Speeches

Mr President, over the past few months we have heard about deficits. Investment gap, innovation gap, skills gap, and others. These deficits do exist. But today I want to talk to you about excesses: Europe has overregulation, percentages and inconsequential debate. In recent years, the EPP, the PSD and I have warned of the regulatory overreach that strangles the ability of European companies to invest, create jobs and generate wealth. Finally, we have reports that make us right and a political environment that gives us — all — the opportunity to do something different. On the other hand, there are excessive percentages in political discourse. We are talking about 99.8% of SMEs in Europe, forgetting that this represents 26 million companies. We are talking about 52% of the added value of SMEs, but we forget that there are 90 million workers behind it. We don't have to decide for the percentages, we have to act for the people. Finally, we have too much inconsequential debate. A debate fuelled by a left that accuses the Commission of wanting to kill the Green Deal when it was the same Commission President who launched it and by an extreme right that in Europe only sees the only target to fuel its propaganda. Nós aqui estamos, como sempre estivemos, no espaço da moderação. In that space that approved the Green Deal and wants to free up resources for companies to comply with it. The space you want companies to invest and create jobs and not get lost in bureaucracies. The space that wants to simplify the life of those who generate wealth and facilitate the life of those who work. To conclude, Ms Bischoff and dear Pascal, the EPP is ready to work with everyone – with everyone. We are just not ready to destroy whatever is left of our European competitiveness.

Madam, thank you once again for the question and I shall answer it. It's not much different from the answer I gave our other colleague. There are import quotas in the agricultural sector and there is sanitary control, which must respect all the safeguards and all the European standards that we implement for our farmers. So I think it's time to reflect, to give ourselves time to understand the final text. I wouldn't have so many reservations, but I'd understand one thing: Without this agreement, we will be much more dependent on other geographies of the world that may also decide to close the doors to international trade. And then I would like to know what the Honourable Member would say to her companies to continue to grow and internationalise.

Madam, thank you for the question, even though you have come at the very last minute. As you know, or at least I hope you know, because there is a lot of misinformation coming from your bench, there are quotas for the import of agricultural products, there are health control mechanisms. And, after all, the amount of meat to import corresponds to about one beef steak and one chicken breast for each European. So I would not be so concerned, because we have already spoken to and heard from the Commissioner about the guarantees and safeguards that are provided for in the agreement for the agricultural sector. We have to realise that we are talking about geopolitics, and being completely closed at our borders will have consequences for the economic growth of the European Union.

Madam President, tariffs are the topic of the moment. Fiat, Volkswagen, Renault are among the top ten best-selling brands in Mercosur. They pay rates of 35% as much as our fashion industry, and our world-renowned wines 27%. Reducing or eliminating tariffs will not be good news. The rare earths that these countries have and that we need for the energy transition? You may have noticed that the Baltic electricity system was integrated into the European grid three days ago. Investing in our defence industry? Do we want to launch low-orbit satellites, do we want to use Eurofighter or Super Rafale fighters instead of the American F-35s? Do we want the SAMP/T Mamba defense system to be an alternative to Patriot? Yes, but Brazil processes 89% of the world's niobium and Argentina 11% of lithium. Can we really throw away an agreement with Mercosur? No, we can't.

Madam President, to choose interests over principles is not only to betray character, it is also to betray history. Our long-standing partners have decided to put a price on cooperation and multilateralism. The European project, no matter how much it costs some in this room, proves to be more necessary, more urgent, more pressing. What answers? With the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement, we must strengthen our commitment to the energy transition, we need to decarbonise to grow. Leaving the World Health Organisation, we must remember that together we have managed to beat a pandemic, invest in innovation to save lives, beat HIV and other diseases. Suspension of humanitarian aid opens the door to influence and to countries such as China. This is, therefore, a time of affirmation for Europe. With less United States in the world, we have more Europe in the global context. Donald Trump may speak to the world, but Europe will not fail history.

Mr President, I wanted to clarify to the Honourable Member, and I think I was very clear in my speech, that simplification is not deregulation; They're two different things. What we are asking for is simplification, and I believe there is broad agreement in this House on that. But what I would like to ask the honourable Member, since she is so at odds with the programme that has been presented by the Commission, and in particular with the Compass for Competitiveness, is how do you think Europe can leverage economic growth? Because without economic growth, we cannot have a strong welfare state. We have no way of paying for the European social model. So I'd like to ask you: What is your vision?

Mr President, a compass helps us find our way, but it is the concrete steps that get us where we want to be. The diagnosis is done and remade, and finally we have reached the moment of decisions. We can cut red tape by half for our citizens and businesses whenever they want to innovate, invest or even hire. The 25 % and 35 % minimums for large companies and SMEs must still be seen as minimum targets. There is an urgent need to free up resources to finance new ideas, to create more jobs and to pay better wages. It is within our reach to lead the energy transition with ambitious and realistic goals, demanding but flexible, with a decisive commitment to innovative solutions in the area of clean technologies. It is within our reach to mobilise more private investment, with a business environment more favourable to attracting investors and unfavourable to capital flight from Europe; and more public investment, with the European Competitiveness Fund focusing on the development of strategic technologies. There are national governments committed to these priorities. This is the case of the Portuguese Government, elected less than a year ago, which is not afraid to press ahead with the reforms that have always been announced but never implemented, to launch the investments that have been announced but put in the drawer. There is a new impetus in Europe, perhaps influenced by this good example. Let us not lack the enthusiasm or the will to do.

Thank you, honourable Member, for the question, one of our major concerns, and mine over the last five years, and I have said it repeatedly here in this Chamber, is that we really must ease the bureaucratic burden on small and medium-sized enterprises. And that has been the message that the European People's Party has sent to the Commission and that is embodied in the Commission's programme. I believe there is another angle here, Europe has a demographic crisis, and for that we need economic growth to respond to all the challenges that lie ahead, and they are complex. This is only done with a structured vision and action. That is why we want the Commission, in the coming months, to be diligent in this need to respond to small and medium-sized enterprises.

2024 was a year of reports and elections. 2025 has been a year of announcements, but it also has to be a year of decisions. The Commission's work programme is an accelerated step in a marathon that we must win. Good ideas have to get off the ground. If the word of fashion is competitiveness, then let's be competitive. Let's cut red tape that suffocates businesses, but seriously, with determination. We will seriously invest in technological innovation to move from decarbonisation as a sacrifice to decarbonisation as an opportunity. And we will seriously invest in the Union for savings and investment, to attract innovative projects and to fight capital flight from Europe. It is no small thing, but it is the minimum necessary for us to be able to bring another word to the debate: leadership. In an unstable, uncertain and unpredictable world, Europe needs to lead in trade agreements to increase its business internationalisation opportunities. In a world of conflict, Europe needs to lead in smart defence investment. In a world of disinformation and denialism, Europe needs to lead by example, and everything is done with better and less legislation, with regulation that does not strangle the future. That future does not wait for us, we are still in time to lead it. Let's get to work.

Thank you very much for the question, and I will return it to you with another question. The Honourable Member has the courage to go to a Portuguese company, or a French or Spanish company, to Portuguese companies, to a small medium-sized enterprise, and say: forget, you cannot invest in your internationalisation, you cannot export, you have to confine yourself to a more restricted space. What the European Union is doing is precisely using trade agreements to leverage our geopolitical position in the world. And so I believe that we, faced with these challenges, have two options: Either we stick our heads in the sand or we do what should push us to promote strategic autonomy. And in that respect ‘...’.

Madam President, Donald Trump is instrumentalising customs policy to impose his will. It's turning economic diplomacy into transactional diplomacy. All indications are that it will try to force us to buy natural gas and increase spending on US military equipment. But Europe is the largest trading bloc in the world. We have to be firm. We cannot allow Trump to use customs policy to constrain us in the clean energy transition, nor to undermine the development of the European defence industry. Europe has already been pushed into many crises by not anticipating the challenges. We must replace imports with European production. We must diversify the destinations of our exports, work on relations with India and Japan, ratify the Mercosur trade agreement. This is about our strategic autonomy. If Washington thinks it can test our limits, we here can't hesitate.

Mr President, interest rates are falling, but more than announcements and news, families need to feel real relief in the cost of living. Two years ago, with inflation rates above 10%, we could only be apprehensive. Today, that time seems distant, but we must avoid triumphalism. Inflation has stabilised, yes, but is still above the medium-term objective; and in a Europe that we want to grow together, we cannot have inflation rates of 1% in one country and 5% in another. We have to grow together and for that we also have to act together. What also seems distant, but which we remember well, was the alignment of the extreme left and the extreme right against monetary policy decisions of the European Central Bank. And we also remember well the yielding of socialists to this media pressure. As always, the elections were ahead of the sense of responsibility. We, on the other hand, are where we have always been, with respect for the independence of the Central Bank. With opinions, it is true, but without giving in to the temptation to lie to people about the powers of one or the other European institutions. My opinion is not from now: monetary policy needs to normalise, but the effects of the declines need to reach households’ pockets more quickly. And, on the other hand, we cannot expect everything from the European Central Bank and not do our part, assuming reforms that insist on not leaving the reports. People no longer need ads, they need the consequences of those ads. Independence is expected from the ECB and action is expected from this Parliament.

Madam President, rather than exporting legislation, Europe must export innovation. But let's be clear: we were not pioneers in the technology that supports crypto-assets and we should have been, but to create regulation, obligations and bureaucracies, we did not waste time there. It is clear that crypto-assets need a legal framework. They are a financial asset, so there are minimums of transparency and, very importantly, investor protection. But it is also clear that these laws must ensure certainty and predictability for those who want to innovate and invest. If here in Europe we are not guaranteeing either, how are we going to defend global regulation? First, we need to make sure that the crypto-asset market regulation is well implemented. Second, we need to support innovation in blockchain with the awareness that it is a technology that is not limited to cryptocurrencies, but that can and should be applied in other areas. Third, we have to realize that cryptocurrencies are today financial assets like any other. Attempting global regulation has an impact on free competition, market dynamics and people's financial freedom. We cannot live in a financial Western, when we talk about cryptocurrencies, but neither can we imprison new projects, new ideas and new investments that create jobs and opportunities. This is no longer the time to be suspicious of all that is new, it is the time to trust those who innovate, who invest, who make a future in the present.

Madam President, 'not to believe the truth is to lie with thought; To deny the truth is to lie with the work. To lie is to lie with the word. These words of Father António Vieira should make us reflect. Social networks and their dynamics can be virtual, but their consequences are very real. O Digital Services Act (DSA) brings security, transparency and credibility to the digital sector, and we cannot delay its action. The DSA respects individual freedoms and freedom of opinion. It holds digital platforms accountable for sharing fake, malicious and emotion-manipulating content at the service of the enemies of democracy, which is, as they say, the enemies of the people. Social media cannot take responsibility for the shared content that, in so many cases, threatens European democracies while profiting colossally, but immorally, from lying. If "to challenge the truth is to lie with the work," then we have a responsibility: do not fail the Europeans, challenge the lie and do work with the truth.

Honourable Member, I believe in moderation in order to respond to the people's problem. I do not believe in division, particularly in environmental matters. And I would like to remind you that, over the last five years, the Group of the European People's Party has approved the vast majority of the legislation in the package. Fit for 55This does not mean that we have an approach that is also conducive to business aspirations and concerns. At no time did you hear from us about the ambitious targets the European Union has for decarbonising the economy. This is a commitment from the Conservative Party. That is a commitment to all the citizens that we signed in 2019 and that we have not questioned at any time since the beginning of this parliamentary term.

Mr President, to answer your question, I shall refer here to a Christian-Democratic reference. The Pope, not so long ago, said that we need everyone, everyone, everyone. This is no different in environmental matters. And when I say everyone, everyone, everyone, we need the market, yes, we need the companies, we need the people, we need the communities. My first answer to you is, once again, everyone, everyone, everyone. This is a joint and, as I said in my speech, global struggle. In response to your second question – which criticises the capitalist system once again – I remind you that the capitalist system has lifted millions out of poverty, and the only way for us to fight climate change is to find a balance between economic growth and climate change mitigation. And so, yes, the capitalist system is part of this process.

Mr President, a hotter planet today is a planet with more disasters tomorrow. In 2024, the average temperature of the planet exceeded 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial times. The limit set in the Paris Agreement has failed. Forest fires, floods, rising sea levels are examples that threaten human lives, entire populations and the very existence of several countries. In Portugal, there are more than 14,000 buildings at risk of galling, flooding or coastal erosion and about 42,000 in areas at risk of high fire. Climate change is not an ideology, it is an undisputed reality. Europe is leading this global struggle. We are decarbonizing our economy. We need clean energy in our commitment to the environment and cheap energy in our commitment to businesses. Even as others withdraw from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, influenced by Donald Trump's new administration, Europe must assert itself in the largest international coalition of financial institutions committed to the transition of the global economy. The focus on clean technologies is the most effective way to tackle emissions, ensure that the planet does not continue to warm, and at the same time take a strategic leap forward in European competitiveness. Saving the planet doesn't just require doing what's necessary, it requires doing what's right.

Mr President, Europe is facing a competitiveness deficit. It is a fact that we all recognise. Discussing the causes is useful to avoid mistakes, but the most urgent thing is to make concrete decisions that relaunch our economy. We therefore need to balance two key objectives: one, regaining our competitiveness, and two, leading the fight against climate change. And, beware, these goals are not contradictory. They're not. Decarbonization is an opportunity to grow. We must be ambitious and focus on clean technologies. And let's be clear: the economy of the future is digital and will require more and more energy. Therefore, the union of energy is no longer a necessity, it is an urgency. Greater integration, interconnection and security are unavoidable. But suffocating businesses with red tape must also stop. This does not mean deregulating. Rather, we need regulation, better regulation, with simple and effective rules. And we need a new agenda for the three Rs: reduce legal and administrative burdens; recycle reporting obligations; and re-use strategies that ensure leadership in the climate transition. After so many reports, and there were many, the theory is studied. It's time to take action.

Colleagues, in 2024 there are 733 million malnourished people in the world. In 2024, there are 2 billion people in the world without access to safe drinking water. In 2024, 3.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to basic sanitation. The future is our common cause. The conclusions of the G20 meeting and this weekend's agreement at COP29 clearly show that the daily news about the end of multilateralism has been grossly exaggerated. The priority of sustainable development, the much-needed energy transition and climate action are also evidence that, even in difficult geopolitical circumstances, the collective effort of nations with the future of the planet echoes the concerns of world leaders. The creation of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, a Task Force For the Global Climate Change Mobilisation they prove that we have to reconcile environmental protection and the fight against poverty. These initiatives are an example of the ability of nations to unite around common causes. And the future is our common cause. It is up to us, as political leaders, to do much more than make decisions. We have to promote dialogue, trust and listen to science, listen to communities, listen to people, engage people. As political leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure that no one is left behind. As political leaders, we must work together to solve people's problems. Together, with cooperation and ambition, we can turn aspirations into reality and ensure that we do not fail future generations. Because the future is our common cause.