Speeches

Mr President, no one here is fooled. Each in its own way, the United States and China seek to block our digital justice model and endanger the mental health of our children. The GAFAM have sealed a diabolical pact with Trump's new US administration to impose a digital Wild West on us. We see them at work in their war against our digital legislation, such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), or against the Online Political Advertising Act. The latter is precisely the European response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal to protect our democracies from massive manipulation. Meta can no longer use online political advertising to plunder our personal data and renounces this activity by invoking inadmissible excuses. Apple is circulating texts against the DMA, aimed at maintaining its dominant positions at the expense of European consumers. We must say no to Washington, no to Beijing, no to Silicon Valley, and yes to the European model.

Mr President, Commissioner, Europe and India share vital interests and face similar challenges. We both push to rethink and relaunch multilateralism, starting with the reform of the UN. We have both a strong interest in contributing to global stability. We should also push India to rethink its relationship with Russia and to be very careful with its recent openings toward China. We are both convinced that strategic autonomy is a key element of our sovereignty, and we both need to renew and differentiate our trade relationship. This is why we must intensify our effort to reach a trade agreement before the end of the year, and we must strengthen our cooperation in the Indian Ocean, also fully exploiting the potential of our European outermost regions like Réunion. Last, but certainly not least, we must deepen our dialogue on artificial intelligence and digital issues. I am convinced that after the success of the AI summit in Paris, the new AI summit in Delhi can be a turning point for our bilateral relationship and for our common global digital action.

Madam President, I would like to highlight two challenges in particular. The first is courage in the face of the hypocrisy of some states that talk about innovation, but practice closure and erect new barriers. The Commission must show that courage. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of infringement cases dropped by 60%. I therefore call on the Commission not to fear confrontation. The other challenge is coherence, because it is not enough to quote the Draghi report if its recommendations are not implemented: 800 billion investments per year to strengthen competitiveness and build a true single market for services and investment. This consistency also applies to governments. They must stop blocking any further harmonisation and unnecessarily burdening our common rules when transposing them into national law, and then criticise Europe by saying that it is Brussels' fault, when the fault clearly lies with the capitals. To stand still is to choose decline. Completing the single market means giving Europe power and prosperity.

Mr President, five EU citizens visited their own properties and, just for that, they were detained without credible evidence, denied medical care and even their lawyer was arrested. Three of them now have been released, but two are still held in unacceptable conditions, and we demand their immediate and unconditional release. And where is this happening? In the territory of our Union, in northern Cyprus. Türkiye still owns 37 % of Cyprus under military occupation and has sole responsibility for the situation in the occupied areas. As Renew Europe, we strongly condemn these arbitrary detentions and the appalling conditions imposed on our citizens. Fifty-one years after the Turkish invasion, intimidation and injustice continue and, the more democracy declines in Türkiye – where elected mayors are jailed – the worse the situation becomes in Cyprus too. This is a blatant violation of international law and EU principles. We have a duty to protect our citizens and uphold our values. We must therefore be absolutely clear: we will never accept intimidation and injustice or European soil.

