Speeches

Madam President, Mrs Miranda, defending the sea and working in front of the pellets that reach the Spanish beaches is what the Xunta de Galicia does. What you are doing here today is political misery to scratch votes and to make electoralization of this crisis. This crisis falls to everyone, starting with the Government of Spain, which has to collect pellet sacks from the sea. Therefore, on Thursday we are going to debate that, because you want to electoralize and politicize this crisis that is everyone's responsibility.

Madam President, Mr Sánchez, from a Catalan and Spanish to a Spaniard, I am going to speak to you with my hand in my heart and I am going to tell you what millions of Spaniards would like to say to your face. Spain says "no" to an amnesty, to a blow to democracy and to very serious crimes of terrorism and corruption; ‘no’ to an amnesty that you denied in the campaign and that creates Spaniards of first and second; "No" to an intolerable amnesty, according to Felipe González, the socialist president who brought Spain into the European Union. Spain says "no" to threaten judges and set up commissions for the instrumentalisation of justice. And he says "no" to the supreme infamy of transferring the national sovereignty of Parliament to a clandestine table of shame outside the European Union, with an international mediator between the Government of Spain and fugitives from Justice. What a European Presidency. Mr Sanchez, do you really think that a few more months in Moncloa compensate for the destruction of judicial independence, the separation of powers and the equality of Spaniards before the law? Zero in patriotism, ten in opportunism. But how wrong you and your partner, the fugitive Puigdemont, are. Spain does not give up. No one laughs at Spain, because we are a great nation, one of the great European democracies. And that is why we Spaniards will continue to say tirelessly "no to amnesty" in the streets, in the courts and here in Europe. Ladies and gentlemen, Sánchez's amnesty is to sell the dignity of Spain by seven votes to govern. Your account is false, Mr. Sanchez. Here there is no generosity, no greatness, no concord of any kind. Here there is only the personal interest of a politician without principles or words that destroys everything to continue governing. Impunity for power: that's your legacy, Mr. Sanchez. And listen to Europe the cry of Spain. Sánchez's amnesty is the simultaneous decline of European values and Spanish democracy.

Mr President, listen, Europe, to the voice of a Catalan and Spanish woman, who is astonished at the dismantling of democracy in Spain because of the pact between Sánchez and a fugitive from justice. Sanchez, to get the seven votes that will allow him to govern, and Puigdemont, to achieve the amnesty of a blow to democracy and of very serious crimes of corruption and terrorism. Listen, Europe, the cry of millions of Spaniards who say "no" to an amnesty that ends equality before the law, judicial independence and the separation of powers. An amnesty that creates first- and second-class citizens. Listen, Europe, to former socialist president Felipe González saying "no and no" to Sánchez's amnesty. Listen, Europe, this thing Pedro Sanchez said: I will bring Puigdemont back to Spain to stand trial. Only their unscrupulousness and political opportunism are greater than their deceptions. Listen, Europe, to the heartbeat of our laws, our Constitution and our rule of law, which helplessly assist the deterioration of our democracy. Listen, Europe, the end of the counterweights and the lament of the Spanish institutions, all subject to the control of the Government. Listen, Europe, the denunciation of all Spanish judges against a pact of lawfare, It turns judges into criminals and criminals into judges. Listen, Europe, the shame of Spain that has the only European government supported by communists, pro-independence and ex-terrorists. These are Sanchez's partners. This is the Government of Spain. Listen, Europe, to the founding fathers. Don't let Sanchez turn Spain's European dream into a populist nightmare. Listen, Europe, the clamor of the streets and squares of Spain. A nation that proudly defends its freedom and democracy because today they are being harshly harassed and attacked. Sanchez's amnesty is Europe's condemnation. Listen, Europe. Take action, Europe. Long live democracy! Long live freedom! Long live Spain! Long live Europe!

