Speeches

Mr President, digital platforms have many advantages, for both entrepreneurs and consumers. Especially during the coronavirus crisis, it is good that entrepreneurs can easily offer their products that they normally sell in their stores via platforms. That is good news, but we have allowed these platforms to set their own rules for far too long. And when its platforms start to do what they are good at, namely grow very quickly, so that we now have a handful of large players on the European market that serve almost all users. With their exponential growth, these platforms have also started hoarding large amounts of data, prioritizing their own products and making it almost impossible for users to switch to a competitor. It is good that we are going to change that with the rules we are voting on today, because that was about time.

Madam President, having heard my colleagues here this evening, I think I can safely say that although we do not agree on everything, we do agree on the need to reform the WTO. When the rules of the game do not fit the need of the players anymore, you do not start cheating or stop playing. No, you make new rules, and that is what we have to do as soon as possible. Commissioner, you’ve heard so many wishes this evening, from an agreement on health, to fishing subsidies, to a better-functioning settlement system, so allow me to just add one more to our wish-list, and that is new rules for fair competition. Last week, the EU, US and Japan renewed their commitment to work on industrial subsidies. However, I believe we need to cooperate with all WTO members on this, and this 12th Ministerial Conference could be a good starting point to address this. It is time to have the rules fit the need of the players again, and I urge ministers from across the world to work towards a consensus in order to build our trading system again so that it will ensure fair rules and becomes up to date with the pressing challenges we face today.

Mr President, last week we visited the US, where we met with our counterparts in the US Congress, with high officials in executive branches and with European as well as American businesses. It was great to see the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) being embraced in such a great way, in a bipartisan way. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that it was an American idea to begin with, which is great. A new transatlantic initiative that will allow us to work on the challenges we are faced with today. I look forward to strong cooperation on setting new digital standards on foreign direct investment (FDI) screening, on fighting unfair competition coming from non—market economies, to name a few. But let’s not forget that the same people who are shaking hands over the TTC now are also the ones in charge of negotiating the trade irritants and challenges that are still hanging over our heads, even if they may be suspended for two or five years. Of course, we know our interests will never fully coincide, but let’s use this momentum of the TTC and stop fighting each other with unnecessary or illegal tariffs and join forces on working together on global trade challenges. So now we have to get beyond words and actually come to concrete and tangible deliverables. This would be my most important question to the Commissioners here this morning: what do you see as a concrete deliverable in the very near future? I look forward to your answer.

Mr President, one year ago today we were in high anticipation of the approaching US elections and all hoping for a new wind to blow through Washington, DC, hoping to reconnect with our old partner and ally and hoping for new opportunities to work together. Some of these hopes have yet to come true. Now, one year later, this new opportunity presented itself – the new Trade and Tech Council. A timely and necessary forum for cooperation on tackling today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. In a world where illiberal forces are expanding, we simply need each other to do this. This is also an opportunity to solve our outstanding issues once and for all, such as steel and aluminium tariffs, to name an important one. EU companies do not pose a threat to the national security of the United States. Please stop with this ridiculous argument. I hope that the TTC will serve as a step in the right direction, because only by showing leadership and working together can we make the most positive change for our citizens and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mr President, this is actually quite simple. When you decide to join the European Union you sign up to its Treaties, to our values and principles. This is not a kind of pick-and-choose situation. It’s not an à la carte menu. When you become a member you sign up to all of it. So if you then adopt a law that goes against this, goes against everything we stand for, there will be consequences, and this Hungarian anti-LGBTIQ law does just that. Taking away young people’s access to information about all forms of sexuality and their opportunity to recognise themselves in mainstream media, you take away their freedom, their freedom to be who they are and love whom they want. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the gradual dismantling of fundamental rights by the Hungarian Government. So let’s make Mr Orbán listen the only way he knows how. If the law is not revoked, bring Hungary to court, repeal its voting rights, and stop EU funds ending up in his pockets. This Parliament is doing everything in its power to make this happen. We are doing our job. And now we are urging the Commission, but especially the Council, to finally do theirs. Discussions behind closed doors are all very well but where are the conclusions, where are the recommendations, the vote, to eventually get to the sanctions? Please do your job. So let me conclude by saying that this is not about pushing away one Member State or another. This is about protecting what is most precious: the freedom of our people. (Applause)