Madam President, we are facing unprecedented attacks on our democracies. Yes, the announcements by the President of the Commission this morning on media resilience and pluralism funds are a step in the right direction. We must make full use of the means at our disposal and introduce new ones. European democracy is not for sale to Putin and his useful idiots in Europe. It will never be a bargaining chip in a trade deal with Donald Trump. We already have tools to protect our electoral processes and fight disinformation: the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising. Let us apply them fully, Commissioner, without making any concessions, and let us also fill in the gaps that exist. The attacks of foreign powers on our democratic freedom are becoming more and more serious. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, let us move towards a solid agreement on the directive on the transparency of interest representation on behalf of third countries such as China. We don't have the luxury of time. We need to act now.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, defence, decarbonisation, combating social inequalities, protecting our eastern border, these are four of our main priorities for a defence union, which we must build, and a green and just transition, which we must succeed in. To that end, we must also rethink our policies and adapt our resources. The revision of the European Social Fund makes it possible to direct funding towards these strategic priorities and we support it. But this must be done in full respect of our values. Allowing Viktor Orbán to reuse frozen EU funds for non-compliance with the rule of law is a red line. We cannot finance social cohesion while tolerant of the authoritarian drift of a Member State. Respect for the rule of law must remain a non-negotiable condition, and the Commission must be very rigorous and fully transparent on this. We will use all means at our disposal to ensure full respect for the rule of law, because our Union is not a mere distributor of funds. Above all, it is a union of values and fundamental rights.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear Stéphane, the world is undergoing a profound transformation and Europe must show that it knows how to adapt. This requires, among other things, an evolution of the single market. We need to use our instruments such as public procurement in a much more strategic, coherent and simple way. Strategic, because the single market must promote and favour European businesses, at least in certain key areas. This is the idea of European preference. Consistent, i.e. adapting our rules to the twin digital and green transitions and supporting sustainable production. Simpler, to make it easier for our small and medium-sized enterprises to access the opportunities – cross-border as well, of course – of the single market. We are now awaiting proposals from the Commission in this direction, in the spirit of Mario Draghi's report, and I am sure we will receive them. We need to make our market more consistent with our priorities: competitiveness, resilience, decarbonisation. This adaptation must become an opportunity to make public procurement one of the pillars of our strategic autonomy strategy.

Mr President, every day we see a Union that is not efficient enough, not powerful enough and not democratic enough. This is all the more true in the face of the challenges of continental unification and the new world disorder. How can we convince our citizens and ourselves that all of a sudden Europe can survive these new challenges without solving the old ones? We need a more efficient Union, with less veto and more majority voting, a more powerful Union, with more resources for a true Europe of defence and investment. A more democratic Union with a new electoral law. If reforms are needed at 27, they become even more necessary in a Union of 30, 32 or more countries. There has never been an enlargement in the history of the European Union that has not been preceded by institutional and treaty reforms. So I say to the Commission: more courage, more courage. Be explicit, you know that treaty reform is necessary. Assume your responsibilities and together let us reform the Union to unify Europe.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, Tempi was not a simple accident. It was foreseeable. The warnings were there, the resources too. But the state failed to act. And 57 people lost their lives. Today, a second injustice adds to the first. The Greek Government is trying to reduce this to a single mistake to avoid political responsibility. This is not justice. The families haven't forgotten. The fight for truth and justice is our fight, because Tempe is more than a national tragedy. It exposes deeper failures. A rule of law crisis, political pressure, violation of EU law. The European Commission has already opened a case against Greece for failing to guarantee basic railway safety. The Commissioner has just recorded. So it is a European problem, it's not only a national problem. And even before the tragedy, the system was known to be failing because no one acted. And that goes beyond transport. Tempi is a symptom of something bigger, a situation where the rule of law is eroded from within. Ms Vozemberg, you ask why we didn't discuss the train accident in Italy, for example? Because in that case, justice was done. And in this case, according to our information, the Greek judges association has openly and officially criticised the way the inquiry is conducted. Did or did not, Ms Vozemberg, the government cement the crime scene without any any approval by the prosecutor? Did it happen or it didn't happen? This is the reality. This is why the European Commission must act. Dear Commissioner, you said safety is not negotiable. Truth is not negotiable either. Justice cannot wait. Silence is no longer an option.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear Michael, in Europe we have built a demanding and ambitious model of digital regulation and, as you recalled, Commissioner, this model will be strengthened with the entry into force of the regulation on political advertising. However, to move forward on the path of change, transparency and respect for our freedoms, our rules must be implemented strictly, concretely and swiftly. This applies to the Member States and the European Commission. The Irish decision against TikTok is an important step. TikTok cannot arrogate to itself the right to violate our rules and allow itself to put our data at the service of the Chinese Communist Party. This decision is a first step, but it cannot remain isolated. We are now waiting for the same determination from the Commission. It has been more than 500 days – 500 days! – that the investigation into X has been initiated; 500 days without any decision from the European Commission. This is unacceptable! We pass the laws, the Commission must implement them and our fellow citizens deserve better, more coherence, more courage; They expect more effective and faster action.