Mr President, since today we are in the general debate on the Council's conclusions and since Europe has always defended the rule of law, the separation of powers and the equality of citizens, let me ask you if you are aware of what is happening in Spain. Do you know that the current president of the Spanish Government is preparing a massive amnesty agreed with those convicted of justice and fugitives in exchange for their votes to continue governing? Do you know that this amnesty will erase corruption crimes committed for ten years and even aims to include those prosecuted for terrorism? Are you aware that this past Monday until the General Council of the Judiciary itself has approved an institutional resolution in which it is indicated that this amnesty is the abolition of the rule of law? Look, don't believe Sanchez's false account that this amnesty is for coexistence and concord; It's for convenience and power. Europe must react to the violation of these principles. Europe cannot and must not allow this outrage. Europe cannot look the other way in the face of the demolition of the rule of law. And let them know that, as a Democrat and as a pro-European, I will not be silent and I will continue to denounce it as many times as necessary. (She refused to have Diana Riba i Giner ask her a question under the "blue card" procedure.)

Mr President, Commissioner, Secretary of State, Europe faces great challenges and threats here and in the world – challenges such as overcoming the economic crisis or protecting our rule of law, and threats such as Hamas’ terrorism against Israel, which seeks to sow terror and take away freedom. We must take firm and united positions and adopt a European roadmap that does not falter. But let me insist that for this we need strong national governments that, in addition to being in the European Union, are with the European Union. What would it look like for a President of the Government, who also holds the European Presidency, to have the Government divided and confronted in its support for Israel after suffering terrorist attacks? What would it look like in any country of the European Union if its acting Prime Minister met to negotiate his investiture with a party that has among its ranks convicted members of a terrorist gang? What would it look like in any European country if its president, in order to continue to govern, granted pardons to convicts and reduced the crime against corruption in exchange for their votes? What would it look like if a president of the government, in order to continue governing, negotiated with a fugitive from Spanish justice to grant an amnesty to those responsible for the coup to democracy in exchange for their votes? Well, this is happening in Spain. The equality of all Spaniards and the separation of powers is being violated. In addition to being inadmissible, it is a truth that must be told and known.

Mr President, Commissioner, Secretary of State, migration is a common European challenge, not just for southern European countries such as Spain. Thousands of lives and the stability of European regions that cannot cope with the arrival of migrants alone are at stake. In Spain we see how the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla are overwhelmed by the massive arrival of migrants. Maritime Rescue and the Spanish Navy rescue and save thousands of people at sea every year. In 2022, they saved more than 20,000 people. For all these reasons, we need a common European migration policy that is in solidarity with those in need of protection, that guarantees the control of our borders so that we have a legal, safe and job-related migration, and that fights relentlessly against people smugglers. Criminal mafias cannot decide who comes to the European Union. We must stop attempts by third countries to use migrants to destabilise the European Union, as happened in Ceuta in 2021 and in Melilla in 2022. The European pact must be realistic, without false goodism, and guarantee cooperation with the countries of origin. I call on the Spanish Government, which now holds the Presidency of the Council, to take it as an absolute priority. And, Mr Sánchez, the Europeans' priorities are not to agree to an illegal and immoral amnesty with an escapee from justice. Defend our rights and take care of the real problems of Europeans, such as what we are talking about today.

Mr President, drug shortages are a serious problem throughout Europe, which is having a direct impact on the health of Europeans. For example, in Spain there is a shortage of more than 900 drugs. That is why we denounce the fact that the European Union has not already put in place a policy of support for the production of active ingredients and medicines, an area which I would like to recall is already included in the Industrial Strategy as a key area of dependency. Within this Industrial Strategy, the Commission is supporting, for example, the production of raw materials, batteries, clean hydrogen and semiconductors, as well as digitalisation. These are all strategic areas, but so is the production of pharmaceutical assets and medicines. We therefore continue to rely on third countries to acquire the active substances. This means that we have shortages, that we have shortages and, therefore, that we are more vulnerable. And above all, the most vulnerable are the smallest in Europe, our children. We know that demand for medicines will continue to increase. Why? Because of the aging of our population, and also because of the increase in chronic diseases. And that's why we can't waste any more time. We demand immediate measures and also that we include them in the pharmaceutical legislative package. Because we need a strong, competitive and, above all, strategic European pharmaceutical sector. That is why, from Parliament and all its political groups, we have asked the Commission to urgently put forward measures to guarantee the production of medicines. I welcome the forthcoming communication to be presented by the Commission, but it is very important to include these measures in the legislative package.

