Speeches

– 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.

– Mr President, honourable members, first I would like to thank the Petitions Committee for adding this oral question to this week’s plenary agenda and for giving us the opportunity to discuss today this highly important topic. Let me start by stressing the Commission is strongly committed to protecting and restoring existing forests worldwide and that the protection of forests features very highly on our political agenda. This EU forest strategy, which we adopted last year, which is anchored in both the European Green Deal and the EU diversity strategy, builds on the multiple roles played by forests for the climate, biodiversity, society and the economy. It strives to ensure that our forests deliver on all those fronts. Our goal is to overcome the challenges related to climate change and biodiversity loss and at the same time to promote the bio—economy to unlock the potential of forests for our future. If we want the European Union to succeed in its transition towards sustainability, we will need forests that are bigger, healthier and more resilient than today. In this spirit, the forest strategy shows how increased climate and biodiversity ambitions can go hand-in-hand with economic prosperity. It is a realistic strategy, which also acknowledges that our forests are under threat. We have seen how, during the pandemic, illegal logging actually increased in the European Union. The EU forest strategy for 2030 states explicitly that the implementation and enforcement of our relevant acquis to protect forests needs to be stepped up, and the Commission is determined to play its role as guardian of the Treaties. Over the past years, where we concluded that EU legislation was not properly implemented, we have launched infringement procedures against the Member States concerned, for example, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Estonia. In your oral question, you ask how the Commission plans to assess the extent of illegal logging and the economic losses it causes within the European Union. In relation to the economic losses linked to illegal logging, we do not have official recent estimates, but we can see from various data sources that it could be substantial. A study of the World Bank gives estimates of foregone tax revenue due to illegal logging for 2017 Europe without Russia. It estimates that between USD 19 million and USD 380 million in tax income was lost. The EU Timber Regulation remains the EU’s primary tool for preventing illegally logged timber entering EU markets. The Commission assesses the correct enforcement of EU Timber Regulation by Member States on the basis of their annual reporting of relevant, substantiated concerns and trade data. In addition, the Commission relies on satellite images available to evaluate illegal logging in protected Natura 2000 sites, and on reports from civil society on the ground. We will continue to work closely with Member States to develop other relevant initiatives and tools, including under the framework of the regulation of deforestation, which the Commission proposed in November 2021. The regulation of deforestation will eventually replace the Timber Regulation and expand reporting obligations by Member States. It proposes reporting on the content of checks, their follow up, country of origin and production of timber. This will allow the Commission to better assess the quality of Member States’ enforcement activities. Let me now turn to the second part of your oral question concerning the compliance of Member States with their commitments to restore areas deteriorated by illegal logging. The Commission has opened several infringements against Member States to address illegal logging that has taken place in Natura 2000 sites in breach of the Habitats Directive. In these cases, the Commission has asked Member States to restore deteriorated areas and to present a restoration plan. On this basis, the Commission will carefully assess the delivery of such commitments using both satellite intelligence and field evidence as appropriate. Lastly, on the publishing of the detailed assessment of all forest management plans in Member States, we plan to do this through the new legislative instrument on EU forest monitoring plans for 2023. Furthermore, the assessment will consider how to support and advice foresters in setting up those plans. In parallel, the Commission is using geospatial intelligence to assess individual cases where there might be a risk to compliance. For example, geospatial intelligence is increasingly being used by the Commission to assess complaints about natural forest habitat deterioration in special areas of conservation. Finally, the Commission is also developing the EU observatory on deforestation and forest degradation, which investigates changes in the world’s forest cover and associated drivers. Honourable Members, thank you for your attention, and I look forward to your questions and comments.

