What Roxana spoke about.

Mr President, honourable Members of the European Parliament, the European Union and Indonesia have had a comprehensive partnership since 2014. This means regular dialogue and broad cooperation, including systematically on human rights. They held the 11th round of consultations on human rights in February, in the framework of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, allowing both sides to address concerns on fundamental freedoms, on governance and rule of law issues in an open and constructive manner. The attacks against human rights defender Andrie Yunus and environmental activist Muhammad Rosidi that occurred this past February and March were very worrying, both for the degree of violence, with lasting health consequences on the two victims, and for the involvement of members of state military agencies. The EU has closely followed these cases and has noted the surge of civil society mobilisation in pursuit of a full investigation, including of those who ordered the attacks and transparent justice. These calls have been supported by the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission, testifying to its independence. As was the case before and during the last human rights dialogue, the EU continues its close consultations with civil society in Indonesia. Only last week, Contras and Amnesty International briefed EU heads of mission in Jakarta on these specific cases. The EU also advocates for a stronger enabling environment for Indonesia, civil society and human rights defenders to pursue their work safely, and for authorities to maintain and strengthen inclusive consultation when designing policies. Reliable rule of law with accountable state security apparatus is a shared commitment of both the EU and Indonesia under international conventions and agreements, but also an essential shared condition for unlocking crucial investments under our Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The European Union will continue to work with Indonesia to defend and to deliver on commitments to the protection and promotion of human rights, and this will also be the case as we move forward towards the upgrade of relations to a strategic level later this year. Both sides have made binding international commitments. It is for both sides to work tirelessly to meet them and thus meet the expectations of our citizens.

Mr President, colleagues, thank you so much for this debate and for the many calls that you that you have made, which I have heard and I acknowledge here. Indeed, step by step, decree by decree, women and girls in Afghanistan are being pushed further out of public life, out of education, out of employment, and now increasingly out of access to justice itself. The introduction of the Criminal Procedure Code for courts is yet another stark reminder of the direction Afghanistan is taking under the Taliban rule, with provisions that risk further weakening protections for women, including in cases of domestic violence, while further restricting their freedom of movement and participation in legal proceedings. Of course, for Afghan women this is not simply a legal issue; it is about whether they can seek protection, whether they can be heard, whether they can exercise even the most basic of their rights. Afghanistan today remains the only country in the world where girls are banned from secondary and higher education, with nearly 2.2 million girls currently denied schooling beyond primary level. At the same time, more than half of the population depends on humanitarian assistance for survival. No country can build stability or prosperity while systematically excluding half of its population. The impact will not stop at Afghanistan's borders. Continued repression, economic collapse and lack of opportunities risk fuelling displacement, irregular migration and instability across the region. They also create an environment that can be exploited by extremist and terrorist groups. The rights of women and girls are therefore not separate from questions of security and stability – they are actually central to them. The European Union will continue to stand with the Afghan people. The European Union and its Member States remain among the leading providers of humanitarian, basic needs and livelihood assistance to Afghanistan, while continuing to support civil society and human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders. Honourable Members, the women and girls of Afghanistan continue to show extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of relentless restrictions, and their determination deserves more than expressions of concern. It requires sustained international attention and it requires principled engagement. The EU must continue to speak clearly and act consistently, as was also called for in this House, in support of human dignity, in support of equality and of the rights of all women and girls everywhere.

Mr President, honourable Members, the human rights situation in Iran has been deeply worrying for years. The repression of internal dissent, restrictions of civic space and freedom of expression are of particular concern. Widespread discrimination and restrictions against persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities persist, adding to a very grim picture. The situation of women and girls, who continue to face systematic discrimination, also deserves urgent attention. Against this backdrop, the high pace of executions is appalling. According to some sources, there were more than 2 000 executions in 2025, representing a significant increase compared to 2024, with at least 600 reported so far in 2026. The EU has a strong, principled and long-standing opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, but we are even more alarmed in this case because executions have been increasingly used as a means of suppressing internal dissent, targeting protesters, dissidents and political prisoners. Earlier this year, the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation has sent a clear message: there can be no impunity for the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations. Fundamental rights, such as freedom of opinion and expression, must be respected. And while we welcome the release on bail of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, we strongly condemn the continued arbitrary detention of many lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders and call on Iran to release them without ado. Since 2011, the European Union has adopted a robust set of targeted restrictive measures against individuals and entities responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran, and this approach will continue as long as necessary. In the UN context, the EU, together with Member States, is mobilised in the Human Rights Council and remains a strong supporter of the work of accountability mechanisms, including the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. Honourable Members, throughout multiple channels, we call on Iranian authorities to immediately end the practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters, dissidents and political prisoners, and to release all those unjustly arrested while exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression. Our message is clear and unwavering: the new leadership in Tehran must understand that it is time to change Iran's behaviour towards its own people and towards the rest of the world. Until then, the European Union will continue to respond to developments in Iran, including through targeted restrictive measures, and will continue to support the fundamental aspiration of the people of Iran for a future where their human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, protected and fulfilled.

