mr President, honourable Members, this debate shows that Hong Kong matters to the European Union. We have strong economic ties. The European Union remains the largest foreign business community in Hong Kong. Some 1 600 companies are in business in Hong Kong. The last year, the European Union was Hong Kong’s third largest trading partner in goods, after mainland China and Taiwan. At the same time, Hong Kong matters to the European Union because the deliberate dismantling of Hong Kong’s autonomy, democracy and fundamental freedoms affects us directly. The European Union, as a matter of foreign policy and as a matter of values, will consistently speak out on the right of people to express themselves. The European Union will also continue to remind China of the need to uphold its international commitments. The European Union Office in Hong Kong is constantly monitoring political developments and human rights. Together with European Union Member States in Hong Kong, the European Union Office regularly conducts trial observations – already 112 this year. This European diplomatic presence is valued by civil society in Hong Kong, and it marks our determination to stand up for rights and values which are universal. And to Mr Lega and others, although he left, we showed repeatedly that we are ready to react decisively to address serious human rights violations around the world. When it comes to Hong Kong, we are closely following the situation. We have made it clear that developments in Hong Kong have an impact and on all EU-China relations. We continue implementing the July 2020 package, as already said, but at this stage, we are not currently considering additional measures. As for restrictive measures or sanctions – because he asks about sanctions, any decision to designate persons or entities under an existing sanctions regime, or to amend an existing sanctions regime or set up a new regime, is for the Council, who is here now, to make, acting by unanimity.

– Mr President, honourable Members, Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong over three years ago, in June 2020. Since then, we have witnessed the rights and freedoms that the people of Hong Kong enjoyed in the past decline rapidly and dramatically. Hong Kong has changed fundamentally. The political opposition in Hong Kong is now effectively muted. Most independent media outlets closed. Many civil society organisations disbanded. More than 280 arrests have been made under the National security law or colonial era sedition legislation. The trials of Jimmy Lai, the so-called Hong Kong 47 and Stand News are emblematic cases that we are following closely. The European Union strongly condemned the extraterritorial application of the national security law in July, when Hong Kong authorities issued arrest warrants and bounties for eight pro-democracy activists living outside Hong Kong. EU Member States adopted Council conclusions in July 2020, setting out the initial European response to the imposition of the National Security Law on Hong Kong. That position of the Council remains largely valid and it continues to guide our action. The national security law also threatens to undermine judicial independence. For instance, the executive decides if a case affects national security and it handpickes the judges that preside over national security cases. Sweeping changes to the electoral system have also severely weakened democracy in Hong Kong. This is illustrated by the district council elections coming up in December. Not a single pro-democracy candidate has passed the new nomination procedure. There are no signs that these drastic changes are likely to be reversed. On the contrary, additional national security legislation is being prepared. China has failed to implement its international commitments under the Senior British Declaration of 1984. Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong were supposed to be guaranteed until at least 2047. It is crystal clear that China has consciously dismantled the one country, two systems principle. The European Union will continue to raise human rights concerns with China. Human rights dialogues are an integral part of our frank exchanges with China, and in particular in relation to Hong Kong we will continue to remind China of its international commitments. We will do so in direct contacts, including the upcoming EU-China summit, as well as through public statements. Despite the drastic changes, there are still political and social aspects that distinguish Hong Kong from mainland China. The internet remains largely unrestricted. The media landscape is still more diverse, despite most independent outlets closing down. And there have been positive court rulings on equal treatment of same sex couples. In short, some pockets of freedom persist. The European Union will continue to implement the July 2020 Council conclusions. Our coordinated measures in response to the national security law.

– Mr President, dear honourable Members, I was listening carefully the whole afternoon. This was a very interesting debate, and as Executive Vice-President Šefčovič already underlined, I would like to thank Parliament and the co-rapporteurs. Mr Verhofstadt, Mr Simon, Madam Bischoff, Mr Freund, Mr Scholz, I would like to thank all of you for this report and for the impressive work you have done in the past year. The Commission is ready to fully play its role, as already said. As regards this Parliament’s proposal for treaty changes, it will be first and foremost for the Council and the European Council to follow up on Parliament’s resolution. Let me use this occasion to refer back to the Conference on the Future of Europe, which I had the honour of co-chairing jointly with Guy Verhofstadt, one of the co-rapporteurs on this important report, and with the Presidency of the Council. The conference was a unique process involving citizens in policymaking. It produced valuable and meaningful results. The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission have committed to following up effectively on the conclusions of the conference, each within the remit of their competences and in accordance with the Treaties. Your report is one of the important responses to the final proposals of the Conference of the Future of Europe. Beyond its content and proposals to change our founding Treaties, this report shows that all institutions are doing their part in following up upon the proposals from the conference. As already said, the Commission stands ready to fully play its institutional role in the procedure set out in the Treaty. From the outset, I want to assure you of the Commission’s full commitment to play an active role in the process. The Commission is also committed to continuing to follow up to the conference, as shown in our Commission’s work programme for 2023 and for 2024, largely based on initiatives that are directly or indirectly linked to the conference, also by integrating citizens panels as a new form of engaging citizens in our policymaking. As we prepare for the challenges ahead, we will remain inspired by this approach.

– Madam President, honourable Members, once again, we thank you for your support for the European Child Guarantee. We take note of your calls for strong governance and adequate funding. There were several questions and I will try to reply to a few of them. Madam Jongerius and Mr Andrews ask about how to further invest in children. So, we agree that we have to further invest in early childhood education and care and in the meals for children in schools. It was already done with the ESF+, but I have to tell you, Member States should do more. Madam Nicholsonová – she is not here anymore – on Roma children. They have been direct beneficiaries of the pilot projects under the Child Guarantee preparatory action in Croatia and Bulgaria, and Commissioner Schmit and I, visited one such site and witnessed this on the ground. But again, we need more. Once again, I must draw attention to the fact that primary responsibility for the implementation of the Child Guarantee lies with Member States. If you remember at the Porto Summit, we committed to lifting at least 5 million children out of poverty by 2030, and we are still far from that. I agree with you that more decisive actions are needed to move into this direction and to reverse these negative trends. We are committed to continuing to work with the European Parliament on advancing the fight against poverty and we will closely follow up on your report. The world of tomorrow, all of us know, is likely to be very different from the world we know today. The green and digital transitions require that today’s children are well equipped and have equal opportunities to thrive in the years to come. Demographics change, our third transition is bringing challenges and opportunities for all generations and, as all of us know, our societies will become longevity societies – 50% of children who are born now may reach the age of 90 or 95. Cycles of poverty and disadvantage start early on, and will impact our lifestyles and societies throughout the entire lifecycle. We therefore need to ensure an equal start in life for present and future generations, in an inclusive society where each voice is heard. This is why we are putting so much emphasis on child participation in policymaking. As all of us know and would agree, children are part of the solution. The universal protection of children’s rights is an increasing reality on the ground. Yet, what is hardly won can be easily lost. Our collective work will only be done when we have successfully put an end to child poverty and have social inclusion for all children. We need to make sure that intergenerational solidarity and fairness become a reality of our everyday work; that children can enjoy the rights they have now and their rights as future generations. My colleague, Commissioner Schmit and I, look forward to continuing to work with you on this file, and I hope that we can move the world on in this and I want to thank you once again for this interest in this on the International Day on the Rights of Children.

