What Brando spoke about.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, today, for the first time in its history, the European Parliament will launch the procedure for convening a convention to reform the Treaties establishing the Union. It is a turning point that has been awaited for many years, as today European citizens are asking us for more social protection, higher wages, more commitment to defending human rights, more investment in sustainable development. We must listen to them and to respond to their demands we must abolish the right of veto and open up a real constituent phase for a new Europe. At the European Council on 23 June, our governments will have to respond to their public views. The time for conferences is over, it's time to decide. For those who want a more united, stronger Europe, to decide more together, they must be able to do so, they must be able to move forward. It is the time for a united Europe, it is the time for courage. Let us not disappoint our citizens, let us build a better future for Europe, all together.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is inconceivable that a Parliament representing 500 million people, the only European institution directly elected by the citizens, should not have the power to propose bills in full on its own. The European Union is certainly an atypical organisation, a real political experiment in constant evolution because it has to adapt to a changing world. But now we need to go one step further. Tomorrow we will vote on a resolution calling for the Treaties to be amended and the Convention for a New Europe to be launched. And we shall also vote for this report, which is of crucial importance, linked to it, on the European Parliament's right of initiative. A key element in rebalancing the institutional balance vis-à-vis the Commission and the Council for the benefit of citizens. A request that was expressed by citizens during the Conference on the Future of Europe. A commitment that we must honour. In the document we put in black and white a real clear negotiating mandate: At the next revision of the Treaties, the European Parliament must have a full and direct right of legislative initiative. But it is crucial, at the same time, to strengthen the current ways in which the European Parliament still exercises an indirect right of initiative. President von der Leyen has promised to always respond to the demands of the European Parliament adopted in our legislative own-initiative resolutions. It is not enough, we must demand more, we must have the legal guarantee that this will happen and that is what we are asking for in the request for a revision of the 2010 Framework Agreement. I conclude on the subject of the Rule of Law initiative procedure under Article 7 of the Treaty. It is a scandal that the repeated actions of the European Parliament have fallen into the void of the chancelleries of the Member States, which are co-responsible for abuses of law and rights. This is all the more reason to reposition the Eurochamber at the centre of not only legislative but also political activity, which is a fundamental safeguard for citizens throughout the Union. It's time to change things.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, 19 April was a dark day in the history of the trade union movement in Belarus: As many as 18 trade union leaders and independent representatives were arrested on charges of violating public order. This event is only the culmination of a tragic process that began with the 2020 elections and continued with the blockade of civil society and human rights organisations. The European Union has been acting firmly for two years through severe sanctions against the authoritarian Lukashenka regime, which today directly supports the war of its ally Putin in Ukraine. It is necessary, in addition to renewing the sanctions, to reiterate our solidarity with the people of Belarus, in particular those citizens who take to the streets demanding freedom and democracy. We therefore call for the release of all opponents, leaders and trade union representatives arbitrarily detained for political reasons. Today we say stop to Putin, but we also say stop to Lukashenka.

Yes. I think the transnational lists will be a good opportunity for all of us. It’s not true that they will put us far from our voters. Instead, we can be really able to Europeanise elections and to not talk only about our national priorities, but also looking from the campaign already to the next mandate, to priorities and what we will fight for. I think it’s a very good improvement. It will be a good change for a European Union that will be more and more united and able to offer European parties with a real system where our heads of the lists can be our to lead our fight for a more political and so stronger European Commission. So, yes, I could run for that.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the moment of truth for Europe has arrived. With this resolution, after having approved today the transnational lists for the next elections, the European Parliament accepts the citizens' request that emerged in the Conference on the Future of Europe. Let's start a treaty reform convention. Anyone who says it's not a priority is wrong. It is a fundamental step to achieve concrete objectives such as the Defence Union to integrate the Social Progress Protocol into the Treaties, for the Health Union, to overcome the right of veto and to deepen integration in the federal sense for those who can and want, but at the same time to continue enlargement starting from a confederation around the federation, as proposed by our PD Secretary Enrico Letta, to give a European perspective of peace and security in a short time to the countries of our neighbourhood such as Ukraine. Today Mario Draghi has traced this path with pragmatism and ideality together. We need a new constitutive phase for the peoples of Europe and never before is the maxim of a wise "to make Europe or not to do it, there is no proof". Let's move on and we won't regret it. (The speaker agreed to respond to a "blue card" speech)

