Speeches

Article 7 TEU aims to ensure that all EU countries respect the common values of the Union, as enshrined in Article 2 TEU, including the rule of law. The European Parliament has always been very active in addressing the challenges related to the rule of law in the EU, in particular by adopting resolutions that initiated the above-mentioned Article 7(1) TEU procedure for both countries. Since then, and in particular following the deterioration of the situation as regards respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law in both countries, Parliament has continued to call on the Council to act under the above-mentioned Article 7(1) TEU procedure; it is a crucial issue to ensure respect for the values of the European Union and, above all, respect for the rule of law.

Mr President, the construction of Europe's project is born of the power of memory, because there is no history without memory. Aragon has been the first Spanish region where the neo-fascists of Vox, together with the Popular Party, have repealed the Law of Democratic Memory, a Law based on the fundamental principles of truth, justice and reparation, a democratic right of Aragonese citizens that gave voice to the silence imposed for decades. A law that considered victims all those people killed, retaliated and disappeared during the tragic civil war and the Franco dictatorship, and that with this repeal ceases to be so. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no history without memory, no future based on silence. The Aragonese and the Aragonese deserve to know the true history in order to move towards a future in peace. They deserve justice, they deserve reparation and what they do not deserve is the indifference of the Aragonese Popular Party, which succumbs to the Francoist extreme right of Vox, denying the principles and values of democracy. May the truth not fall into oblivion and may Mr Tertsch cease to represent a single citizen, because the first thing he must do here is to respect.

Mr President, I take this final turn to greet the President of the Court of Auditors, Mr Murphy, and his companions, as well as Commissioner Hahn and the members of the Council because, as the debate has been brought forward, I did not have the opportunity to do so at first. In conclusion, I would like to thank the Court of Auditors for its annual report and for its excellent cooperation, as well as with the European Commission. And I would also like to thank the shadow rapporteurs for their great cooperation. On the other hand, I would like to highlight the work done by the control bodies of the European Union, especially OLAF and the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which is doing an incredible job in detecting fraud and corruption. And as the European prosecutor, Mrs Kövesi, said yesterday in our Committee on Budgetary Control, no country is free from corruption. The fact that fraud is not reported in a country does not mean that it does not exist. It may not be being detected correctly and that does greatly affect the financial interests of the European Union. So we need to put more resources in place to detect fraud and be blunt in their response. Protecting the financial interests of the European Union is an objective that must unite us all, so thank you very much to everyone for this debate and let us hope that the final text will not be spoiled by any of the amendments that have been tabled.

