Speeches

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, Spain, Portugal, France with its island of Mayotte: disasters in which Europe needs to articulate mechanisms for an imminent response. And it has to do so in the face of the irresponsibility of governments such as Spain, which is unable to execute works from its budget that would have avoided much pain and many deaths in our country. Because there are governments that only care about their pacts to stay in the armchair and not the victims, like those who have suffered in Valencia due to the inaction of their government. Perhaps the important thing is to create a specific fund and not to pull the tailor's box that is being cohesion policy in Europe. All our support for the victims of these disasters. And, in the face of Euroscepticism, what we say from the People's Party is that Europe is more necessary than ever.

Mr President, cancer is a scourge that we must eradicate. It is the second leading cause of death in the European Union and every year 2.6 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 1.2 million die from it. The People's Group is strongly committed to Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. And the goal of achieving less than 5% of the population using tobacco by 2040 is a priority for us. What is also imperative is to launch the creation of the European Cancer Fund to ensure early diagnosis and detection, to finance the development of and access to innovative therapies, and to avoid inequalities between countries in obtaining new treatments, as well as to promote scientific research. Last legislature put in place the pillars of the European Health Union and it is time to implement it. But scientific research is fundamental for us as co-legislators. When it comes to legislation, every law has to be based on a strong empirical basis that allows us to protect all our citizens.

Madam President, I would like to focus exclusively on the victims. The Poyo ravine overflowed and caused the largest flooding in Valencia. "Neighbors point to the Poyo ravine as the main responsible for the flood" (end of quote). I am proud to be Spanish and I am proud to be European, because it is Europe that has the answer to these catastrophes. Cohesion policy must respond to the reconstruction following these phenomena, which are happening today in our country and may happen tomorrow in any of the 27 other Member States. But let's not forget that it's about rebuilding not just infrastructure, but broken lives. The lives of hundreds and thousands of people who have lost everything. It's Europe's time. It is time for a Europe of solidarity.

Mr President, as Robert Schuman said: “I am a European; I wish, however, to remain French, and, in France, Lorraine is my little homeland. Cities and regions were always on the minds of the people who started the European project. I have been mayor of my city, Cáceres, and I can see the enormous impact that European funds have had on local development and the way in which multilevel governance and partnership between administrations have been key to respecting the particularities of each community from the most basic level. As an Extremaduran, as a Spaniard, as a European, I firmly believe in the role of cities and regions: is essential. The principle of subsidiarity was introduced to define the role that each institution should play in the service of the common good within a framework of common respect. Mere efficiency cannot justify any transfer of what local and regional communities can do on their own: To break with this principle is to break with the very principle of the Union, with the social and territorial cohesion pursued by the Treaties. Europe is the result of a cultural and historical community whose roots sink in every city, in every village, in every region. Without cities there are no citizens and, therefore, any European policy must always be carried out with respect for the local and regional perspective: the Commission must not forget this.

Mr President, Commissioner, listen to me: 1% of deaths in the European Union occur by suicide. We speak, according to the European Statistical Office, of 47 000 deaths per year. One hundred and thirty citizens of the European Union will have lost their lives today while I speak to them. In Spain, 41% of adolescents – I repeat, 41% – report having had mental health problems. What's worse: One in three hadn't spoken to anyone. It is urgent to break the stigma as Europeans and normalize the call for help. We are talking about an invisible pandemic and, therefore, it is necessary to advocate for mental health and make risk factors visible. From the People's Party, we are going to ask the future Commissioner for Health to prioritize a European action plan for mental health and less demagoguery from the left. The time is now. The time is now. Let's do it for our children and for all Europeans: for those who are not there, but for those we can save tomorrow.