The resilience of the European transport sector and the need to ensure the supply of essential goods amid ongoing geopolitical instability (debate)
Mr President, it seems that Hormuz is going to open up and it is good news, without a doubt, but the cost of the bill for states like Euskadi is 200 million and we have seen blockage of trade routes, price increases and tensions in supply chains. So if to avoid and reduce these risks what we really want is to bet on transport corridors that connect ports, airports, roads and trains vertebrating all of Europe, we have a very concrete request and proposal and it is that you look beyond the States and put the focus on macro-regions and develop strategic projects in them, because building real macro-areas we can have areas of resilience and economic security. And the European Commission has to present - in about a year - a concrete strategy for the Atlantic macro-region. And what we ask is that you use it to establish true logistics, transport and energy corridors that improve our connectivity and our global competitiveness. Euskadi and other states, regions and nations have concrete proposals and we are delighted to collaborate with you to do so.
High time to deliver on the Single Market, providing certainty and predictability for EU businesses and quality jobs (continuation of debate)
Madam President, Commissioner, I am going to share here today a question that I think you already know in advance and it is by when that list of barriers to the single market by state that we must eliminate, so that it is something simple, something understandable and so that MEPs can return to our house and press for them to eliminate them. We need stability and predictability and, given the external uncertainty we have, the single market is our greatest potential: single energy market, unification of the telecommunications market, taxation, protecting and giving opportunities to our industries and our culture, encouraging our people and solving citizenship problems such as access to housing. We believe it's time to put first and last names on things, identify them, mark them to address them. We can't keep talking in generic. And what we believe is that, to what we already know and to the existing and clearly identified barriers, we have to solve them with ambition and with diligence. Internal inconsistencies make us weak; So let's change the way we make decisions and address them now.
EU cybersecurity and preparedness in view of advanced AI systems (debate)
Madam President, a few years ago, we thought that the biggest threats to our security were physical and today we know that they are also digital; whereas artificial intelligence, in addition to advancing and innovating, also serves to attack critical infrastructure, to spew sensitive information and to destabilise public services. And the development of advanced artificial intelligence systems such as Mythos has marked a turning point for European security, which cannot depend on other countries in key technologies such as data storage, such as microchips or as artificial intelligence itself. We have the capabilities and it is in our hands to truly strengthen the digital protection of our companies, our institutions and our essential services. A specific European strategy must also be created to tackle AI threats and invest more in European technology to reduce external dependencies and to strengthen our industrial and technological capacity. This really is an opportunity for Euskadi and for Europe, because without security we know that there is no freedom and because protecting our critical infrastructures and our sensitive data is not closing Europe to the world, it is guaranteeing our security, our resilience and our autonomy in an increasingly competitive and unstable global context.
Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 19 March 2026 (debate)
Madam President, Mr President Costa, the other day the European Council launched important messages of unity for this project on the single market, trade agreements, competitiveness and the protection of industry. A while ago we were able to talk about the energy market, so I will focus on the humanitarian drama that we are and we will continue to live if the conflict in the Middle East continues, since it will generate millions of displaced people in precarious, if not inhuman conditions: Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank ... and let's not forget Ukraine. Tomorrow, when we have to talk about the Return of Migrants Directive, what we ask is that, please, we talk to the humanity and dignity that what we are living deserves, because, order in the migratory processes, yes, but dignity, too.
Energy security, independence and supply in the geopolitical context - ensuring market stability and affordable energy for industry and citizens (debate)
Mr. President, with the war in Iran and the swings of Donald Trump, we are all holding our breath and seeing how we can mitigate the price increases of the electricity bill, of fuels, of the purchase. Today we heard that this will also affect the housing market, and we return to the eternal debates of security and strategic autonomy. We have and we know of unacceptable differences in the price of energy in the Member States. Today there is a very concrete request: what is the list of concrete barriers that the European Commission believes Member States must remove in order to actually reach a unified energy market? What we are asking for is information that is public, transparent and objective about what energy mix we need and what barriers need to be removed in order to go directly to the ministers of the Member States to demand it.
Rail transport safety in the EU – lessons learnt from the Adamuz accident and three years after the Tempi tragedy (debate)
Madam President, look, we are not here to add more pain to the already suffered by Adamuz and Tempi train accidents out of respect for the victims, their families and friends. Responsibilities will have to be clarified in court. Here what we have to do is try to give solutions so that all this does not happen again. The maintenance and modernisation of infrastructure must be a top priority in the European Union. Failures in infrastructure, in signalling, in supervision can have devastating consequences and we have seen it in Tempi and Adamuz. The European Union must ensure the full implementation of European legislation on railway safety and accelerate the deployment of modern safety systems and more, if possible, now that a very clear commitment is being made to rail transport and high speed. We cannot build an effective high-speed network if it is not secure. And for this to be possible we really need close cooperation and clear engagement between Member States, between infrastructure managers and regulators to ensure that strategic railway infrastructures are built and maintained with high and homogeneous safety standards and across the European Union. Rail and high speed are the pillar of sustainable mobility and European connectivity and deserve ambition because they will strengthen innovation and strategic autonomy. We need to take advantage of all the tools offered by public procurement, digitalisation and technological innovation. This area is an opportunity for competitiveness and security. It is clear that we cannot change what happened, but Tempi and Adamuz must be a turning point for the new Connecting Europe Facility to be provided with the necessary resources.
Housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing (debate)
Madam President, today we all have our heads set on Iran, on the humanitarian and economic crisis that all this is generating, and without taking our eyes off what happens there, we have to talk about housing and I want to do it by echoing what the cluster of the construction of the Basque Country was moving us a few days ago: want to be part of the solution to the housing problem and, beyond the big developers and builders, there is an industry, there are 122 000 jobs in Euskadi, there are small companies – window factories, cement, materials, electricians, masons, engineering, waste management, robotics and innovation – and they want to contribute to ensure access to decent housing. And from today I want to make that call so that the steps and actions that come out of this report – reduction of bureaucracy, aid for young people and vulnerable groups, mobilisation of supply – go hand in hand, in collaboration with a public-private model, putting limits on abusive practices and giving a real and comprehensive solution, which has a direct effect on the real estate market. And, in the end, that each person can freely choose their option – buy or rent – and have access to decent housing.
Amending Regulations on agricultural products as regards market rules and sectoral support measures in the wine sector and for aromatised wine products (debate)
Madam President, Madam Vice-President, after listening to Donald Trump in Davos, it is really difficult to focus the debate. But perhaps today, more than ever, we welcome the Digital Networks Act. We are ready to take the lead that is needed to drive real change in the way the European Union regulates the digital ecosystem. We believe in comprehensive reform that strengthens our ability to achieve global competitiveness and sovereignty. Europe needs high-performance connectivity to realise its digital ambitions. We need a modern and simplified legal framework that accelerates the transition from copper to fibre, from 4G to 5G and 6G, and from legacy systems and infrastructures to more modern and more capable ones. Furthermore, we understand that their proposed scaling up of cross-border networks and services is key for investment, innovation and for that digital single market; They propose to reduce administrative burden, facilitate investment in areas such as satellite and protect the consumer. Therefore, perhaps today, more than ever, it is time to support initiatives like this that make us more independent and freer from the United States.
Situation in Venezuela following the extraction of Maduro and the need to ensure a peaceful democratic transition (debate)
Madam President, High Representative, the military intervention by the Trump administration in Venezuela is a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter, as we have already said; and that such an incursion is an alarming precedent, too. Sustainable peace, democratic legitimacy and justice cannot be guaranteed by military force. Venezuela deserves a democratic future. Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate dictator who remained in power and this Parliament has already recognized Edmundo González Urrutia as legitimate president of Venezuela. If he had taken office, we probably wouldn't be here today talking about this. At the moment, the situation remains very unstable. The regime remains in power at the hands of Donald Trump. We welcome the release of political prisoners, but we also demand the unconditional release of all those people who are arbitrarily imprisoned for political reasons. Change in Venezuela must come from within, from its people, and Europe must defend the rule of law without double standards. In a new world scenario where the strongest seems to win, international law and Europe must finally do what it takes to become a true global power. We call, from here, for a strategic commitment with the Latin American peoples and leaders to respond in a balanced and fair collaborative democratic way to the challenges we face.
Madam President, we very much welcome this cybersecurity package. We do this because we have been talking about the importance of security in a holistic way for a long time. Undoubtedly cybersecurity is an element that is strategic. We can't just remember it when the power goes out, when an airport, a hospital needs to be closed, or when a supply chain fails. It is an area that is strategic for our sovereignty and for our autonomy in the technological and digital field. We want to protect our infrastructure and our people, our people, from our European values. In this regard I would like to make just one request: that this reinforcement of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity will be used to work hand in hand with other existing agencies, such as the Basque Cybersecurity Centre, to add capacities and for Euskadi and Europe to be truly strategic and sovereign in the technological field and in cybersecurity.
Preventing sexual harassment in public institutions: latest revelations and resignations in Spain and institutional responses (debate)
Mr. President, look, I'm going to be very clear here today: We are not going to be the ones to whitewash what is happening in Spain and the shameful news we are receiving every day about cases of harassment. And let's also say that of course not, that the argument that some are using that machismo is structural is completely unacceptable. Let me also be clear and question the real interest of the People's Party in preventing sexual harassment in public institutions, because when my group pushed for the inclusion of public positions in mandatory training in the Victims' Rights Directive, it opposed it. Here we come to work for the rights of European women, and we have it very clear: We maintain zero tolerance for harassment, and we will continue to lead progress in this area, as we have done in other directives and with the European Strategy for Gender Equality. The culture of impunity in the face of sexual harassment must be questioned and dismantled, and the consequences of its practice must be firm. And today, Commissioner, is a great day to urge you to propose, as soon as possible, European legislation on consent, which is one of the duties left over from the last mandate, because it is very clear that it is very necessary.
Development of an industry for sustainable aviation and maritime fuel in Europe (debate)
Mr President, the regulation is approved, we know that, and the challenge we have at the moment is that we achieve those objectives with the real European industrial policy that has to be behind them, that we are realistic and that we are pragmatic. European industry does not compete only on climate targets. It does so also in cost of capital and speed to deploy clean fuel plants, including, of course, biofuels as well. Welcome are all the support for investments that add up to accelerate and to give stability and security to the investments we need, because it is really urgent to develop European value chains: If not, we will continue to buy this green transition to clean fuels outside. And that impoverishes us. As Europeans, we need sustainable and European fuels.
Mr President, European technological sovereignty is as important as energy sovereignty. We depend on technology for virtually everything we do today. And we already know that the made in Europe in this case it shines by its absence. I also want to be possible because in Euskadi and in Europe we have capabilities in cybersecurity, in artificial intelligence, in clean technology, in technological infrastructures and in European clouds. But there we have the continuing threats from the United States, which today still tell us that we have to relax our rules if we want to work on steel tariffs. A few minutes ago we talked about protecting our children online. Now we talk about competitiveness and digital independence. After all, everything is united. We need infrastructures, products, own developments that drive us in strategic sectors, but we have to do it from our values. And all this help must go to our companies, which have to compete on equal terms with American and Chinese companies, but with a red line, because people must be sovereign of their data.