Speeches

Thirty years have passed since the United Nations declared 17 October 1992 World Day for the Eradication of Poverty, but we must bitterly note that this goal has not yet been achieved. Despite the possibility to feed every person on Earth, 811 million people in the world today still do not have enough food and 44 million are at risk of slipping into famine; 2 billion people still live without safe drinking water and 1.3 billion live in multidimensional poverty, almost half of which are children and young people. 385 million children, according to UNICEF data, live in extreme poverty with less than $1.90 a day. A poverty that grows heavily affects their ability to build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities. Dignity for all – this year’s theme – is not only a fundamental right in itself, enshrined in Article 1 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, but constitutes the very basis of fundamental rights. Concretely guaranteeing respect for human dignity, in particular for the world's poorest children, must be a moral duty for the Union rather than a priority political commitment.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, the right to education is a fundamental human right, enshrined globally in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Rights and the 1989 International Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet today, still today, due to situations of poverty or extreme hardship, too many children and young people in Europe and in the world do not attend or leave school, remaining without education and prospects for the future. This is unacceptable. Well then theEducation Package, announced by the Commission, which includes a programme to support students, support teachers whose role in training and educating young people is key to modernising schools and, as you have said, to strengthen digital education for students to develop a critical spirit so that they can safely surf the net, in line with the 2030 roadmap on the future of digital education and skills, which will, among other things, promote artificial intelligence literacy and resilience to disinformation. Ensuring access to education, inclusive and quality education is essential not only for the personal, social and professional development of our children, but is a necessary condition for breaking the chains of inequalities, for socio-economic cohesion and for building a more just and sustainable society.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the murder of Mehdi Kessaci, tragically a few years after the murder of Brother Brahim – and my closeness to their family – reminds us of the urgent need for ambitious and coordinated measures at European level against drug trafficking. As the EU Drugs Agency points out, we all, directly or indirectly, suffer the impact of drug trafficking in terms of social, health and security costs, with violent and unscrupulous organised crime, which increasingly enlists young and very young people for even serious crimes. I would like to thank the Commission for the new strategy and the new action plan, which provides for the introduction of more modern and stricter rules against organised crime, the strengthening of Europol and Frontex support to national authorities in combating drug routes, but also in preventing the online recruitment of children, the intensification of police and judicial cooperation, including with third countries – starting with those of Latin America – and, again, the strengthening of port security, the fight against the spread of synthetic drugs, which are growing and increasingly dangerous, and then the establishment, at Eurojust, of the European judicial network in the field of organised crime, whose priority is precisely to combat drug trafficking. All these measures must be stepped up and implemented quickly to protect the health and safety of citizens and to remove from criminal groups what has always represented drug trafficking: A source of huge profits.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are well aware of this: The Internet is now an integral part of the lives of our children and adolescents. There are many opportunities, of course, but an early and excessive exposure to technological devices exposes them to risks for physical and mental health, such as sleep disorders, attention, anxiety, reduction of social relationships. Harmful addictive business practices, violent content, cyberbullying, recruitment for criminal purposes, solicitation and abuse represent additional dangers that children can fall victim to online. The rules already adopted – the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act – need to be fully implemented, but more needs to be done. As this report calls for, there is a need to introduce harmonised European digital age limits for access to social media, to further strengthen the protection of children, with an ambitious proposal on digital fairness, to tackle the most harmful online practices, such as gambling-like mechanisms. Ensuring maximum protection for children: This must be our priority.

