Speeches

The main objective of the S&D Group in requesting the debate was to highlight the need for immediate support to the victims of the recent floods that have devastated large areas of Spain – which have particularly severely affected the Valencian Community – and to fight the climate crisis that underlies these natural disasters. This disaster is not an isolated phenomenon, but a clear symptom of the effects of climate change, which requires coordinated and forceful action from the European Union to protect our communities. The debate revealed a painful division of views on climate change and the response to natural disasters. We argue that the gravity of the situation requires a genuine and responsible commitment from all European representatives. We reiterate our commitment for Europe to urgently provide the necessary support to the affected communities, to defray the emergency, reconstruction and social and economic recovery of the affected urban and agricultural environments, as well as to work on prevention measures that mitigate the effects of future disasters. We will not allow distraction strategies and political attacks to stand in the way of a safer, more sustainable and more resilient Europe.

Madam President, strategic autonomy is not built on speeches, but on concrete decisions. And the time has come for the European Union to take a step forward. We can no longer talk about security and strategic autonomy while keeping our defence capabilities fragmented and remaining overly dependent on third countries. There will be no Europe, stronger, safer and better equipped to protect its citizens without a genuine technological and industrial base of its own. That is why we must bet on a European preference that strengthens European supply chains, removes barriers within the Union and ensures that this effort benefits all Member States and not just a few. But this effort also requires skilled workers, quality employment and a firm commitment to training. We must attract talent and ensure that a high-tech sector like this can develop strongly, with positive effects on innovation and other civil industries. That's the way. Less dependencies, more coordination, more skills, better jobs and more Europe.

Madam President, Madam Vice-President, I have worked for this European Semester to ensure convergence, stability and growth, but also social cohesion, which is our European identity. Because Europe cannot be guided by the Competitiveness Compass alone if we want a strong, competitive and secure Europe, we also need a Semester that measures and ensures what makes us better and unique, our real competitive advantage: quality employment, investment, social cohesion and a just transition for all. Europe has already learned at too high a cost that austerity breaks trust, widens inequalities and weakens the European project. That is why I am convinced that we cannot repeat it and we are not going to do it. Competitiveness cannot be built at the expense of the social dimension. That is why our agreement means that, in addition to competences, the fight against poverty, access to housing, public health for all, social protection that guarantees essential care and services should not be left in the background: that safety net that strengthens Europe and the armour. I am convinced that a social Europe is not the brake on competitiveness, but precisely the opposite: your engine.

Mr President, we still have a serious pay and pension gap problem. Women are still concentrated in the lowest-valued and lowest-paid sectors and are also the majority in part-time employment. And the result is clear: poverty has a woman's face during working life, but also in old age. Many retired women today live on pensions that do not allow them to live with dignity. Therefore, our duty is twofold: closing this gap for the present and for the future, but also protecting today's older women. The Commission has presented its intergenerational equity strategy with young people and future generations in mind, but forgets those who are older, older women. Don't they have the right to adequate services? Don't they have the right to a decent life, to a decent pension? I ask the Commission not to forget the elders: They need a strategy that responds to their problems.

Madam President, Madam Vice-President, I want a Europe that protects, that offers living wages, that guarantees housing and in which children are not condemned to poverty. The new action plan should serve to correct errors and reinforce it. It cannot be a catalogue of good intentions. We need guaranteed rights and sufficient funding to achieve the results. Just this week, the International Monetary Fund warned of a tsunami in the labor market. 40% of posts are already affected by artificial intelligence; in advanced economies, up to 60%. Without rules and guarantees, this change does not mean progress or better wages, but precariousness, inequality and insecurity. The new plan should ensure inclusive employment. We need to fight ageism and age discrimination; a plan that strengthens solidarity between generations and improves the working conditions of carers. The care economy is essential. This new action plan should be a qualitative leap forward: move from big words to clear commitments. Without cohesion there is no Europe, Madam Vice-President.

Madam President, I take this turn to make a wake-up call to all those colleagues who voted today to weaken Europe, sending a message of weakness to our trade and political allies. To paraphrase Canadian Prime Minister Carney, the question for Europe is not whether we adapt to this new reality, the question is whether we adapt by building higher walls or whether we try to do something much more ambitious and novel. The EU-India Summit is about that, it is an opportunity to close the fringes of the trade agreement that we have been working on for years. But above all, it is the opportunity to send a powerful message that we can build a different world in parallel to the United States, Russia or China. We must build bridges between everyone else, seeking what unites us and putting aside everything that has separated us so far. We Europeans are a reliable partner and loved by many countries. We must take advantage of it. Let's have self-confidence and vision for the future. And, above all, let's not waste time.