Madam President, Madam President von der Leyen, I agree with you on the challenges ahead and you have our support. But today I must talk about the seriousness of what is happening in Spain, which now chairs the Council. It is unusual and unacceptable that the President of the Spanish Government does not appear in this plenary session to defend the priorities of the Spanish Presidency and that he does not do so in his interest of power. Pedro Sánchez does not want what he negotiates in private to be seen in public. He does not want to coincide with Puigdemont, a fugitive from justice who is here and who demands an amnesty in exchange for making him president. A fugitive whose immunity was waived by this Parliament. An amnesty means denying the existence of crimes and fulminating the separation of powers. It has no place and violates our rule of law. In the European People's Party we will not be silent while the president of my country intends to give in to this attack on the rule of law. The price of Sanchez's electoral defeat cannot be Spain's humiliation. Avoiding this abuse is an obligation for any European Democrat.

Mr President, viruses, diseases and pandemics do not understand ideologies, but neither do they understand borders. The best truth is what science brings us. And the best justice is that we all have access to vaccines. What we have learned from this pandemic is that we must act decisively, united, coordinated and with more transparency. This report gives us, he tells us, the way to be more prepared, to have strategic autonomy, not to depend so much on third countries, so that professionals never again, as happened at the beginning of the pandemic, have to protect themselves with garbage bags, so that we never again have a shortage of medicines, so that patients never again see how their operations or their consultations are delayed, so that we never again have to suffer the consequences. fake news and disinformation. And so I want to thank you from here; thank you sincerely to all the shadow rapporteurs, to all the members of the Commission, because we have had constructive and positive debates, and although, of course, we have had differences, the most important thing is that we agree on the most essential thing, which is to put the public health of our citizens at the centre of our European policies. We have put the protection of our health professionals, who also suffered so much during the pandemic, at the heart of European policies. And, above all, what we have put on the table, as one of the great objectives, is to build the European Health Union to be able to coordinate, harmonize and lead, from the European Union, health policies, so that what happened to us at the beginning of the pandemic never happens again. Therefore, I want to thank you and I am very convinced that the vast majority will agree and vote in favour of this report and we will give a great signal to all the citizens who suffered so much with COVID-19, to so many families who lost their relatives and to so many professionals who also suffered. Therefore, this will be the best signal we can offer to each and every one of them tomorrow. Thank you very much for the support.

