Speeches

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.

Mr. President... (The speaker is in an unofficial language). Galicia is not understood without the sea. And so we want it to continue to be, in Galicia and in the European Union. Therefore, if we want a pact of the oceans worthy of such a name, with whom we must agree, in the first place, it is with the people of the sea, who win and play life in it. There are many opportunities offered by the oceans: energy, transport, bioeconomy. But the fundamental thing is to respect pre-existing activities. Our fisheries and aquaculture, the most sustainable in the world, have understood this perfectly. For example, with the Renewable Energy Directive, here in this Parliament, we have decided that these pre-existing activities are respected. Yes to respect and compatibility, but let us protect our seas, especially upstream, from activities that may be unsustainable, such as those that the Government of my region intends to carry out. That is the best guarantee for the future. Let's protect our oceans. Yes to the European ocean pact from the ground up and with professionals at the heart of that pact.

Madam President, Commissioner, in the Alcoa de A Mariña, in Galicia, the electrolytic vats that produce primary aluminium have stopped and have not yet been restarted, to the displeasure and concern of the hundreds of workers in that region who depend on that production. The European production capacity of this aluminium has fallen by 50% since 2021. Aluminum, steel and other products are needed to make cars, planes, turbines or other things simpler. Only that industry will be re-ignited with affordable and stable energy support. Therefore, with more renewables. For example, that factory in Lugo needs renewables. Those who systematically oppose renewable industries are also jeopardizing these jobs. In addition, with high prices and unreliable suppliers in the gas market, we need to decouple from short-term markets, make PPAs, contracts for difference and, at the same time, invest in carbon contracts for difference. Commissioner, this is one of the solutions we can put in place to give security to our industry.

Madam President, Commissioner, there can be no security in Europe without European steel or aluminium. Aluminium that, for example, was made or made in A Mariña (Lugo). The anti-Europeans who sit here today celebrate "Liberation Day", paying tribute to Trump, who imposes brutal tariffs on our industry, and at the same time want to persevere in our fossil dependence as good puppies of Putin that they are. None of those are the path of our industry. This plan is a good starting point, but I would like to make three proposals, Commissioner, and a reminder. Firstly, safeguard measures beyond 2026 and an effective CBAM. Secondly, support the demand for green steel with European incentives. Thirdly and very importantly, stable and affordable energy by decoupling electricity prices from gas prices. And a reminder: the just energy transition towards renewables and competitiveness are two sides of the same coin. Any turning back will be a blunder for these industries as well.

Mrs Wiśniewska, the first thing I would say to you is that the CO2 cannot reach citizens' bills because it is not yet implemented. Therefore, you, already in your question, make false assertions. But what we are paying for are the more expensive fossil fuels than the rest. Do you know why? Because we don't have them here. Therefore, and in addition – in my case – there are externalities arising from the use of fossil fuels. Do those externalities know what they are? That climate change is occurring and people are dying from the effects of climate change. We must be aware of this. It's not just acting out of personal or political interest. We must act for the good of humanity.

Mr President, Commissioner, let us not be fooled, energy in Europe has always been more expensive than in other places such as the United States. Why? Because it was based on fossil fuels. It's very clear. In addition, we have seen how Putin's friends or Trump's allies, those Trojan horses, defend consuming fossil fuels and betting on more and more gas. We must go in the opposite direction: sticking to the European Green Deal, relying on renewable energy sources that do not emit gases and also help us fight climate change. That's our guarantee of success, that's our energy security. And it is true that we still have risks. Therefore, reducing our fossil energy consumption is the way to go. But, in addition, we have always advocated from this group to decouple electricity prices from gas prices. I believe that we must advance in all the opportunities that the reform of the electricity market allows us. So, Mr Jørgensen, why not bring forward the short-term market review envisaged in this reform? It can and should be done while maintaining regulatory security.

Mr President, Commissioner, we must act intelligently. Every electron produced in Europe, every green molecule produced in Europe, is less of a benefit to Russia and Putin. Therefore, we need to strengthen the REPowerEU plan and support a clear roadmap to reduce Russia’s energy dependence. At the same time, Commissioner, I thank you for having set as one of your main priorities the elimination of Russia’s energy dependencies, oil, gas, by ship, also by pipeline and uranium – it should also be remembered. I also understand that the recent geopolitical earthquakes have somewhat delayed the plan; But we must be smart in this reduction of dependence. We have to cut the gas with Russia, but know that we are going to have to defend ourselves from those who want to manage that supply. It is not right to get out of a dependency and fall into dependence on others who also want to play with gas prices. In addition, we must put in place emergency measures, exhaust valves, because when gas prices rise, so do electricity prices. We will have to know how to defend ourselves in these situations, but let's cut off dependence on Russia and do it intelligently. And finally, not Nord Stream 2, let's be clear now.