– Mr President, only a few comments. First of all, the Commission aims at adopting the legislative proposal after the summer break, as many of you asked. The initiative requires urgent action, which does not allow us to prepare an impact assessment, but the Commission will publish the evidence, as I said earlier, in a staff working document. We published a call for evidence on 23 May, and it is open for public feedback until 24 June. We encourage stakeholders to submit comments. All of us know that combating forced labour is nothing new. Our trade agreements commit our partners to signing and effectively implementing the ILO fundamental conventions, including on forced labour. Company law instruments and proposals oblige companies to report on forced labour and address it in their operations and supply chains. Moreover, our anti—trafficking directive from 2011 ensures that Member States penalise human trafficking and forced labour. And to conclude, I do appreciate the valuable comments and questions raised in this debate today. It is clear that we have the same objective. Combating forced labour and promoting due diligence standards are priorities of the European Union’s agenda on business and human rights. We are looking forward to further exchanges with you on this issue. Thank you Mr President, thank you honourable Members, thank you Mr Lange, so we are looking forward to having legislative proposals soon.

– Mr President, the Commission is addressing forced labour in global value chains as a priority. Forced labour exists on every continent, including Europe, unfortunately. However, it should be noted that the physical characteristics of a product do not reveal whether forced labour has been used. It also often takes place at the early stages of a supply chain. To address it efficiently, we need to tackle the root cause, which is often related to economic, social, political or cultural circumstances. Other root causes include legislative gaps and the lack of effective enforcement. Finding effective solutions requires a long—term effort, combined with short— and medium-term European Union action. It will require pooling together a number of relevant policy tools at European level and in the international context. I would like to thank you for the questions you have asked. We are still developing our approach and we still expect to receive comments from stakeholders. Therefore, I will not reply to all your questions in detail today, but they are all well noted for our further consideration. In response to your questions on the process, we aim to adopt a legislative proposal after the summer break. Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner Breton co—lead on this file, with all relevant Commission services as well as the External Action Service closely associated. Executive Vice-President Vestager is also associated with this file. The initiative requires urgent action, which does not allow preparing an impact assessment, but the Commission will publish the evidence of a staff working document. The Commission published on 23 May a call for evidence for public feedback. Furthermore, we are currently holding targeted consultations with EU and international stakeholders. This proposal will also respond to the recommendations of the Conference on the Future of Europe, the fight against child labour and forced child labour. As regards the content of the new instrument, the guidelines were presented by the Commission President in her State of the Union speech last September, and in the Commission communication on decent work worldwide. This provided the basis for the instrument we are currently fleshing out. The aim of the legislative proposal will be to effectively prohibit the placing on the EU market of products made by forced labour, and this marketing prohibition would cover both domestic and imported products. The instruments would have a risk—based enforcement, build on international standards and complement existing horizontal and sectorial EU initiatives, in particular due diligence and transparency obligations. The measure would introduce a prohibition to place products made with forced labour on the EU market. Therefore the relevant legal basis could be Article 114 of the Treaty, possibly combined with Article 207 of the Treaty if deemed relevant. The legislative proposal should recognise the role of due diligence in identifying, preventing, mitigating and accounting for the use of forced labour in value chains. It should be coherent with the due diligence obligations established in existing initiatives. It may be useful to give guidelines to companies to help them carry out various steps of due diligence. This should be in line with those guidelines to be developed in the framework of the proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence. Such guidelines should be tailored for different types of economic operators, especially those not covered by the above—mentioned proposal. We should avoid placing unnecessary additional administrative burden on businesses and the enforcement authorities, and we should provide tools to help them with implementation. For example, an important element will be information—sharing on the risks of forced labour. The proposal should also consider the specific situation of SMEs, both in its design and enforcement. Forced labour is a very complex issue. The international dimension is important and we are cooperating with partners, including the US and Canada – who indeed have their own systems – but also with international organisations. The initiative should consider ways to cooperate with third countries, including countries where supply chains originate.