Mr President, Commissioner, the report on the COVID-19 pandemic that we are voting on tomorrow is a fundamental pillar in the construction of the European Health Union. After a year of work with experts, professionals, institutions and patients, political negotiations and a constructive dialogue with the Commission President, coordinators and shadow rapporteurs, I ask you to support this report tomorrow. Because we have a great opportunity to tell Europeans that their health is our priority and that we are prepared to deal with any future health emergency. Yes, we have a very good opportunity to show, here today, that dialogue and European consensus win again to improve the lives of citizens and strengthen the European Union. And why is it important to adopt this report on the lessons learned from the pandemic? For the health of all, for respect for democracy and fundamental rights, for social and economic policies and for Europe's role in the world. The report has these four pillars that teach us how to prevent and prepare and in what we must improve and strengthen ourselves to respond to future health crises. We must have answers not only about our health but also about our safety, freedom, social market economy and European way of life. The success of the European response to future pandemics depends on solidarity, unity and effective coordination between the European Union and the Member States and their citizens. It is crucial to remember that we are facing an unprecedented situation and that it has required unprecedented and record-breaking solutions. Even though mistakes were made in the early stages of the pandemic, the European Union responded with all the instruments at its disposal and created new ones, such as the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, our HERA. Europe's leadership, boosting vaccine research and development and making a centralised purchase with massive universal vaccination, has been crucial to saving millions of lives, not only here but around the world. Europe is a success story and, when it is most needed by citizens, it proves to be up to par. We must ensure that health care providers are protected, that there is no shortage of medicines and that patients with chronic diseases or cancer and people with disabilities and vulnerable families are not delayed in their diagnoses and treatments. There are more than 30 million people in Europe suffering from persistent COVID-19, of which we still know very little. Therefore, we ask for more research and to develop comprehensive diagnoses and treatments. We cannot ignore the silent pandemic that affects our mental health. We point out that it is an absolute priority for the European Union and the Member States, as there is no health without mental health. We also underline the importance of building the European Health Union with the One Health approach, which seeks integrated action against all threats to health, whether human, animal or environmental. We call for strengthening Europe's strategic autonomy in health, ensuring access to critical raw materials and strong intellectual property protection. We must increase investment in health and research with more public-private partnership and the firm commitment to a competitive pharmaceutical industry that is ".made in Europe». Respect for democracy and fundamental rights is the second pillar of the report. We have called for the European Parliament to have more power in the decision-making process in the event of health crises and, however great the threat, the governments of the Member States cannot fail to be subject to parliamentary scrutiny and the functions of national parliaments cannot be suspended in the event of emergencies. And in order to have a strong and secure Europe, we must be more transparent in taking action and inform citizens in a clear and coordinated way, always on the basis of scientific evidence. Only in this way will we combat disinformation, fake news and attempts to destabilise cyber-attacks on health infrastructure. We call for further harmonisation in the use of the COVID certificate as a vital tool for exercising freedom of movement safely and ensuring the single market in times of emergency. And we cannot forget the terrible economic and social impact of the pandemic on the lives of so many workers and families. We must be by their side, and with SMEs, the self-employed, who during the pandemic had to close and many were ruined. NextGenerationEU funds should be implemented to help families and the economy recover. We must bet on digitalization, key for the education of our children, but also for the business fabric. We recommend for future health crises that, as a general rule, schools not be closed as long as the health of students and teachers can be protected, because we have seen with great concern how isolation has affected the mental health of our young people. We underline that the European Union must lead international cooperation in global health. We have supported the European Commission in signing the agreement on the suspension of the TRIPS Agreement, on COVID vaccines, proposed by the WTO, and we need to strengthen global initiatives, such as Team Europe, so that third countries have the capacities to produce essential medicines and ensure the health of their citizens. For all this and for much more, which I have not been able to say because it has been a very long report, I ask for your support tomorrow in the vote. Let's do it for all Europeans.

Mr President, Commissioner, we have major European challenges and challenges ahead, such as unity for freedom in Ukraine, the achievement of a growth economic policy with good implementation of NextGenerationEU funds and the management of the migration crisis. But if we want to work for a Europe that also defends equality, economic sectors and employment, institutional strengthening and the fight against corruption, we must also work with our Member States. Because, while here we talk about protecting women, in Spain more than 1,100 penalties have been reduced to sexual aggressors by a law of the socialist government. While our farmers juggle to survive economically, here the left criminalizes their work and harms their products. While our families suffer inflation and the rise of the shopping basket, NextGenerationEU funds do not reach the real economy. While here we ask not to relax the fight against corruption, in Spain the penalty of the crime that persecutes it is reduced because the partners of the Government have requested it. While here it is defended that the memory of the victims of terrorism is remembered, in Spain the Government agrees with those who have taken convicted etharras on their lists. And, while here it is requested that the rotating Presidency be from all over the country, from all over Spain, the President of the Government refuses to communicate to the leader of the opposition the main lines of work. This way of doing politics must change. We must give way to responsibility, to the sense of State and to always defend Europe in all corners of Europe and, therefore, also in Spain.