– Madam President, honourable Members, exactly 34 years ago, on November 1989, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is in commemoration of that milestone event that we celebrate World Children’s Day today. It is a reminder that children’s rights are human rights under any circumstances and everywhere. The four guiding principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are: non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, the right to survival and development, and the right to be heard. They are also reflected in the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. It is important to recall them every day, like today. The theme for World Children’s Day 2023 is ‘Every child, every right’ – for every child, peace, for every child, a liveable planet, for every child, a voice. Yet, on this World Children’s Day, the European Union is particularly concerned for the well-being of children living in situations of armed conflict, forced displacement and protracted humanitarian crises. Unfortunately, our television screens and social media feeds are full of the daily horrors inflicted upon children around the world, be it from Gaza to illegal child deportations from Ukraine, terrorist attacks in Israel and armed conflicts from the Sahel region to Yemen and Myanmar. Children do not start conflicts. They deserve and need peace. We as adults, as caretakers, as policymakers, we have an obligation to protect and promote all rights of all children and to ensure that they can live in dignity. This is also the Commission’s understanding and our approach to the rights of the child, as we laid down in the European Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee. While the European Union is one of the most equal and prosperous regions in the world, we have not yet fully eradicated poverty. Child poverty in Europe is not acceptable. Currently, every fourth child lives at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This requires decisive actions at all levels. This is what the report on reducing inequalities and promoting social inclusion in times of crisis for children and their families calls for. And we can all agree, children growing up in poverty are less likely to do well in school. They are less likely to enjoy good health. They are less likely to realise their full potential later in life. This Parliament has been at the forefront of the European Union policy actions to support the most vulnerable children. We highly appreciate that the proposed Children First Resolution pays attention to the quality of the national action plans, adequate financing, stakeholder involvement, and proper governance and monitoring. All these aspects are key also from our point of view. I want to thank my dear colleague, Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, for all his work. Eight years ago, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on reducing inequalities, with the special focus on child poverty calling for a Child Guarantee. Today, the Child Guarantee is a reality. We welcome the fact that 20 European Union Member States have set national targets on child poverty reduction. We see that in 2022, the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion decreased in 19 Member States. We see 19,100 fewer children affected by poverty in Italy, 86,000 fewer children affected by poverty in Greece. While we welcome these figures, we remain concerned that this significant progress is offset by increases in eight other Member States. But we must not be complacent. The Commission is tirelessly working with Member States to ensure that progress is being made, and we are happy with the constructive approach by the national coordinators. A number of concrete actions have been taken – for example, school meals have been introduced in Croatia and in Luxembourg. In Bulgaria, a future for children’s health prevention programme will support approximately 14,000 families. Honourable Members, you have called for better monitoring. We are now working jointly with the Social Protection Committee to establish a common monitoring framework. The results should be available in a matter of a few weeks. Results from the programming show that combating child poverty has been defined as a specific objective in programmes of 23 Member States, totalling EUR 6.1 billion of European financing or EUR 8.9 billion if national contributions are added. Next March will be another opportunity to take stock. European Member States should report on their progress in implementing the Child Guarantee. Here, we must draw attention to the fact that primary responsibility for implementation of the Child Guarantee lies with the Member States. We recall that an investment in children is a tangible investment in their societies and their economies. We must preserve this stability as we all know how fragile it is. Sustainable investment in children will be key. I thank you and I look forward to this debate.

– Madam President, we heard a lot. I want to thank you for this rich debate. Let me comment on some of your comments. Many of you mentioned cyberbullying, and just to clarify, with the entry into application of the Digital Services Act, the European Union now has powerful new tools to tackle mental health risks online, in particular for minors and young people. Many of you mentioned the risk to psychological health. The Commission will work in close cooperation with the national digital service coordinators in the supervisory framework established by the Digital Service Act. Some of you mentioned also effective age verification. So we are working on it. Just to mention a few ongoing actions. The Commission is preparing an age verification toolkit on the Better Internet for Kids platform to raise awareness of existing, effective and privacy preserving methods of age verification. This will include an age verification self-assessment tool for digital service providers and the child family friendly explanation of relevant solutions. The first meeting of this age verification toolkit will take place in November, around the Safer Internet Forum for this year. The Commission is also issuing a standardisation request for European standards on online age verification. And also the Commission is exploring the development of a European Union wide recognised digital proof of age based on the date of birth, within the framework of the electronic ID proposal and building on preliminary work such as the EU consent pilot projects. The topic could also be addressed in the better internet for Kids+ code. So there is much of ongoing work. Many of you mentioned also sexual abuse. Since sexual abuse will be an extra legislative piece, I don’t have enough time to explain this, but as all of you know, for us, child sexual abuse is a serious crime with long lasting, actually lifelong consequences. And it has both offline and online components, as all of you mentioned and it knows no borders. So our firm position is that children have the fundamental right to have their best interests assessed and taken into account as a primary consideration in all our actions that affect them. But on sexual abuse, we will talk separately. Regarding the role of school in education, which I already mentioned in my introductory remarks, for us, safer internet for kids centres are the strategies, direct connection and influence with schools across the European Union. We are enlarging and strengthening this network. Member States have to ensure that digital education and awareness rising become part of the education curriculum. For us, schools play a crucial role in implementation and implementing the BIK+ strategy. We are launching large-scale media literacy campaigns, also targeted at schools and teachers who can act as multipliers. The Commission seeks to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities the digital age offers children. We will continue to provide a safer and better online space for children in line with the broader legislative framework and other policy priorities. We will involve children along the way, providing them space to express their views, involving them in the policymaking and delivering child-friendly communication. As I said, the network of safer internet centres will continue to be one of the most important tools. Of course, we aim for all children, including those in vulnerable situations, to benefit from this BIK+. I wanted to tell you that we cannot act alone. This requires the active engagement and commitment from Member States, from industry, from civil society, and from users themselves and also from international cooperation. So we really greatly appreciate the European Parliament’s support for the new strategy for a better internet for kids and for this resolution. Regarding empowering children, we fully recognise that the importance of empowering children and giving them the skills to navigate the online world confidentially themselves. This is why Better Internet for Kids seeks a balance between empowerment and protection with children themselves being involved in all work streams. Online protection, digital empowerment and digital inclusion are European as well as global challenges. It’s not only European, so we have to bear this in mind. By joining forces, we can address these issues more effectively and more efficiently. Finally, our goal must be nothing less than a safe, secure and trusted digital space as a cornerstone of our digital society, for every child and for everyone, everywhere.

