Speeches

First, an announcement that the Renew Group has notified the President of decisions relating to a change to appointments within committees, and this decision will be set out in the minutes of today's sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement. Some Members have asked to speak during the voting session. But I remind you that, unfortunately, Rule 189(4) allows only for the rapporteur to speak during the voting sessions. So I have to reject this possibility.

The next meeting is tomorrow, Thursday, 23 October 2025, at 09:00. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.

I would like to announce that we will close catch-the-eye. We will take the four catch-the-eyes that we have. We will also close the blue cards.

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on ending all energy imports from Russia to the EU and closing loopholes through third countries (2025/2918(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.

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.