Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, this summer's extreme heat is not an anecdote, but a real threat hitting millions of people across Europe. It hits workers, who suffer from thermal stress, and entire families, who see their bills skyrocketing because their homes are poorly isolated: Sustainable and efficient housing not only protects the planet, but makes it more affordable, and also saves lives. Denying science, ignoring climate change, not acting in the face of the heat, the denialism promoted by the right... kills. We've seen it this summer: Do you really believe that such denialism protects people, when only one extreme heat wave of this 2025 has claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people in Europe? That is why the Government of Spain proposes this pact for sustainability, and it is urgent to reach an agreement as soon as possible and that is ambitious. Let's be serious. Europe needs urgent responses: investing in sustainable housing, protecting people in their homes and jobs and demonstrating that defending people's health and well-being is above any ideology.

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, we have before us an unprecedented housing crisis. What do we do when millions of young people in Europe cannot start their vital projects? When the most vulnerable families spend more than half of their salary on rent or when neighbors are expelled from their neighborhoods? At this point, the Union not only has a chance, but it has an obligation to act. And how? Comrade Marcos Ros's report explains this very well: by changing the rules and allowing cohesion funds to be used for affordable and sustainable housing, by providing states with the tools and resources to build, rehabilitate and ensure decent housing for all, and by ensuring that every euro that Europe invests in a public housing stock is always there and does not end up in the hands of speculators. Vice-President, what is at stake is not just another commodity, but the life, dignity and future of entire generations. The European Union must rise to the occasion. Let's not miss this opportunity.

Mr President, Commissioner, no one wants to be made invisible, no one wants to be locked up or segregated. However, this is what millions of people with disabilities and also older people continue to suffer in Europe. All of them have the right to live wherever they want, with whomever they want and however they want, because independent living is not a luxury, but it is a right, even as we age. Deinstitutionalization is to guarantee opportunities, to guarantee personalized, accessible and close supports. It is also to guarantee decent, affordable and adapted housing, because without accessible housing there is no independent living, and without independent living there is no freedom or right to choose. Let's not forget, this is also a gender and social justice issue: women with disabilities, migrants and those living in poverty face even greater discrimination. If we don't look with an intersectional approach, we will continue to leave too many people behind. This rights agenda will not move forward without a strong European Social Fund Plus with real resources that are sufficient and truly people-centred. Because deinstitutionalization is not achieved with speeches, it is achieved with resources that finance services that integrate and care for those who need it most. So let us not give them up.

Mr President, Commissioner, mental health must be at the centre of the social debate, just as it must also be at the centre of public policy. We're not just talking about numbers, we're talking about lives: young people who do not see the way out, exhausted workers, people trapped in a system that chronicles their malaise; Because, like it or not, that discomfort has a lot to do with work, precariousness, lack of rest, impossible days and algorithms that dehumanize. And I wonder: Can we build a fair European project while millions of people get sick from precarious working conditions? We want a Europe that respects the right to disconnect, that allows us to reconcile, that reduces abusive days and finally recognizes the occupational burnout syndrome as an occupational disease. And we want it with legislation, with directives that protect people. Because mental health is not cured with speeches, but by guaranteeing rights. Therefore, let us be courageous.

Madam President, Madam Vice-President, restructurings to dismiss while distributing benefits? Of course not, industrial transition with decent jobs? Yes, and it's possible. Restructuring cannot be the excuse for precarious employment or weakening collective bargaining. Therefore, we demand that workers have a voice, that companies that receive public money invest in quality employment and that there are clear rules to stop the abuses of subcontracting. Spain has already shown that there is another way: with social dialogue, strong regulation and courageous measures. This is how we have protected jobs and rights. We cannot allow Europe's industrial modernisation to become a "save who can". We want investment, yes, but with social conditions, stable jobs and strong unions, because without social justice there will be no just transition.

Madam President, I would like to ask the honourable Members of the right whether what they want is an economy where working people are pieces to use and throw away, always forced to recycle without any guarantee, or whether what they want is a society with decent jobs and rights. We are seeing that what this right wants is to impose competitiveness as the only objective, regardless of the social impact. For them, training is a privilege; For socialists, on the other hand, it is a fundamental right. Therefore, what we must do is demand a directive that guarantees the right to paid training, because workers do not need an eternal career of retraining, what they need is stability and decent wages. Spain already leads the way with the largest investment in vocational training in its history, betting on education, digitalization and the green transition. Here we see two clear models: aimless precariousness, or rights, dignity and future. The model on which the European Union must bet is the latter.