Mr President, honourable Members, thank you for the interesting and fruitful debate and for your strong commitment to support workers' health and safety in the workplace. You illustrated also with numbers and concrete examples that although we have achieved a lot, a lot more still needs to be done and our work is far from being finished. The Commission will continue to pursue this Vision Zero approach with full determination, because no death is acceptable in this context. Legislation remains essential in this aspect, but prevention, a culture of safety, also depend on effective implementation, on enforcement. And this happens through training, it happens through raising awareness, through social dialogue, very importantly, through capable labour inspections, and yes, also by exchanging good practices. Many of the topics in the resolution are already at the core of our work, and we will continue to build on each one of them. When it comes to the very specific proposal that was made for the date of 8 August to remember the victims of work accidents, on that we will further analyse the proposal, because we have this context where we already have an International Workers' Day and the UN World Day of Health and Safety at Work, which is on 28 April. That is why we will analyse in this context the specific proposal. We should reflect on how to make full use of this existing important day in order not to also dilute efforts, including the worldwide cooperation on this important topic and the awareness‑raising on this matter. But the Commission remains fully committed to working with the European Parliament on this important shared objective.

Mr President, honourable Members, today's debate is about an objective that we all share: reducing and ultimately, very importantly, eliminating work‑related fatalities and diseases. Let me be very clear – protecting workers' health and workers' safety remains a core priority for the European Commission. Over the past decades, the European Union and the Member States have built one of the world's most advanced occupational health and safety frameworks. Thanks to legislation, enforcement, but also prevention measures, fatal workplace accidents in the European Union have fallen by 70 % in the last three decades. But we do know that there is still much more we need to do, because every day, nine workers across the European Union still fall victim to accidents at work. Thousands more lose their lives to diseases that are linked to their job, and that is why the Commission remains fully engaged and fully committed to the Vision Zero approach, which is at the heart of the current EU Strategic Framework on Safety and Health at Work. We are continuously updating our legislation, especially on hazardous substances such as asbestos and carcinogens, which remain among the leading causes of work‑related deaths. At the same time, we support practical prevention efforts through guidance and practical tools and the work of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Every worker has the right to return home safely at the end of the day, and every preventable death is a death too many. I look forward to today's debate, and to continuing our common work to strengthen the protection of our workers across Europe.

Mr President, indeed, there is a problem. Thank you for the debate on such an important topic. We refer to two categories of people that are involved in care work. Yes, the formal care workers, whether they be men or women, and their working conditions, their salaries. In our Member States, we have a diverse landscape, but in most situations this is not the best-paid job, this is not the ideal job. If you would go to a primary school, you will not hear nine out of ten children saying that they want to be carers in a way or another. Although it is a human-centric job, although it is difficult, it is complex, it requires a lot and needs to be rewarded in the same way. And yes, in this landscape of formal care workers, most are women. But it is much more, I would say – please allow me to give this personal interpretation as well – about the informal care work. And I cannot not tell you that one of the main drivers of my work on this is the many generations of women in my own country that left so that they would take care of other people in other countries. This was the promise of the freedom of movement, of the freedom to work inside the European Union. And they went and they took care of people, of women or people with disabilities that were incapacitated and many times they didn't have their wages paid, their social insurances covered, their contributions for their pensions, and now they will retire, pension time will come and they have no safety net. Many times it is about the woman that, although she had the best results in high school or university and started her career, because she needed to be at home to take care of the first child, the second child, the third child, she could not, of course, have a career at the level of her talent. She had to interrupt once, two times, three times, and of course her career evolution was hampered and in the end the pension that she will get is also affected. So what is a woman? A woman is for sure that person that works twelve months and gets the salary for ten months. That woman is for sure that person that might work for an entire year, day and night – physical, emotional, mental labour – taking care of another person and in the end will not be able to get a pension for it. It is a reality that we have a gender care gap in the care sector. It sounds so technical. It can be debated ideologically, it can be debated, in the end, also economically. But the important thing is that in a Europe where we uphold rights, this needs to be addressed. With this motivation, next year we will present a European care deal. It will address the most important elements: working conditions, attractiveness of careers, accessibility of services. It is connected with what I mentioned in previous debates here in the Plenary: the anti-poverty strategy and our work on a potential directive on activation. I will deploy all the resources that this Commission has so that we make an improvement that matters in the lives of people that care for others. This is a legacy that we need to leave behind.

