Speeches

Mr President, unfortunately, the current Commission's commitment to the fight against cancer has fallen from the previous stage. Escorta to the right and with a serf commissar of other interests, there were no great hopes: nor is it in health debates. They claim to defend a generation free of tobacco while favoring the same lobby with their inaction, stopping anti-tobacco legislation, while reducing the budget for cancer research, turning their backs on science, showing no interest in reducing inequalities as expressed by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer, showing no interest in preventing cancer. It seems that the only current objective is to destroy the European Health Union that we struggled to create in the last legislature, in the same way that they defend the European Green Deal, which also looks at health and prevention. We must tell European citizens that here, in this Parliament, there are still people who are going to fight cancer in a different way and always putting science and citizenship as a flag.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe must wake up. Trump knocks on our door to tell us that the blame for the exorbitant prices of medicines in the United States lies with the Europeans and that we must pay for it. And that's not true. The reality is different. The countries of the European Union have a social, functional State that negotiates the prices of medicines effectively in favor of the health of citizens. That's the difference between Europe and the United States. Trump can put tariffs on the whole world, he can despise vaccination in the United States and measles spreading, he can recommend raw milk against infections, but he can't impose his prices here, because where Europe starts, Trump ends. We European politicians must be aware that it is up to us to defend our citizens and we cannot allow ourselves to be forced to pay more for medicines to please the one who was our American partner. Europe will gain more by being assertive in defending its interests and its citizens than by lowering its head. And that is what we demand from the European Commission: to live up to the situation.

Mr President, competitiveness goes hand in hand with decarbonisation, that is clear. That is why we need sustainable aviation fuels, which also offer an industrial opportunity for Europe. If we don't support those who invest, others will occupy that space. Two more notes. First, it seems that now in third countries are miraculously fried tons and tons of chips but - oh, oh, miracle! - without potatoes. As a result, a steady flow of oil used to produce sustainable aviation fuels is now entering the EU. It's a fraud. And it is these frauds that undermine the green transition and the credibility of the European Green Deal. We have to stop them. Sustainable matter must be prioritised. And explain to me, from the Commission: how, having supply problems of synthetic fuels for sectors such as aviation or maritime transport (for which they should be prioritised because they do not have alternatives for decarbonisation), do they intend to allocate them to road transport, where electrification is already mature? Let's prioritize where we need them.

Madam President, breast cancer is not pink. It's a brown for women who suffer from it. When we did the report of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer, we saw that there were inequalities in screening. across Europe. And we set ourselves a goal: reach 90% early detection of breast cancer. Because it saves lives, it increases survival four times in an early diagnosis. And that is what has been stolen from all the Andalusian women who have been deprived of knowing the results. They condemn them to more aggressive treatments, reduce their chances of survival and, in addition, they are publicly humiliated by telling them that they are anxious. I believe that we must act clearly against negligence. And this is a clear example. Not only for how the Junta de Andalucía has acted, but also how it has acted subsequently, since it says that the data from the histories have disappeared, which is practically criminal. But it goes beyond the damage done. Any failure in a screening, any failure in an early detection system, is a problem for all early detection systems, because it decreases confidence in our health systems. We therefore call for strong action now.

Between an early diagnosis and a late diagnosis, they mediate four times less chance of survival. What opinion do you deserve, as a woman and as a political representative, that women who have been screened should not be notified? and to be told not to be warned because of anxiety? What is the opinion of this political leader?

Mr President, our engagement with Ukraine was lame and now it is no longer. We welcome this comprehensive agreement to end the import of Russian gas. And the commitment will be even greater if we get not a single euro of the European economy to flow into Putin's hands for the purchase of fossil fuels. That must be an even greater commitment. In Galician we have the word xeito, which is to act with pragmatism and common sense. And I ask too xeito in this performance. To really bet on electrification, on energy efficiency and on Europe's renewable potential. The best fossil gas molecule for Europe is the one that is not consumed; neither Russian nor from anywhere else. Therefore, we must also commit to something else: in making this permanent. Let no one be tempted to connect to Russian gas again. Europe will not be competitive as long as we are junkies of Russian gas or any other gas. And finally, let me say one thing. Russian gas, no. Russian oil, either. But uranium, by when?