Mr President, the memory of justice and reparation are the basis for ensuring that the dignity of our societies does not forget the victims of any dictatorship in Europe. And today in Spain, with the will to destroy the laws of democratic memory, we see these principles endangered. The inconsistency of the Spanish Popular Party reaches such a point that, for example – I will come to you with truths – the President of the Balearic Islands, who in 2018 voted in favour of a large part of the Democratic Memory Law – applauded, by the way, by the UN rapporteur, it is not that I say so – today lends herself to repealing it and surrendering once again to the will of the far-right, which is already hers. Please be consistent and decide which side of the story you want to be on. Whether on the side of the Francoists and coup plotters or on the side of the Spanish and European democrats. Because Europe cannot be built from oblivion, from injustice or from hatred to the different. Europe must be built on justice, memory and dignity for all its citizens.

Madam President, Commissioner Schmit, I would like to start with three stories which, unfortunately, are no exception. Julia: three years as an intern until she got her first employment contract. I read: two years of traineeship, the first of which was without pay. And Martina: trainee in a company with 50% of its workforce covered by trainees. They all have something in common: are part of the 52% of young people who have had to complete more than one traineeship before getting their first job. It seems a lie that we have understood the importance of guaranteeing dignified conditions when there is an employment contract in between, but that we have looked the other way for so long when it comes to doing internships. Let's leave behind the myth of the fellow who only serves coffees or makes photocopies, because it is a conception of the past that became obsolete at the time when the labor force of young people began to be used to fill structural jobs at zero cost. That is why I would like to ask the European Commission and, in particular, President von der Leyen to keep her promise and propose as soon as possible a directive regulating the quality of traineeships and ending the labour exploitation of young people in Europe, as this Parliament called for last June. I do not doubt Commissioner Schmit's commitment because we Socialists have been and are the promoters of a law banning unpaid traineeships at European level, and we will continue to fight for it. That is why I reiterate my request to the President of the European Commission. It is not that it is time for this directive to arrive, but that we are already late in presenting a directive that fills the legal vacuum that has allowed for decades to have false trainees without pay, without rights and without a future. Enough of the precariousness.

Madam President, Commissioner, when we designated 2023 as the European Year of Skills, we aimed to anticipate and prevent any working people from falling by the wayside. But this means that the burden of being prepared to change from one job or sector to another cannot rest solely on the shoulders of these same workers. I would like to recall that the mismatch between skills supply and demand is more linked to poor working conditions than to a lack of staff qualifications. And if someone affects this directly, it is the youngest people, because we are facing the best prepared generation, but in turn the one that suffers the most precarious work. Therefore, to all those who say they have problems finding qualified staff or personnel, I would like to leave them a small recipe, which is that they pay more and better; offer stability, dignity and training and give expectations for the future, because precariousness will never be the solution.

Mr President, Commissioner, I ask whether it is not paradoxical that the right has called for a debate on quality employment and a social and market economy, when it has been systematically boycotting any new initiative to improve precisely the quality of employment in the European Union. Because we have plenty of examples: from the exploitation of trainees to platform work to a right to disconnect or the inclusion of the social progress protocol in the Treaties. Call me spoiled, but the elections are just around the corner I think it has a lot to do with it. The reality is that in the face of this neoliberal right simply focused on competitiveness, because it is the only word that worries them, the Social Democrats know who we represent. And that is why we will continue to place people's well-being and social justice at the heart of our policies, as we have always done, since we were born, and we will continue to do so until the end. Europe must therefore be clear that it must be social or else it will not be.

Mr President, Commissioner, more than 40% of young people in Europe feel stressed or anxious most of their time. And it is time for you to understand that permanent uncertainty prevents us from building our lives. The European Union must defend the rights of young people. I myself have wanted to contribute to it during these years, but today there are many who say they are worried and do nothing for us. To my colleagues in the People's Party, who are absent right now, I would like to say that to defend the rights of young people is to support raising the minimum wage, to vote in favour of banning unpaid traineeships and to regulate the price of rents. It is also supporting social, affordable and quality housing strategies, or supporting minimum incomes, measures that they never usually support. Politicians owe it to citizens and there is an urgent need to guarantee quality jobs and shield our welfare state. For this you can count on my support, but also on the whole Social Democratic family, because right now there is no time to waste.

