14
Dec
2022
Watch
Upscaling the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (debate)
Madam President, With this budget, the EU is not sustainable. That's why we need an update now. Climate neutrality by 2050, the social consequences of the economic crisis, increased security responsibilities, industrial competition with the US and China, active partnerships in the Balkans and the African continent, digitalisation, species extinction – the challenges are great. The answers to the big questions must be European. That's why it's time to turn Sunday speeches into concrete, numerical politics. We need a revision of the financial framework in order to adequately finance common European priorities. But it's not just about more money. It is also about the quality of spending. Far too much European money is still being spent in a climate-damaging way. Through our EU budget, we contribute to promoting climate-damaging infrastructure and advancing species extinction. We must make our climate quotas more binding, non-compliance must have stronger consequences, and we must remove climate-damaging subsidies from the budget. That is why, together with the Liberals, we have put forward concrete proposals for amendments to today's report. In the last hours before the vote, I should like to make my appeal especially to the social democratic colleagues here in the House: You're the star on the scales. Vote for our amendments tomorrow, vote for better climate finance, make the budget climate-compliant with us!