Mrs. del Castillo, I share with you a good part of the diagnosis. He mentioned the supply of Russian gas to Spain. You know – you know it better than I do – that much of it is to supply Europe. We have a good part of the liquefied natural gas terminals and we supply the rest of Europe. But did you know that one of the main companies importing Russian gas is 50% owned by your party's Galician government? Did you know that? That the main importer in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula is a company owned by a government of your party?

Madam President, the Clean Industry Pact has the potential to be an engine of transformation that strengthens European industry. While elsewhere they promote instability, we have to walk firmly through the European Green Deal as the only possible growth strategy. Some are promoting here the return to fossil fuels, to gas, which was truly the problem that hampered our competitiveness in recent years by raising energy prices. So when these groups talk about promoting fossils again, it's really Putin and Trump who are rubbing their hands. We must therefore continue to focus on clean energy – preferably renewable energy – and on interconnections. In addition, funding is a prerequisite for achieving this. We welcome the EUR 100 billion, but we believe that this should continue in the new Multiannual Financial Framework. Look, we live in a hostile world, but we must ignore anti-European propaganda. Let us value our favorable position and what we have built. Our living conditions are also part of our competitiveness.

Madam President, Commissioner, we finally have this Essential Medicines Act, which is another step in that European Health Union that we want to build and that we built largely through the effects of COVID-19 and the steps we took in the past, for example with a list of essential medicines or with a platform for monitoring drug shortages. But now we clearly see that drug shortages are also one of the Achilles heels of safety in Europe. So much so that we talk about defence, let us remember that security is a broader concept and that it also has to do with the supply of drugs to act against the diseases of Europeans and Europeans. Let us not forget this, because the security of supply chains cannot be left solely to State aid or administrative simplification. European funds are needed to promote this strategic autonomy and I believe that ambition is lacking in the proposal. We hope to improve it in this Parliament, but, of course, these essential medicines must also be manufactured in Europe as far as possible.

Mr President, Commissioner, mental health is a serious public health problem among young people. Statistics don't lie. In the European Union, suicide – yes, suicide – is one of the leading causes of death among young people: one in five deaths. And the causes of suicide are multiple. But we cannot forget that nowadays hate, hate that is sometimes transmitted through the algorithms of social networks, is also a growing cause. The hatred that, for example, spreads the ultra-right, but notice: This is empty, that's what members of the far right care about the mental health of young people. Nothing. Racism, homophobia, hatred of the different also degrade the mental health of everyone who loves, thinks or acts differently from what the extreme right wants to impose on us. And we're not going to tolerate that. That is why I am telling the European Commission that there is an urgent need for a European strategy for suicide prevention, for mental health education in Europe, for young people to be able to recognise problems, for them to be able to recognise social media as a growing mental health problem. It is not a matter of setting limits, it is a matter of educating and preventing to treat a mental health pandemic.

Mr President, in Spain, almost two thirds of nurses have thought about quitting, and it is something that occurs almost throughout the European Union: painful working conditions, overload, poor salaries... And that is happening, for example, to all European nurses. That overload is sometimes unbearable, but let's not take our hands to our heads. The same ones who made the social cuts, the same ones who cut places for health professionals, are the ones who are now alerted by the lack of professionals, and that is what is happening. I believe that it is time to have a minimum directive for health workers in the European Union, although the problem, I say, is not only European, also from the regional authorities, as for example in my village where before there were three pediatricians now there is only one: These are the policies of the right. But we must also refer to the antiscience moment. Don't you think it ends many vocations to criticize vaccines, for example, to be anti-vaccines? Don't you think it eliminates the vocations of those people who have to administer those same vaccines? That's what the far right is doing: undermine the possibility of new vocations for healthcare professionals in Europe.

Madam President, Commissioner, we need to be involved in the merger debate in Europe. We must believe in the possibility of generating clean and abundant energy. And we're doing it: We collaborate with the ITER project, where Europe participates with 45% of the funding. But that project has delays and is having cost overruns. We therefore tell the Commission to come up with concrete plans for how we can improve that programme. We must continue to believe in this possibility and we must get closer to it as soon as possible. But the Commission must also make efforts to make these technologies, which also provide us with new technological advances, possible and to involve Europe in them. We are aware that it is an experimental technology, but at the same time we are investing money. Let us not forget, ladies and gentlemen, that Europe and all of us already benefit from nuclear fusion energy through solar fusion photovoltaic panels. Therefore, let us continue to believe in renewable energy as an element of the future.