– Mr President, I was listening carefully to this debate this morning, and I want, first of all, to thank you for inviting me to this debate. I think now that all of us agree that, following this intense year of deliberation and engagement with citizens through the Conference on the Future of Europe, the input of engagement of citizens helps reinforce representative democracy. At the beginning it was not like this, but now I am sure that all of us can share this opinion. We should not lose out of sight that what we have achieved is historically significant. Every institutional component of the Conference gave its consensus on 49 proposals. In the words of President von der Leyen, the Conference weaved and crafted the vision of Europe that delivers on what matters most that helps to make everyday life better. And we have all listened to the citizens. We all have a role in following up to the proposals of the Conference. Effective feedback is vital to this process. This is where we show that the message from citizens has been well received. For the Commission as a first step, the follow-up will take the shape of a communication and President von der Leyen will announce the Commission’s first initiatives, as I already said this morning, in her State of the Union address. The subsequent Commission work programme will see the further implementation of a number of proposals. For the European Parliament, part of the response includes calling for Treaty change. As President von der Leyen said in her speech at the closing of the Conference, the Commission will always be on the side of those who want to reform the European Union and to make it work better. As mentioned earlier, the Commission is ready to play its part. That’s all for my side. Thank you for having me here today and I am looking forward to voting.

– Mr President, thank you, good morning to everybody. Dear colleagues, you know that in the Conference on the Future of Europe, we gave our citizens a central role. We have heard their voice, and now it’s up to each institution to deliver on the follow-up of the Conference according to the commitment in the joint declaration at the beginning of the Conference. Follow-up is a shared responsibility. The Commission is ready to play its part in turning proposals into concrete action. Next week already, the Commission is putting forward a communication that charts out the way for the follow—up of the Conference outcome in areas that fall under the Commission’s remit. There is already a lot the institutions can do and some of the proposals can be implemented rather swiftly. The first new Commission proposal responding to the final report will be announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the Union address in September. Recent examples show that even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic or a war, Europe is able to deliver on areas that are not explicitly provided for in the Treaties. We have procured billions of vaccines for Europeans and worked on kick-starting the economy through Next Generation EU, to mention just two examples. Beyond this, we could go further. As you say in your resolution, Europe could play a greater role, for example, in health and in defence, and in some key areas, unanimity voting does not make sense and we need to be able to move faster. The European Parliament is now on the path to use its powers to call for treaty change and the Commission is ready to play its part. We have to find the most direct way to follow up on the conclusions of the Conference, either by using the full limits of what can be done within the treaties or, if needed, changing the treaties where necessary. And now it is delivery time. That’s all for the beginning.

– Madam President, good morning. I want to thank honourable Members for dedicating time to this very, very important topic. All of us know that children’s rights are human rights, and this is something we have to keep in mind. Every child has the right to grow up in a secure environment, to play, to learn, and to have prospects for a peaceful future. Today, we see children under attack in Ukraine, on our European soil. We see their most basic rights, including the very right to life, brutally denied. Children are trapped in the bomb shelters, caught in crossfire and are braving harsh conditions. Look at Bucha. These harrowing images cannot, and will not, be left unanswered. The perpetrators of these crimes must not go unpunished, and a global response is necessary. Two and a half million children have been forced from their homes and some two million children have crossed the border into the European Union. Many arrive without their parents. I think there are about 100 000 children in Ukrainian institutions, more than half of them with disabilities. It is a top priority for all of us to urgently respond to their needs. On 23 March, the Commission adopted its communication on welcoming those fleeing war in Ukraine, readying Europe to meet their needs. We outlined concrete measures that equip the European Union and Member States to offer these children protection and give them swift access to their rights and services without any discrimination. We are making European Union funding available to support inclusion, foster