Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to the Glasgow Climate Conference with a very painful observation. With the current climate plans, the temperature rises by no less than 2.7 degrees and that is very far from the 1.5 degrees we promised in Paris. Are we serious about that? What do we say to the people who were victims of the floods this summer in Belgium and Germany, for example? But it's not too late. We must and can do better than the climate plans that are on the table today. Climate marches across Europe once again brought thousands of people to the streets to ask for more ambition. Admittedly, Europe cannot do this alone. We must significantly increase climate support for developing countries, and the US and other major powers must also participate. But Europe must have the ambition to inspire them, so that they too will finally take their responsibility.

Mr President, asbestos is not a problem of the past, but of the future. In Flanders, for example, nine out of ten homes contain asbestos. Chances are that this is also the case in your home. Throughout Europe, millions of tons of asbestos are in our homes, in our schools, in our social housing. The renovation wave is the chance to remove all asbestos and make the whole of Europe asbestos-free. Financial support is needed, because who can just cough up 6 000 euros to remove an asbestos pipeline? The workers who remove asbestos must now be better protected, because 80 000 people still die of cancer every year from exposure to asbestos at work. Commissioner, we must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Europe must now protect everyone from asbestos.

Mr President, after the failure of a genuine reform of our agricultural policy, the Farm to Fork Strategy is finally good news for farmers and for nature. After all, the current model is a disaster for our climate, for biodiversity and for small farmers. With this strategy, we will expand organic farming to 25% by 2030 and also give farmers a higher income. We are halving pesticide use by 2030 and we are launching an export ban on harmful pesticides. We make healthy and sustainable food tax-free and we finally stop putting animals in cages. Colleagues, do not be fooled by the agro-industry lobby. This is the chance to give farmers a fair income with respect for the environment and nature. So let's seize that opportunity together.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in the long term it is clear: the best protection against increases in energy prices is more – because cheaper – renewable energy. But that's not enough. Four out of five Europeans today are concerned about rising energy bills, and they want to see solutions now. We must therefore support people who are struggling to make ends meet with a cheaper social rate for energy. We also need to help save energy. The European Social Climate Fund can be a fantastic tool for this. But then polluting companies finally have to pay for their emissions. Let's use those billions to bring everyone on board of the climate transition.

Mr President, I am glad that there is a European approach to future health crises, because that is necessary. Pandemics have no boundaries. It is a good thing that we are going to invest in essential medical equipment, for example. However, HERA is not moving in the right direction and will not be a fully-fledged independent public interest agency. After the complete lack of transparency with the vaccine contracts, after ignoring Parliament's demand for more solidarity with the rest of the world on vaccines, this is not what citizens are asking for. Parliament does not want another briefing during a contact group. We want effective policy control. Therefore, make HERA a fully-fledged agency with scrutiny by Parliament rather than an agency that can channel public money to the pharmaceutical industry without accountability.

Mr President, Lukashenko has committed a coup in Belarus. Violent repression by his regime continues: political prisoners, raids on peaceful protesters, a media crackdown. These fundamental attacks on democracy must stop now. So let’s hit them where it hurts. Let’s cut off the flow of EU money to the regime with strong sanctions in crucial sectors and against companies that support the illegitimate government. Winter is coming and refugees, the victims of Lukashenko’s power play, risk freezing to death. The EU and the Member States must protect them. The EU cannot look away while democracy is crumbling at our borders. Now is the time to show leadership. Now is the time to support the democratic forces and jointly to take responsibility on our side of the border.

Mr President, this is the moment of truth. There is a climate package before us today that we should have had ten years ago. You can count on the Greens to make it a success together. The ingredients are already there: We have a climate law, a big pot of money to invest and this package of climate legislation. This is certainly the merit of the Commission, but especially of the hundreds of thousands of young people who have taken to the streets for this. I think we need those young people again, Commissioner Timmermans. Do we really want to wait until 2032 to introduce a fully-fledged kerosene tax and until 2035 to phase out fossil-fuelled cars? Do we want multinationals to pollute the climate for free until 2035? The socially weak should not be presented with the bill while companies, large multinationals, can continue to pollute for free. Not with us, Commissioner.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, a bicycle courier is on his way to your home with a pizza, but he has an accident and no insurance. An Uber driver is immediately fired because he was not online for a while and is not entitled to a benefit. Platform workers today hardly have any protection, because they are supposedly self-employed. But colleagues, nothing is less true. However, all workers in the European Union have the right to equal labour rights and to protection of safety and health at work. At least in theory. Our couriers and meal delivery staff are not self-employed. They work for large multinationals. This unequal treatment cannot be justified. I call on the Commission to support Parliament's position and finally to work towards equal protection. Updating the rules on OSH protection is a unique opportunity to do so. Colleagues, it is about 24 million people who sometimes go through the wind for their jobs and who deserve protection today. Taking a taxi or ordering a pizza should be possible in Europe without guilt, but with a correct status for the platform employees. Let's finally work on that together.

Mr President, while Bangladesh has sent in its action plan, the European Parliament has until now received zero information on the contents of the final roadmap on labour rights. That is unacceptable. The Bangladesh Accord – the voluntary programme that made factories safer after the Rana Plaza disaster – is expiring. Without clear commitments, we risk ending up with nothing, exposing workers yet again to unacceptable working conditions. We need guarantees on safe workplaces, on inspections, on free unions, on child labour eradication. These measures cannot wait until 2025. Because let’s not forget: the Rana Plaza collapse, with thousands of people inside, was completely preventable. Factories should be bound by clear rules respecting labour rights, verified by inspections. But European companies also need to take responsibility. During the COVID crisis, big European clothing brands cancelled and underpaid for their orders, pushing people into poverty. I think that no single piece of clothing should be allowed in our shops that is made without respect for labour rights and environmental standards. Fair fashion has to become the standard instead of the exception.