Speeches

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).

Thank you very much, rapporteur. The Vice-President of the European Investment Bank has not yet arrived. Therefore, I will give the floor to Ms Albuquerque on behalf of the Commission.

The next item is the debate on the report by Francisco Assis, on behalf of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, on the financial activities of the European Investment Bank – annual report 2024 (2024/2053(INI)) (A10-0112/2025).

Mr President, Madam High Representative, first of all, as my colleagues have done here today, I express our strongest condemnation of the assassination attempt on Miguel Uribe Turbay and our utmost solidarity, not only with him at this critical time, but also with his family, with the country and with the authorities of the country. Political violence destroys everything: democracy, institutions, coexistence, coexistence. And in Colombia this assassination attempt is different from other places we have just seen - for example, in the United States, which has been mentioned before - because it reopens wounds and scars in a country that, for decades, has lived through political violence. That is why the moment is so important and so serious. It is a time to help the government, at a serious time for the country. It is not a time to instrumentalize an assassination attempt to hit the government, but to help the government because it needs help. It is a time of broad consensus, of de-escalation and polarization. It is the moment of civil society, dialogue and pluralism. And, above all, it is also the moment of institutionality, respect for the rule of law and the electoral path and the election observation mission that the European Union can safely deploy that helps along this path.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on Russian energy phase‑out, Nord Stream and the EU's energy sovereignty. (2025/2717(RSP)).

The next vote is on the objection pursuant to Rule 115(2) and (3): genetically modified soybean MON 87705×MON 87708×MON 89788 (see minutes, item 7.12).