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Vice-President Vestager, artificial intelligence presents many opportunities and potential benefits in many fields, if used in accordance with our fundamental values, while respecting human dignity and the environment, for the good of society. This is our European model. A year and a half of work of the Special Committee has allowed us to explore the fundamental aspects of these technologies and the impact in the various economic sectors, the social fallout, the geopolitical implications. Implications that require a leadership role of Europe in affirming its model for artificial intelligence, in the work on global standards, because the technological one will be one of the main theaters on which the future structure of international relations will be played. This requires a united and competitive internal market, in which everyone is able to innovate in compliance with the rules, from privacy to competition. That is why we are working on the regulation – which you, Vice-President, also mentioned earlier – which will be a key element in the development of a true European industry in this field. Among the various ideas contained in the report, I mention in particular the proposal for a legislative initiative on the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Teleworking has accelerated and made clear not only the benefits in terms of efficiency, but also the potentially harmful effects of the use of these technologies on workers. Monitor the performance Without their consent or without their knowledge, without prior consultation of their representatives, as unfortunately we see happening, it must not be allowed in Europe. At the same time, we will have to tackle possible abuses of real-time biometric recognition in public places for security reasons. We don't want a surveillance company. I would therefore like to thank the rapporteurs and all my fellow Members for the constructive discussions over the past few months which have led to a balanced and dense text of proposals, which is very useful for the legislative work that awaits us.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, citizens are calling for a stronger Europe that charges taxes to large multinationals and speculative finance, that stops the climate catastrophe, that guarantees safety and protection from threats to health, but also from the new spectre of war. In all these areas, the challenges to be faced are increasingly declined on a transnational level. For this reason, in order to strengthen the link between territories and global dynamics, the possibility of voting directly for the candidate President of the European Commission, presented by each of the political parties within a transnational pan-European list of 28 parliamentarians, is essential. In this way, yes, we strengthen the European dimension of elections, together with the possibility for Member States to get 16-year-olds to vote, as well as strengthening gender equality. We must vote for this reform. In this way we can build together a stronger European democracy.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Alexei Navalny was sentenced to another nine years in prison because Putin considers him a threat, because he fears him, because, just as Navalny himself stated at the time of his conviction, Putin is afraid of the truth. The dramatic news coming from Ukraine makes us reflect on the ever-increasing repression experienced by the Russian people at home. As I wrote in a recent parliamentary question to the Commission, more and more Russians are leaving their country to flee a bloody regime capable of such heinous actions and must not be abandoned. Putin wants to erase all freedom. There is no room for dissent in Russia: You go to jail for political reasons, freedom of expression is a chimera and minorities are persecuted. But there are those who try to imagine a different Russia. Europe must help those Russians who flee and those who resist: They are students, professors, journalists, activists and many ordinary people, men and women who oppose the regime, who take to the streets, who want democracy. We give Navalny and all of them hope.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, 'seeing what is right and not doing it is a lack of courage', said Confucius. Today XI Jinping's China cannot ignore this maxim of its greatest philosopher, to whom other colleagues have also referred. More than a month after Russia's dramatic invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has not yet clearly condemned Putin's actions, instead implementing a wait-and-see policy and an ambiguous equidistance. If we do not want to see a dialogue between the deaf, the Union must insist that China play an active role in stopping the conflict, because this conflict is not for anyone. Not only: Europe must be clear that there will be countermeasures if China ends up helping Putin in this massacre, including the last terrible acts we have seen. One thing is certain: In the face of respect for international law and fundamental freedoms, Europe must continue to show determination. It is the spirit that inspired the work of fellow MEPs still today under the Chinese government's sanctions. We therefore hope for real cooperation to stop the war: But it must be Beijing that demonstrates whether it wants to be on the side of peace and therefore against this unjust aggression.