Mr President, as we close our second reading of the BRIDGEforEU Regulation (a bridge for Europe), we are crossing the finish line of seven years of negotiations on an instrument to remove the obsolete bureaucratic walls that hinder the lives of 150 million citizens, those living in a border region within the European Union. Allow me, Mr President, to take this opportunity to thank you personally for your unwavering support as former Chair of the Committee on Regional Development, as well as to thank the shadow rapporteurs and all the political groups for their trust, constructive approach and active engagement. This regulation can make a real difference by strengthening regional cross-border cooperation and unlocking the potential of European projects and their impact on our territories. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Europe of concrete solutions for all, the ones we stand for here, together, in this Parliament.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, let us respect the agreement reached on the ethics body. Pacta sunt servanda. I am addressing the EPP Group, the ECR Group and the Patriots for Europe Group: it is time to put an end to your obstruction tactics. Finally, let’s make progress on transparency and on Parliament’s role in the ethics body! This body does not impose any excessive limits on our freedom of mandate as elected representatives. All decisions on the establishment of common standards will be taken by consensus. Nothing will be imposed on us without our consent. Our responsibility is clear: enhancing transparency to restore trust. Suspicions of corruption in our Parliament must be dealt with rigorously. On the other hand, I agree with the EPP representative that there is an essential point to never forget, that we are neither prosecutors nor judges, nor is the press. So let's not mix everything up. Judicial investigations are ongoing. In a democracy, the rule of law starts with the presumption of innocence. Ladies and gentlemen, the presumption of innocence is not protected by opposing more transparency. To speak today on the inter-institutional ethics body is to strengthen ourselves tomorrow. It means strengthening our integrity and credibility, but also giving us the means to defend the dignity of every member of this institution.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, let us do what we have said and what we have written. Let's be consistent. We are committed to implementing Mario Draghi's strategy, based on three pillars: simplification, investment and governance, including through the revision of the Treaties. We voted in favour of the von der Leyen Commission, reaffirming these three priorities in a document signed by Renew, the Socialists and the European People's Party. We must defend them together. There is no room for detours, double play, variable geometry majorities or convergences with the three far-right groups. This opportunism - your opportunism, dear EPP colleagues - sells off our values and poisons our Union. Ladies and gentlemen of the EPP Group, if you persist in this strategy, you risk ending up with no majorities for Europe. To follow the extremes, right or left, is to take the risk of blocking our Union, whereas, in the current world disorder, in the face of imperial logics that call into question the very existence of our Union, we must be more united to be stronger. I therefore call on all responsible forces to remain committed to this dynamic, which is the only possible way for a genuine European renewal.

Madam Speaker, there was a time, not so far away, when major platforms were scrambling to let us know how relevant and innovative our strategy was. Honored, but not naive, we had some doubts about the progressive impulses of American platforms. Today, our doubts are confirmed: X flouts our rules, Meta abandons fact-checking and Google pretends to ignore our transparency requirements for political advertising. So, where are we now? Right in the middle of the digital Far West. What to do? The European Commission must act. Not tomorrow, now. Madam Vice-President, I listened to you: you must ensure the strict application of the DSA without delay or compromise. Everything is clear: apply the rules, apply the sanctions. And then there's Elon Musk: An industrial genius is undeniable, but it is much more than that today, because it concentrates a power – financial, political, digital – that is out of the ordinary. By leading X and becoming a member of the Trump administration, he is crossing boundaries. Not hers, ours. Here in Europe, our rules and values are not self-service for personal or ideological ambitions. It is sometimes said that freedom of expression is under threat, but this is not true. What is true is that the law applies to everyone. Dura lex, sed lex. The situation is serious: illegal content, algorithmic manipulations, systemic risks – everything is clear. This is therefore not the time to bend the spine or play for yourself. The time has come to stand firm, to have courage, as Europeans.