– Mr President, honourable Members, thank you for putting this important topic on the agenda today. As you said, children are digital natives. They play, they create online, they learn, they interact. The time children spent online almost doubled between 2010 and 2020 in many countries. A majority of children report to use their smartphones daily or almost all the time. One in six children are reportedly on social media sites on a daily basis. The past decade has seen the emergence of unprecedented opportunities for children, for digital education, entertainment, social contact and active participation in society. It can also generate unprecedented risks. In this digital decade, it is a priority for this Commission to ensure that children are protected, respected and empowered online. This is why it was so important to revise and reinforce our Better Internet for Kids strategy, which was first adopted in 2012. The new Better Internet for Kids+ strategy, presented by Commissioner Breton and myself in May last year during the European Year of Youth 2022, addressed the multifaceted challenges of the digital era with children’s best interests at its heart. As you already said, the strategy has three key objectives: first, a safe, age-appropriate digital environment; second, digital empowerment; and third, the active participation of children. With regard to a safe digital environment for kids, the Digital Services Act put new rules in place for the digital world with strong provisions to protect minors. Targeted advertising based on profiling towards children is no longer permitted. In addition, we are launching the development of a code of conduct for age-appropriate design in spring 2024, ensuring that digital services and content is tailored and suitable for children. The co-funded network of Safer Internet Centres, which are the backbone of Better Internet for Kids+, operate in nearly all Member States, offering localised resources and helplines. At national and local level, the network organises campaigns and activities fostering digital skills and confidence. Last year, Safer Internet Centres visited over 12 000 schools across Europe, supporting teachers with their expertise. The Safer Internet Centres should be seen as one-stop shops for child online safety. They are a very valuable asset and we encourage the Member States to promote them as such. This network is helping us gather evidence on how industry implements – you asked about the industry – how industry implements the Digital Service Act provisions on protection of minors. In 2022 last year, the network of Safer Internet Centres and the Better Internet for Kids platform reached more than 31 million European citizens. As every child matters and no child should be left behind, we are directing these centres to focus on children with special needs from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds and we will measure this outreach. Upcoming features on the Better Internet for Kids platform include a parent space and the Teacher Corner. This will help us raise a digitally literate and informed population. But there is more: the Better Internet for Kids strategy goes hand in hand with the Digital Education Action Plan, which presents a strategic vision for an effective and high-quality digital education for all. In this vein, I would like to recall the Commission’s two proposals for Council recommendations. The first one on key enablers for effective digital education and training, and second one on improving the provisions of digital skills through education and training. Whatever technology and devices children use in the coming years, the European Union needs up-to-date knowledge on the trends, risks, but also on opportunities these present. It is key to continue to invest in European research, as we have done in the past. Under the ‘Safer Internet’ programmes, we started ‘EU Kids Online’, which has since become a global standard for research in the field. We also set up CO:RE, a knowledge platform which offers publications and studies from across Europe on children’s digital lives. We are now exploring funding opportunities to carry out new research, including pan-European surveys. In addition, Better Internet for Kids+ knowledge hub and the Better Internet for Kids platform will allow easy access to evidence and practical insights on how the digital transformation is affecting children. We cannot discuss the Better Internet for Kids without mentioning the role of young people. Last year, over 470 events were organised throughout Europe by the Safer Internet Centres with youth participation, including peer-to-peer learning and intergenerational learning. Young people will also help shape the code of conduct of Better Internet for Kids+ and monitor the implementation of the strategy. As announced in the Rights of the Child strategy, the European Children’s Participation Platform is now up and it is running in partnership with the European Parliament and child rights organisations. This platform will systematically involve children and young people in decision-making. And finally, if we want children to exercise their rights, they must be able to understand the language we use. The child-friendly version of Better Internet for Kids+ is available in European languages and in Ukrainian language and a child-friendly explanation of the Digital Service Act will soon follow. So, this is for the beginning. I listen to your comments and maybe I have some more replies.

– Mr President, Members, we were listening carefully to your contributions and I want to thank you. It is clear that all of us value clean waters and that we all understand the crucial role this sector plays. Your interventions show diverse views on the level of ambition and on extended producer responsibility. There are concerns that deadlines are too tight, that the ambition is too high, or that the pharmaceutical industry and vulnerable group of patients will suffer from what we have proposed. Others believe that the proposal lacks ambition. They call for stronger provisions on access to sanitation and above all, for access to justice and compensation. What we propose is a significant modernisation of the urban wastewater sector, bringing higher levels of environmental protection, energy neutrality and extending the responsibilities of producers. While we understand the fears about pharmaceuticals, our studies point to a different conclusion. With an ambitious text from the Parliament, we can ensure that the sector stays fit for the purpose for decades to come. According to our estimates, there will not be major specific investments needed in the countries having joined recently the European Union. On the contrary, their infrastructures are more recent and perfectly able to reach the proposed nitrogen phosphorus standards without major investments. This is confirmed by the official reports from these Member States. Honourable Members, let us do our utmost to ensure that the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive becomes fully fit for another 30 years.

– Mr President, let me start by thanking the rapporteur, Mr Torvalds, the shadow rapporteurs from the ENVI Committee and the rapporteur of the AGRI Committee, Mr Huitema, for the excellent work done to advance on this file. The report presented here today preserves both the main elements of the proposal and the spirit of the directive. This directive is more than 30 years old. It has served Europe very well. It has clearly helped improve the quality of our rivers, lakes and seas. The opportunity to revise it comes once in a generation. It is vital that we get it right. Our task is to ensure that its scope and ambition are adapted to the challenges of today and of the years to come. It needs to be strengthened. It needs to help us tackle the accelerating and intertwined planetary crisis addressed by the European Green Deal. The widespread eutrophication of our water bodies, to take one example, calls for a stronger approach to nutrient management. My plea is that you do not allow exemptions, especially in areas where eutrophication continues to be a major issue. On energy neutrality. Let me be clear. This goal can be achieved. We know this because it is already happening in several Member States. Steering and accompanying the wastewater sector towards the goal with financial measures, if necessary, without necessarily opening the door to energy purchases from other sources, has many advantages. It will also be a more cost effective path to the strategic autonomy and independence from fossil fuel sources that Europe needs. On extended producer responsibility, I remain convinced that the industry should cover the full cost of the additional treatment needed to treat the residues of their products. The studies supporting our impact assessments are clear. Applying this system will not make pharmaceuticals and cosmetics less accessible or more expensive. Over time. It would give producers a greater incentive to deliver greener, toxic-free products while also improving the governance of the sector. This is in line with the polluter pays principle, a core principle of the European Union Treaties. This is a great opportunity to apply this principle in practice, and let’s take it. At a time when too little or too much water is becoming a major issue in all Member States, we have a chance to help tip the balance. The revision we propose will help modernise the European Union waste water sector. With these proposals, we can make it a major provider of a high-quality reusable water, critical raw materials, clean energy and nature-based solutions for water-related impacts of climate change. This is in line with the climate neutral, pollution free, nature positive and circular objectives we have for the European economy and for citizens across the Union.