Mr President, Commissioner, we are debating the approval of the 2022 accounts of the European Union, a year in which we are facing successive crises that had a profound socio-economic impact on all Member States. A challenging year as we were still managing the COVID-19 pandemic – an unprecedented health, economic and social crisis – when Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine broke out, which has had a huge impact not only on Ukraine, to which we continue to provide our help and support, but also across the European Union: impacts on energy prices and supply, food security, fuel prices or the capital market, to name a few. This shows that the budget is the most effective tool to make our political priorities a reality, to improve the lives of citizens and to act in the face of crises of all kinds inside and outside our borders. That is why it must be protected by all means against any irregular use, whether errors due to the complexity of the rules or fraudulent behavior that diverts money from its legitimate objective. We must therefore value the work done by European and also national public administrations, but, at the same time, it is our duty to detect the systemic problems that may exist in order to seek a solution and not only regret that the error rate, which is an estimated number, is a higher or lower point than the previous year. With regard to the political priorities set out in the report, I have insisted that the principles of effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and sound budgetary management must be applied at all times. But I also understand that the budget should also serve as a vehicle for promoting and strengthening European principles and values, such as the rule of law or equality. Some of my recommendations to achieve these objectives are the need for further simplification and flexibility without undermining controls, the timely adoption of sectoral regulations, the implementation of measures to improve the absorption of funds and the evaluation of spending programmes to draw lessons for the future. And something that I never tire of repeating: progress in digitalisation is essential to improve the management of European funds and to fight fraud and corruption more effectively. We welcome the positive opinion issued by the Court of Auditors on the reliability of the 2022 accounts and on the legality and regularity of revenue, which means that they are free from material error and that management systems are generally effective. But we are concerned that the error rate calculated by the Court has risen to 4.2%, even if this is not a measure of potential fraud or waste of money. Of course, we ask that all necessary means be put in place to recover the money unduly paid in these cases of fraud, as it is currently overly dependent on the effectiveness of national systems. Within the sectoral policies of the Multiannual Financial Framework, the report focuses on assessing whether the European budget has been used effectively and, also here, provides recommendations for the future. The incorporation of European talent into R&D&I programmes should be facilitated, especially for young people and women, and the administrative burden should be reduced so that they can devote their time to research. In agricultural policy we must continue to simplify rules and make the most of digital tools to alleviate the bureaucratic burden placed on farmers, especially small farmers. On the international front, existing mechanisms must be strengthened to protect European funding in conflict zones and ensure that it serves its purpose. In the case of Palestine, the EU has carried out a thorough review and no evidence has been found that the money has been diverted to any terrorist organisation. To claim otherwise without evidence is disinformation and to call for UNRWA funding to be withdrawn is inhumane and has objectives that run counter to European values and principles. Humanitarian aid in Palestine is essential and the European Union must do everything possible to bring this massacre to an end once and for all. As regards territorial cohesion, this is one of the Union's backbone policies and was the lifeline of the Member States in the face of crises thanks to the flexibility measures introduced at that time. Measures that at the same time have been able to increase the error rate. But I think we need to value the necessity and usefulness of cohesion. Finally, I would like to highlight that the Recovery and Resilience Facility was given a boost in 2022. The Mechanism is an innovative instrument, created under a lot of pressure and may not be perfect, but as it progresses we have been able to improve its operation. Milestones and targets have been clarified, methodologies for partial payments have been developed and national control systems have been audited. I want to thank you... (the Chair took the floor from the speaker).

Madam President, Commissioner, I congratulate the co-rapporteurs on the great work done with the revision of the EU Financial Regulation. We in the Committee on Budgetary Control welcome improvements aimed at protecting the Union's financial interests, crisis management and reducing the administrative burden for beneficiaries. The changes we have adopted, which we have repeatedly called for in this Parliament, will strengthen the control and audit of the European budget and enable possible cases of fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest to be better detected. We stress that a single IT system with the data of all beneficiaries of European funds will be required and that, in addition, persons or entities who have committed serious financial crimes and also those who incite hatred or discrimination will be excluded from any public procurement procedure and from obtaining European funds. And something very important, an achievement of the Socialist Group: the European budget, in addition to respecting the fundamental values and rights of the Union, must apply minimum social standards. Sound budgetary management must go hand in hand with sound social policy.

Mr President, Commissioner Hahn, the European budget is our main tool to improve the lives of citizens, to promote our values and to tackle crises, as we saw with the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the energy and food security crises. And for this it has been shown that we need some flexibility and further simplification, accompanied, of course, by robust control systems to prevent any misuse of European funds. We call on the Commission to be vigilant and to put all means in place to protect the budget from any misuse. This includes providing sufficient resources to the EPPO and the European Anti-Fraud Office. We encourage the Commission to continue working on gender budgeting and to ensure compliance with the rule of law by all means. The future of Europe needs the next budget to rise to the challenges and for the sectoral regulations governing policies such as cohesion to be adopted swiftly, so that it gives time to absorb more and better and, above all, so that aspects as important as humanitarian aid are not questioned when it is needed more than ever.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive is essential to make freight transport more sustainable. This revision incentivises the deployment of zero-emission trucks. International traffic rules are harmonised at European level and rules controls are strengthened to prevent the circulation of overloaded trucks that put road safety at risk. With this vote we encourage transport companies to bet on zero-emission trucks, as we allow them an additional weight for electric batteries or hydrogen tanks. As clean technology becomes lighter and lighter, that extra weight will become a payload to be carried and, therefore, they will be able to carry more cargo and increase their competitiveness. In addition, in this way we managed to reduce the number of trucks on European roads. The message is clear: being sustainable compensates. As for mega-trucks, their circulation within a country remains voluntary, as it is now. But if a country decides to allow them, it will not be able to refuse megatrucks from other countries, as with the forty-four-ton trucks. This fosters fair competition, which is the basis of our European internal market. Other positive elements can be measures for intermodality, road safety measures and certified weighing systems to control more and better. I conclude by thanking the other speakers and their teams. Also mine, for the great work done and for the good cooperation. This was not an easy report, but we have managed to ensure that the result is balanced and meets the objective of the Directive: remain competitive in a sustainable way.