Madam President, manipulation, opacity, undeclared funding, external interference, cancellation of the election: The last presidential election in Romania is a summary of everything we are fighting against. Of course, all this has become much easier thanks to digital platforms that believe they are exempt from any rule. TikTok played a central role in this massive campaign of manipulation. However, measures had already been taken and new rules adopted to protect our citizens and our democracies. On the basis of the DSA, the Commission should impose very heavy sanctions against TikTok. But Georgescu's campaign also circumvented these rules by using disguised sponsors and undeclared influencers. It has targeted millions of citizens without their consent, with the aim of manipulating and diverting public opinion. However, if the new regulation on political advertising, which we wanted and adopted, had already been in force, many of these things would not have been possible. Those elections were not annulled by the Romanian Constitutional Court, whose decision should, moreover, have been much better reasoned. That is why we need to act constantly to protect the rule of law and ensure transparency. That is why the transparency of candidates, influencers, funding and sponsors is the best guarantee of everyone’s freedom of expression and the right of all of us not to be manipulated, targeted or misinformed.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Caro Enrico, the EU’s biggest success story, the Single Market, needs to be renewed and completed. ‘Rico’ Letta asserts this forcefully, and he is right. Renewed, as it is impossible to achieve the green and digital transition without making the single market more sustainable and simplified for producers and consumers. Completed, because we need to remove all the barriers that prevent SMEs from taking full advantage of it and that prevent us from having an Energy Union, telecoms, capital and investment. The cost of "non-Europe" is too great not to act. Deepening the European market could generate up to €1.1 trillion in additional economic output per year. It is also urgent – as the report makes clear – to provide the social and economic resources needed to support the Green Deal and the digital transition. Finally, we need to develop an external dimension of the single market in relation to our trade policy. In this context, we must also reform public procurement, which must also help us to reduce our dependence on third countries. This must be our great mission for innovation and competitiveness.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to draw your attention to Platform X, formerly Twitter. First, due to drastic reductions in its teams, X is no longer able to comply with the Digital Services Act and effectively moderate crises such as the events on Capitol Hill or the recent riots in the UK. Instead of containing them, X instead acted as an accelerator. Second, research shows that X's algorithm pushes content politically close to the opinions of its owner who no longer hesitates to show his sympathies. Users are exposed to polarizing content that is often oriented and violent. This is a clear editorial choice. From then on, X is no longer just a neutral platform, but a real editorial product. This implies new responsibilities, including legal ones, and Musk cannot claim total irresponsibility. These issues are crucial for democratic debate and freedom of information.

