Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, on 23 September, President von der Leyen, referring to the upcoming Italian elections, said: “If there is a democratic government that wants to work with us, we will work together. On the contrary, if things take a difficult direction, we have the means to intervene." President von der Leyen, what did you mean by "difficult direction"? Perhaps an unwelcome vote for the elite of European palaces? Italy is a democratic country. The Italian people expressed themselves freely, giving full confidence to the centre-right coalition. In order to secure a future for Europe, it is essential that the Commission does not interfere in areas of competence that do not belong to it. We demand respect for the sovereignty of the people, not only of Italy, but of all European countries. This interference in Italian politics was grave and shameful. The Italian people are certainly not blackmailable.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the creation of a European Education Area by 2025 includes among its objectives greater cooperation between educational institutions, the digital transition and the strengthening of foreign languages. Cooperation between the Member States is welcome in order to achieve a common vision of education, but this must be done in full compliance with Article 165, according to which the Union may intervene in the field of education only with full respect for the responsibility of the States and with respect for their cultural and linguistic diversity. As set out in the Treaties themselves, in the field of education, the European Union can only assist, coordinate and complement the action of its member countries; We will therefore not accept any interference in our education system. The willingness to cooperate should not become a pretext for the European Union to give unsolicited directives to States.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, education is an essential right for the development of active citizenship, thanks to which every citizen can contribute to the democratic development of society. The importance of teaching and civic education was reaffirmed in 2015 by the Ministers of Education of the European Union, who promote citizenship and common European values against all forms of radicalisation. Civic education must be taught in full compliance with Article 165 of the Treaty on European Union, according to which the Union may intervene in education only with full respect for the responsibility of the Member States and with respect for cultural and linguistic diversity. There can be no European citizenship without the knowledge and protection of the local, linguistic and cultural identities of individual member countries. The European Union must first and foremost be a union of peoples and not of nations alone, in order to protect our culture, our traditions and our history.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on 15 September last, President von der Leyen announced in this Chamber the proposal to proclaim 2022 the European Year of Youth. The aim would be to step up the efforts of the Union, Member States, local authorities to help young people improve their social situation by reducing barriers to access to employment and promoting mutual recognition of diplomas. A good initiative that, however, is destined to remain such if there is not really the political will to give a project continuity going well beyond 2022. But not only that, particular attention must be paid to young people with disabilities, who have suffered the most from the negative effects of the pandemic and who have seen more discrimination and socio-economic inclusion in recent complicated years. The goal of social inclusion requires dedication and perseverance over time, with real and concrete actions. The Italian government itself, thanks to Matteo Salvini, has established for the first time the specific ministry of Disabilities, led by Mrs Erika Stefani. In Italy six million women and men, children, the elderly and their families have been forgotten for too long, but thanks to this ministry it will no longer happen. Similar attention is therefore also needed from the Union. This is what I ask of all of you today, the attention to disability cannot and should not be limited in time and therefore cannot and should not be celebrated in a single year. Disability has no time limit. It is the task of this Europe not to place limits on these things. Merry Christmas to you all.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, since 2017, the European Commission has presented various initiatives aimed at creating a European Education Area by 2025. Among the objectives to be achieved are the green and digital transition, increased collaboration between educational institutions, the enhancement of foreign language learning and the adoption of the European Student Charter. Ambitious targets, which are achievable provided, however, that all students have equal opportunities to access education: I am referring in particular to students from the most vulnerable groups, students with disabilities or with learning difficulties. Social inclusion must be the main challenge to achieve a genuine European Education Area. The European Union can and must ensure inclusive and accessible education for all European students. Education is a right, no one should be left behind.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the pandemic has severely affected the cultural and creative sector, which in 2020 experienced a serious loss of turnover of more than 30%, almost EUR 200 billion. To the economic crisis we must add the impact on employment, with the loss of jobs of artists and professionals, mostly self-employed and therefore even more vulnerable and in need of financial support. Culture and artistic creation must be the starting point for the rebirth of Europe. We must in particular support our small and medium-sized enterprises with adequate and concrete financial support. Culture has not only an economic value, but also a social value, in fact it enhances and strengthens our values, the diversity of our peoples and therefore the history of Europe. There can be no real European Union without culture.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, according to the proposal for a regulation on the European Union Agency for Asylum, the new Agency will have the task of providing further operational and technical assistance to the Member States, as well as ensuring greater uniformity in the assessment of applications for international protection. This point, however, presents a critical issue: countries of first arrival, such as Italy and Greece, would once again be the only ones responsible for processing asylum applications and therefore the only ones facing logistical and bureaucratic burdens linked to reception. The agreement reached did not address the crucial point linked to the European Union's migration policy, namely the lack of sharing and responsibility of all Member States. There will be no point in strengthening this Agency if the rules on solidarity are lacking. Italy and Greece cannot be left alone!

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control was set up in 2005 with the aim of setting up an infectious disease surveillance network. Today we are debating the European Commission's proposal to strengthen this Centre, entrusting it with new competences and tasks that go far beyond the monitoring of infectious diseases, including tight inspections and controls in national health systems. This would mean a serious interference by the European Union in the health policies of the Member States, a sort of commissionership of national health systems, in clear violation of the principle of subsidiarity laid down in the Treaties. It should be remembered that the primary competence and responsibility for the protection of the health of European citizens is and must remain with the Member States. In the field of health, the European Union does not have exclusive competence or shared competence with the other Member States, but only limited competence to complete, within very precise limits, the action of the Member States. In other words, the European Union does not have legislative competence in this area, since it can only adopt recommendations without binding force. Article 17 of the Treaty states that the European Commission is the guardian. Let the Commission be the first to set a good example. The COVID-19 pandemic cannot and must not become yet another pretext for the European Union to take on new and additional competences that it is not entitled to. National health is not affected.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the 8th Environment Action Programme forms the basis of the main objective of the European Union's environmental policy, which is to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In order to achieve climate neutrality, the text under discussion provides for close monitoring of the progress made by individual members and for the rapid and systematic use of infringement procedures against States that do not comply with the roadmap imposed by the Commission. This is complemented by the phasing out of all direct and indirect fossil fuel subsidies at national, regional and local levels by 2025. The proposals contained in this text, although ambitious, are not acceptable. Our companies, already hard hit by the pandemic and without subsidies, would suffer further economic damage and an inevitable loss of competitiveness compared to countries such as China, India, the United States, which do not share the same climate objective. At the moment, our companies must not be suffocated by further constraints, but must be supported by adequate economic aid to save them from bankruptcy, which means saving many, many jobs.