Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union is strong when there are common rules, when there are no differences, when people are put on an equal footing and their rights are recognised regardless of where they come from. With the European Disability Card and the new parking card, Europe is taking a big step forward to recognise dignity and equal rights for people with disabilities. The condition of disability does not cease to exist if we move from one state to another. Therefore, recognising the same opportunities and rights throughout the Union is an important demonstration of awareness of differences that should not exist at present. A path that does not end with the approval of tomorrow but that will have to continue in information and dissemination and above all implementation to achieve the objective of equal opportunities. With tomorrow's vote, people with disabilities and their families also win.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the objective of the pharmaceutical reform we are debating has an unquestionably noble purpose: to harmonise access to medicines in all EU countries. It is clear that unfortunately there is a clear fragmentation for the procurement of medicines. In some cases, they wait more than twice as long between states. We are talking about those who have a chronic, degenerative, oncological pathology, or even those suffering from a rare disease. Therefore, this issue requires the greatest attention and we can only express our support for the actions put in place, which are precisely to facilitate the care of people. At the same time, however, we must never forget that companies with research on diseases, especially rare ones, offer a public service that national governments would not be able to support. Therefore, alongside this reform, concrete action must be taken to ensure the autonomy of the European Union in the pharmaceutical field vis-à-vis competition from other world powers in attracting investment in research and development.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, why is it important to talk about detergents? It's important because when we talk about detergents, we talk about cleaning. When we talk about cleanliness, we talk about sanitization, and when we talk about sanitization, we talk about human health. And it is clear that this factor has been significant and relevant in a situation such as the fight against COVID. For twenty years we have been waiting for a reform of the detergents regulation that can provide an increasingly competitive and sustainable sector, therefore respectful of the environment, without sacrificing effectiveness and above all modernity. But above all to offer the consumer a greater awareness of what he buys, giving the possibility of having a digital label able to give more information and allow companies to stand out on the market. Not only: steps forward on the importance of biodegradability, on the correct consumption of products in terms of quantity, but also compared to animal tests that must be avoided categorically. A great deal of work has been done, trying to combine the needs of the company and the consumer, without acting out of ideology but according to the common sense and attention that this sector deserves.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are faced with a clear truth: If farmers had been respected, if their work had been respected, there would probably not have been hundreds of demonstrations across Europe, most recently in Brussels and Strasbourg. The problem is not the ecological transition or the need to protect the environment, also because the first ones that protect the environment are farmers, who live thanks to the environment. The problem is the ideological choices, the ultra-ideological environmental choices, which are not based on scientific evidence, which do not give an alternative and which put an entire economic system in difficulty. Therefore, the road cannot be that of putting the soils to rest, it cannot be that of preferring test-tube meat, it cannot be that of not collecting the products because it is not convenient to collect them, because it is too expensive. Therefore, we start from respect for the environment, we start from respect, above all, for farmers, their work and people.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, I am the youngest Italian Member of the European Parliament. I'm 30 years old. I am young, but not very young, yet I realize that there are many young people who not only have not entered the world of work to the full, but carry out internships that are underpaid or even unpaid. And this is a great sadness. It is a sadness because doing an internship very often is a privilege. It is a privilege if you have a family behind you that is able to cover the costs for carrying out that internship. It is clear that a trainee has a great opportunity for personal and professional growth, but this does not justify unfair practices towards them. Trainees have rights: they are entitled to be paid, they are entitled to a contract and they are entitled to social protection. Therefore, we need uniform and consistent rules across the European landscape. We hope to have them as soon as possible, because young people will be tomorrow's ruling class, they will be tomorrow's lawyers and they will be tomorrow's doctors. In short, they will be our future, and therefore it is right to recognize how much is due to them.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, how many times have you made a payment, seen the resources leave your current account, but not seen the disbursement arrive for days, a period that increases in the case of holidays. Well, every day about 200 billion euros are blocked in transit in the financial system. Ten seconds for a bank transfer, regardless of the day and time: Finally, a common sense decision, a step forward to allow our payment systems to be at the forefront and able to respond quickly to the needs of consumers and businesses to carry out fast, practical and secure transactions. But, above all, enough with the difference between the costs between the different types of payment and transfers. The availability of their money must be in the hands of those who own it and must not encounter bureaucratic delays or additional costs. Europe, with this measure, goes to harmonize payment systems, ensuring clear advantages. Businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises and traders, can be sure that their funds will be transferred immediately. A big step forward, a big step forward to harmonise measures across the European Union. Let us move forward towards modernity, let us move forward towards the needs of European citizens.