Madam President, yesterday we had news that, for the first time, mosquitoes were detected in Iceland - a few places on earth that were free. That is, the effects of climate change will mean more diseases, greater health risks. We have more storms, more floods. That is, climate change accelerates. And, in the face of this acceleration, what we cannot do from Europe is to step on the brakes. That is why I say to you, Commissioner: In the face of Trump's commitment to dynamite multilateralism, the European Union, especially this House, must be at the forefront of international cooperation. We cannot reach COP30 in Bethlehem half empty-handed, because the alternative to European leadership, the vacuum we leave behind, will be filled by others. And believe me, we have technological solutions to fight climate change, to reduce emissions, to reach 90% reduction by 2040. There are. And, in addition, Europe's competitiveness passes through them. Economy and emission reductions are not at odds.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, imagine a family of three children, in a small apartment, in a city where summer lasts eight weeks longer, as in southern Europe, and go out into the streets and find the squares, which were previously wooded, completely cut down. These are the denialist and retardist policies being carried out by the right, also in southern Europe. Ladies and gentlemen, protecting people's health is an obligation and, therefore, fighting climate change today means not only reducing emissions, but adapting to protect ourselves: adapt our cities, our way of working and our homes, also those of families with few resources. It is a need for social justice; Climate action is social justice and not carrying it out is irresponsibility and an attack on the less affluent classes. It is therefore prevention in health, because climate change – repeated here – costs lives and, to a greater extent, those of the most vulnerable and least resourced. Adapting to climate change is an obligation, because it costs us lives. Denialism costs lives; Climate adaptation saves them. That's our choice.

Mr President, I have seen Galicia burn again and the competent autonomous government has failed miserably. A failure without palliatives that continues today with the concealment of burned areas such as Pena Trevinca. On 13 August they said that there were plenty of resources and on 14 August they asked for assistance from the army, which was already there, and all the planes in Europe. To the popular I say that their mimicry with the extreme right does not contribute to solving that problem. Rejecting climate change pacts contributes to the fires. Not hiring firefighters in dignified conditions or hiring them in August contributes to the fires. When European laws are breached and the Natura 2000 Network is not managed, as happens in Galicia, it contributes to fires. When you propose to reduce the CAP budget, you damage the countryside, promote depopulation and contribute to fires. And when they try to deceive citizens, saying that they have only burned rocks and weeds, forgetting people, as President Rueda has done, they generate outrage and damage democracy.

Mr President, Commissioner, I think we are heading in the right direction. We have learned from the pandemic and I believe that these strategies are part of those lessons learned. A safe and prepared Europe is a Europe capable of reacting to threats. I have worked more than fifteen years of my life in health emergency. I know that the next crisis is not always the same as the previous one, but I know that you have to be prepared for it. An important part of the preparation is to have the material, to have the capabilities. I therefore welcome this idea. But let's not get confused: We need to prepare ourselves better, but, above all, prepare those who are going to have to face the threat, who are the professionals. They must be provided with the necessary tools and science and knowledge must also be defended; and know that many of the risks, for example, in the future, will be climate risks. Security must also address these risks. Security money must also be devoted to these tasks. Let me say one thing: The best emergency kit is trust in public services, it is trust in the information that science gives us. And this is just the opposite of what the right and the ultra-right claim. Let's keep that in mind and defend this...

Mr President, can anyone imagine a prosperous Europe at the end of the century without the development of clean technologies? It won't be possible. This is no longer the century of fossils, it is the century of clean ones and – specifically within clean ones – of green technologies, of renewable technologies. A Europe will be prosperous if it invests in these green technologies, if it develops them, if it turns over its financing capacity. We believe that there the Clean Industry Pact should mobilise a specific action plan for green tech. Europe, at the same time, must ensure that the benefits of the transition reach everyone, because the renewables and green technologies we develop will be the most economically efficient, but also green. I have seen here many proponents of nuclear technologies. I'm going to give you some advice: that they go to the Atlantic trench 700 kilometers from my region, in Galicia, where 4 000 drums of radioactive waste are being seen these days, a nuclear time bomb that will be there for hundreds of years. Therefore, let us be careful with what we stand for.