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, kidney disease-related mortality continues to increase every year; It is expected to be the fifth leading cause of death by 2040. In addition, the data speak of about 850 million people worldwide who suffer from kidney disease, among them about 13 million have had a life-threatening acute kidney disease and 2.6 million have undergone a transplant or are undergoing dialysis. Information, prevention, early diagnosis can make the difference for an optimal therapeutic path and a better quality of life. Inequalities and injustices are still present in access to treatment for these diseases. The reason why chronic disease is underestimated is that it progresses for years asymptomatically. On the occasion of today’s World Kidney Day, 10 March 2022, my thoughts can only go to patients with kidney disease in Ukraine; Continuity of care for dialysis, transplantation and healthcare must be absolutely guaranteed. Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova are currently providing essential care to dialysed and transplanted refugees from Ukraine, but there are concerns that their local health infrastructure will soon be overloaded; We need to help, we need to help the frontline countries. Finally, I want to express all my solidarity and closeness to the doctors, nurses, all the health personnel of Ukraine who are strenuously engaged in these hours to ensure care for their compatriots.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the world of work has already been transformed by the bursting of new technologies, above all artificial intelligence, which force us, these technologies, to urgently reprogramme the social and employment policies of our countries. I want to talk about this because, as rapporteur for the regulation on artificial intelligence, I am working to shape a new European approach on artificial intelligence that puts man at the centre, the human being, balancing the need for a regulatory framework that fosters innovation, yes, but at the same time protects fundamental rights, including the right to healthy, safe and decent working conditions, which is the subject of this important work that we are discussing today. More and more often the work is supervised and coordinated by algorithms, by big data, which trace workers' productivity, their position, their vital signs, micro-facial expressions; We cannot allow the office and factory to be transformed into Orwellian environments. The physical and mental health of workers must not be jeopardised. We need new rules, because machines must be at the service of man and not the other way around.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, 'there is no greatness where there is no truth': These are the words of Tolstoy, whom David Sassoli quoted a few months ago, addressing Putin. And even today truth is needed to achieve the greatness of peace: this is the truth of the Ukrainian people, who were able to resist heroically, together with President Zelensky; the truth of a Europe that is finally committed to its political, energy and defence sovereignty and is not afraid to make sacrifices to find a single voice to stop the war and save lives because, first of all, there are the victims, the dead in Ukraine, the refugees to be welcomed, the courageous Russians who do not want this militarist delusion of Putin, knowing that every people, starting from the Ukrainian one, must be free to self-determination without something bad happening if it tries to decide its own future. That is why we give all the necessary support to those who today, defending themselves, also defend our democracies on Ukrainian soil. But we have to be braver still, we have to be there: our governments and the European institutions go with a delegation to Kiev to urge a ceasefire and to support the negotiations. Putin will have to stop and it will be even more evident, even to his fellow citizens, his insanity and his inhuman war. For a free Ukraine and a free Europe!

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, the Socialists and Democrats Group has always been at the forefront of protecting workers from the risks associated with exposure to harmful substances in the workplace. The agreement reached between Parliament and the Council on updating the Carcinogens Directive is a good agreement, which we strongly support. Applying the same approach to reprotoxic substances such as carcinogens and mutagens will ensure better protection for workers, legal coherence and a level playing field between Member States. Fighting cancer requires ambitious solutions and a clear strategic plan, with measures that touch on all regulatory fronts, in line with what we voted on yesterday in the report of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer. Updating is therefore a central component to ensure safe and healthy jobs. We also call on the European Commission to put on the table a revision of the asbestos directive, a substance that is still present in many buildings in Europe although it was banned as early as 2005. European citizens have the right to a safe workplace. There is no job worth dying for.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the students of many high schools in Italy are occupying schools in protest, to ask for safety at school and in places where you learn a job, to have rights and a chance for a better future. They do this thinking of Lorenzo Parelli, 18, and Giuseppe Lenoci, 16, two boys who alternated school and work in the company and who died. These students who are protesting are doing well, they are right, let us face the reality of the situation of a significant part of European youth: unemployment, precariousness, in-work poverty, undeclared work, zero-hour contracts, inadequate school systems, insufficient resources for schools and training. Colleagues, once again you have on your desk today a concrete proposal to improve the situation of thousands of young people, to ban unpaid traineeships in the Union, a form of exploitation and replacement of workers, a real shame, the result of a sick culture. I hope that, after so many beautiful words heard in this Chamber today, you have all really done the right thing by voting on this text, because it is about the future and the dignity of the new generations.

(IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, you should know that a few years ago, on one of the rare occasions when this incredible slacker of politics appeared in this European Parliament of which he was a member, Senator Matteo Salvini, then a Member of the European Parliament, showed up in this Chamber in a T-shirt depicting Putin, who, in his opinion, was unfairly attacked by what he called the 'Eurocretins'. Then I wonder if you would also call the leader of your party, the League leader Marco Zanni, a "Eurocretin", who explained to us today in this House that Putin's regime is a regime - what a discovery! – and that the territorial integrity of Ukraine must be defended at all costs. But do you think, you sovereignists of the extreme right, that people are without memory, have forgotten about Savoini, the Metropol hotel, the ongoing investigations into alleged Russian funding of the League? We are not without memory! Overcoming the current crisis requires a serious policy, firmness in the face of the threat of Russian aggression and a new European security architecture involving everyone. I believe that this must be the role of the European Union, today and for the future, in order to regain a place in history.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the shadow rapporteurs for their constructive cooperation, the Commission for its leading role and all the stakeholders who have contributed to the debate on this issue, which is so important for the future of our children. I am confident that the report will receive broad support, given the unanimous vote in the Committee on the Internal Market and the interventions of colleagues, from which I derive a clear feeling of harmony with the work done, compared to these months of negotiation together. We are therefore awaiting the proposal to revise the directive. We are ready to cooperate fully with the Commission on an ambitious and future-oriented text that provides clear, clear and strong protection for children, legal certainty and an opportunity for development for the many small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector. Thanks again to all of you.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, according to the latest report on the European system for the notification of dangerous products, toys are among the products with the most reports from national authorities: 27% of the total in 2019. Play is a key moment for children's motor and cognitive development, but it can also expose them to numerous health risks, not necessarily visible at the time but also with long-term impact. This is why toy legislation is a key tool. Directive 2009/48/EC has certainly played a positive role so far, but some problems of flexibility and inconsistencies remain to be corrected, as well as the need to address the new challenges emerging from both the latest scientific evidence and new technologies. In the report we examine these points and make proposals to the Commission and the Member States. An important aspect is that of chemicals, where we encounter various problems. Derogations for substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction provide for too high a concentration of those substances to ensure effective protection. Given their high risk to children's health, we call for consideration to be given to reducing the possibility of derogation. The limit values for nitrosamines in the Directive are too high, as the Commission itself admits, and must be reduced at least to the threshold already adopted, for example, in Germany, by way of derogation from the Directive. We also call for a serious assessment of whether the distinction for chemicals between toys for children under 36 months and others should be removed. A child remains vulnerable even at 37 months of age, not to mention that this distinction also allows you to easily circumvent the norm, declaring that a game is reserved for children over that age even when it is not so. These points cannot currently be amended without a long-term codecision procedure. That is also why we have called for a revision of the directive, which we are pleased to see has been confirmed in the meantime by the Commission itself. We therefore call for this opportunity to be used to convert the directive into a regulation, so that it is directly applicable in all Member States. We call for the commitments made also on toys by the Commission with the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability to be kept. Among others, I mention extending the generic approach to risk management to endocrine disruptors, to ensure that these substances are also banned in toys. The revision can also be an opportunity to explore the possibility of including elements on lifespan and reparability in labelling, to increase sustainability aspects also in toys, in line with circular economy objectives. As regards new technologies, the emergence of toys connected to or using artificial intelligence poses new challenges, highlighting the particular vulnerability of children to external manipulation or localisation. We need to take these aspects into account, in this and other legislative instruments, from cybersecurity, to connected products, to artificial intelligence, because the issue of children's privacy and mental health has become more pressing as these products are increasingly present in their lives. I conclude by addressing one of the fundamental problems for the safety of toys today, namely the proliferation of dangerous games, especially online. I want to make a premise: The vast majority of the toy sector in Europe is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises that make great efforts – it must be recognised – to place on the market only games that comply with all the rules. Unfortunately, not all other producers are so interested in complying with them. This is why the problem will not be solved if there is no decisive action by the so-called marketplace in controlling their sellers and preventing the reappearance of unsafe games, already removed from their platforms. Market surveillance authorities are fully engaged and certainly need to do even more, especially in some Member States, to coordinate better and make use of new technologies, but they need resources and cannot cover everything. Therefore, the outcome of the ongoing negotiations on the European Digital Services Act will be crucial to improve the situation and ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online. These are the main issues raised in the report that we will be voting on tomorrow and which I hope will have broad support from the whole of the European Parliament.