Madam President, Commissioner, the approval of European funds by this House has been a success. Something that we cannot say about the execution in our country, in Spain. The Spanish regions report a lack of co-governance. The self-employed, SMEs and workers denounce that the funds do not reach them. And therefore something is wrong. Government fails. Since the Government of Spain only succeeds when it copies the Popular Party – it did so with the lowering of VAT, electricity and gas, the VAT on food and now with the guarantee for the housing of young people –, because it also copies the co-governance that we ask for in European funds, a quick execution and that the penalties for embezzlement are tightened, so that no one steals a single euro of public money. It is never too late if the copied measure is good. Therefore, take note of the Socialists. The Government of Spain has reduced the crime of embezzlement because one of its parliamentary partners, with convicts among his ranks, has asked him to do so. Something that exceeds any political and more than political limit. And this is not what I say, but a regional leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party in Spain, Mr García-Page. While Brussels calls for tougher penalties for embezzlement, Sanchez lowers them. Therefore, rectify, socialist gentlemen, listen to Europe and stop lying to the Spaniards, but also to this Parliament. So fewer anti-corruption lessons. More facts. That of the first they are left over and of the second, scarce.

Mr President, Commissioner, the first lesson of the pandemic is that health protection must be a priority. Are we aware that deaths from antimicrobial resistance will double by 2030? Are we aware that we are facing a silent pandemic in mental health? Do you know what happened in the cyber attack suffered by one of the big hospitals in Barcelona last month? More than 300 interventions, 11,000 consultations and 4,000 analyses were suspended. Are we therefore aware of what a massive cyberattack on our hospitals in Europe would mean? All these challenges, threats and attacks do not understand borders. That is why we must build a strong European Health Union, to create a shield against these threats and attacks. Europe must lead, coordinate and harmonise health policies with the Member States. Europe has the opportunity to lead the world in health promotion and disease prevention with the best researchers and healthcare professionals; bet on innovation and research to get the best treatments in rare diseases, cancer and neurodegenerative. We need a competitive pharmaceutical industry and we must share the European health data space so that we never again rely exclusively on third countries and to have the best national health systems for our European patients.

Mr President, Spain is suffering from a worrying drift of democratic degradation, institutional deterioration and governmental irresponsibility caused by the current socialist and communist government. You on the left here today were concerned about corruption and women. And you are the ones who have reformed the Criminal Code, repealing sedition and reducing the crime of corruption. With you, more than seventy-five sex offenders have been released and more than seven hundred have had their sentences reduced. You have put the institutions at the service of the Government. And even you have ended up placing a minister and a senior government official in the Constitutional Court. As it seemed to them little, they carried out a political persecution against a colonel of the Civil Guard, whom they illegally ceased. A dismissal, by the way, annulled this week by the Supreme Court itself. It's the modus operandi of an unscrupulous government that is capable of everything to cling to power. We are here to defend Spain and the Spaniards, and not to defend a bad government. Spain is a great nation, a full democracy and a rule of law, but with the worst government in democracy.

Madam President, to speak of the European Union is to speak of a shared success story and achievements. We did it by overcoming the crisis of 2008, the pandemic with vaccines, European funds and with a unity against Putin. But we need a Europe that continues to shake hands with Europeans and European institutions that think more about their citizens. We must fight climate change, but without unreachable short-term impositions that ruin businesses and families. We must protect the environment, but relying on farmers and ranchers, and not going against them. We must promote and take care of our products, not endanger them with harmful fishing decisions or with unfair competition against domestic products, such as citrus fruits; or criminalize them, as happened with wine. We must reindustrialise Europe, create jobs and wealth, to give opportunities to all our young people. But we must also protect the rule of law and the integrity of our countries against movements that seek to break up, divide society and break the law. What affects one country affects the entire European Union. Europe is the best project of union, coexistence and economy. Let us therefore raise pro-European sentiment and get everyone to believe in the European Union. (She refused to respond to an intervention by Bogdan Rzońca under the "blue card" procedure.)

