Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, competitiveness for an economy is the basis of life for citizens. Their lives are getting better, we have a better quality of life, we have better salaries and we have stronger insurance. This is the fourfold on which we must now build the European economy, because from the Atlantic someone is waiting to devour Europe and its economy. Three hundred billion every year leave and go to the United States and thousands of young people, according to Mr. Draghi, leave Europe. We need to run fast. Cornerstone competitiveness, better life, better wages, better insurance and hurry quickly, because time is running out.

Mr President, we must act decisively, with social measures, because without man, societies cannot move forward. Salaries, pensions, insurance, punctuality, housing. All this, therefore, requires immediate action from us, immediate mobilization. No society can support itself unless it has man in front of all its activities. At the same time, we should support people who are threatened by artificial intelligence. They're the authors, they're the creators, they're the artists. They live a relentless copy in their works. Infinite attention, then, to move in this direction. To support people, to support knowledge, because society cannot wait any longer.

Madam President, the Recovery Fund has proved to be an excellent economic tool that has helped too many countries in the European Union to improve economic indicators and help their citizens. My country, Greece, has absorbed, or rather, is playing a leading role in the absorption of EU funds in terms of the Recovery Fund. Several states fear that in 2026 the allocation of the Development Fund funds will cease. The presence of this Fund must continue. Why is it? Many countries will be helped. Either in this way or within the five-year period it will be beneficial for the countries, beneficial for the societies, beneficial for the peoples.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Italian Commissioner, the Greek myself, and we have experienced many disasters together. Come, through the Recovery Fund, to fight a great battle. I hear the Recovery Fund ends in 2026. We are going to a new battle to support people who are in great need. You experienced the disasters in Italy, I experienced them in Greece, and my country gave three billion euros to cover these needs. I therefore believe, Commissioner, and I solemnly invite you to Greece, that we should fight together, and with all the other countries, to support all the people who are in great need. If you are a Commissioner now and I am a Member of the European Parliament here, we owe it to those people who need our support. Thank you very much and I hope that my proposal will be heard.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, Minister, this 2025 budget focuses on improving citizens' lives, competitiveness, but also on the current challenges in the economy. Besides, it faces the huge problem of effectively guarding the Greek borders, i.e. the islands of the Aegean and Evros, which are also borders of Europe. This issue is particularly important for Greece. He says he supports physical infrastructure, equipment and security systems as well as monitoring services, issues repeatedly raised by the Greek Prime Minister. The challenge of many countries today is to provide relief to the economies with more comfortable and better management of the ever-increasing needs for defence spending, i.e. not to count defence spending in the countries' deficit. This is very important and indeed the Minister of Defence of Greece, Mr. Dendias, on August 31, 2024, said in Prague that there must be changes, to change the fiscal rules regarding defense. That would be the main thing for the European Union to do. In conclusion, this move, according to the experts, Commissioner, and note this, will be a lasting economic shield for economies and will work to the benefit of states for social relief.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, this is a very serious matter. Commissioner, thank you very much for allowing me to have the report that we are presenting today adopted by a qualified majority by the European Parliament's Committee on Budgets. And that shows responsibility. It gives an efficiency step on the part of everyone, all parties, from all wings of the European Parliament. It is also time for the immediate funding of all countries affected by such disasters. And we must, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, look at it as a whole. The consequences of climate change are unpredictable, incalculable, enormous and know no borders. And it is in this context that we must move. We must use the money from the Solidarity Fund, the Regional Development Fund, and that money must not be offset. I am very pleased that this proposal that we have made has been adopted by all parties. It is the great moment of all parties in Europe to say this: Say no to these disasters. Compensation must also be paid quickly and promptly. It's something we all ask for, because disaster has no color. Disaster, when it knocks on the door of every country, is of particular importance to be embraced by everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, the European Solidarity Fund budget and the reserve should be increased immediately, and very rapidly. Commissioner, I think we are all in agreement on this. The European citizens, and my country, Greece, expect a great deal from us and that is what we will do, because my country has suffered great disasters. We will all work in this direction. That is why the primary objective of all of us is for the affected regions to experience relief and for European citizens to feel that they have real help by their side. Disaster does not raise petty politics, but calls for responsibility. We will all work in this direction. Commissioner, thank you very much for listening to me. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and I hope that this time together we will move above parties and guided by responsibility.