Mr President, 2024 has been the warmest year on record in our history. We have exceeded the 1.5 degree limit and Europe is warming at twice the speed of the rest of the world. Today Trump has arrived at the White House and has decided to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. Europe is not going to fall into those mistakes. Europe knows that climate change is happening. If Trump does not care if California burns, we do not. We believe in mitigation, emission reduction and adaptation policies, for the good of those who live on Earth today and for the good of those who will live in the future, because it is a generational commitment. That is why I say that Europe must persevere in the fight against climate change: It's our only chance. We believe in green technologies as a growth strategy. We must persevere. And if Trump's fascist friends in Europe like to burn American or Russian fossil fuels, let them do it in their homes. We believe in green technology...

Mr President, Madam First Vice-President, welcome to the plenary session of the European Parliament. It's great news for Europe to sit in that chair. Why? Because the European Green Deal is the only sustainable growth strategy possible for Europe. Stopping it or pushing it back would be our biggest mistake in this century. And I know you're his best guarantor. According to Eurostat, the lowest electricity prices in Europe have been in Spain since 2022. When the inflationary crisis became more acute, boldness was chosen. Today my country closes 2024 as the fastest growing in the European Union. Therefore, improving our competitiveness involves developing our own energy, not burning fossils that drain our portfolios and kill the planet. Either we decarbonize or we decarbonize. Electrifying transport and also all the industry that can do so must already be one of the objectives of this Clean Industrial Pact. A final note: We must believe in science and respect it. There will be no competitiveness without respect for science. Neither denialism nor retardism will make us more competitive.

Mr President, yes, tobacco kills, it is the main cause of lung cancer, the main cause of heart attacks or preventable sudden deaths. Tobacco kills and the tobacco industry has been following the same strategies for decades; Now, with new products that seek to create nicotine addicts, disguising them as new technological products, catch young people to create that nicotine habit, so that they can then jump from one product to another, with deadly damage for many of them. Therefore, of course, these new products must be regulated. Of course, we must prevent these products from reaching young people. And those who say that these products can help to stop the habit, well, come on, let's put them on medical prescription in pharmacies and only sell for that prescription, if that is real. But no, that will not be accepted by the tobacco industry. We want smoke-free spaces to protect young people, to protect babies, pregnant women. That's what we need. And I see this recommendation very well, which should be extended to all the countries of the European Union. I tell you more: it has no effect on the hospitality industry or on those sectors; Instead, they benefit from it, because people never want to go back into smokey spaces once these measures are put in place.

Mr. Liese, you always talk about being a doctor. I am also a health worker: that gives us the right to speak with a certain property, but it does not give us the right to speak ex cathedra, as if we were high pontiffs of health. But I'm going to something more concrete. You say that these new products may be good for quitting smoking or even that you don't have to be so radical, but I appeal to an almost personal question: You, what do you prefer? That your children – or a baby – are in a smoke-free or smoke-free environment? What do you prefer? Whether this is true for babies or not? Do you appeal to the precautionary principle or do you prefer the tobacco industry to continue with the same strategies for decades and decades? Tell me.

Madam President, it is the third winter after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and we continue to have problems with gas, which also translate into higher electricity prices, but we have tools and we have a lot of legislation to implement. We have solutions: there are tools in the hands of the Member States – and also the Commission – to put in place. We have, for example, a mechanism to deal with shocks prices. In addition, it is an objective and measurable mechanism, which allows a price crisis to be declared and action to be taken to limit prices temporarily. Therefore, we have tools: Let's use them. In the medium term, we must also encourage the decoupling of fossil prices from those of renewables, i.e. take advantage of the low prices of renewables. There are also the rules of the electricity market. And, by the way, we have strengthened the protection of vulnerable consumers, prohibiting their disconnection during price crises. Therefore, it is time for implementation. We have tools. European citizens must be given confidence that this House, that the European institutions are thinking of them. That is why we have to implement the measures that are already in place. We wish the new Commission luck. We also wish Commissioner Simson good luck and thank her for her work over the years. And, as I said, we wish good luck to the new Commission, which has the energy in the hands of two very competent people, namely Dan Jørgensen and Vice-President Teresa Ribera.