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, it is clear that the lack of skills has a huge economic and social cost. In recent years we have seen how companies are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain qualified talent, a difficulty that is expanding when we are faced with a generational renewal. In Italy, for example, according to Istat 2023 data, there were over 2 million job vacancies, of which 1.8 million were open-ended. Not having competences not only exposes us to a great risk compared to other world powers, but risks losing those capacities that each Member State has. The European Year of Skills is certainly a great opportunity because it puts in place a series of measures, but it must not be a year in which a clear problem is shed light, but rather a year in which a series of long-term measures are put in place to allow supply and demand to meet. Only in this way will we be able to achieve the result.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, every day we inform and deepen the violence that is being carried out against women, a sex that is still seen today as a weaker sex, which can be dominated. Unfortunately, however, we see how the numbers do not tend to decrease. Therefore, decisive action is needed because, unfortunately, awareness-raising and information initiatives, which must be maintained, are no longer enough. Violence against women grows like a silent epidemic that can mature to death. We provide Europe with strict rules that apply to all, so that the crime of stalking in every Member State, where rape is recognised as a European crime and there are no mitigating factors. We no longer justify the aggressive attitudes of some men just because they are related to their culture. We put victims in a position to always be able to report, regardless of their social status. Here I want to highlight a situation that is too often silenced: We protect women with disabilities because the numbers tell us that they are doubly discriminated against in all areas compared to a woman without disabilities. And let us put an end in every country of the European Union to the inhumane forced sterilisation of women living with disabilities. "Woman submit yourself, woman obey me, woman do not make me angry, woman if you do not do as I tell you, woman if you denounce me I will kill you". Women must be free from fear, not only in Europe, but in every part of the world.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we all want cars that respect the environment, but we must act with caution. Europe is known worldwide for producing low-emission and high-quality cars, with the turnover generated by the car industry accounting for almost 8% of the European Union's GDP. The European Union's climate objectives must go hand in hand with the effort required of car and car component manufacturers, and the proposal that has been drawn up is certainly the right measure between the two needs. It is clear that the automotive sector is already facing unprecedented challenges related to the consequences of the war, such as limited access to raw materials, rising energy prices or inflationary pressures, and it is precisely in times of crisis like these that sectors such as the automotive sector must make a difference and must do so competitively on the international stage, as well as having to ensure affordable mobility for our citizens. We must therefore be sent with concrete proposals that achieve the right objectives, instead of proceeding with purely ideological measures that are unlikely to lead to results.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, how many more deaths will there have to be in order for the Member States to assume their responsibilities? How much more should we facilitate the work of criminals who traffic in human beings, the same people who trade in drugs and weapons, before we move towards a solution shared by all the Member States? Colleagues, migratory flows represent a serious problem, the real contemporary challenge. It is not an Italian issue, it is a European problem, and therefore a problem of all Member States. Here no one can do morals and hide behind beautiful words or good intentions, everyone must assume their responsibilities and do their part. It is unthinkable that a few European countries should take over the full management of the European Union's migration policy. We welcome those who flee their country of origin because they are persecuted, but we provide dignified assistance. We guarantee security for European citizens and work to facilitate the repatriation of those who do not have the right to stay in the European Union. Let's act. We start approving the migration pact and, most importantly, we start implementing it.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the aim of the increase in interest rates by the European Central Bank is to make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation. But caution is needed. As an Italian delegation of Forza Italia we immediately considered this unshareable choice, the consequences of which have been paid and are paid by families and businesses. All this, inevitably, leads to a blockage of the initiatives and planned investments of companies so as not to ask for money from the banks. Variable rate mortgages are an unsustainable burden on households. What is more, a situation that leads to the risk of unpaid mortgages turning into non-performing loans, resulting in new problems. Inflation in the European territory is mainly caused by factors outside the European economy, such as the increase in the price of energy or raw materials. It does not help, therefore, a continuous increase in rates, which risks leading us into recession. We need to balance the fight against inflation and the risk of recession. We therefore hope that the cure provided by the European Central Bank will not kill the sick person.