What Daniel spoke about.

Mr President, congratulations to all those involved in the process of adopting the common agricultural policy. We are at the end of complicated debates, but at the same time at the beginning of a long road to implement a policy that will influence the lives of farmers in the coming years. The CAP will enable European farmers to develop and modernise their farms, provide them with a better life and a safer future for their children and families, and provide real support in their efforts to preserve the vitality of the countryside. Regardless of the weather, rain, heat, frost or blizzard, farmers have been and will continue to be the soldiers at the forefront of the battle to ensure food security, combat climate change and be a decisive factor in preserving biodiversity. Although often affected by unfair competition, due to policies insufficiently anchored in the realities on the ground, they have provided all of us with quality and affordable food, and we need to make sure that we keep this capacity for them in the future. CAP money is just an advance paid to farmers for the food that the more than 500 million European citizens enjoy every day. Member States are thus responsible for drawing up national strategic plans that focus on farmers, cut red tape and guarantee the sustainability of farms, and the European Commission must pursue the implementation of this policy in every corner of the European Union, as it guarantees a better life for each of you.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen colleagues, climate change is a reality that cannot be challenged. All of humanity is facing severe weather events, whether floods, fires or drought. All of our lives and possessions are in danger. Today, we are also facing an energy resource crisis, which in turn affects the population of the European Union. All these things are a consequence of the negligence of political leaders, who, over time, have ignored the signals received in this regard. It is not an easy task for all of us today to take concrete steps in this direction, and the Glasgow Conference is a new stage in this endeavour. From the outset, however, I would like to stress the need, before any decision is taken, to have impact studies that make an assessment of what those decisions mean, so that we do not affect the economic sectors. Recovery and resilience plans are a good opportunity to finance these actions and Member States need to ensure that these resources are used efficiently. The agricultural sector must be seen as a serious partner in the battle against climate change. Efforts, however, need to be made globally, and not just regionally. Or, more precisely, it is useless to impose environmental conditions on farmers in the European Union, since, elsewhere in the world, from where we import food, things have gotten out of control. If we want to truly succeed in this area and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, then we must be serious with each other, no matter where in the world we are.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a farmer who left IT ten years ago to do farming said last week: I have decided to stop the modernisation and development of my farm because I do not know what to expect from those living in their bubble in Brussels and we will continue our daily lives as we can. Here we are, Commissioner, about what farmers' perception of what we are discussing in the European Parliament and the European Commission means. Green Deal and Farm to Fork are a concept that rightly troubles the agricultural sector. He wonders if he will be able to survive the targets imposed in achieving the climate goals, which are also important, without question. But today we need to send a clear message: that we are responsible and that we will make sure that farmers will keep their sustainability even further, that they will be able to produce quality food - and I stress here - at affordable prices for the consumer. Any failure in this direction will make us dependent on imports of poor quality food from third countries, and climate change will continue to affect us in our daily lives. In this context, I expressly call for impact assessments to be carried out before any decision is taken with regard to the agricultural sector.

Mr. President, thank you. "No one should be left behind" is the principle behind our actions. However, we note that the current COVID-19 crisis has had catastrophic effects for the European economy, affecting the living standards of citizens, especially the most vulnerable. The labour market has been strongly impacted, with the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion increasing dramatically. Growing social inequalities have deepened, particularly affecting low-wage employees, but also low-income families. Unemployment has risen alarmingly among EU citizens and millions of Europeans are unable to secure their daily shopping cart or are unable to pay for their utilities. In Eastern Europe, 25 million children were unable to benefit from education due to a lack of access to equipment and technology. Unfortunately, the alarming number of children who did not have access to distance learning will lead to poor vocational training, with a devastating impact on the quality of the workforce in the future and, ultimately, a negative impact on the economies of all EU countries. Today, therefore, we must move from the logic of speech to the logic of facts. The financial resources made available to the Member States by the European Commission must be used wisely. At the same time, we must remember one thing very clearly: creating new, well-paid jobs and strengthening existing ones is the best form of social protection. The European Commission must ensure that European funds to the Member States, whether we are talking about the recovery and resilience plan or the multiannual financial framework, are used to combat social exclusion, poverty and this requires, as I have said before, well-paid jobs in every region of the European Union. And so I ask you, Commissioner, how will the European Commission ensure that this is effectively implemented in every Member State of the European Union?

Madam President, the importance of the agricultural sector lies in a reality that cannot be ignored. According to FAO, by 2050, the world's population will be 10 billion, which means a population increase of 2 billion. At the same time, data shows that currently, globally, 33 million people cannot afford a hot meal every two days. Demand for food will increase in the future, and the soil, which is a scarce resource, will have to provide on that area, or sometimes even less, higher production. The agricultural sector is complicated and, I would say, not very manageable. Agricultural production is mostly dependent on weather and climate conditions and is therefore one of the most vulnerable sectors. In this context, the biggest challenge will be for the agricultural sector in the European Union and worldwide to adapt to climate change, which requires the adoption of practices with minimal environmental impact. Farmers around the world will face a double challenge: firstly, to achieve high yields, and secondly, to protect nature and biodiversity, objectives that can only be achieved through the deployment of innovative technologies. At the same time, we must be aware of the difficulties that small and medium-sized farmers face in developing sustainable farms or structures. Their importance is overwhelming in the agricultural ecosystem and in what it means to fight hunger, but without the implementation of modern, applied and advanced technologies that allow high-quality production, these farms will not be able to survive. However, we must start from another undeniable reality, namely that investing in these technologies is expensive. Today, many farmers, especially small and medium-sized ones, cannot afford their purchase, which makes it necessary to associate in agriculture to develop sustainable farming systems, and the Member States and the European Commission must financially incentivise this. The European Union must become a global food supplier in order to effectively combat global hunger.