Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, as we speak there is a race against time in Mayotte, which was devastated by Cyclone Chido. I have a thought for the people of Mauritius, but also for all the fire brigade colleagues, civil protection, the military, the public security force, volunteers and doctors who are working in terrible conditions at the moment. Colleagues, I support this Restore project, which will bring flexibility through additional support for all communities and countries affected by these disasters in 2024. Restore is the concrete Europe, it is the Europe of solutions, it is the Europe of everyday life. This project will provide basic food and material assistance while supporting short-time work, in order to make recovery possible in these disaster-stricken territories. Finally, Commissioner, there is not a plenary week where we are not talking here about natural disasters. This is a tragedy, and the Restore solution is certainly a helper solution. But the next financial programme will have to deal with the climate challenge with structural aid, to enable reconstruction that gives rise to the future, starting with the natural disasters that hit us every week.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, as we speak, there are still floods in Malaga, Spain. As some people know, I'm a professional fire officer. I put my career on hold. I'm still a volunteer, but I'm here now. And if I had been on the ground right now, I'd be sorry to tell you: do not do this in front of parliamentary representation. The political debate that is being instrumentalized has no place. While women and men are rescuing, and while women and men are burying their own. I too have seen death up close, and what happened in Valencia is a tragedy. The human toll is high, with nearly 220 dead, 80 missing and that is what we also experienced in France with storm Alex, in Germany, in Italy a few years ago or as you said, Commissioner, in Central Europe not so long ago. The key is to learn lessons together, to learn from experience and to continue to build a comprehensive European Union solidarity policy. I am convinced that our public policies must make it possible to grow in spirit and to express the solidarity that the founders of Europe imagined at its origin. That is why we must strengthen our preparatory actions together and refer to the report by former Finnish President Niinistö. But I would like to stress one of the main points of his recommendations today: territories and populations need to be better prepared for climate change and natural disasters. Preparing and strengthening will always cost less than repairing.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Draghi report has shown us that: Europe needs to become more competitive. It is an existential challenge, a challenge to see the EU become a strong and independent global actor, a leader in education, new technologies and the fight against climate change. As we know, investing in education and training, social protection and health contributes to creating a sovereign, more resilient, more inclusive and indeed more competitive society. Yes, we urgently need to close our skills gap. Currently, almost 80% of employers are struggling to recruit workers with the right skills, while those we have trained are putting to good use their skills acquired here in Europe, both expensively and across the Atlantic. In addition, 60% of workers say they need to be trained in AI tools, while 14% actually do. Finally, as we know, there are labour shortages in key areas of the transition such as construction, health or low-carbon energy. The construction site is huge. The Draghi report gives us the trajectory as well as the solutions. Without strengthening the skills of our workers, our human wealth, the EU will remain a spectator of its twin transitions – green and digital.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, not a week without mentioning natural disasters in Europe. At the opening of the plenary session in September, reference was made to the dramatic floods in Central Europe: Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Italy and Hungary were underwater, while Greece was under fire. Portugal has faced this week fires of rare violence for a month of October, while this very night, the south of France is in the rain. As a reminder, in 2022, the European Environment Agency reported a sad finding: 145 000 deaths and EUR 520 billion related to the consequences of natural disasters in Europe. No one is safe anymore, it is a direct consequence of climate change. The best remedy, the best bulwark, is European solidarity. The appointment of a Commissioner for Crisis Preparedness and Management is a positive signal, as repair costs much more than preparation and anticipation. It will therefore be a question of having a real strategy in this area. Today, more than 60% of the budget of the European Civil Protection Mechanism comes from NextGenerationEU. The next revision of the multiannual financial framework will, ladies and gentlemen, be decisive in securing the capacity for action of this mechanism. Beyond words and statements, we will need action.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, our farmers are almost 9 million women and men who work tirelessly to ensure our food autonomy. They play a key role in spatial planning and are the frontline partners in the face of climate change. They sometimes face unfair competition, but also rising energy prices and difficulties in accessing liquidity. They are the first victims of climate change, especially drought. It is therefore necessary, at EU level, to pay attention to the quantitative management of water and to deal with this problem. In this context, how can we not hear the cries of alarm that they sent out to us, particularly in June, during the last elections? Yes, the recent measures taken by the Commission are a step in the right direction. Yes, the recent measures make it possible to facilitate, simplify and find solutions quickly, especially in terms of liquidity. As we know, these extreme events, such as drought, will increase in the future. This is why the urgency is to guarantee our farmers a decent income, a fair recognition of the efforts made to preserve our environment and fair competition rules.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would first like to express my full support at this difficult time to the victims, their relatives and the families of those who have died. I would also like to welcome the commitment of all forces, including civil protection – I mean volunteers, professionals, military, who have worked tirelessly since the beginning of this disaster called Boris. Was it necessary for new natural disasters to be unleashed within our Union to remind us that all countries, without exception, are affected by the consequences of climate change? We are collectively confronted with events of unprecedented intensity. Affected Central European countries can, if they wish, rely on the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for specialised reinforcements and equipment. This is also the case of Portugal, which, while Central Europe is under water, is facing devastating fires that claim many victims, including three brothers in arms firefighters for whom I have an emotional thought. With more than 30 years of experience as a fire officer, I have been able to measure on the ground the usefulness of European solidarity in the face of the increase in frequency and intensity of these phenomena that exceed all our standards. One country alone can no longer cope. As we can see, climate change has a cost. That is why, after giving a major boost to the Green Deal, we need to invest in order to bear less of the consequences of these extraordinary events. I am now asking and addressing Parliament, as well as the future Commission: we need an ambitious civil protection policy in strategic, human and material terms. It's urgent. This is also what our citizens expect from Europe. On a daily basis, in the face of climate change, they want a Europe...