Mr President, Mr High Representative, last Friday we witnessed, once again, the efforts of the Guatemalan Public Prosecutor's Office to annul the validity of peaceful elections that took place in a transparent and well-organised electoral process, as concluded by the European Union election observation mission, among others. The latest events are nothing more than the culmination of a plan that has been plotting for months, instrumentalizing Justice to carry out a clear coup d'état. For months we have seen arbitrary persecutions and the lack of scruples of the Public Ministry is more than evident, so much so that it no longer bothers to hide it. And all this also happens with silences like that of the outgoing president Giammattei. It is high time to impose sanctions on those responsible for this whole situation. There can be no consequences for those who violate the constitutional order of Guatemala and pervert the validity of what Guatemalan citizens expressed forcefully at the polls, that is, that Bernardo Arévalo will be president on January 14.

Madam President, Commissioner, in the last year, one in four workers in the European Union has suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. As you can imagine, the data are even more alarming among young people – one in two young people declare poor mental health, plus all those who do not, of course. Now I ask them: bearing in mind that the right to disconnect from work does not exist per se; whereas people work but cannot buy a house or – sometimes – pay rent; that if you suffer from a mental illness, not only do you suffer the consequences – which are very hard – but you are also stigmatised socially and at work, are we really surprised by these data? European citizenship, and in particular our youth, deserves much more. Now, once the COVID-19 pandemic is managed, it is time more than ever to end this silent pandemic.

Madam President, as many of you will know, I am a Member of the Social Democratic Group, young, Spanish and from the Balearic Islands. And few things are more important to me than demanding the right to decent housing. Although everyone comes here and says that they are concerned about housing, I would recommend that, at least, the right does not believe it, because, when it governs, it literally passes the issue or is dedicated to favoring the ball that prevents young people from having a decent home. Dear colleagues of the European People's Party, your words sound very good, but I propose a task: ask your friends in the Balearic Government - who this week are taking pride in a housing law in which they are dedicated to promoting excessive construction and an urban amnesty and to encouraging speculation, which some colleagues have criticized - to think more about young people and the most vulnerable families. MEPs, the European Union must give hope, but above all answers to young people, vulnerable people and the middle classes. There is an urgent need for a European strategy for decent housing that prioritises public, affordable and quality social housing. And for that, count on my support, count on the Social Democrats and count on the young people, who are the present and the future of the Union.

Mr President, this debate allows us to focus on real life, on people and on the anxiety caused by not being able to reach the end of the month due to the high prices of electricity, rents or basic foodstuffs, among many other examples. But it also allows us to contrast two models: the model of the right, based on the defense of savage capitalism and the elites, and the social democratic model, which is committed to social justice and solidarity. The Europe we want defends the present and future of millions of young people and women, with decent wages, minimum incomes and social housing. It also defends its citizens, with a solidarity tax policy in which the most privileged contribute the most to help those who have the least. In short, a Europe in which prosperity is shared. Because, just as rights and freedoms are not negotiated, equal opportunities should not be negotiated either.

Madam President, Commissioner, on 20 August the people of Guatemala demonstrated their commitment to democracy and voted for change. The progressive binomial Arévalo-Herrera, whom I wish to congratulate from this rostrum, won the elections forcefully. However, there are those who not only do not accept the result, but actively promote actions that undermine the results and Guatemala's own constitutional order, and jeopardize a peaceful and orderly transition. The actions carried out by Consuelo Porras, Mr Orellana or Mr Curruchiche's FECI itself are unjustifiable. In addition to the temporary suspension revoked of the Seed Movement, there are also raids in the offices of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which is working intensively to preserve that result, the opening of ballot boxes and the seizure of computer equipment related to the TREP, actions that are completely unacceptable. Democracy is based on the fundamental principle of accepting the results of free and fair elections. And defending them, even if they do not align with your own interests or preferences, strengthens the rule of law and the integrity of democratic institutions. From the European Parliament we reiterate that the electoral result is respected, ratified by the TSE and observed by ourselves, and we call on all institutions to refrain from any action contrary to the manifest will of Guatemalan society. We will remain vigilant of everything that happens between now and October 31, but also until January 14, when Bernardo Arévalo will be appointed president of the Republic of Guatemala, despite whoever weighs him.

Madam President, Commissioner, EUR 7 218 is the estimated amount that a young person who has been on an unpaid traineeship for six months in the European Union no longer earns. In a Union in which only half of the 4 million young people who do traineeships every year receive some form of compensation for their work, I am constantly surprised that the right and far-right of this House seem nostalgic for a past in which junk contracts were the fashion. I therefore call on the European Commission to keep its promise to young Europeans and propose a directive as soon as possible. I do not doubt Commissioner Schmit's commitment because the Socialists, in the end, are very clear that repeating the mistakes of the past is not an option. On the other hand, on the right I still have my doubts. They are against a young person receiving fair remuneration: Yes or no? They are against young trainees having health insurance, unemployment or retirement contributions: Yes or no? They are against traineeships being recognised as work experience: Yes or no? I believe that the answer is quite obvious and I sincerely hope that they will be consistent and that they will vote in line with their speeches in favour of combating precariousness. Because do not doubt for a moment that, if we lose this opportunity to put forward a European law that puts an end to the exploitation of trainees, it will be you who will have to give explanations to the millions of young Europeans whom you have now betrayed by lying. In these statements, therefore, I ask you to vote tomorrow in favour of what we are asking for in this directive and to fulfil the expectations of young Europeans.