Madam President, my message to the Commission, Commissioner, is very clear: Stop pretending, show courage and be bold. You know better than anyone that we cannot unify the continent without reforming the EU. It is impossible to keep the veto right in a union of 35, it does not already work at 27 – it only works for Viktor Orbán. A more powerful and democratic Europe is indispensable to exist on the world stage. The main common policies, agriculture and cohesion, need to be strengthened before they are enlarged. And Commissioner, tell President and candidate Ursula von der Leyen that she is stopping her hypocrisy, because if she continues with her hypocrisy, she will never have our support in the new term of office – if she has the ambition to unify the continent and increase our power, her revision of the Treaties is impossible. Mrs von der Leyen must stop saying: “If and where it is necessary, we are going to revise the Treaty.” We know that this is necessary. What are you talking about? We know that it is absolutely necessary to reform the Treaty.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, finally, real freedom of choice; finally, the right to repair, which is a pillar of our sustainable single market strategy, because it is impossible to achieve a true circular economy without recognising the right to repair. We have already made progress on planned obsolescence, but we are taking another step forward on our freedom to all of us, because we are all consumers and we all know that we are forced to throw away and buy back products that could be repaired, whether it is a washing machine or a mobile phone. Choosing repair also means being better informed, benefiting from better guarantees, reducing waste and encouraging sustainable production. It also means creating more competitive and revitalised local spare parts markets – I would say mostly European markets. Once again, we said it and we did it. We are acting and we will continue to act for a Europe of concrete and green solutions.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, there are times when an entire generation is called upon to demonstrate that it is up to the challenges of history. We are living in one of these moments: a period of intense acceleration of history that requires a profound transformation of the Union. At 27, the EU is not able to assume all its responsibilities, especially in relation to war and the new world disorder. A Union of 36, without reform, will be completely paralyzed. We need to reorganise our continent, and this is a transformation that needs to be tackled without totem or taboo, if we are to be credible and therefore influential and powerful. We need to fundamentally reform the EU by revising the Treaties, reforming common policies, including agriculture and cohesion, and reforming the budget. Our choice is clear: export our stability or import the instability that is on our doorstep. But for this to be accepted and shared by our citizens, new resources are needed. There is no other choice, no other way. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, let’s reform the EU to unify the continent!

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, thank you again for your excellent work, thank you to the Vice-Chair of the Committee, thank you to the Spanish Presidency. The message of our work is very simple: Who is afraid of transparency? We are not afraid of transparency. We believe it is the basis of our democracies. We are introducing more transparency into the election campaign because we want to strengthen our democracy. Dear Věra, you are absolutely right, it was for me also the most difficult job of my experience in the European Parliament for the legal reasons that have been mentioned. I want to reassure colleague Niebler: for volunteers, at local level, there will be no problem because volunteers, by definition, do not have a political advertising service contract. So I am counting on the EPP shadow rapporteur Pablos Echeverría to convince Mr Niebler of the merits of our solution. I would also like to reply to colleagues Bielan and Mazurek: there is no censorship. Freedom of expression is absolutely respected. We protect our personal data, but, as the Vice-President of the Commission said, freedom of expression is not a right to virality by manipulating personal data. So each of us remains free to express our ideas politically. When we run a political advertising campaign and with a service contract, we cannot manipulate personal data, which is at the root of scandals such as Cambridge Analytics. ‘Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach.’ The right to freedom of expression is not the right to virality without rules, in a digital Far-West that we have decided to end. And Paul Tang is right: This year, half of the world's population goes to the polls. I think our response is positive. I am convinced that our response can inspire the rest of the world as well. So, ladies and gentlemen, Madam Vice-Chair of the Committee, thank you again for your support and for your excellent work.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I would like to thank the rapporteurs Anna Donáth for the Committee on Civil Liberties, and Sabine Verheyen for the Committee on Culture, all the shadow rapporteurs, the Spanish Presidency – I hoped that the Belgian Presidency would be there to tell her to thank the Spanish Presidency – and, of course, Vice-President Věra Jourová. Thank you for your cooperation, ladies and gentlemen, and dear Vice-President, for your efficiency. This is a very difficult collective work, but it is really very important and much anticipated. I am convinced of this, because the indications are formal: In 2024, we will see an exponential increase in disinformation and foreign interference in the European and US elections. From the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Brexit to the elections in Slovakia, we know the enemies of our democracies, we know their allies in Europe, we know their manipulation strategies. Today, I am convinced that we are giving a strong and effective response to protect all our elections, whether municipal, national or European. It is a strong and effective response to protect our democracy. We are working to strengthen the defence of our freedoms and personal data, to increase the transparency of electoral campaigns, especially online, and to strengthen actions against those who want to manipulate the democratic process. We are introducing a ban on political advertising financed by non-European actors in order to effectively counter disinformation and foreign interference, and better protect our elections and democracy. We are removing barriers and barriers in the single market. European parties will finally be able to carry out truly European and transnational campaigns. In addition, we provide for harmonized labelling of political ads to increase transparency and accountability in political advertising. What's the point? The aim is to make it very easy for citizens to identify political advertising and, above all, to know who is saying what, for whom and who is funding all this, while, of course, respecting everyone’s freedom of expression. To enhance transparency and oversight, we parliamentarians have decided to create a European register for online political advertisements. We impose specific restrictions on the use of sensitive personal data for advertising targeting purposes, while ensuring the protection of citizens’ privacy. Finally, we are putting in place a robust enforcement mechanism, strengthening cross-border cooperation and providing for dissuasive sanctions in line with the Digital Services Act, the DSA. And so, I repeat: We will achieve a very important and long-awaited result, a model at the global level. With this in mind, and if we approve this regulation tomorrow, I will present the results of our work to the United Nations and Washington next week. In conclusion, this text marks a significant step forward in protecting our democracies from disinformation and foreign interference. While we regret that it cannot be fully implemented already in the next European elections, we are pleased to see the impact of our measure on all upcoming elections, be they European or national. As regards the entry into force of this Regulation, we provide for a period of application of a total of 18 months, with a duration of 24 months specifically for the repertoire of the European Union. Certain key provisions will of course already be applicable in view of the 2024 elections. In addition, I would like to point out to platforms and Member States that you can, however, anticipate implementation by getting ahead and already putting in place all the measures set out above without delay, so that they are all already active for the elections on 9 June. This is entirely possible, and we encourage platforms to do so. This is an extremely positive step forward, ladies and gentlemen, which we must all support.