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, while we must recognise the strategic role of small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe, we see how small and medium-sized enterprises are always facing continuous and growing challenges. But what do small and medium-sized enterprises ask us? Small and medium-sized enterprises are asking us for answers and the package presented by the Commission, even if it comes late, is still a step forward. But it is not a point of arrival, because we must look to the future of small and medium-sized enterprises with absolute ambition. Financial support and simplification are important in terms of development, digitalisation and resilience, but they must be coordinated in a coherent and orderly manner with the other measures, therefore without multiplying the constraints with other measures. Therefore, we seek to act in a timely and organic manner, giving stability to the system, implementing measures that cover the entire life cycle of small and medium-sized enterprises, leaving them free to make the most of the potential of entrepreneurship and competition. Entrepreneurs and businesses are waiting for us so we can't wait any longer.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the future of our children, our grandchildren and future generations depends on the good health of the planet in which we live. We are all aware of this, there is no political force that has more awareness than others about living on a healthy planet, despite some trying to prove otherwise. Climate change is certainly the greatest challenge facing our generation in economic and social terms and we must be ready for the challenges ahead, so must the citizens who are outside this Parliament. Europe is generally delivering a positive agenda on change and, as far as anyone can tell, the EPP has always been a driving force in shaping and adopting the European Union. green deal, but we will never be indifferent to measures that aim at common objectives to the detriment of communities and businesses, objectives that are unclear and realistic in their implementation. If, in fact, for the achievement of an objective that, I repeat, is more than acceptable, one becomes blind and acts by ideology putting entire sectors in difficulty, then precisely that objective will not only not be understood by European citizens, but will not even be achieved. And the strong opposition that has been created among citizens in recent weeks and today should push us all to a careful reflection on the policies to be implemented. Future trials must be carried out intelligently, without demagoguery, but above all in a concrete way.

Madam President, what happened in this month of May in Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Tuscany is a real tragedy. The economic damage, in fact, is dramatic, damage affecting the flooding of tens of thousands of homes, damage ranging from 7 to 10 billion. But the social damage is not quantifiable. People who lost everything, the sacrifices of a lifetime, and who had to give up everything they had. But mostly dead. Fifteen people lost their lives. The debate today is based on what did not work and what should have been done. It is good that the European Commission has activated all the necessary tools to deal with this situation, but let us focus on what we must start doing from today to prevent certain misfortunes from becoming the rule and the exception being moments of non-emergency. We work to ensure that Member States, regions and mayors are prepared for emergencies. And I speak as a citizen of the Umbria region, near the Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Tuscany regions, mine is a region that knows well the emergency due not only to floods, but also earthquakes. And so we work to prevent them, we work to be ready, because not only climate change is responsible for this situation, investments and suitable resources are urgently needed to allow the territories to make investments in hydrogeological reorganization, investments in infrastructure, in consolidations, adequate studies of land consumption, investments for the maintenance of the banks. We know that absolute safety is not possible, better to talk about mitigation of geological risk. And, I conclude, we must do everything to lower the level of risk, otherwise we will have to talk again tomorrow about what we could have done and what we did not do.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, these are objects that are an integral part of our lives but that now, with their widespread and inappropriate use, can become dangerous and devious tools, where those who are more fragile are subdued compared to those who, instead, believe themselves strong. Can we afford to wait? Can we afford to be indifferent or underestimate the phenomenon of cyberbullying? The answer is no. Especially if this leads to anxiety disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, self-harm, but even worse to death, and means that we have an absolute duty to act to ensure effective protections throughout Europe, including by adopting strict and decisive measures. I have the honour of being the youngest Member of the European Parliament in my country, one of the youngest in the European Parliament, and it is unacceptable nowadays to see young people die because they are cornered, because they are mocked, taunted, harassed and blackmailed. For the whole territory of the European Union we give tools as soon as possible, we give measures, we give rules, otherwise we will only be people who say beautiful words, but words that fall into the void, in which unfortunately Coco has fallen. Thank you, Mrs. Fox.