Mr President, Commissioner, Mr President of the European Court of Auditors, ladies and gentlemen, especially today, in the current context, with an unprecedented amount of resources allocated, the overlapping of different funding instruments, the succession of geopolitical uncertainties and the preparation of the new MFF, the Court of Auditors' annual report is of decisive importance for the valuable indications that we must draw from it. The error rate of traditional expenditure – which is certainly decreasing but still significant – and the close relationship between the complexity of procedures and the risk of error tell us that we need to do more for simplification and therefore correctly apply the new rules introduced by the new Financial Regulation on this point. At the same time, controls, as well as the work of audit authorities, need to be strengthened and improved, and the absorption and implementation of funds needs to be accelerated, especially in cohesion policy, including by supporting local administrations. As regards the RRF, without forgetting the context in which it was launched and the benefits it has produced so far, the Court’s findings on the definition and verification of milestones and targets, the traceability of funds, internal controls and the protection of the EU’s financial interests must also be a warning for future European programmes. It is our duty to ensure that the Union budget is well spent, without delays, errors, fraud and unlawful interference. That is why the work of the Court of Auditors, to which we are grateful, is a fundamental point of reference.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, as the daughter of a judge, Rocco Chinnici, killed by the Mafia with the men in his escort; as a magistrate, who for many years worked in direct contact with the judicial police; As the mother of a police officer and a police officer and now as a legislator, I firmly believe it is our duty to protect those who protect us. Women and men of law enforcement, fulfilling their duty, guarantee us security, rights and freedoms, facing risks and sometimes fatal dangers. Like the three Carabinieri who lost their lives in an operation last week in Italy and who, personally, in this Chamber today I would like to remember and pay tribute to. Provide national and European law enforcement authorities with the human, financial and technical resources needed to tackle crime, especially organised crime. Enhance, as foreseen in the ProtectEU strategy, cross-border operational law enforcement cooperation and Europol’s support to Member States. Strengthen the social and legal protection of members of the police force, recognising their professional risk.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the right to an independent life for persons with disabilities, the possibility of choosing where and with whom to live, in order to ensure their full participation in society, on the basis of the principles of equality and non-discrimination, must be a priority for the European Union, is indeed one of the key actions of the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021‐2031. However, despite the progress made so far, there are still many – and I would say too many – people with disabilities living in institutions in Europe: older people, young people with physical and mental disabilities and, unfortunately, also children. There is no doubt that more needs to be done. A specific action plan for deinstitutionalisation at EU level is therefore welcome, to strengthen the transition process from institutional care to independent living and inclusion in the community. Efforts by Member States to take concrete steps to phase out existing institutional structures and services should be supported, while providing for the development of quality family-based care networks and community-based home support services. With particular attention, Commissioner, to the most vulnerable, children, providing specific support from early childhood to ensure their development as peaceful and inclusive as possible.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the right to an independent life for persons with disabilities, the possibility of choosing where and with whom to live, in order to ensure their full participation in society, on the basis of the principles of equality and non-discrimination, must be a priority for the European Union, is indeed one of the key actions of the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021‐2031. However, despite the progress made so far, there are still many – and I would say too many – people with disabilities living in institutions in Europe: older people, young people with physical and mental disabilities and, unfortunately, also children. There is no doubt that more needs to be done. A specific action plan for deinstitutionalisation at EU level is therefore welcome, to strengthen the transition process from institutional care to independent living and inclusion in the community. Efforts by Member States to take concrete steps to phase out existing institutional structures and services should be supported, while providing for the development of quality family-based care networks and community-based home support services. With particular attention, Commissioner, to the most vulnerable, children, providing specific support from early childhood to ensure their development as peaceful and inclusive as possible.

Mr President, Commissioner Brunner, ladies and gentlemen, follow the money: this is the method to really fight organized crime, as the Italian investigative and judicial experience has taught us for over forty years. And "focus on the money" is today the motto of the European Public Prosecutor's Office in the wake of that teaching. When money becomes virtual, the challenges for regulators and law enforcement become more complicated, while the opportunities for criminal organisations multiply: Decentralization, anonymity, low traceability, lack of controls, the ability to carry out rapid cross-border money transfers and to create complex chains of transactions are just some of the reasons that make cryptocurrencies and blockchain increasingly useful tools for transnational organized crime and global terrorist organizations. Cryptocurrencies pay for the trafficking of drugs, weapons and human beings and, through the operations that cryptocurrencies allow, illicit capital is easily laundered and reinvested in the legal economy. For this, it is necessary to regulate the phenomenon. Admittedly, with the regulation on markets in crypto-assets, the rules on transfers of crypto-assets and the new rules on anti-money laundering and confiscation we have started to do so, but the Union must continue to support the adoption of uniform rules and global standards, to prevent criminal organisations from exploiting loopholes and regulatory differences to their advantage, to stem the jurisdiction shopping and, thus, really fight economic and financial crime.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, guaranteeing the right to independent living and full participation in society for persons with disabilities is a moral, rather than a legal, imperative for the Union. Although this principle is enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 1.4 million persons with disabilities still live in institutions in the EU. An unacceptable situation. The Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021‐2030 needs to be updated and strengthened to put an end to institutionalisation but, more generally, it is necessary to ensure optimal use of EU funds by Member States to support persons with disabilities through concrete actions, such as personal care programmes, family support, early childhood care, accessible social and individual housing, infrastructure, transport and much more. We still need to do more to build a Europe that is truly barrier-free.