Madam President, Commissioner, the rise of intolerance and extremism is leading to a rise in discrimination. Hate speech and prejudice are the order of the day. We are certainly living in very dark times, and Europe is the only hope for many people, that is why the need for the horizontal anti-discrimination directive. Women, migrants and people with disabilities, among many other groups, deserve Europe to resolutely combat all discrimination. Most of these groups – it is true – already have specific anti-discrimination strategies in place by the Commission, except for one: the elderly. They remain unprotected: their voices don't count and their lives don't matter. This Directive is a guarantee for older people to have more protection of their human rights. I therefore call on the forthcoming Council Presidencies and the Council as a whole to listen to this Parliament and put all their efforts into unblocking this proposal. Delaying their approval is denying equality to millions of people, and we can't wait any longer.

Madam President, Commissioner, we must condemn the continuous and permanent violation of human rights that the Junta has been carrying out since the coup d'état in 2021: against the Rohingya especially, but also against other ethnic and religious minorities. We must reject an illegitimate electoral call of the Junta, made in clear violation of democratic principles, with persecutions, massive displacements and continuous arbitrary detentions. We must denounce it because the Board, with these elections, what it seeks is to legitimize itself, and there are countries willing to help it. And the only credible path to peace and democracy is through an end to violence and the devolution of power to a transitional civilian authority that restores democratic institutions and legitimate civilian leaders. To recognize these elections would be to betray our values and abandon the people of Myanmar. That is why the international community must stand firm. Without freedom, without rights and without guarantees there is no legitimate choice possible.

Madam President, in these uncertain times, workers need guarantees to protect their jobs. And the proposed reform is going in the right direction. Above all, I would like to thank the rapporteurs for their excellent work. This new business culture, which should prevail in these times, must have the voice of the workers, with the role of the unions to succeed in the disruptive transitions we face. Unfortunately, the Spanish PP, once again, does not understand what democracy is and in my opinion I do not think it knows very well what the work that day-to-day entrepreneurs and workers face. And in my opinion, and in my experience, it is much more successful to navigate crises – be they digital transitions, green transitions or company crises – with a sincere and accurate dialogue between employers and trade unions to address this success. And I also find regrettable the attitude of the employment spokesperson of the Spanish Popular Party, who, being president of the Intergroup on Social Economy and Services of General Interest, I think should step aside because she does not believe in the participatory democracy of workers in companies. Because the social economy, cooperatives, precisely go from that and have demonstrated their success and resilience in a time of crisis that they have had so far.

Madam President, Europe must move forward, Commissioner. As Letta says, with more market integration, yes. But also with more common public policies that guarantee social Europe. Therefore, more integration, yes. But also more social Europe. We must combine the risks and opportunities to advance the competitiveness of our economies and our businesses. But it cannot be done at the expense of Europeans' rights, of labour rights. The commissioner quotes Jacques Delors. Well, follow their example: economic growth with social progress. Because, if we do not do so, the enemies of the European project will win; the external ones, but above all the internal ones. Populists and the far right. Because we cannot ignore our European citizens in this advance of Europe in the integration of markets and their policies.

Mr President, Commissioner, we all know someone who lost his job after fifty years and, today, with more than sixty, he has not found another. And we also know young people who are denied a decent first job opportunity because they lack experience. Ageism affects both and we still live life in thirds: third of training, third of work and third of retirement. But now we live longer. Therefore, we must be permanently trained, because jobs are transformed and cannot be set aside simply because we are years old. We must defend healthy and active longevity. We must combat ageism, which is also the only discrimination that does not have a European strategy. In employment, ageism drives out adults and young people when we should bet on intergenerational teams in companies. In housing, young people cannot afford a first home and many older people are isolated in their homes due to lack of adaptation. In caregiving, many young families do not reconcile work because they have to take care of their elders or their little ones. Many older people suffer from a lack of access to complete health, as seen in the pandemic, where many were evicted simply because they were older. We must unite young and old: their political participation and voice are key to building a stronger European democracy. Commissioner, with the International Day of Older Persons at the heart of this debate and with your strategy of intergenerational equity as a framework, we can work to ensure that this is a guarantee of rights for older people and, at the same time, also serves as an intergenerational pact uniting and creating networks of solidarity between generations.

Madam President, I thank the rapporteurs for their work and for taking into account the opinion of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. We are at a crucial moment for the future of Europe and it is essential to take stock, but also to project towards the future. The Recovery and Resilience Facility has been our European response to an unprecedented crisis, based on European values of justice, equality and territorial cohesion. It has therefore worked: it has prevented the fragmentation of our internal market and has helped to reduce economic and social divergences between states. Inclusive reforms, such as those in Spain, have reduced poverty and created quality jobs in strategic and emerging sectors like never before. It has helped mitigate the social impact of the pandemic, protecting jobs and businesses and improving the situation of the most vulnerable, including young people and people in rural areas. Therefore, another Europe is possible: has taught everyone that public investment is not an expense, but a competitive investment for the future of Europe. Recovery and resilience mechanisms are proof that, when we act together, we are much stronger.

Madam President, Commissioner, vague promises are not worth it, because it is the future of future generations of our sons and daughters that is at stake. The Pact is a step in the right direction to address threats, but it needs to contain more concrete measures for fishermen. It is important that the Pact puts small-scale fishermen at the centre, addressing their real challenges, which are none other than generational renewal, fishing capacity and overfishing by third countries. The aim is to protect, promote and provide fishermen with sufficient means to improve the competitiveness of the sector, betting on fishing activity, increasing the sustainable production of fishery products, while protecting the oceans and supporting the economic development of our coastal communities and their traditional way of life. For socialists it is an opportunity, but only if we provide it with concrete measures and with sufficient funding. This issue should not have ideologies because it is a matter of survival: It is the future of Europe that is at stake.

Mr President, Commissioner, the social Europe that makes us unique and that we must preserve has been built as a safety net for people. But today we have a key challenge: how to respond to the loss of purchasing power and the increased risk of exclusion in Europe? One hundred and twelve million people are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Too many people today face difficulties to reach the end of the month, suffer from job insecurity and low wages and cannot access housing. And those who suffer most are young people, women and migrants. And for people to live safely we don't need survival kits with matches and batteries. We need decent work with fair wages, housing and strong public services such as public health and education, which allow us to revive the social elevator and give equal opportunities to all people in Europe.

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, the dispute over attracting talent is today the big battle, because talent is a strategic priority of the European Union if it wants to remain globally competitive. Investing in people means investing in our future and in the competitiveness of our companies in a world full of threats. Vice-President Mînzatu has clearly pointed out the task: we need to develop a strong lifelong learning system that ensures that workers always have the right skills and thus guarantee quality jobs. We must improve reskilling and upskilling, driving the green and digital transitions. This task requires a strong commitment to social dialogue, betting on a Just Transition Directive to be able to anticipate changes in a constantly changing environment. We must also ensure the free movement of workers within the single market, recognising their qualifications, and be able to attract and retain talent in Europe. We will achieve this by offering good jobs, decent working conditions, good wages and professional development. But for this initiative to succeed, it is crucial that the European Commission proposes a Directive on the right of workers to training in order to ensure that right to paid training and education related to work and during working hours. Our future – the future of the European Union – is ensured through quality training and education. Let's invest in our citizens to build a fairer, more sustainable and more competitive future.

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, what we are adopting today is not just another report because we are at the beginning of the new multiannual financial framework and, at this critical moment for Europe, we need a clear vision combining economic prosperity and social justice. I would like to stress the importance of further developing the European Pillar of Social Rights. This must be our compass, the One Who Guides all our policies. It is essential to move forward in a framework that allows for greater protection of workers' rights, better working conditions and a commitment to social dialogue. If the green and digital transitions are to be successful, retraining and upskilling of workers is necessary, with a particular focus on young people, women, the elderly and people with disabilities. We must fight poverty, especially child poverty, and ensure affordable housing because we need to take care of people's physical and mental health. All these aspects are fundamental. The signal we must send as a Parliament is a clear commitment to social Europe.

Madam President, people are the key to the success of any European industrial action plan. Investing in people is investing in the competitiveness of our economic and industrial model. Our goal must be to continue working for quality jobs, with fair wages and good and safe working conditions. Last week we met the proposed Union of Skills, called to ensure a European citizenship trained and prepared through reskilling and upskilling to respond successfully to the digital and green transitions. We need funds to support workers and businesses in their transition to a clean and digitized industry. And if this process is to be carried out successfully, it must be done through social dialogue with the social partners. It would therefore be necessary to have a Just Transition Directive to anticipate these transition situations.