Speeches

Mr President, it is time for competitiveness and innovation to once again be the guiding principles of our European project. However, in a world of unstoppable technological development we must take into account a fundamental premise: leave no one behind. Digital inclusion is not just a matter of access, but of competences. Therefore, it is essential to implement training programs that train citizens, especially the most vulnerable. We must ensure that our educational institutions offer programs that develop digital skills, preparing us for the coming transitions and market demands. Investing in digital education and attracting talent and investment should be the social basis of the new European competitiveness. With these measures, we will not only ensure growth for all citizens, but we will also strengthen the Union's competitiveness on the global stage. It is time to act and ensure that all Europeans are part of this transition to a more digital future.

Mr President, if we really want our regions and cities to advance and be the driving force behind the development of the European project, we must give them their well-deserved role in European politics. Our municipalities and regional governments are seeing how, on many occasions, their access to co-financing is being hindered, either because they must anticipate the funds they do not have, or because the central government does not take them into account. The European Union does not need a Next Generation 2.0. What our regions and municipalities need is autonomy and flexibility to manage cohesion funds efficiently, as we cannot depend on the ideological intentions of a central government like Spain's for our regions to thrive. The centralisation of European funds is counterproductive in states as decentralised as ours. It is critical that we give local authorities the power they need to develop, design and implement these projects. Only in this way will we give our cities and regions the importance they deserve in the future of the European project.

Mr President, these guidelines represent a clear desire on the part of Europe to promote sustainability and growth, without forgetting the social pillar. However, in my country, in Spain, the data and recommendations to be presented in the autumn package will indicate a stagnation in employment, especially among young people. As the leading country in European youth unemployment, it is urgent to tackle this problem. We are talking about the fact that almost half a million young people in Spain cannot develop their professional career in conditions, cannot become independent or cannot build their own families. Faced with artificially sustaining employment with populist attitudes – flooded with public spending – from governments such as Spain, we need a framework that boosts investment and innovation and fosters private initiative. These are fundamental pillars for any prosperous economy. Ladies and gentlemen, the European Union must stand firm with the Member States in devising long-term strategies for creating quality jobs. To increase public administration without promoting productivity is to continue throwing balls into the future, increasing the debt that our next generations will have to continue paying. Let us not over hypothesize the future of our young people. That the only mortgage they have is to buy a house where they can build a family.

Mr President, whenever we debate the rule of law, the Spanish Government is among the usual suspects of continuing to dynamite this fundamental principle of the Union. In Spain, we face a serious problem of government credibility. Words like "democratic regeneration plan" come out of his mouth and then benefit from its dismantling. Our institutions have ended up in the total service of Pedro Sánchez. It says so even in the international press. We are governed by an aspiring autocrat who claims that he intends to govern with or without the support of Parliament. While trying to silence the media by suppressing press freedom, Sanchez has turned the government into a socialist employment agency. There are already dozens of high-ranking officials who colonize justice and independent institutions. Dear colleagues, we are obliged to uphold the rule of law in each of our countries, whatever state it is, whether it is called Hungary or Spain, and it is in our hands to exert the necessary pressure.