Madam President, you think that this is the Parliament of Catalonia, where you do whatever you want. This is the European Parliament and here democracy defends itself against those who trample on it. Here, we all know that you are fugitives from justice, that you have violated the law and that you must answer to the Spanish justice system. It is already good of so much secessionist theater, of yesterday's electoral number in Barcelona, of selling themselves as victims and manipulating the truth. Here the only thing that has changed is that Sanchez has yielded to you for fear of losing power, lowering the Spanish Penal Code. Socialist gentlemen, the dignity of a country is never sold, not even by a handful of votes. No immunity, no impunity. Defending the rule of law and democracy, always.

Madam President, the success or failure of the European Union will depend on the strength of its Member States. If we want a strong Europe vis-à-vis Putin; if we want a Europe that protects its citizens and has a competitive economy; If we want a Europe that defends political exemplarity, we must start with the countries. While here we talk about unity in support of Ukraine, in Spain one part of the government is facing the other for sending weapons to Ukraine. While here we ask to protect women, in Spain the Government approves a law that releases rapists. While in Brussels we are calling for the fight against corruption and for not a single European public euro to be diverted, the Spanish Government is making the crime against corruption cheaper. While in Brussels we are calling for Next Generation EU funds to be implemented, the Spanish government is unable to get these funds into the real economy. And while here it is asked to return to the Stability and Growth Pact, the Government of Spain shoots up the debt and wastes in government structure. Europe cannot afford weak, confrontational and incompetent governments. Spain is a great country, but with a bad government that is not up to the task. Demand unity, but also responsibility.

Madam President, the fight against violence against women must have a national and European response. We must work together to end abuse and inequality. In Spain we have ratified the Istanbul Convention. As a minister, we achieved a historic state pact against gender-based violence and now we demand that it is ratified immediately by the Council. Because that is the way, because we have to work and think about the women victims, and also about their children. But let me tell you one thing: It is unacceptable that steps should be taken today to protect women. This is what is happening in Spain because of a left-wing government that has passed a law that has already caused the sentence to be reduced to five hundred sexual aggressors and the release of more than forty. And no one assumes their political responsibility. To wave banners and shout at the four winds that are feminist, they have plenty of strength. But, to apologize and correct the mistakes at the moment, they are not, nor are they expected. We need rigor, seriousness and less propaganda when it comes to defending women and their children.

Madam President, Commissioner Reynders, Spain is suffering from a worrying drift of democratic degradation, institutional deterioration and governmental irresponsibility caused by the latest decisions of the current Spanish Government. We bring this up because the defence of the rule of law, our institutions and judicial independence falls within the competence of this Parliament. We cannot be silent while this government markets with Spain making concessions to those who seek to end their own country. The whole country cannot be identified with its current government. A Government that has handed over the Criminal Code to those convicted of violating the Constitution, amending it on demand in order to make their crimes disappear. A government that has suppressed the crime of sedition, the crime that in Spain protects the State against the blows against our democratic system. A Government that has also reduced the penalties for embezzlement, the crime that protects against corruption. A government that has pushed for a law that, far from protecting women, is causing a cascade of reductions in sentences and releases of sex offenders. Today, one hundred and ninety convicted sex offenders have benefited and, as seemed to them little, have ended up placing a minister and a high office of the current Government in the Constitutional Court. All this is being done by a Government that boasted of being the Government of transparency, exemplary and anti-corruption. Commissioner Reynders, the European People's Party believes that the General Council of the Judiciary should be renewed and that the model should be reformed, something the government does not want. Dear Honourable Members, we must be clear: Criminals cannot issue orders to reform the Criminal Code. Institutions cannot serve the Government and sex offenders cannot benefit because of the Government's incompetence. The democratic and institutional strength of countries and the protection of citizens are key to the future of the European Union and, as you will understand, the European People's Party is not going to look the other way while all this is happening. Spain is a great nation, a full democracy and a deeply pro-European country and, therefore, we cannot tolerate a bad government damaging everything that all Spaniards have achieved together.

Mr President, Commissioner, I would also like to welcome Vitrines d’Europe and Barcelona Comerç, who are on the podium today. Today is a great day for local commerce. It is a recognition of the millions of workers, self-employed, entrepreneurs and SMEs engaged in local trade in Europe. But it is also for all European citizens, especially those of Barcelona, who have seen how their trade has struggled so that today we are here, achieving the creation of the European Capital of Proximity Trade and that annually we have a European city capital of proximity trade. I am grateful not only as a Spanish citizen, but as a European, that local businesses create in this great project that is the European Union, because it is a guarantee of economic and social progress. As Chair of the Committee on Petitions, I have consistently stressed the need for this initiative to go ahead and, as a member of the European People's Party, it has been an honour to get this initiative. What is local commerce? What does it mean what we achieve today? Local commerce is much more than a showcase or a neighbor who attends you in their store. Proximity trade is an economic and social boost for cities, life for our neighborhoods and security for our streets. It represents the way we understand European cities, our culture, our lifestyle and our common identity. This is an ambitious project, of great wealth, generator of economic opportunities. The initiative was born in Barcelona, a Spanish city that has historically been characterized by its wealth in proximity trade. The European identity, our roots are born in the municipalities, because Europe is also our cities. We must, therefore, value this entrepreneurial spirit of guilds and traders, rely on them for European digitalization, sustainable mobility, the circular and green economy, because they are the economy that is at the foot of the street. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted that when the city closed its life, essential shops remained standing and open. Alongside health, local trade professionals have supported European cities and their people. Therefore, this initiative seeks to give the visibility that proximity trade needs and deserves throughout Europe and more in a globalized world in which we sometimes forget what we have closer. The initiative gives value to the near and is closely linked to our history as Europeans. Globalization is undoubtedly a fundamental reason for economic growth and employment, but that cannot lead us to turn our backs and abandon our closest trade, quite the contrary. It must lead us to promote it and, from the European institutions, to promote it. There is a lot of employment at stake, there is a family economy and they deserve our full support. I always say it and today I say it again: el comercio de proximidad representa vida. If there is commerce, there is life, there is color in the streets, there is more coexistence between people and neighbors of a neighborhood. Proximity trade performs a social function with neighbors in your area. Precisely that proximity and closeness make the merchant have a special and particular sensitivity to the specific needs of a neighbor. Therefore, we must take care of and help our commercial fabric, which is very important in our economy and in the social harmony of our neighborhoods. Local trade has been able to reinvent itself, has resisted all challenges and continues to do so with enormous difficulties, such as the crisis generated by COVID-19 or this brutal inflation that we are suffering. The European Union must therefore be its best ally. Local local trade is a common cause in Europe and today I call on the Commission, together with Parliament, to make this initiative a reality. And I also call on all Members of this Parliament to vote tomorrow in favour of the creation of the European Capital of Proximity Trade, because in this way we will achieve and secure more trade, more city and more Europe.

Mr President, we are facing major challenges, such as the energy and economic crisis, which deserve a coordinated response across Europe. But we also risk the prestige of our institutions and the strength of our democracies. That is why I am asking the Council and the Commission today: Do they share that the punishments of corrupt people are reduced in the Criminal Code, being those same corrupt people who are asking for it? Do you share the idea of suppressing crimes that protect the state from attacks on democracy, because those who attack it have asked for it? Do you agree that, instead of strengthening the institutions and guaranteeing the independence of the Constitutional Court, the rules of the game should be changed to place members of a Government in it and thus influence its decisions? I understand that no. Well, that happens today in Spain with your Government. Let us face together all the challenges and threats we have in Europe, of course, but we cannot be silent when our democracies weaken. I won't do it.