Madam President, Commissioner, I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, Josianne Cutajar, rapporteur for the Transport and Tourism opinion on this regulation, who was unable to be with us today. Tourism and hospitality have always been at the forefront of the digital transition. It is therefore logical that this sector should have state-of-the-art regulation establishing harmonised rules for the collection and exchange of data on short-term rentals. This is a way to ensure that public authorities have easy access to quality data that enables them to legislate effectively and in a proportionate manner. Josianne wanted to emphasize from the beginning the need to ensure a balanced tourism ecosystem between hoteliers, hosts, tourists and local communities. And balance means providing national and local regulatory authorities with the necessary data to ensure a more affordable housing stock in tourist areas, without unfairly punishing the short-term rental sector, which accounts for almost a quarter of tourist accommodation. For my partner it has been especially important to ensure that host registration is possible for free, or at a reasonable cost, and not just online for people with less digital skills, especially our seniors.

Madam President, Madam Vice-President Šuica, road safety is responsible for eliminating or reducing risk factors in order to prevent and minimise road accidents and their fatal consequences. In the European Union, we want to achieve the goal of zero road deaths by 2050, but the reality is that more than 20,000 people die on our roads every year. This revision of the Driving Licence Directive is key to advancing our objective and we must therefore put forward measures to help improve road safety. That's the goal. Lowering driving ages is not in favour of road safety. Obvious that throughout life our skills and capabilities are changing and can be affected by health problems does not favor road safety either. On the other hand, point-based card systems, regulated driver training, road safety education, regular medical check-ups or zero tolerance at the wheel do have a positive effect. Thanks to measures like this, Spain is one of the countries with the lowest road accident rates. Let us be responsible and courageous and not risk one more life.

Ms Sander, the legitimate protests of farmers in France have become worrying and illegitimate altercations against trucks transporting Spanish agricultural products; acts which, in addition to jeopardising the safety of carriers, run counter to the free movement of goods and fair competition which must prevail in the European single market. Do you think that the solution for agriculture in France is agricultural nationalism and that it involves throwing away the products of Spanish farmers? Where will the European Union go if these actions are allowed? Shouldn't France bear the consequences of its own agricultural policy?

Mr President, Commissioner, in order to achieve the objective of 'vision zero', i.e. zero casualties and serious injuries on European roads by 2050, decisive action is needed. Since 2010, the creation of a European road safety area has been one of the objectives of the European Union towards this "vision zero". And one of the main elements of this European road safety area is the one dealt with in the proposal we are debating today: reciprocal recognition of driving disqualifications. This proposal aims to put an end to the situation of impunity of those drivers who commit serious misconduct outside their countries and who are difficult to sanction properly. Therefore, it is of great importance not only for tourist countries, such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, but also for those countries in central Europe with greater traffic flows in transit. We are moving in the right direction by setting up a system of cooperation and exchange of information on infringement procedures. But we should not only cooperate when the most serious infringements occur: Penalties. Member States should also be encouraged to cooperate on administrative matters. It is not understood that a driver commits repeated infractions in another country and that, because they do not become criminal, they do not entail any type of sanction for the lack of collaboration between countries. And finally, it would be very positive if a point-based driving licence system were introduced at European level, such as the one we have in Spain, which has produced such good results, and in which all infringements were included, regardless of the country in which they are committed. Thank you, Petar, for your report. Without decisive action we will never reach 'vision zero' and this report will help.

Mr President, Commissioner Reynders, this is the first time that, instead of congratulating the rapporteur on the report, the shadow rapporteurs should be congratulated, because they are the ones who have managed to turn the report around and that this is not a mere attack and an attempt to demonise NGOs. NGOs play a crucial role in the lives of countless people. They perform an essential task for society. Many of them are working tirelessly to deliver humanitarian aid on the frontlines of humanitarian crises, assisting the most vulnerable, as is happening right now in Gaza. In fact, the European Union has tripled funding for humanitarian organisations working in the midst of conflict, because it knows that they are essential. Of course, as with all funding to organisations, all European funding must be subject to the principles of scrutiny, transparency and accountability, as is already the case. But, as a society, we must support and value the work that NGOs do, reaching where administrations often do not reach and giving a voice to those who often do not have a voice.

Madam President, the new measures proposed in this review aim to make drivers safer in tourist and occasional transport and to improve their working conditions. It is a very specific sector characterized by working days in which driving is combined with other types of work linked to tourism activities, so fewer hours are driven than in the regular one. The new rules give workers some flexibility to address unforeseen events and avoid situations such as the one in Germany, where a driver abandoned 42 people on a motorway for having completed their driving hours and, when he refused to continue, was fired. In addition, it is given the possibility that in a tour National drivers can accumulate weekly breaks at the end of the trip and return home with their families, something that already happens on international trips. Finally, controls are strengthened to protect workers and prevent possible abuses. Supporting these measures is to support the legal certainty that occasional transport drivers need and to improve their working conditions, their safety and that of passengers.

Mr President, Commissioner Hahn, Mr President Murphy and team, I appreciate the hard work done by the Court of Auditors and its presentation here in Parliament today. We cannot deny that the increase in the error rate estimated by the Court of Auditors is worrying, especially if we focus only on the number and compare it with that of previous years. But we must look at the whole picture, understanding the timing of the European Union, the challenges it faced and the decisions we co-legislators took. Beyond a number, the important thing is to locate where and why errors have occurred. Mistakes, not fraud. Analyze if what fails is a program, if the problem is in a specific country. We cannot question a policy by generalizing error. We see that in 2022 cohesion policy has increased its error rate, but it has been the policy that has provided the most tools to deal with crises. Of course we must strengthen controls and simplify rules to improve the error rate as has happened in innovation, but we must put it in value. As we must also highlight the recovery and resilience mechanism that is helping the recovery of the Union so much, although, due to its design, it is sometimes difficult to objectively verify the fulfilment of some milestone.

Madam President, we welcome all internal measures that serve to strengthen integrity, transparency and accountability in this European Parliament, as they are a great step towards consolidating the ethical culture of the European institutions. Standards should deter, hinder and punish unethical individual behaviour. But we say it again and again in the Committee on Budgetary Control: only effective controls will prevent the illegitimate use of public resources and the cost of corruption to the European budget. That is why we continue to call, in addition to effective protection for whistleblowers, for means to monitor strict compliance with the rules, including allowing OLAF to investigate Parliament in the event of well-founded suspicions. Socialists are ready to continue leading the necessary reforms and we call on the right to join us, to vote with us for greater transparency and accountability. We cannot miss any opportunity to restore citizens' trust in the European institutions.

Madam President, mobility must be a universal right and we must therefore ensure that all citizens can move freely across all territories and in the most sustainable and fair way. This plenary session, with the vote on the regulation on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure and the FuelEU Maritime initiative, will make this possible. With the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, we are driving more environmentally responsible road transport by setting mandatory targets for the distribution of hydrogen electric recharging points to ensure that all citizens, wherever they live, can access them easily. We hope this will help stimulate the use of more sustainable vehicles and make them more affordable. With the FuelEU Maritime initiative, we will reduce emissions in the maritime sector, boosting the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels. And we do so with territories such as the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and other coastal regions, whose connectivity and socio-economic development depend largely on maritime traffic, including measures to prevent carbon leakage to ports in third countries and thus protect European ports such as Algeciras or Valencia. We continue to work for a Green Deal with a red heart.

Madam President, the European Public Prosecutor's Office has been a before and after in prosecuting the crimes of fraud, corruption and money laundering that affect the European budget. The figures for 2022 are strong: 1 117 investigations and 359 million euros seized, seven times the budget of the EPPO itself. Its success is based on the fact that its competences do not stop at national borders, but act in a European area where all these crimes are effectively and independently investigated and prosecuted. But criminal organisations are looking for any opportunity to divert European funds or to introduce illegal goods that do not comply with consumer or environmental regulations and that affect the competitiveness of our European companies. It is therefore important that both the violation of restrictive measures imposed by the Union and environmental fraud should also fall within the competence of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. And finally, I call on the Council, because it cannot be that there are still five countries that do not participate in the European Public Prosecutor's Office: it must take steps to incorporate them so that taxpayers' money can be protected more effectively.

Madam President, we finally have the long-awaited proposal from the Commission to set up an independent ethics body and I regret to say that, for this trip, there was no need for saddlebags. Parliament called for an ethics watchdog and the Commission proposes a body that simply lays down minimum standards for each institution to apply as it pleases. The rules exist and can be harmonised between all the European institutions, but what matters is that strict compliance with them is ensured, and this is not possible without the capacity to carry out investigations and impose sanctions. Vice-President Jourová mentioned that we already had OLAF, which can carry out investigations, but it turns out that Parliament is not allowed access to our offices in case of substantiated suspicions, so we did not solve the problem. We need a body with resources and real powers to make recommendations, conduct investigations and impose sanctions. Mrs Jourová also mentioned that with this we achieve a common ethical culture. It may be, but I have my doubts that we will achieve a better ethical culture. Any proposal below all this is a mere symbolic gesture.

Madam President, Commissioner, sound financial management must ensure that resources are used effectively and the return on money is maximised for the benefit of citizens. In large transport infrastructure projects, sound financial management should result in improving the competitiveness of businesses, improving the mobility of citizens, strengthening the European supply chain and even improving sustainability. As this report makes clear, in order to achieve these objectives and therefore maximise the return on European money, the first thing to do is to finalise the Trans-European Transport Network on time and as soon as possible. And this means completing the cross-border sections, which are the ones that give that surname, that characteristic of "European" to the transport network and, therefore, should be considered a priority in the national transport policies of all the Member States, as they already are at European level. But this is not happening in all EU countries. Despite the Europeanism displayed by Mr Macron, that Europeanism is not reflected in French transport policy. And I am referring to the fact that, in a report by the French Government last February, cross-border projects with Spain on both the Atlantic and Mediterranean corridors were delayed to 2042. A delay of 12 years that goes against the European Regulation on the Trans-European Transport Network, which is mandatory. Delaying the completion of major infrastructure projects is, in addition to hindering the single market and mobility, questioning the European project. We must ensure that all EU countries are committed to major infrastructure projects. France has announced the publication of its infrastructure investment roadmap for before the summer. I would like to ask you, Commissioner, if you know whether your colleague, Commissioner Vălean, has initiated contacts with France to include European transport priorities in this proposal. This debate serves to vindicate the Europeanism so necessary also in transport policy.

Madam President, Madam Minister, after listening above all to the latest speeches, I would like to point out a couple of things. Mrs. Montserrat, from the appreciation and respect I have for you, mix churras with merinos. The only thing that fails in the management of Spain is the opposition that the Government of Spain has. Look, the 2021 discharge is the first in which we are examining the Recovery and Resilience Facility and it is vitally important that our report lays a solid, objective and truthful foundation for its analysis and that it does not provide incorrect or biased information for citizens. In 2021 only Spain received a payment, and you should be proud of your country for this, comrades of the Popular Party. And being the first is the one that has the most scrutiny. The European Commission has reiterated on countless occasions that Spain had fully fulfilled each and every milestone and target, as has been the case in subsequent payment claims. Mrs Montserrat, you were not lucky enough to come to Madrid with the Committee on Budgetary Control, but as can be seen from the conclusions of the mission and as we saw in person, the Spanish Government is doing a great job of managing the funds, and after a great deal of effort it has developed pioneering control systems to avoid both conflicts of interest and misuse of funds, which is what concerns and concerns our Committee on Budgetary Control. All information on the use of funds, calls, approved projects is accessible to the public in a transparent manner. Mrs. Benjumea, you only want one piece of information. I believe that with one piece of data you do not see the effect of the reforms. If you look for that data on the web pages you will surely find it, but you have to look for it. So please do not try to politicize this report and let us all offer truthful information, as is our institutional responsibility.

Madam President, Mr Hahn, Mr Murphy, as rapporteur for the adoption of the 2021 accounts of the European Parliament, I have to acknowledge that examining how we have used our budget and what we need to do to improve it is not an easy task. We are talking about EUR 2 billion, about 9 000 employees, 705 Members and a large building stock. Important public resources intended to enable Members to carry out our mandate and which must be managed as efficiently, ethically and transparently as possible. Parliament is the only directly elected European institution and represents the voice of citizens across the Union. That is why accountability, transparency and integrity are essential in all EU institutions, but in particular in the house of European democracy. I would like to thank the other rapporteurs for their work and support so that the report we adopted in the Committee on Budgetary Control reflected the need to go into all these aspects in greater depth and I hope that after tomorrow's vote they will continue to be retained in the final text. 2021 continued to be marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. For much of the year, Parliament had to continue to implement many of the extraordinary measures that had been adopted the previous year in order to continue the activity of the institution: teleworking, remote voting, hybrid meetings. And, therefore, the budget was also adopted with savings on some budget items that were transferred to others, such as debt reduction by the expansive building policy. We can welcome the fact that Parliament has been resilient in the face of an unpredictable situation of enormous magnitude and has been able to provide a rapid and flexible response, based largely on human effort and also on the digitalisation of the administration, in which, without a doubt, we must continue to invest, as well as in cybersecurity, in order to combat the increasingly present and dangerous foreign interference in the European institutions. Once again I wanted to be objective in my report, taking into account the difficult context of urgency, but also the responsibility of the administration when it comes to managing the budget and human resources. Therefore, within the management of the pandemic I highlight very positive aspects such as the successful vaccination campaign that allowed to protect the health of all. But I also mention decisions that do not justify certain expenses, such as the renovation of a garden adjacent to Parliament in Brussels, or decisions that have not helped to maintain good working conditions for the staff of the institution. I also value the measures to save energy and reduce the institution's environmental footprint and also the intense and diverse communication activity carried out by Parliament to inform citizens. But we continue to demand necessary changes in the working conditions of our assistants. All this and many other aspects are included in the report. But in addition to the pandemic, a second factor has had an impact on the 2021 discharge: the Qatargate scandal, which, although it did not happen in 2021, we could not fail to address in this report. This scandal has served as a shock for Parliament to review its rules on ethics and transparency, but it must be remembered that some of them have already been claimed in our committee. They had even been approved in plenary years ago, although without success in their implementation. As rapporteur, I have tried to agree with the other groups on a series of measures that Parliament should implement in order to avoid any similar situation in the future and, above all, to repair the damage caused to its credibility, to the trust that citizens must place in this institution. The proposals include strengthening transparency around the activity of lobbying, improve controls to avoid conflicts of interest, such as in public procurement as well, and revise the code of conduct to prevent and sanction unethical individual behaviour. It must not be forgotten that these are individual behaviours, but they harm everyone as a whole, and it is fair to recognise the responsiveness of Parliament, which in a few months has taken important steps towards transparency and accountability. And I welcome, of course, all those improvements. But we must not forget that rules are of little use if there is no proper system of implementation, control and sanction. Thanks to the discharge, this Parliament looks closely at what the Commission is doing, what other institutions and even the Member States are doing. But what we ask of others we do not always demand for ourselves. We are risking the trust of the citizens and, therefore, the future of the Union. Let's not miss this opportunity.

Madam President, Mrs O’Reilly, we congratulate you one more year on your work as European Ombudsman, working to make the European institutions closer, more accessible and more transparent for citizens. From the Committee on Budgetary Control we insist that transparency, good administration and accountability are fundamental principles to protect the European budget and to maintain credibility in the Union. It is necessary for Parliament to be exemplary in this regard and we must therefore take very seriously the recommendations that the Ombudsman addresses to us, such as the need to strengthen the ethical and transparency framework, to publish the meetings with lobbies, strengthen the internal ethics committee or submit more detailed declarations of interest and more effective controls. As rapporteur for Parliament’s discharge report for 2021, I receive those recommendations positively, and I have reflected this in my report, but we cannot forget that the Ombudsman has pointed out as maladministration the Bureau’s lack of transparency regarding the overhead review. And I add, in addition to more transparency, there should have been more ambition. We question and control the other institutions, the Member States, but when we talk about our budget, there, the attitude changes. Ladies and gentlemen, we must lead by example.

Mr President, Commissioner, the creation of an independent European ethics body was one of President von der Leyen’s commitments as early as 2019, and this Parliament reminded her and asked for it in September 2021. It's 2023. After having detected one of the largest cases of corruption within the European institutions and understanding that it is undoubtedly a complex issue, it is undeniable that the time to do so is now. The European institutions already have strict rules and we are working to strengthen them, but they are of little use if we do not ensure strict compliance by all members and staff of the institutions. We must not forget that corruption, fraud and other unethical behaviour not only seriously damage the credibility of the whole Union, but also have significant financial consequences for the European budget. This Parliament has demonstrated a great capacity to react to cases of corruption, but now we must demonstrate the political will to go further and create that European ethical body that ensures full implementation of the highest ethical standards in all European institutions and that ensures that decisions are taken in the common interest of citizens. We must create a body that has a preventive role through awareness-raising and guidance, that can issue recommendations on ethical issues, including conflicts of interest, that monitors compliance with existing rules, that has the capacity to investigate on its own initiative and independently, all in collaboration and complementing its action with that of the Anti-Fraud Office, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Court of Auditors, the Ombudsman and Europol, and, above all, that helps to restore citizens’ trust in the European Union. Only in this way will we strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the Union.

Madam President, Commissioner, as rapporteur of the Committee on Transport and Tourism for this report, I would like to stress that the two main milestones that condition this review further highlight the value of investing in mobility and infrastructure in the European Union. COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have had an incalculable impact on Europe’s transport and tourism systems, sectors that contribute greatly to the economy and job creation in Europe. The already insufficient budget of the Connecting Europe Facility 2021-2027 cannot cover the new transport needs. The new geopolitical context and the urgency of accelerating energy independence and the decarbonisation of transport require more European funds. The Council failed to understand the added value of investing in dual mobility. We have seen that adapting transport networks to a defence use benefits civilian use and that, in addition, it would facilitate the transport of humanitarian material and grain from Ukraine through solidarity corridors. I do not forget the tourism sector, which has also been badly affected in recent years and for which we are once again insisting on having a specific European budget.

Madam President, Commissioner, the aviation sector is facing numerous challenges affecting passengers, workers, companies and, of course, Europe's environment and connectivity. COVID-19 virtually paralysed the sector, minimizing air traffic, with restrictions on mobility, effects on connectivity and also on competitiveness. Thousands of people were dismissed from their jobs (airport staff, self-employed cabin staff, who are often bogus self-employed), running out of contract, without social coverage. When the situation for the sector started to improve, it turned out that it was not prepared to meet all the demand and the dismissed staff were not willing to return under the same conditions. The result? The chaos we experienced this summer: delays, cancellations, loss of luggage and many complaints and social discontent; passengers who began to wonder whether to take a plane again if the situation did not improve. Currently, we are facing an accelerated recovery of the sector that should not be at odds with being, above all, a responsible recovery. It is essential to regain the connection with all territories, especially the islands and the outermost regions. It must be done in an environmentally sustainable way, reducing emissions as much as possible, increasing the use of alternative fuels and betting on research. But, in addition, it must be done with social responsibility. We must seize this crucial moment for aviation to ensure optimal working conditions which will undoubtedly also benefit aviation safety; We must not forget that passengers' rights must also be guaranteed. Commissioner, as you can see, there are many challenges facing aviation. I liked hearing him talk about social dialogue, working conditions, passenger rights, even safety. But we have been waiting for the revision of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 for a long time and asking about it. When's that review?