– Mr President, once again, thank you for this debate and I want to thank Parliament for the work you put into this proposal. It is a key step to achieve a high level of protection of consumers in Europe. It is also a crucial piece of legislation to ensure that businesses understand which laws to apply when concluding financial services at a distance. It is obvious from your debate that we need clarity at the beginning of the contract as well as at the end of the contract. All of us know that the online world is vulnerable to manipulation. This is what all of you said. So the Commission stands ready to deploy all efforts to facilitate the transposition of this new piece of legislation to ensure that it can be implemented quickly and properly by all stakeholders.

– Mr President, honourable Members, I am pleased to be with you today for this debate concerning the Directive on Financial Services Contracts Concluded at a Distance, commonly referred to as the DMSFD. I am replacing Commissioner Reynders, who unfortunately could not be here today. To begin with, I would like to thank the rapporteur, the shadow rapporteurs and all the Parliament’s team for their hard work on this file. We have reached an agreement within a short period of time, thanks to the effective and efficient work of everyone. This agreement is overall balanced. It preserves the objectives as well as the overall architecture of the Commission proposal, namely establishing a level playing field for financial services concluded online while ensuring a high level of consumer protection. It also clarifies the scope of application of the directive, its horizontal nature and its interaction with product-specific legislation. This includes, namely, the repeal of the Distance Marketing of Consumer Financial Services Directive and the introduction of a new chapter on financial services sold at a distance in the Consumer Rights Directive. The agreed text also modernises existing rules by introducing a withdrawal function. The right of withdrawal is a key consumer right and it should be easy to exercise it even when the financial service is bought online. Then, for cases where traders sometimes use online, automated tools, we introduce a right to obtain human intervention in case it is needed by the consumer. The new rules will protect consumers from so-called dark patterns. The agreement also confirms the maximum harmonisation approach, with the exception for pre-contractual information obligations and the new dark pattern provision, where Member States may go further and impose stricter rules. On penalties, the agreement is aligned with the respective provision in the recently agreed Consumer Credit Directive. In conclusion, the agreement is a win-win outcome for consumers and traders alike. It empowers consumers by providing them with modernised futureproof rights adapted to the digital transformation. It also provides clarity as for the scope of the application of the rules, thereby creating legal certainty for the traders. Once again, thank you and well done to the rapporteur and her team.

– Mr President, on behalf of the Commission and the High Representative Borrell, I would like to thank the rapporteur Ms Alametsä and the MEPs who have contributed to the EP report on the implementation of civilian Common Security and Defence Policy and other EU civilian security assistance. Today’s debate provides a timely opportunity to summarise the results achieved under the first civilian Common Security and Defence Policy compact and to focus on the future developments, including the next compact. Under the first civilian CSDP compact, solid progress has been made both at Member State level and within EU services and civilian CSDP missions. However, as its implementation will soon come to an end, on 30 June, challenges remain. Our 12 CSDP missions are deployed in some of the most challenging environments. With around 2 200 women and men serving under the EU flag, the civilian missions are our trademark instrument in our response to external conflicts and crises, ultimately contributing to our own security at home. They have proven capable of swiftly and effectively addressing the most pressing foreign policy challenges and meeting partners’ needs. Most recent examples are the swift adaptation of the mandate of the EU advisory mission in Ukraine after Russia’s brutal invasion, or the rapid establishment of a new civilian mission in Armenia. With the launching soon of the 30th civilian mission to Moldova, civilian CSDP has also proved to be adaptable to new and emerging security challenges, including hybrid threats and foreign interference and information manipulation: key threats you have also identified in your report. All this shows that the demand for civilian crisis management is growing, and as the security environment around Europe and beyond deteriorates, there is no time to rest on our laurels. Dear Members, your report also points out some of the shortcomings of civilian CSDP, including lack of sufficient resources and funding. Member States’ staff contributions have witnessed limited change, with only ten Member States providing 78% of seconded personnel, and the budget has remained tight despite a growing number of tasks and missions on the ground. This brings me to the question: what next? In light of changing security threats, the strategic compass calls upon us to adopt a second civilian CSDP compact by mid-2023 – the middle of this year – to advance towards a more effective and capable civilian CSDP. Today you call for more resources, funding, political visibility and strategic vision for civilian CSDP missions, and we share this perspective. Civilian CSDP missions are the union’s flagship crisis management tool under the political ownership of Member States and financed through our CFSP budget. The missions have to effectively respond to our partners’ needs, ensure local ownership and make a real change on the ground. The second civilian CSDP compact provides us with an opportunity to renew commitments and assign concrete timelines and actions to them. There are multiple work strands where we need to speed up our efforts. Let me just mention a few of them. First, we need to address the capability gap. We have to provide our missions with the skilful resources they need to deliver on their tasks. This is essential to translate our political ambitions into concrete deliverables. Second, we need an effective evaluation mechanism to measure the impact of our civilian mission. This will allow us to assess the relevance of their mandates. The third: our response needs to be agile. Our ambition remains to be able to deploy 200 experts in 30 days. To conclude, allow me to take the opportunity to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to those women and men serving in our 12 civilian CSDP missions in often challenging and non-permissive environments. Let me once again thank you for your contribution and your engagement in civilian CSDP. We encourage you to stay involved over the implementation of the next civilian CSDP compact.