You said it yourself, Mrs Borras: It wasn't renewables. In Spain there are days with more penetration of renewable energy and solar energy, and you know it well, what happens is that I cannot agree in all your assessments because I do not come here to defend a fossil economy, as your party does. Therefore, I defend that the opportunities of my country are in indigenous sources of energy. Patriotism is also trusting our resources, not the resources of others, like Putin's or Trump's, who are your advocates. I don't follow that path, let me.

(start of out-of-microphone intervention) ... I believe that economic criteria are important when it comes to making networks more efficient. Decisions must therefore also be made on the basis of these economic results, but certainly by improving networks, expanding interconnections, your country, Portugal, and mine – which rely on renewable energy sources – will have more opportunities, they will have more industry. Therefore, more renewables and more networks are the future of the Iberian Peninsula.

Madam President, first of all, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur and my group's rapporteur, Mr Tobback, on the good report. Spain and the blackout have been mentioned a lot and I would like to clear up some doubts because I see that there are people who do not know that, according to recent reports, renewables have had nothing to do with the blackout. Renewables are a guarantee of the future of Europe and we have to keep moving along that path, but it is true that renewables need a safer grid, they need to advance interconnections. We are moving towards further electrification of our economy – on this decarbonisation path – and we need to improve networks. Let me underline three priorities. First, promote investments and make them in advance, as the reform of the electricity market says. Secondly, application and implementation of the agreed legislation. And thirdly, connect the peripheries. The Iberian Peninsula and other areas of Europe cannot be below 15% interconnection. We have to advance in these interconnections, in integrating an electricity market with different energy sources: with sun in the south, wind in the north, water in the east. We need to integrate everything and make this decarbonisation an opportunity for a more competitive Europe through better networks.

Mr President, Commissioner, I will say it loud and clear: The future of Europe depends on the success of decarbonisation. In 2019, we started an exciting path of hope for the future of millions of Europeans with the European Green Deal. Giving up that roadmap today would be the biggest mistake of this century, and I am concerned that some now want to get off that ship - simply because they feel the pressure of the far right - to walk in a direction contrary to what science and reason tell us. Our path is to move towards a new economy based on a transition to clean energy sources. Make no mistake: What has damaged our industry has been our dependence on fossil energy, which we have to import. That's why we need more renewables, more interconnections and markets that reflect the affordability of those renewables. A true European Energy Union. With less fossil energy, more Europe. And today, in this debate, it is important to highlight the broad consensus reached to move forward along this path. It's already a hallmark: a Europe committed to the fight against climate change. The Clean Industry Pact is the logical answer for Europe's reindustrialisation under the European Green Deal. We see instability and involution taking hold in the United States. Europe must make its regulatory stability a strategic value to attract investment. Simplify? Yes, yes. Deregulate? No. This Clean Industry Pact must serve to take action with a social perspective, with commitment and with quality jobs. Funding is essential and we welcome that effort by the Commission. And finally, we have reached a broad agreement. We have all given in this motion for a resolution, but we will have to give concrete expression later on. I ask those of us who really believe in the European project not to be distracted, that we must be precise, that not everything that shines is clean and sustainable at the same time.

You know that the president of the Community of Madrid was charged with a corruption case and that Mr. Casado was exchanged for Mr. Feijóo. That president of the Community of Madrid currently has a problem because her partner is a confessed tax fraudster and she lives in an attic of her partner. But what happens is that number three of Mrs. Ayuso, of the president of the Community of Madrid, is indicted. The number three of the PSOE has been prosecuted and has resigned and has been made to resign from all his positions. But this lady, who is Mrs. Ayuso's number three, has not resigned. What opinion do you deserve? And what is your opinion that the current leader of the People's Party should ride a boat with a drug trafficker? What do you think that's worth?

Madam President, last week, thousands of Lisboners were savoring delicious sardines at the feasts of Saint Anthony in Alfama. And in the coming days, in the towns and cities of Galicia, we will do the same. Why do we eat sardines in Galicia or Portugal in June? Because we know that it is the best season to take advantage of its healthy nutrients; In other words, we have a culture of the sea, we know what an ocean – the Atlantic – is worth and we want this symbiosis between our culture, society and economy to be maintained. Well, Commissioner, for the European Pact for the Ocean. Good for the success in Nice. From our group, we welcome the initiative, but we wonder if this is the pact that Europe needs. I have doubts, because the rhetoric towards the fishing sector remains negative, because commitments to coastal communities remain generic. It is necessary to defend the oceans, to protect them; Ensuring its sustainable use is essential, in balance with pre-existing activities, but we will be vigilant because this Pact is born with a structural weakness. A communication without a budget can be left in an empty message.

Mr President, the extension of the gas storage target until 2027 reminds us of something obvious: fossil fuels are unreliable. They are unreliable, and we must work to eliminate our dependence on them. Let us not forget the crisis of 2022. We have proof that every renewable watt reduces our dependence on Russia. That is why there is also an urgent need to reduce speculation in the gas market and to strengthen the instruments against this manipulation of the gas markets. We need that independence from the Russian gas markets, as Commissioner Dan Jørgensen put forward yesterday in that proposal which, of course, must be supported. But we need action to be European and coordinated. Leaving Russian gas behind should not lead us to unconditionally embrace Trump's US shale gas either. The way out is to raise awareness that we must reduce our dependence on gas. There is a need for energy efficiency and a clear commitment to the European Green Deal and renewable energy.

Do you know which government closed the only nuclear power plant in Spain in 2012? That of his party, the People's Party. But I'm going to ask a question: Do you consider that the renewable energy that supplied France's nuclear shortage during the summer of 2002, with its reactors with corrosion, was bad? Do you think that renewable energy was bad?

Madam President, what a pity and what an obsession, what an obsession! What an opportunity the PP has missed to side with the interests of Spain! You have done it again, Mrs Montserrat: One day they want to prevent a Spaniard from being the number two of the European Commission, now they attack renewables that are an indisputable part of the future of Spain and, even if they steal copper on a railway line, you pull the thieves. Instead of taking advantage to address and vindicate the interconnections that our country and Europe clearly need, to talk about modernizing and digitizing European networks, to advance in storage and flexibility, you make this opposition that will never take you to the Government. What they do is attack the interests of Spain and Europe. In Spain, not a single nuclear power plant has been closed under the government of Pedro Sánchez. The energy mix of the day of the blackout had no more renewables than other days or many other European countries. They have created a false debate between nuclear power plants and renewable energy. Do you know why and for what? To get money out of consumers' pockets and into the pockets of a few, as they always do. Therefore, I say to them: how many more renewables in Spain, greater competitiveness, also in Europe. Europe’s future – not just Spain’s – will be green, and it will be.

Mr President, Commissioner, we must tackle rare diseases in a necessarily European way, in this problem more than in any other. They affect 7% of the population and there are 8,000 different diseases. Many families do not find solutions and many of these diseases appear at birth. We need a mandatory minimum European catalogue of rare disease screening at birth. This is an imperative need: a European neonatal screening portfolio. In addition, a European should have the possibility to treat these rare diseases, regardless of whether there is a solution in his country or not. We need this European solution. We have the resources. Today is an important day, it is a day to talk also about populism and anti-Europeanism, and that this does not reach the European response. Rare disease drugs should not be subject to tariffs. We have other solutions, such as betting on innovation in Europe in pharmaceutical legislation. Commissioner, it is time to show that you get off the ship of anti-Europeanism, the ship of anti-science, and get on a European ship of science and innovation. It's time.