care, psychosocial support and counselling. Unaccompanied minors, and separated and orphaned children are at high risk of abuse and exploitation. We are working to obtain sufficient data so that all children are properly registered. My colleague Ylva Johansson will speak in more detail about this later on. Legal guardians must be assigned as quickly as possible. Potential foster families should be vetted so that the children do not end up in abusive households. Our Member States’ national offices for children, child protection services and the Ombudsman are mobilised. I can confirm that national coordinators of the European Child Guarantee are now operational. They will play an important role in providing access to key services. We have established a solidarity platform for Member States. This will help ensure effective coordination and cooperation. We recently launched the European Union Network for Children’s Rights, which will strengthen the coordination among child rights actors and help us identify further needs. Education is key. We support our Member States to help children return to school to regain a sense of normality. Integration into national childcare and school systems will be accompanied by psychosocial support, and culture and sport activities to help overcome trauma, language and cultural barriers. The Commission’s School Education Gateway will serve as a one—stop shop to link educational material from Ukraine to Member States’ material in the Ukrainian language. We will also draw on the capacities of Ukrainian teachers among the new arrivals in the European Union. Upon arrival, healthcare is crucial. Children will need psychosocial care. Many will have missed out on proper nutrition. Standard paediatric vaccinations will be prioritised and the Commission is supporting the supply of vaccines through HERA. Inside Ukraine, genuine humanitarian corridors must be established to evacuate the most vulnerable. We are providing substantial humanitarian aid, working with our international partners and in coordination with the Ukrainian authorities to ensure humanitarian aid reaches its destination and that children can receive protection. This war will mark the children of Ukraine for life. We will not leave a stone unturned to ensure that they will be well cared for, that they can recover and be a child again. This is not only a job. It is our collective responsibility and a human imperative.

– Madam President, I would like to thank the honourable Members and the rapporteur, Ms Gabriele Bischoff, in particular for consulting the Commission on these amendments of its Rules of Procedure. This is foreseen in paragraph 21 of the framework agreement on the relations between the two institutions. The Commission gave due consideration to the amendments adopted in December last year to ensure the functioning of Parliament under extraordinary circumstances, in particular those linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission takes note of the current amendments which mainly concern internal arrangements of the European Parliament. These amendments mostly aim at ensuring legal certainty by updating a number of references in order to take account of recently adopted legal texts. In particular, the Commission notes the amendment to Rule 99 on discharge to the Commission in respect of the implementation of the budget amended to include a reference to the new financial regulation, that is Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046. The Commission knows that the Rule 235 on powers and responsibilities relating to European political parties and European political foundations was amended to include a reference to the same regulation, and the Commission notes the reference of the Regulation (EU) 2019/1673 on the European citizens’ initiative in Rule 222 on public hearings and debates on citizens’ initiatives, and Rule 230 on the Citizens’ initiative. The Commission does not have any comments related to these amendments. The Commission welcomes the European Parliament’s commitment to ensure gender balance within its internal bodies as reflected in the amendment to Rule 213 on the Bureau of parliamentary committees. We understand that the revision of the Rules of Procedure is a work in progress. Additional amendments might be considered in the future to take into account further developments. This is relevant in the context of the reflection process launched by President Sassoli on how to improve the democratic work of Parliament and draw lessons from the recent pandemic. The framework agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission is the written translation of the spirit of sincere and mutual cooperation that should govern the relations between our two institutions. It is therefore of the utmost importance that Parliament and the Commission duly implement its provisions, both when it comes to claiming rights and to respect obligations. In this context, the Commission expects to continue to be informed on and stands ready to respond to any consultation on future amendments to the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure that would affect the mutual cooperation. I want to thank you very much for your work and am looking forward to our cooperation.

– Madam President, on behalf of my colleague, High Representative and Vice President, Josep Borrell, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, Antonio López—Istúriz White, for the comprehensive report on EU—NATO cooperation in the context of transatlantic relations. Let me welcome that it incorporates a number of elements of key importance and relevance for EU—NATO cooperation, such as emphasising the European Union’s ambition to be a global actor for peace and security, highlighting that the European Union’s strategic autonomy strengthens transatlantic security, reaffirming the importance of key principles guiding EU—NATO cooperation and calling for coherence between the two reflection processes, notably the Strategic Compass on the European Union side and NATO 2030 on NATO’s side. In the current strategic environment and in light of the common challenges, joining and closely coordinating our efforts is the most obvious choice. Enhanced EU—NATO cooperation remains instrumental in bringing Europe and North America closer. We seek to deepen the fostering of the transatlantic bond. Cooperation with NATO remains a key priority for the European Union, as confirmed by the Council on several occasions. Last month, the NATO Summit Communiqué reaffirmed that the European Union is a unique and essential partner for NATO. The two joint declarations of 2016 and 2018, together with the 74 common actions for implementation, provide a well-established, solid and comprehensive framework for cooperation. It is based on a strong political mandate received from both EU Member States and NATO allies. The NATO summit invited the Secretary-General to develop the next strategic concept to be endorsed at the next summit. At the same time, on our side, we are taking forward our reflection process, which will lead to the adoption of the Strategic Compass in March next year. Rest assured that we see a clear need for coherence between these two reflection processes. We are working in this direction in full respect of the decision—making autonomy of both organisations. In the wake of a very successful EU—US summit and as we approach the fifth anniversary of the Warsaw Joint Declaration, we see clear political momentum for further strengthening our strategic partnership and taking our cooperation to the next level. We are exploring ways regarding the common way forward, a renewed political commitment to take the form of a new joint declaration. I count on the continued support of the European Parliament in further strengthening our mutually reinforcing and beneficial strategic partnership with NATO.

– Madam President, honourable Members, on behalf of Vice—President Valdis Dombrovskis, I want to thank Parliament and the Committee on International Trade (INTA Committee) and our rapporteur, Kathleen Van Brempt, for the attention, work and time invested in this report. I also want to thank you for your involvement in the trade policy review process, which led to the adoption by the Commission of the communication on an open, sustainable and assertive trade policy on 18 February. I fully share your analysis about the special context in which the trade policy review is taking place. As you rightly pointed out, trade policy finds itself at a crossroads. This is why there is a need for a new EU trade and investment strategy. This must take into account the difficult current geopolitical reality, including the challenges of the COVID—19 crisis, and also those stemming from our ambitions linked to the green and digital transitions. The new trade policy strategy is built on three pillars: openness, sustainability and assertiveness. The key challenge we face is to find the right balance between these three elements. On openness: reaffirming our commitment to open, fair and rules—based trade is not just EU idealism. It is an economic and political necessity. The competitiveness of our economy depends on it. This is particularly evident in the multilateral space. Again, I thank you for supporting our plans to lead an in—depth reform of the World Trade Organization. It is in this spirit of openness that European Union has proposed that WTO members agree as soon as possible on a global trade initiative for equitable access to COVID—19 vaccines and medicines. The European Union also stands ready to support close cooperation between international bodies, especially the recently—announced intensified collaboration of the WTO, the World Health Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization in fighting the pandemic. In your report, you underlined the need for the European Union to enhance its strategic autonomy, notably to secure access to critical raw materials, goods and services, especially medical and pharmaceutical goods. This is a legitimate request that is supported by the openness of our economy. This is why the overarching concept guiding the strategy is the model of open strategic autonomy. To address today’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change and biodiversity loss or the COVID—19 crisis, we need more rather than less global cooperation. A policy of open strategic autonomy will therefore allow the European Union to continue reaping the benefits of international opportunities, while at the same time assertively defending our interests, protecting our economy from unfair trade practices and ensuring a level playing field. I welcome that sustainability is very much at the forefront of the European Parliament’s priorities in your resolution. This is in line with the new strategy, which represents a clear choice for a green and progressive trade policy. It puts the green transition and protection of labour rights at the very heart of European Union trade policy. More concretely, I also agree with the view expressed by the European Parliament that we need to work further on issues such as fair, resilient and sustainable value chains, the enforceability of trade and sustainable development chapters, and the importance of delivering an efficient carbon border adjustment mechanism. We shall also continue our efforts in promoting resource—efficient and circular economy models around the world through the trade levers. The dialogues on these issues will continue in particular during the review of the 15—point action plan on trade and sustainable development, which will be launched very soon. On assertiveness, I certainly agree with many of the points made in this resolution. In particular, I agree with the idea that our openness should go hand—in—hand with effective rules, ensuring fair competition and a level playing field for European businesses. I also agree with you that where cooperation is not possible, the European Union should pursue its interests through autonomous measures to protect its values and fight against unfair trading practices in accordance with international law. So this is very much in line with our clear shift towards stronger implementation and enforcement and with the new instruments that we are proposing, such as the foreign subsidies instrument and the future anti—coercion instrument. Finally, I would like to emphasise that the Commission intends to build on the very positive trade policy review process and continue the dialogue and engagement on trade policy with all key stakeholders. I want to thank you, honourable Members.

– Madam President, honourable Members, on behalf of my colleague Vice-President Věra Jourová, I thank you for this opportunity to exchange views on this important matter. The Commission is fully committed to engaging with citizens in shaping European Union policy. We have been using various methods and tools for some time. Since 2012, the Commission has promoted a format of citizens’ dialogues. These are open and direct dialogues between citizens and the European Commission. Sometimes senior Commission officials participate on specific issues. More than 2 000 dialogues have been organised across all Member States. I personally have participated in them and find them to be a valuable source of inspiration and exchange. In the last year, due to the pandemic, citizens’ dialogues have moved entirely online. I’m looking forward to meeting and discussing with citizens in person again too. Dialogues allow the European Commission to open the debate about Europe to more and more people throughout the Union. They have uncovered an increasing demand for events that enable people to be heard. Many different participatory formats of dialogues have taken place over the years. Workshops and other methods are frequently used to ensure the participation of all those attending the events. However, citizens’ dialogues are primarily a listening exercise. This is where the Conference on the Future of Europe deepens citizens’ engagement. This unprecedented exercise in deliberative democracy at the European level has a built-in feedback mechanism. In the joint declaration the three presidents committed to following up on citizens’ input. Crucially, citizens will be able to see the outcome of their inputs. The conference pan-European citizens panels as a key feature. A representative sample of 800 citizens will deliberate and come up with policy recommendations on the main topics addressed on the conference digital platform. These recommendations will feed into the overall conference discussions for follow up. But we want to go a step further. We are therefore doing our utmost to mainstream citizens’ participation in various policy domains. The conference is not a panacea for all ills. It will not replace representative democracy but will reinforce it. And I want to highlight this today here in this hemicycle. One of the tangible tools engaging Europeans in the European Union policy-making for the last nine years is the European citizens’ initiative. It gives all European citizens the power to directly ask the European Commission to take action on matters they care about. On 30 June we have given a positive reply to the sixth successful initiative ‘End the cage age’ calling for prohibiting caging of various farm animals. This year legislative acts adopted in the follow up of two other European citizens’ initiatives – Right to water and Ban glyphosate – entered into application. This is evidence of the substantive legal and political impact of successful citizens’ initiatives. But the real impact of the European citizens’ initiative goes further. Even initiatives that do not reach the final formal steps of the process can generate multiple impacts because the citizens’ initiative is first and foremost an agenda-setting tool. From the moment citizens start an initiative, they bring the issue they care about into the public space and to the attention of the Commission. This year, we already registered six new citizens’ initiatives. We hope to receive many more in the future as we are further extending our information campaign – EU take the initiative – and the legal and practical advice offered by the forum on the European citizens’ initiative. Honourable Members, dear Mr Scholz, the Commission will study your resolution and look at how to better involve citizens right from the early stages of policy-making. Structurally embedding citizen engagement in the European Union helps to address some of the frustrations and concerns of our citizens and contributes to bringing the European Union closer to them.