– Mr President, honourable Members, today we are discussing the report on eGovernment by the IMCO Committee and honourable Member, my dear colleague, Tomislav Sokol. As recalled in last month’s Communication on the Single Market, digitalising public services cuts red tape and makes the single market work better, in particular for SMEs. That is why the Digital Decade policy programme sets a target of having 100% of key public services accessible online. The European Parliament’s resolution is thus very timely. The Commission welcomes the report, and specifically its call on the Commission to propose a strategic approach which connects the dots and assesses how better eGovernment contributes to an improved business environment, while reducing costs for governments. I particularly welcome that the report emphasises the importance of e-procurement. Recently, on 16 March, the Commission introduced the Public Procurement Data Space. This new data space will improve public spending, boost data-driven policymaking and improve access to tenders for companies, SMEs, public buyers, policy-makers and citizens. It will tap into the full potential of public procurement data in the single market. The initial feedback is encouraging. Most Member States signalled their interest in connecting national data sources to the PPDS, the Public Procurement Data Space. I take note of the report’s call to include public procurement in the list of high-value datasets. The Commission has commissioned a study on the extension of categories of high-value datasets that will be published soon. As recommended in the report, we employ open source technologies wherever possible to ensure easy re-use of the tools by the Member States. We agree that timely implementation of the new digital standard for publishing public procurement – by using the so-called eForms – is key. This is why the Commission and the Union’s Publication Office work together to support Member States in their uptake of eForms, including for calls below EU thresholds. EForms will be constantly enriched to support optional elements, such as information on the green and digital transitions. We also intend to include the use of completion notices to harvest data covering the entire procurement cycle. As the report stresses, another important data space initiative is the Commission’s proposal for the European Health Data Space, which was presented in May last year. The European Health Data Space aims to further accelerate the use of digital health data by individuals and for secondary use purposes, including research and development. We fully endorse the report’s call for quicker, easy-to-use online information and administrative procedures. This is precisely the purpose of the single digital gateway, launched in 2020. It’s portal, Your Europe, provides a one-stop shop for reliable administrative and regulatory information and assistance at all levels of government. It has had a promising start: visitor statistics show that, in 2022, more than 120 000 hours were spent on the Your Europe webpages. Even by a conservative estimate of legal advice costs, this can be translated to savings, especially for small businesses, of around €2.5 million per year. The once only technical system will bring the digitalisation of public services to the next level. It will be deployed by the end of this year and will ensure that when a business or citizen has submitted the document to a public administration, the document can be safely transferred to other public administrations, avoiding the need to resubmit it. This will massively reduce burdens on businesses. For instance, it will make it easier to comply with social security obligations or to get a permit. That is why the single digital gateway will also help realise the ambitions under the Net Zero Industry Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act. The Commission will soon adopt the first single digital gateway implementation report. As a complement to the single digital gateway, the Commission also recently adopted a proposal to further expand the use of digital tools and processes in EU company law. In addition, the European Digital Identity framework – currently under discussion by co-legislators – will further facilitate access to online public services, such as those offered via the single digital gateway. To facilitate identification and authentication of digital transactions, it is important to bring this legislative process to a swift conclusion. I also took good note of the references in the report to the importance of connectivity for eGovernment. On 23 February, the Commission presented the new package of three initiatives, including a proposal for a regulation – the Gigabit Infrastructure Act – a new Gigabit Recommendation and an exploratory consultation on the future of the electronic communications sector and its infrastructure, which is open until 19 May. These initiatives will help create the right environment to stimulate investments and reduce the costs and delays for the deployment of very high capacity networks. I would finally like to stress the importance of the Interoperable Europe Act, which is currently in negotiation with the Council and Parliament. The Act will establish a strengthened governance structure between the Commission and Member States to ensure interoperability by default, limit administrative burden for citizens and businesses, and hence further strengthen our single market. Thanks again to the IMCO committee and the rapporteur, Mr Sokol, for this timely report on this important topic of eGovernment.

– Mr President, let me start by thanking the rapporteur, Mr Bernhuber, for his work. To reach climate neutrality in 2050 we need deep and drastic emission cuts, but it is impossible to bring all our emissions down to zero. We will need carbon removals as well. We will have to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, store it through technology or natural carbon sinks. The International Panel on Climate Change points towards the decreasing likelihood of limiting global warming to 1.5°C unless rapid reductions of greenhouse gas emissions occur. The International Panel on Climate Change report clearly states that the deployment of carbon dioxide removal to counterbalance hard—to—abate residual emissions is unavoidable if net zero CO2 or greenhouse gas emissions are to be achieved. Carbon removals will play a critical role in helping to meet our climate neutrality target, but it cannot be sustainable for drastically reducing emissions, which must remain a priority. Recognising the growing importance of carbon removals, the Commission adopted the Communication on sustainable carbon cycles, which is the subject of the report that we are discussing today. The communication sets out three pillars to establish sustainable and climate—resilient carbon cycles. First and foremost, we need to drastically reduce our reliance on carbon, for instance, by improving the efficiency of our buildings, transport modes and industries, by reducing our primary resource consumption and moving to a circular economy and scaling up renewable energy. The second pillar is about the circularity of carbon. We need to recycle carbon from waste streams and emissions from sustainable sources of biomass or directly from the atmosphere to use it in the sectors of the economy that will inevitably remain carbon dependent. The third pillar is carbon removals. We need to upscale carbon removal solutions that capture CO2 from the atmosphere and store it for the long term. The communication established a roadmap to promote both industrial carbon removal technologies and carbon farming practices. Industrial carbon removal technologies will support the European Union’s green tech leadership and create innovative business opportunities. Carbon farming will incentivise our farmers, foresters and other land managers to store carbon in soil, trees, shrubs, wetlands and in peatlands, to provide them with a new source of income in return. In addition, practices such as tree restoration or enhanced agricultural soil management have great co-benefits for nature and the sustainability of food supply. However, to build such new business models for industrial carbon removals or carbon farming, carbon removals need to be credible. Market actors need to be certain that a tonne of CO2 claimed as removed is actually removed and stored. Therefore, we need to establish a framework for the reliable certification of carbon removals. The Commission proposed last year a voluntary EU—wide certification framework as a tool to reliably monitor, report and verify high—quality carbon removals that deliver unambiguous climate benefits. Quantifying and verifying carbon removals in a robust and transparent way is a crucial first step before the possible future integration into EU climate policy post 2030. In addition, we need to fight greenwashing and ensure that the growing corporate commitments on climate neutrality result in real climate benefit. The certification will provide certainty on the integrity of the removals, which is key considering the growing interest and global investments. There is also significant European funding supporting the development and deployment of carbon removals available. Common agricultural policy funds can be used to support farmers that invest in carbon farming practices, and the EU Innovation Fund uses the revenue from the EU—ETS to finance carbon removal projects. There are also already numerous LIFE projects dedicated to carbon farming and funding under Horizon Europe, including under the EU Mission ‘A soil deal for Europe’, under which substantial funds are being channelled to further research and testing of carbon farming practices on the ground. Beyond carbon farming, biodiversity preservation and increase is also critical to foster our carbon removals. Science is clear: more biodiverse forests are also those that remove more carbon, being also more productive and multifunctional. Healthy wetlands and peatlands are also key for climate change, mitigation and adaptation. In that sense, nature restoration as well as the implementation of the Kunming—Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Agreement are also vital. It is essential that we transform industry and further enhance the growth of carbon removals. That is why the Commission is preparing a Communication on industrial carbon management as a direct follow—up to the Communication on sustainable carbon cycles that we discussed today. It will set a Union strategy to establish by 2030 a market for the capture, transport, storage and utilisation of CO2. We should fully reap the potential of carbon removals. At international level, developments are moving fast. In the US, for example, we see unprecedented levels of investment and funding for carbon removals. The Net Zero Industry Act already provides for a simplified regulatory environment for CCS investment and sets a 50 million tonne target for operating permanent CO2 storage capacity annually by 2030. The communication on industrial carbon management will look at the longer term to identify the needs in infrastructure development, investment and regulation. It will propose a roadmap to ensure that industrial carbon management can fully support the achievement of a climate—neutral European Union by 2050. Let me conclude by thanking you once again for your work on this file and by expressing our wish for swift progress on the Commission’s proposal for a regulation on a carbon removal certification framework. This lays an important foundation for realising the full benefits of carbon removals.

– Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur Mr Vincze and the honourable Members who have contributed to the Parliament report on the institutional relations between the European Union and the Council of Europe. As you know, the Foreign Affairs Council recently adopted new European Union priorities towards the Council of Europe, which aim to strengthen our political dialogue and cooperation with the organisation. This is particularly relevant in the wake of Russia’s expulsion from the Council of Europe, which demonstrates the international organisation’s re-commitment to its core values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The new EU priorities address many of the issues raised in your report. We welcome that your report recognises the already excellent rule of law cooperation between the European Union and the Council of Europe. The Commission has worked closely with the Council of Europe for the preparation of the report on the situation of the rule of law report in the EU, since its first edition. The yearly Commission reports take particular account of the Council of Europe’s recommendations and opinions and make extensive use of the work of bodies such as GRECO, the Venice Commission, which you already mentioned, and of course, the European Court of Human Rights. The 2022 Rule of Law Report for the first time provides an overview of the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights by EU Member States. The European Union and the Council of Europe also cooperate closely in promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the EU’s external relations and, in particular, supporting EU candidate and potential candidate countries in carrying out the necessary reforms to meet the European Union accession criteria. The opinions of the Venice Commission play an important role in this regard. Your report also recalls the importance of the European Union’s accession to the European Convention of Human Rights. As you know, there is a provisional unanimous political agreement and the text has been published. This is good news. However, there is still homework for the European Union. We must find a way to deal with the issue of human rights protection in the Common Foreign and Security policy. This is something we must try to solve within the European Union, and discussions on the internal solution are currently continuing in the Council. Regarding Ukraine, we welcome the support provided by the Council of Europe to document violations of human rights in the context of Russia’s war of aggression and, in particular, to enhance the capacity of organisations contributing to ongoing accountability efforts. The European Union is in favour of setting up an international register of damages. We are discussing the matter with the Council of Europe, which along with Ukraine and the Netherlands, aims to take a lead role in establishing the register. It will record evidence and information on claims for damages, losses or injury caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This is a first step towards the establishment of a compensation mechanism. The Icelandic Presidency of the Council of Europe is proposing to adopt a declaration on the situation of the more than 19 500 Ukrainian children who, according to Ukraine, have been transferred to areas temporarily occupied by Russia or deported to Russia. The European Union supports efforts of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to trace the children and facilitate family reunification. And we have welcomed the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against President Putin and Ms Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, as an important step towards Russian leadership, accountability for war crimes. The European Union has also imposed sanctions against 16 individuals responsible for the deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children, including Ms Lvova-Belova. We will continue identifying those involved with the aim of implementing further restrictive measures. Discussions also continue on Ukraine’s proposal for the establishment of a tribunal for the crime of aggression. While positions still diverge on the nature of such a tribunal and its legal basis, the European Union continues working with partners, including the Council of Europe, to ensure maximum international support for Ukraine’s efforts to ensure full accountability. The European Union supports the holding of the Council of Europe’s fourth summit on 16—17 May this year in Reykjavik, which will be instrumental in this regard. I would like to thank all of you, especially your rapporteur, for your report and for your kind attention.

– Mr President, dear Members of European Parliament, I want to thank you for this interesting debate and I want to thank especially the rapporteurs for their constructive position during negotiations. When facing the climate crisis, every day of inaction costs us more than we can afford in economic and human terms. Action cannot be delayed, and the implementation of our commitments must start as soon as possible. Our energy sovereignty cannot be found in more fossil fuels. Fit for 55 does fight for energy crisis. The agreements and the broad support voiced in the debate show once again the European Union’s determination to become climate neutral by 2050, transform our economy and society, leave no one behind and ensure our energy security. In the face of strong headwinds mentioned in some contributions, we continue delivering on the European Green Deal for a sustainable future. As you may remember, the Council wanted to keep the size to EUR 59 billion only. With the agreement found between co-legislators, the fund will mobilise EUR 86.7 billion. This was made possible thanks to the extension of the new emissions trading system to additional sectors, bringing additional revenues, as you know, and the agreement on national contributions of 25% of the total estimated costs. You will be voting tomorrow on the possibility of EUR 87 billion at the service of inclusion and fair transition. Moreover, Member States will also use their national auction revenues from the new system for climate-related purposes, including to address social impacts. The Social Climate Fund would also be a redistribution mechanism financed by the polluter pays principle. The 20% richest households are responsible for 32% of building and transport emissions, while the 20% of the poorest are only responsible of 9% of these emissions. The next step is swift implementation. We will benefit from as broad as possible a support by co-legislators and a speedy further adoption process. Your vote tomorrow will be a major step forward in the fight against climate change, as these files, together with the rest of the Fit for 55 files, will mark the future of the welfare of our environment, our economy and our citizens.

– Madam President, many thanks, dear Members, for this enriching discussion. I will use this opportunity of the closing remarks to refer to some of the key points that you mentioned and that I heard from your exchange. First, in relation to the budget, one of the EU financing instruments helping the development of rural areas from an agricultural perspective is the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. I see your proposals for earmarking part of the other dedicated instrument, the European Regional Development Fund, for rural areas. We will analyse it attentively, including from a coordination, synergy and complementarity point of view. This also brings me to the toolkit on access to EU funds. Our ambition is that this tool will also capitalise on the experience and good examples of rural peers and reproduce successful stories. We also share the emphasis you put on seizing the opportunity of a rural proofing mechanism to use fully and coherently all relevant policies, as well as your call to implement rural proofing at national, regional and local levels as well. For the European Union Rural Observatory, which went live, as I already said, on 8 December, it is a major milestone to improve the visualisation and accessibility of the data we already have, and improve collection of more detailed territorial data and analysis that are still missing on the needs and challenges of rural areas. I take this opportunity to let you know that last week the new rural vision website went live. It provides informative pages grouping in one place all the rural vision-related actions and also includes the Rural Observatory. I want to thank you once again for your support for the creation of the Rural Pact, because our shared goals of the vision can only be achieved if we work together. So our ambition is to gather all the actors playing a role in rural areas. I am confident that the rural vision, with its strategic objectives, including the demographic ones, together with the Rural Pact process and EU operational funding support, is on the right track to deliver on its goals. Next year we will assess our progress and reflect on ways forward. Since many of you mentioned predation and carnivores, I want to tell you that while predation by large carnivores may not be considered to be a key driver of abandonment of livestock farming in European mountain areas, or cannot be blamed for the demographic challenges of rural areas, it is a particular challenge for livestock grazing in areas where these species have long been absent. Believe me – as I have repeated several times in this House – we established a new portfolio on demography. A new portfolio on demography is not established by coincidence. We are aware of demographic change and we are aware of territorial disparities. We are aware that, geographically, 80% of European territory is covered by rural areas and we know that only one third of the European population lives there. And we know that this is a huge potential and this is the reason why we adopted and we offer this long-term vision for rural areas. We will do our utmost to make these areas attractive, prosperous and also efficient again. And we want them to attract newcomers also. This is our goal, too, and this is the reason why we are talking about this under the portfolio of demography. So we want to make these areas vibrant again. We understand what you are saying on services, on infrastructure. But of course, we are not talking only about farming. We are talking about beyond farming, beyond agriculture, because we know that digital and green priorities, which are priorities of this Commission, should also be implemented in rural areas. And this should be a very important issue in order to have new jobs, new jobs that are not only in farming, but of course we know that farming is very important as we know that we have problems with food nowadays. So I praise very much the work of the rapporteur and the co-rapporteurs on this resolution. I strongly support your calls on the Council to express its opinion about the future of rural areas in formal Council conclusions. In that regard, we are already in contact with the Spanish authorities, with the Spanish presidency of the Council for the second half of next year, and your call definitely gives further impetus for some genuinely strong conclusions. There is only one more comment from my side. Yes, we want to do this rural tax and all this together, but a lot depends on local, regional and national authorities. Funding is here, but they have to use it in the best possible way and use it consistently. Thank you very much once again and I am looking forward to making this long-term vision a reality together.

– Madam President, I want to thank honourable Member, Isabel Carvalhais. Your work, and that of the co-rapporteurs and Members of this House demonstrates the importance of the long-term vision and the added value of the Rural Pact. Your report welcomes the Rural Vision as a valuable opportunity for coordinated and reinforced actions on rural areas. The Commission is committed to ensuring that rural areas remain high on the European Union’s political agenda. Both Commission and Parliament are aligned on the challenges and opportunities that rural areas face in the green and digital transitions. Without forgetting that there is another crucial transition underway, the demographic transition, that perhaps is more gradual but no less significant in the long run. The purpose of this vision is to make rural areas more prosperous, better connected, more dynamic, more attractive places for people to live and work in, while preserving their essential character. Food security is a key concern right now. Linked to this is the issue of food waste. It is the first topic for deliberation in the new generation of European citizens panels inspired by the Conference on the Future of Europe. The climate and biodiversity crisis and our food security objectives all remind us how vital rural areas and farmers are to our food security. Essentially, they help guarantee an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable production. I welcome your clear messages on the need to improve the basic services and to address the growing discontent among rural populations. This is key to our economy, our society and our democracy. We must continue the dialogue within the Rural Pact framework on how to improve the representation of rural people at all levels of governance. I understand your concerns when it comes to ensuring European Union funds and policies complement one another in their bid to support rural areas in the years to come. I welcome the points on Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. We will thoroughly study the rapporteur’s proposal on the synergies and multi-fund approach. There is a common understanding on the need for improvement. We will also carefully analyse your proposal for the future beyond 2027. Around EUR 100 billion from the European Agricultural Fund for the rural development budget were made available to fund the rural development programmes in the 2014-2020 period. In cohesion policy, EUR 33 billion for plans for investments in rural areas. The Commission works to ensure positive outcomes for rural areas in both the cohesion policy operational programmes and the common agricultural policy strategic plans in the programming exercise for 2021-2027. By mid-2023 we will take stock of how they have been programmed for this new period, and in early 2024 we will issue a report on enhanced support to rural areas in the future based on the implementation of the European Union Rural Action Plan. Over the last year and a half we have made significant progress on the 30 actions in the plan. These cover many aspects highlighted in your report. We will propose a set of indicators to follow up the plan and envision implementation by mid-2023. Then we will also take stock of what actions have been carried out and programmed, as I already mentioned. On rural proofing, we started to pilot our rural proofing mechanism with some promising results. I give you the example of the European Care Strategy and the new urban mobility framework. We are also on track to deliver the first products of the toolkit for European Union funds for rural areas. This tool will inspire local authorities and stakeholders to make use of the European Union funding and capacity building opportunities. We also welcome your support for the EU Rural Observatory, which went live on 8 December. This is a major milestone. I want to mention the rural package because European Parliament is a key partner in this process. Indeed, our shared goals of the vision can only be achieved together. You call on the Commission to maintain a direct and structured dialogue with the various levels of governance. This is the very objective of the Rural Pact and it has the ambition to gather all actors playing a role for the rural areas. Since last year, 1200 people have joined the rural pact community and close to 80 have submitted commitments to act. To conclude, I look forward to the exchange this evening and to the plenary vote on the report that Member of Parliament Isabel Carvalhais has championed and to continuing the fruitful collaboration with the honourable Members of this House on making the rural vision a reality, leaving no one and nowhere behind.

– Mr President, first of all, I want to thank you very much for your contributions. I was listening carefully and I’m really very grateful for the support of the European Parliament in putting care high on the European agenda. I was listening carefully and what I heard is that all of you agreed that there is demographic change, that there is a change in family structure, and that we need the infrastructure, budget, public infrastructure. So this is what all of you said. A number of speakers referred to care not being an EU competence. This is what you said. There is no idea and there is no reason to interfere in the sovereignty of Member States. But what we are trying to do, we do not question the sovereignty of Member States. We are not planning to organise care at the European Union level with a care strategy. We are only setting a policy framework to better structure mutual exchanges and to better structure the EU level, so that Member States can learn from each other and the Commission supports them with EU funding and research. Nobody said that you don’t want funding, at the same time you don’t want to interfere into sovereignty, so nobody is interfering into sovereignty. But at the same time we are ready to invest in this. A few speakers also asked for care to be left for the families. Yes, all of us know that care has traditionally been a family matter, but all of us also know that family structures are changing. Families have fewer children. This is what some of you said. Family members live further apart. Women want a normal job – a normal and formal job, a normal career. And it’s not possible because of labour shortages. Therefore, we can no longer rely on family care and we need to adapt our public services. This is what we are doing. So the European care strategy will call for better working conditions and wages, supported by strong dialogue and education and training to make care jobs more attractive. And as all of you know, we do not start from scratch. Many European Union initiatives you mentioned also already address the situation of care workers. And this strategy will call for better implementation and enforcement of this acquis to the care sector, and it will aim to trigger actions identifying specific implementation gaps. At the same time, the European care strategy will also aim to highlight the specific challenges of particularly vulnerable care workers, such as migrant workers, domestic workers and live-in carers. We will follow up on your report in finalising the care package and thank the European Parliament for the work already done on putting the spotlight on the different aspects of care. We count on your continued active cooperation in ensuring that the strategy brings concrete benefits to the lives of all in the European Union, making sure we leave no one and nowhere behind. And once again, I want to particularly thank our rapporteurs, Milan Brglez and Sirpa Pietikäinen.

– Mr President, honourable Members, first of all I want to thank Milan Brglez and Sirpa Pietikäinen, both co-rapporteurs, for this initiative and for this report. I really appreciate what you are doing and I appreciate your call on the Commission – although last year during the State of the Union speech, when President von der Leyen addressed this House, she promised that we would come up with a care strategy, which is going to happen on 7 September in the Commission. All of us know that care is an integral part of our lives and that it affects us all. Some of us are carers of children. Some are carers of older family members, as you said. Some of us are in need of care. What is clear is that we all provide and need care at different moments in our lives. However, at this moment in time, not everyone can access or afford the high—quality care they need. We cannot tolerate the status quo. Inadequate provision of care services has a number of consequences. It takes a heavy toll on the well—being and health of people needing care. It also impacts greatly on gender equality, simply because women continue to bear the bulk of informal care responsibilities across Member States. This hinders the ability of women to engage in paid work. On the other hand, more than 80% of care workers in the European Union are women and a number of them are of migrant background. Care work is often unevaluated. It’s often undervalued. The time has come for us to start caring about care. Many care workers face difficult working conditions, and also limited career prospects. The COVID—19 pandemic was a painful reminder of the multiple structural weaknesses of our long—term care systems. The demographic mega—trend of ageing in the European Union highlights the challenge of ensuring access to high—quality, affordable, long—term care while securing its adequate and sustainable financing. That is why the Commission, as I already said, is preparing a European Care Strategy. The strategy also responds to the Conference on the Future of Europe. Citizens highlighted during the Conference the importance of addressing health and care issues in the proposal on the demographic transition. Their proposal calls for quality, affordable and accessible childcare across the European Union and for appropriate care for older people. In responding to the needs of citizens, we must set a framework for policy reforms of our care systems and trigger the necessary investments with the help of European Union funding, including direct technical support. The strategy contributes to implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, which covers various aspects of care. I know that this House cherishes the Pillar as much as we do. The strategy will address both carers and care—receivers, from the youngest to the oldest members of our society. It takes a comprehensive approach to care, from childcare into long—term care, and covers the challenges of availability, accessibility, affordability and quality, while also stressing the need to ensure fiscal sustainability. This strategy aims at highlighting the vital contribution of care to society and to the economy. It calls for reinforced action at all levels to counter the challenges exhibited by the COVID—19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The strategy builds on numerous calls for reinforced EU action in this area and previous public consultations. This House is vocal on the topic of care. I fully agree with your focus on the quality of care across the life cycle, whereby we need to focus on accessibility, availability and affordability of care. Equally important, all users and their carers should have a genuine choice when it comes to care services. We have to be mindful of our responsibilities for care for life. We note that the Parliament calls on Member States to act in a number of areas. We will add our voice to these calls to guide the Member States, to guide their policy reforms in early childhood education and care and long-term care. The communication on the European Care Strategy will announce European—level supportive actions that build on extensive European acquis and initiatives relevant to the care sector. This includes labour law, health and safety at work, work—life balance skills and the rights of persons with disabilities and gender equality. Regarding long—term care, the Commission’s thinking is in line with the report on a number of points. In particular, we agree that we need to have a holistic life cycle approach, putting the persons in need of care at the centre. We agree to enable personal choice and a life lived in dignity, to uphold human rights, and a balanced mix of accessible, affordable and high—quality care options should be available, supported by adequate social protection. There is a clear need to strengthen quality standards and quality assurance mechanisms across the European Union. As regards carers, improving working conditions in the sector requires stronger social dialogue, adequate pay and upskilling and reskilling opportunities. Informal care should be a choice rather than a necessity, driven by lack of quality and affordable services. Support measures should be in place for informal carers. There is a clear social investment case in stepping-up provision of care services, tapping into the job creation potential of this sector, as well as digitalisation and innovation opportunities that can help unlock economic growth, create jobs and allow people with responsibilities to increase their participation on the labour market. With all the Member States facing a common challenge of providing accessible, affordable and high—quality care to all that need it, the Commission is exploring ways to improve admission of long—term care workers from non—EU countries. As announced in the upcoming communication on attracting skills and talents to the EU, the so—called ‘Brain Drain to Brain Gain’, this could benefit both the Member States and countries of origin by guaranteeing high ethical standards of recruitment. With regard to the revision of Barcelona targets, I am pleased that you advocate further upward convergence across Member States, including further investments in high—quality care for children, paying special attention to those at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This would increase women’s participation on the labour market and at the same time support the personal development of children. The proposal for the revision of the Barcelona targets follows the gender equality strategy and builds upon European Union initiatives such as the Child Guarantee and the recommendation on early childhood education. Care for children does not stop in the nursery or kindergartens. I appreciate that you link formal care with support for parents, including family-friendly working time arrangements and the encouragement of equal sharing of care among parents in line with the Work—Life Balance Directive. To conclude, I do appreciate your support for an ambitious care package that will improve gender equality across the European Union, allowing both women and men to better combine work with their care responsibilities and providing affordable, accessible and high—quality care services across the European Union.

– Mr President, honourable Members, thank you for all your comments. You know, the European Union forest strategy refers to the need to better respond to new challenges and needs, in particular concerning climate and biodiversity objectives and the issue of forest health, which is of concern for all Member States. It specifically announces further work on indicators and thresholds and refers to the need to better address these challenges. We intend to work jointly with Member States and stakeholders and assess how these could best be used to demonstrate, communicate and further develop the forest sector’s sustainability. With regard to the use of remote sensing to fight illegal logging, it is important to note that it is the competence of Member States to control the enforcement of the European Union Timber Regulation. It is generally not a sufficient tool to ensure its enforcement, and the planned legislative proposal on a forest monitoring framework will, however, ensure better access to data on forest logging and help fight illegal logging. I already mentioned that the Commission is determined to play its role as guardian of the Treaties. I said that over the past years when we concluded that EU legislation was not properly implemented, we have launched infringement procedures against the Member States concerned. I mentioned Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Estonia, and now a few words on Romania. We are paying great attention to the illegal logging situation in Romania, as this puts into jeopardy human lives and the rich biodiversity of Romanian forests. We are following very closely this case as it strongly relates not only to compliance with Habitat Directive and the Timber Regulation, but also to the credibility of the EU forest strategy. We are cooperating closely with the Romanian authorities and are following up on the work that remains to be done, in particular the restoration of deteriorated forests. Concerning the suggestions and remarks of the Irish MEPs, we have taken good note of your remarks. Dear Members, in the past few years, several petitions have highlighted the extent to which illegal logging grew in the European Union during the pandemic. We have since opened an infringement procedure for breaches of EU environmental law. This shows that we take your pleas seriously. I want to thank honourable Members for following this topic so closely. We are strongly committed to the protection of our forests and environmental defenders in the European Union, and we look forward to the plenary vote expected at the next plenary session this month. And regarding Dubrovnik, there are no forests, only cypress trees and pine trees, and they are under conservation so nobody is doing illegal logging there! Thank you very much for mentioning this.