Mr President, High Representative, the situation in Nicaragua is only getting worse, no matter how much Mr Ortega intends to sell the opposite. On February 9, he released 222 political prisoners. A gesture that, although it could have been a first step to improve the situation in the country, turned out to have a very high cost. He then stripped all of them of their nationality – Nicaraguans by birth, but also by heart – and a few days ago they began confiscating their real estate. We must also think of those forty-six political prisoners who are still in prison in Nicaragua, as is the case of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, for whom we ask for a proof of life and the release of all of them. Like the persecution that the Church itself is receiving for offering spaces for critical thinking or the NGOs themselves that have already been expelled from the country. Repression and exile remain the main policy of the Ortega y Murillo regime. I refer to the facts. We must continue to raise our voices, even for those who cannot do so, and continue to demand real elections that can change the course of the country.

Madam President, Commissioner, rules such as the de minimis regulation are necessary to preserve the internal market. Limiting the aid that a government can give to its companies should help to avoid unequal competition between Member States. But when we look at the effect that this regulation has de minimis in the economies of the EU islands, we see a paradox: the limits set do not allow States to help island businesses offset the overcharge of insularity. It is very simple to understand what is the overcharge of insularity: an island-based company can only transport its goods by sea or air, which is an additional cost of around 70% compared to road or rail transport. Therefore, companies on the islands of the European Union have to compete within the internal market with a comparative disadvantage and the Regulation de minimis does not allow States to correct it with State aid. This is a dysfunction of the internal market. All companies compete on equal terms except those based on an island; the result is a widespread increase in product prices, a loss of competitiveness of our companies and the deindustrialisation of island economies. We Europeans living on the islands demand, as recognised in the European Parliament resolution of 7 June 2022, that the EU make it possible to compete on an equal footing. That is why we are asking for more flexibility in the Rules of Procedure. de minimis to enable States to compensate for these additional costs of insularity with State aid. We do not ask for a privilege, but for the correction of an inequality.

Mr President, High Representative, it is clear that we are very concerned about the situation in Peru. As Mr Borrell has rightly said, it is an important and serious feeling. We hope that stability and social peace will return so that the country can continue to advance in its development and in the fight against poverty and inequalities. It is necessary for all actors to respect the country's institutionality and the separation of powers and, in turn, it is also important for institutions to respect human rights, the right to peaceful demonstration and the important role of Peruvian civil society and indigenous organizations. And to recover the balance, the first step, which is not the only one, is that fair and free elections are essential as soon as possible. This is how they will regain the legitimacy that Peruvian institutions need. From Europe, we will continue to support Peru to resolve that situation so that the country can continue to move forward.

Mr President, Commissioner Gabriel, when we designated 2021 as the European Year of Youth, we aimed to empower European youth by putting them at the centre, increasing their participation and listening to what they had to tell us. These young people have already spoken and spoken clearly and forcefully in forums such as the Conference on the Future of Europe. They want stable contracts, decent wages and social protection. They want decent and affordable housing. They want better education and better mental health. They want us to reassure them that no other young people are going to be exploited and used as cheap labor when they do an internship. Therefore, I would like to ask you: what assessment are they making of these conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and what concrete policies are they going to carry out in that regard? Above all, it is no longer just about listening and letting young people participate, but also about doing what they ask of us. And, being the generation that believes the most in this project, I think we have to do it.

Mr President, Commissioner Johansson, when Uber's files came to light last July, we were able to check the modus operandi used by certain large multinationals: Believe yourself above the law and use ethically questionable tactics to influence the democratic process. The stark reality shows that work platforms like Uber have developed through a business model based on social backsliding and undermining workers' rights. While this Parliament seeks to protect more than 30 million people who, today, work through digital platforms in the European Union, guaranteeing them access to their social and labour rights, others aim to dismantle the European social model that has cost us so much to build. It is not very common for a negotiating mandate adopted in committee to be challenged and brought to plenary, especially when it goes ahead by a large majority, as happened in the Committee on Employment. In fact, it has only happened with seven of the 82 mandates announced in plenary during this legislature. Therefore, one cannot help but wonder what is behind the deliberate delay of the negotiations of a directive that aims to prohibit false self-employment on platforms, when the only ones who are against this legislation are precisely platforms like Uber.