– Madam President, the Commission welcomes the report by the Committee on Fisheries (PECH) on the impact on fisheries of offshore windfarms and other renewable energy systems. On behalf of my colleague, Virginijus Sinkevičius, I want to thank in particular the rapporteur, Peter van Dalen, for all his work and strong commitment to this important issue. This report puts a much—needed emphasis on environmental considerations, the rational use of space and the involvement of all sea users. This is very much in the spirit of our new approach to a sustainable blue economy. Under the European Green Deal, the European Union is committed to becoming climate neutral by 2050 in order to mitigate the effects of climate change and related biodiversity loss. Sustainably-sourced and circular renewable energy is essential to reaching this target. Offshore wind energy needs to be developed in line with the objectives of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the circular economy action plan. The Maritime Spatial Planning Directive clearly stipulates having, in the early stages, both a dialogue and cooperation with the fishing community and all relevant stakeholders. The main goal of maritime special planning is to ensure access to maritime space for the different sea users and to facilitate the coexistence and synergies between those users, while safeguarding the marine environment. Therefore, one of the actions under the new sustainable blue economy approach will be the creation of a blue forum for all users of the sea. In the blue forum, a dialogue will be coordinated between stakeholders from the fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, tourism and energy sectors, as well as scientists. The aim is to develop synergies and reconcile competing uses of the sea. The Commission has carried out and financed several projects looking at a combination of fisheries or aquaculture on the one side, wind farms on the other side, and the relevant impacts. Work in this area must continue. The Commission is encouraging this, notably via the blue forum and the Horizon Europe mission on ocean waters, coastal and inland waters. In addition, best practices in terms of minimising disruption and mitigating damage to ecosystems will be shared and showcased by a new community of practices that will be launched by the end of this year. By March 2022, the Commission will also submit the report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of maritime special planning interactions between sectors and stakeholders. Consultation processes will be looked at carefully during the analysis of all available national maritime special plans. Through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, we are supporting cooperation projects for maritime special planning in all European Union sea basins. By the end of 2020, we had already funded 13 such projects on maritime special planning for a total amount of more than EUR 25 million. This cooperation will be continued and increased in the coming year to tackle new challenges. It is important to note that the maritime special planning process takes place in subsequent stages. Plans will be regularly updated to fit new realities and policy developments at a minimum of every ten years. All offshore renewable energy developments must fully comply with European Union environmental legislation, notably going through the environmental impact assessment before any project can begin. Together with your EU strategy on offshore renewable energy, in November 2020, the Commission adopted updated guidance on wind energy developments and European Union natural legislation. This guidance notably looks at the combination and integration of offshore wind farms within marine protected areas. Clearly, one does not exclude the other. The end of life of wind turbines and decommissioning also need to be looked at in terms of environmental impact at sea and in terms of recycling. Therefore, the Commission will, in the coming year, carry out further studies on technology development in offshore energy. These studies will also look at how the related infrastructure can be embedded sustainably in the marine environment and socio—economic ecosystems. The European Union strategy on offshore renewable energy will boost emerging technologies that reduce the impact on fisheries, notably floating offshore wind, wave and tidal devices. To achieve this, we need to set clear, short and long—term targets for the ocean energy sector. Finally, I would like to underline that easy access to renewable energy produced at sea in the form of electricity and hydrogen will create opportunities for decarbonising other blue sectors, notably shipping, fisheries and aquaculture. To end, offshore wind energy plays a key role in achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal. This Commission is fully committed to ensuring that environmental, economic and social sustainability is achieved. We will therefore make sure that the fisheries and aquaculture sectors will be appropriately involved in all decision making in this context. Before any offshore wind farms see the light, all projects will undergo – as I have already said – the necessary impact assessment. I’m convinced that ultimately we will achieve a win-win situation for all stakeholders, including the fishing community.