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, today we are asking the Commission how the European Union can strengthen the role of young people after the pandemic, but we already know the answer: the situation of precariousness, exploitation and social exclusion, which affects too many in a structural way, must be broken. I would like to remind you that this Parliament has already voted to ban unpaid internships and traineeships, an initiative that was supported by our dear President Sassoli, as also mentioned in the Chamber last Monday in the words of my party secretary Enrico Letta. A new legal instrument is needed to ensure fair remuneration for interns, trainees and apprentices in the EU labour market. An ambitious directive on platform work, which affects some 30 million workers, especially young people, is needed to put an end to the big lie that always wants to categorise them as self-employed. We need to fight for the new minimum wage directive and we need to introduce adequate protections for all contracts. With NextGenerationEU, we are going to really invest in the future of young people, because we need young people to be not only the future but the present of our Union.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we cannot tolerate the unconditional protection of sexual and reproductive rights being questioned in the European Union, but unfortunately we see it and this Parliament has had to deal with this issue several times. The de facto ban on abortion, for example in countries such as Poland, in addition to the continuous attack on the rights and dignity of women, are shameful and must be strongly opposed, because they are de facto actions contrary to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Parliament must therefore take the part, together with the Commission and the Council, in those movements of women and men calling for guarantees on these issues, on essential issues such as the right to safe and legal termination of pregnancy, menstrual hygiene, sexual education, contraception, combating gender-based violence and homotransphobia. In my country, Italy, the right has managed to block a law precisely for this reason, the Zan law, but we will continue to fight for it to be approved and for there to be a real protection full of these rights throughout Europe. We expect the new President of the European Parliament to make a personal and direct commitment to this issue. We want to see concrete action and a really clear agenda, as Parliament has carried it forward to date and will have to continue to do so with the utmost hardness, commitment and strength.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Digital Services Act will lead to a real revolution, rebalancing the power relationship between platforms and users, giving consumers more protection, transparency on terms and conditions, choice on how to prioritise content and a right to compensation in the event of infringements, and will finally give greater responsibility to marketplaces, which will have to ascertain the identity of those who sell their products there and carry out random checks on them, finally placing serious limits on the proliferation of unsafe or counterfeit products online. Platforms will no longer be able to manipulate users, for example by hiding options to deny consent to profiling. The largest will then have to mitigate even more the systemic risks posed by their power over people and democracies themselves. Algorithms will no longer be inaccessible black boxes, but will finally be subject to that accountability which they have so far escaped. With these historic measures we put into practice the warnings that, for example, the whistleblower Frances Haugen, a courageous whistleblower for democracy, gave us a few months ago even when she came to meet MEPs. We cannot miss this unique opportunity to re-establish a healthy and just digital environment for all. So, thanks to the work of colleagues, thanks to the work of the rapporteur, Mrs Schaldemose. I am sure that we are going to take a really important step to give more rights and more freedom to all European citizens in the digital space.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, since 1 January 2021, the Austrian Federal Government of Tyrol has unilaterally banned the overnight passage of heavy goods vehicles passing through the Brenner Pass, with the exception of electric or hydrogen vehicles. However, this ban is not enforced if the vehicles are Austrian. As the Italian delegation of the Democratic Party, in the Socialists and Democrats we firmly believe that environmental protection policies are a priority for today's and future legislation, and we will always be at the forefront of defending them, but they cannot be implemented in a completely discriminatory manner. Therefore, we cannot fail to consider how these measures represent a real road blockade, which damages our country and beyond. The Brenner Pass is a key route for the transport of goods by road throughout the European Union. The damage produced by the blockade of the crossing, which sees over 40 million tons of goods transiting per year, is estimated to be approximately 370 million euros for each hour of delay in crossing and 100 million euros per year for the greater journey times related to the alternative passage by rail. We believe that these rules, which affect one of the main transport lanes in the Union, can hinder the free movement of goods in the internal market and should therefore be prohibited. With this question, we ask the European Commission whether it has considered how to reconcile the different interests at stake: the free movement of goods, health protection and the environment. Furthermore, we would like to know whether it intends to take action to overcome these unilateral and discriminatory restrictions or to find alternatives agreed at European level to restore free movement and the proper functioning of the market. Italy, like all EU countries, is emerging from a phase of socio-economic crisis linked to the pandemic. It is therefore essential that, together with environmental protection, we always consider the importance of recovery for the economic sectors that have suffered the most in this difficult period.