Mr President, Minister, Commissioner, in 2024, all indicators are formal: disinformation, fake news and hyper-fixing are likely to increase exponentially in Europe and the rest of the world. In our fight against online disinformation, unregulated social networks represent a major danger, as shown by recent examples in Ukraine, Gaza and the various elections in Europe. With the Digital Services Act, we end digital anarchy and require platforms to finally take full responsibility. Interference and manipulation of our democratic processes is unacceptable, and even one voice manipulated in an election is one too many. We need to ensure very strict enforcement and sufficient resources for content moderation measures and algorithmic transparency. It is high time for platforms to change their business model to respect our principles and values. For more transparency and better protection of personal data, we will also adopt more effective rules on online political advertising at the end of the month. Our purpose is clear. Freedom of expression does not mean the right to the virality of any false, violent or manipulated content. Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach. We want more transparency for all actors who can influence an election, a democratic process, whether candidates, influencers, political parties, associations, companies or others. The European elections are the first test for all of us. We must succeed.

Madam President, Minister, almost 150 million European citizens live close to an internal border. In May 2018, the European Commission proposed a mechanism to help its citizens overcome legal and administrative obstacles between neighbouring countries. But negotiations have not yet started. Now we can and must do it. In September 2023, the European Parliament asked the Commission to revise its proposal to make it simpler and more effective. This is what we have called Border Regions’ Instrument for Development and Growth in the EU – BridgEU (Bridge for Europe). All this has been made possible thanks to the constant support of the Chairman of the Committee on Regional Development, Younous Omarjee, and the other political groups, whom I would like to thank. It is here, the Europe of concrete solutions that we bring. On 12 December 2023, the Commission finally presented a new proposal, which is very good news, and I thank it for that. We are ready to start negotiations with the Council as soon as possible so that this mechanism becomes a reality. This could help create jobs and save a lot of money. Is the Council aware that this mechanism could help to increase the opportunities for cross-border citizens to work and grow? Is it aware that this mechanism is voluntary, that it does not create new obligations or add bureaucratic burden, and that it would have no impact on the international agreements on cross-border regional cooperation already in force in the Member States, such as the Benelux or the Nordic Council? Is the Council finally determined to start negotiations with parliaments quickly so that this mechanism becomes a reality before the European elections? Madam Minister, we are counting very much on the Belgian Presidency of the Council to achieve these very important results.