Mr. President, the defense of our borders, the defense of our security would not be understood and would not be possible without the hard and sacrificial work of our state security forces and bodies. The agents deserve our support, but also reinforcement with more personnel, resources and better protection materials, as they themselves claim. Our security forces cannot be overwhelmed by the lack of agents in the face of massive entrances. We must increase European coordination, avoid so-called effects, pursue with specific plans, both national and European, the mafias that use the drama of immigration and, also, continue with the support in cooperation and development to third countries. The border of Spain is the border of Europe. To defend Ceuta and Melilla is to defend not only Spain, but also the European Union. That is why we demand that the Government of Spain be transparent and tell the truth about what happened at the Melilla fence on June 24. What is Pedro Sánchez's Interior Minister hiding? It is unacceptable for the minister to refuse to go to the European Parliament to explain the tragedy of the Melilla fence. Neither transparency nor exemplary. We stand before the government of opacity. Whoever shuts up hides. Citizens deserve to always know the truth and we do not deserve a government that lies to us. We are facing another migration crisis. The reception capacity of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla can be exceeded. Our security forces may suffer further assaults. The European Union cannot look the other way. In the face of migratory avalanches, we are all obliged to reach an agreement on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, always valuing the principles of solidarity and responsibility. If we don't act now, we will fail.

Madam President, Commissioner, the European Union always acts in the face of crises: it did so by boosting the NextGenerationEU funds after COVID and it does so now with the REPowerEU plan in the face of the economic and energy situation experienced by European families. But what good are these achievements if then the aid does not reach companies, workers or families? We cannot be content to approve regulations and strategic projects and think that we have complied with this. The key is for Member States to implement the funds they are receiving effectively and transparently. We need a control mechanism that monitors that money really gets to those who need it. A recovery plan without a real execution is wet paper. They called us, the Popular Party, unpatriotic and irresponsible for demanding from day one a quick and rigorous execution of the funds to avoid a resounding failure. Unfortunately, we were right: money is not reaching the real economy. Every day that passes and the Government of Spain does not execute the funds, the economy is damaged. REPowerEU can be a success, as long as national governments are up to it.

Madam President, we must increase energy autonomy, stand up to Putin and help Ukraine. So it must remain, firmly, but today I want to ask you a question: Are we doing everything we can from Europe to stop the economic and energy crisis? Citizens don't see it that way, they can't anymore, they are using all their savings to help their families. Companies and their workers live with water around their necks for exorbitant prices that ruin them. Think of your citizens. Think of European funds, demand transparency, control that they reach the real economy, something that does not happen today. Think of countries like Spain: As Spaniards search their pockets for how to pay their shopping basket, their home mortgage, their electricity bill, their government collects more taxes than ever and maintains the most expensive government structure in democracy. I call on you for urgency and unity in action, for an energy-strong, connected and integrated Europe, and for governments to rise to the occasion and give back to their citizens the money they are over-collecting from inflation.

Mr President, Commissioner, mental health is a silent pandemic on the rise that we cannot ignore. In Europe, suicides are on the rise and mental health is deteriorating. In Spain, suicide is the leading cause of unnatural death; Eleven people take their own lives every day and 220 try. When a person says he wants to commit suicide, it is not a wake-up call, he is making a call for help. The episodes that generate anxiety, stress or depression among the youngest, such as the bullying, sudden changes in habits – as was the case with COVID-19 – or social pressure, cause your mental health to suffer. The shame of talking about what affects them, the fear of stigma, the thought that they don't believe you: That can't happen. We must prevent, we must be literate in mental health in all areas: family, education, health and work. Let's force countries to prioritize mental health care. Let us use European funds for this. Let's bet on the prevention of mental disorders and the best therapies for patients. We call for the European Mental Health Strategy, because, remember, there is no health without mental health.