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, a few weeks ago I visited the border area between Poland and Belarus, an intolerable situation in a climate of terror for migrants and those trying to help them, that is what I found. The lives of thousands of people, including many women and children, crushed between the grip of frost and that of politics because of the shameful action of Lukashenko, but also because of the inadequate response of the European Union, which has the legal and moral duty to help those people. Walls are being raised instead of providing protection for families in difficulty, derogations from the right to asylum are being proposed, as recently done by the Commission, to speed up return procedures instead of reception and solidarity procedures. That's not good. Faced with the needs brought by the pandemic, the Union has shown that it is able to make just and courageous choices, unthinkable only a few months before. European leaders meeting in the Council should therefore find a solution to the refugee crisis by overcoming the Dublin system, creating a new model based on solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility. We find again, as Europeans, our humanity today abandoned at the borders of Europe.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, strengthening the tools of democracy in the workplace is today a necessity to govern the impact of the digital ecological transition on society and employment. Too often strategic decisions of companies, which concern the organization of work, investments, mergers, acquisitions or even mass redundancies take place without any involvement of workers' representatives or without even informing them. We need to change direction. In recent years I have taken part in a European project, together with my colleagues from Fisac CGIL and UNI Europa, which has analysed the effectiveness of the current European directives on employee involvement and I am pleased to note that many of the conclusions we have drawn are also an integral part of Mrs Bischoff's report, which I thank. The time has come for a revision of the European Works Council Directive to strengthen and make truly effective the right to information and consultation. These EWCs are an essential tool, but imperfect and too little used. We will soon begin work on the legislative own-initiative report on the reform of works councils and I am convinced that we will be able to find the necessary ambition to add a new element to the construction of tomorrow's social Europe.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, 'the European Parliament urges the Member States to ban neo-fascist and neo-Nazi groups and any other foundation or association that glorifies and glorifies Nazism and fascism', says the resolution entitled 'Increase in neo-fascist violence in Europe', adopted on 25 October 2018. It's been three years, but things haven't improved. In Rome, neo-fascist-inspired formations infiltrated protest movements, storming and ravaging the national headquarters of the CGIL, a hundred years after similar attacks by Mussolini's fascists. Let's talk about the largest Italian union, to which I also want to bring from here the solidarity of our parliamentary group, as already done by taking to the streets this weekend, to the secretary Maurizio Landini, to the other unions and Italian trade union leaders. The ultra-nationalist right wing of this Parliament has failed by trying to prevent this debate, which is now necessary. But as I said at the beginning, the European Parliament already has a clear position, in line with what the Democratic Party in Italy is also asking for: Neo-fascist and neo-Nazi formations, such as Forza Nuova and others, must be dissolved. We need a tough reaction. Thanks to the investigations of the free press, Fanpage and Piazzapulita in Italy, we have discovered that this black galaxy tries to infiltrate even the parties with funding and choosing people of reference. I demand less reticence from the European and Italian right, less stammering when it comes to defending our democracy against subversion together. I address Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini, we have seen on your part too much shyness in recognizing the evident political matrix of these attacks. Shame on you at least a little and try for once to live up to the history of Europe that emerged from Nazi-fascism and the Italian Constitution, born from the blood sacrifice of the Resistance.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, President Charles Michel is called upon to run a meeting of the European Council which opens in a very heavy climate, and we had a taste of it yesterday during the debate with the embarrassing show by Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki here in the Chamber. But I would also like to recall the shameful outings of the last few days of Slovenian Prime Minister Janša who, instead of honouring and respecting the institutions he must represent as President-in-Office of the Union, attacked fellow MEPs – including my Socialists and Democrats political family – and called some MEPs ‘Soros puppets’, forcing President Sassoli to intervene and demand respect. I would therefore like to express my full solidarity with my colleagues and kindly ask Prime Minister Janša to spend less time on Twitter and to put his Presidency to work to respond to real and very urgent issues, such as the emergency of energy prices, which every day erodes the purchasing power of European citizens and requires strong actions, and the management of the pandemic, which in some countries sees dramatically higher numbers. We need a European summit that deals with real issues, not with the propaganda of the sovereignist right, and with leaders who are up to the task.