Mr President, Commissioner Schmit, Minister, the pandemic, Putin's war and what this war has meant for the rising cost of living are calling into question the strength of our social protection systems. And what are the most direct consequences? Unacceptably high levels of poverty and inequality in Europe and especially among children from more vulnerable households. If we want to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty – because it is an intergenerational problem – we must strengthen the social protection of children and adolescents and universalise social rights through access to and enjoyment of inclusive quality essential services. We must universalize services such as health, which in some regions are being dismantled. But this will not be possible if we do not have an adequate budget to finance this European Child Guarantee, either by increasing the resources of the European Social Fund Plus, or by creating a specific programme, as has already been done in the past with other programmes, to find a solution. Children are the present and the future. It's time to rise to the occasion; Europe of opportunities starts in childhood.

Mr President, Commissioner, I can no longer agree with the conclusion you have just made. We agree that, in these employment guides, we have taken into account the green and digital transitions, and many other issues that directly or indirectly affect the labour market. Or are you going to tell me, the gentlemen on the right, that children who are at risk of exclusion and poverty are not because their fathers and mothers have precarious jobs and, therefore, are forced to have their children live in that situation? Or will the gentlemen on the right also tell me that there are others, of the many proposals we have made in this report, which do not directly or indirectly affect the workers we are talking about? Or are they also going to tell me that we are reviewing the employment guides every year? We have not reviewed them since before COVID-19. What are we talking about? We do not want the Commission to take away powers from the Member States. We have not said that at any time in this document. What is terrible is that the right is on the side of the most privileged, as it always does, and not of the most vulnerable, which is what we have to protect. Others talk about the subsidy culture. I tell them that we help the most vulnerable because they deserve the same opportunities as all citizens. This is supported by the IMF, the ECB and the OECD. I therefore see no mistake in the line we are taking to protect workers, the working class and the most vulnerable. And I also don't see a mistake in all those progressive policies of helping those who need it most. I think you should reflect and see if, perhaps, those who are wrong are you, who always defend the most privileged.

Mr President, Commissioner Schmit, before I begin, I would like to thank all the people involved in this report for their work. When I started working on it last June, we set ourselves three main objectives: the first, to protect workers; also strengthen, of course, the welfare state; and third, to ensure that the green and digital transitions were socially fair and left no one behind. The COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, Putin's war and the exponential rise in the cost of living call for us to put in place progressive policies that ensure a democratic, inclusive and socially just recovery. Europe's future lies in creating quality jobs and shielding social investment. Unlike those who bet on dismantling the social state and returning to draconian austerity policies, the Social Democrats defend that whoever has greater economic capacity contributes more. Fair and progressive taxation is the main tool to fight inequality and poverty. Strengthening the social shield is not an option, but an obligation, and more so in times of crisis. And I don't just say it myself: The International Monetary Fund itself was opposed a few days ago to the generalized tax cuts and demanded that Member States deploy inclusive and fair policies with a focus on the middle and working classes, which are currently in difficulties. Policies such as those we include in these guidelines and with which some groups seem to have certain difficulties. And I speak specifically of creating a social resilience package that ensures the financing of the TENs, which have helped both workers, and a social rescue mechanism for the most vulnerable. We have to keep moving forward. This has already been adopted in past resolutions of the European Parliament and we cannot go backwards. We have to move forward. I am also talking about activating minimum income schemes in all Member States through a directive. And I am also talking about ensuring universality in the case of health systems and quality care, which have been so necessary during the pandemic. No more free work, too. Europe must stand alongside its citizens and, above all, those of today, but also those of tomorrow. That is why we are going to make sure that all those young people who do an internship receive fair remuneration, have decent working conditions and access the social security system. Personally, I would have liked to go a step further by prohibiting unpaid internships, an action that seems to me to be a labor exploitation for our young people. But, once again, the right has lacked I do not know whether to say commitment or courage. And that is why we also call in these employment guidelines for up to €20 billion for the European Child Guarantee, to lift five million children out of poverty or social exclusion by 2030. Putin has provoked a war in Ukraine and Europeans are living the consequences of this war. Faced with this situation, it is more necessary than ever to strengthen the social shield, to have internalized what equal opportunities means. For all these reasons, I ask the other groups, no longer commitment or courage, but a little common sense when it comes to supporting the report as it came out of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs.