Speeches

The next item is the debate on: – the oral question to the Council and the Commission on key objectives for the CITES CoP20 meeting in Uzbekistan, tabled by Antonio Decaro, Manuela Ripa, César Luena, Pietro Fiocchi, Michal Wiezik and Maria Ohisalo on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (O-000035/2025 - B10-0013/25) (2025/2618(RSP)); – the oral question to the Council and the Commission on key objectives for the CITES CoP20 meeting in Uzbekistan, tabled by Antonio Decaro, Manuela Ripa, César Luena, Pietro Fiocchi, Michal Wiezik and Maria Ohisalo on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (O-000036/2025 - B10-0014/25) (2025/2618(RSP)).

To wind up the debate, I have received one motion for a resolution tabled in accordance with Rule 142(5). The debate is closed. The vote will take place tomorrow, 23 October 2025.

Madam President, Commissioner, the world has a rendezvous with its future, this time in Bethlehem at COP30. In today's dislocated multilateralism, it will have to face global climate action under Brazil's leadership. Our first objective is to evaluate the updated commitments and know if they are sufficient to meet the objective of degree and a half of temperature increase on Earth. And we know that what has been done so far has been little and late. And we also know what we need to do: decarbonise, drastically reduce emissions, especially CO2 and methane, betting on renewable energy, doubling our energy efficiency and disconnecting from fossil fuels. It will also serve to talk about adaptation and financing, two classics of climate talks. Adaptation because it is especially important for Europe, knowing that we will be the second most affected block after the Arctic rising temperature on Earth. And financing because we have to make the road map from Baku to Bethlehem a reality by mobilizing 1.3 trillion dollars annually, which was the commitment. Europe has to get there with the duties done to have international credibility, that is, to have ambitious CDNs by 2035 and, above all, to agree on a climate law by 2040 with a target that is 90% reduction in domestic emissions, as science tells us. Not only the international community will take note, but also companies. We need to send a strong message of our climate ambition to be able to channel investments over the next 20 years into the Green Agenda.

No, I will not take blue cards coming from previous speakers, taking into account the time restrictions that we have because we have the debate until 15:00. You decided your speech and the others decided their speech.

The next item is the debate on the Commission statement on delayed justice and rule of law backsliding in Malta, eight years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination (2025/2931(RSP)).

Thank you very much. The chairperson has always been flexible on these types of issues and each of the chairpersons makes their own decisions, but surely all under the Rules of Procedure.

Madam President, Commissioner, this report, so well carried by rapporteur Stier, sends a clear message on the doorstep of the EU-CELAC Summit. The European Parliament is committed to a strategic relationship with Latin America, a relationship that we believe is a geopolitical imperative, a strategic success and an economic opportunity. Geopolitically, in a fragmented, hostile and very competitive world, we can, hand in hand with Latin Americans, defend multilateralism, defend open and rule-based trade, and protect our democracies. We can, strategically, defend our strategic autonomy, thus reducing dependencies, and, at the same time, an economic opportunity, raw materials, industrialization, technology transfer. All that, how? Better institutionalizing and coordinating our positions in the world. That is why the summit is so relevant, European Union-CELAC. We need a permanent link in this regard. At the same time, we have the association agreements, the agreement with Mercosur, which is going to make a difference in the region, and the modernization of the agreement with Mexico. And finally make better use of our strategic partners, Brazil and Mexico, huge giants in the world diplomatically and economically. Undoubtedly, what we want is to move from an old friendship to a strategic alliance to push the world in the right direction and defend our legitimate interests in a fragmented and very competitive world.

I would like to remind the speaker that he has to respect the European values here, and we will discuss another day about what it is to be a man, here in the European Parliament.

The next item is the debate on the basis of statements by the Council and the Commission on devastating forest fires in southern Europe and the need to strengthen EU support to reverse massive forest loss and improve EU preparedness (2025/2854(RSP)).

As you are well aware, the minutes of yesterday's meeting and the texts adopted therein are at your full disposal. I understand that nobody wants to speak on this, so the minutes of the meeting were approved.

Madam President, while the brutal illegal invasion by Putin and Russia of Ukraine continues, during these last months we are seeing a heroic resistance from Ukraine in defence of its territorial integrity and, also, of European values. But what have we seen this summer? We have seen Putin's rehabilitation on the international stage – with a red carpet – how the war in Ukraine is placed in the terms that interest Putin – to buy time – and, thirdly, how Washington has stopped calling for a ceasefire, which is the central request we are making as Europeans. This is what we have seen this summer. What I would say to you, ladies and gentlemen, is that we have to put an end to our position of dependency on security and defence and on Ukraine. Why? Because without a new autonomous role, without a strategic and proper autonomy of the European Union, we will not be able to defend our security, our democracy and the future of Ukraine. What we demand is to strengthen and improve the competitiveness of our industry, strengthen our democracies and redouble support for Ukraine, because the security of its future cannot depend on the vanity of foreign leaders.

The next sitting is tomorrow, Thursday, 10 July 2025, at 09:00. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament website.

The next item is the debate on eight motions for resolutions on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)).

The next item is the debate on five motions for resolutions on the arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic (2025/2797(RSP)).

Madam President, China today represents one sixth of humanity, occupies a seat on the United Nations Security Council, has 30% of the world's industrial production and has gone from being the main trading partner of ten countries in the world in 2000 to 120 today. It is an undeniable, gigantic, complex reality and, without a doubt, learning to deal with it is one of the greatest geopolitical and economic challenges that Europe has, because our interests are at stake. What do I expect us to do at the Summit? Being able to rebalance our economic relations – and obviously also talk about rare earths –, revitalising multilateralism in crisis, avoiding the logic of blocs in the world, addressing the green agenda, ensuring open trade and rules-based international relations and talking about Ukraine, which is at the heart of our strategic interests, and China has to understand this. We must act as a mature, demanding and constructive power and, above all, we do not have to choose between confrontation and naivety, we can choose strategic firmness and dialogue with principles. That is what I want for China from the European Union.

The next item is the debate on the report by Salvatore De Meo, on behalf of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, on product safety and regulatory compliance in e-commerce and non-EU imports (2025/2037(INI)) (A10-0133/2025).