Madam President, I cannot express enough my gratitude for this important topic today and tomorrow. The care society, one that doesn't limit opportunities but rather creates opportunities and the gender gap that exists and needs to be addressed. So I will thank Parliament for this debate. I will thank the two rapporteurs for their work on the report, and I want to underline the important challenges that require the right solutions to the measure of these important challenges. Of course, we see in the report how clear it is that the scale and persistency of the gender care gap in Europe is present. Behind the gender care gap, however, we can also see an options gap because too many times too many Europeans do not feel that they have real choices when it comes to their need to balance work, family responsibilities and care responsibilities. For some women, for many women, they just have to do the maths and realise that after they pay their their child's day-care or a parent's care facilities, going to work just doesn't make financial sense for them. But choice can also work in other directions, because I have never met a mother or father for that matter, who did not wish that they had more time with their new-born before returning to work or people who wanted to care personally for an elderly parent. And nobody should be penalised for that ambition and for that option and for this necessity. Of course, families across Europe have different traditions, have different care realities, and we are not here to tell people how they should organise their lives. But we do have a responsibility to make sure that people truly have choices and real access to the rights and resources that really make these choices possible. That is what equality actually looks like. And in practice, when it comes to addressing the gender care gap, it means making work more attractive with higher salaries and with better working conditions. So in that spirit, we will continue to support, as was also mentioned here, the full implementation of the rules already driving the change, like the Minimum Wage Directive and the Work Life Balance Directive, and the upcoming Quality Jobs Act will also be an opportunity to strengthen workers rights, including in the care sector. This is true for all workers, but even more for those 6.2 million people ‑ and it is mostly women ‑ who are employed as formal care workers. Their essential work too often goes unrecognised. And beyond work, it means having the social infrastructure that should be in place, high quality childcare, long-term care that is both accessible and at the same time affordable. We are helping Member States to invest in these areas. This is true, and this is thanks in big part to the cohesion policy, to the European Social Fund Plus, to the European Regional Development Fund, and the total amount is about EUR 10 billion. And on top, around 15 % of the estimated investment from NextGenerationEU is dedicated to education and child care and health and long-term care support. We are also building on the 22 European Care Strategy, our recently presented social package on strengthening the European Child Guarantee, and one of the key elements covered by the child guarantee is access to to care and medical care, the roadmap for women's rights and our gender equality strategy. Thus bringing together political action with Member States together and learning from each other. Supported by dialogue with stakeholders, these will shape an ambitious European care deal that we want to present next year. The care deal will have a strong gender focus because this is the reality of the care sector. It will support a more equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men and promote fair employment in care jobs. Honourable Members, a care society is one where care does not limit people's opportunities, as I've already mentioned. It is one where people have the support and have the freedom to choose how to live their lives. I thank you and look forward to the debates.

Mr President, thank you so much. One important call that I heard very loud is the budget. So clearly this Parliament has sent a very, very strong message that when we act to fight poverty, we also need to invest and support our Member States, and I really take note of this important call. Because in the end, if we look today at what the European Social Fund Plus does to help people – I was in Restos du Cœur in France, and I know of course very well what it means in Romania. It's the most concrete support that vulnerable people receive: a mother that buys the clothes and the necessary things for her newborn when she cannot afford to do so; or a young person that can prepare themselves, have a skills training session, so that they can work for a certain job; or support with hot meals for children that go to school and otherwise do not have the necessary means at home in their household. So it's very concrete. But let me tell you one thing. You know who are my interlocutors when I speak about this political priority? As much as possible, prime ministers. As much as possible, ministers of finance. Because of course, when I speak with you, especially those that are here today, especially when I speak with ministers of education and labour, we all send the same signal. But our struggle and our efforts are way beyond our roles in our social policy responsibilities. Fighting poverty is an economic imperative. It's a democratic imperative. That's why, beyond the need for resources, it is important that this strategy is a signal that we give in times of uncertainty, in times of shocks, in times where we see, yes, 90 million Europeans are at risk of poverty – but that does not take into consideration the recent crisis in the Middle East, the shock on the energy prices, and other potential disruptions. In those times, it is not enough to just think that competitiveness by itself will be sufficient to support our social fibre. We need to really prioritise our fight against poverty. So this strategy does that. It is not enough to have a big amount of money. You need to be strategic about how you invest that money. This is in the end the role of such a tool at European level: to be strategic, to focus our efforts, to work together. Again, I mention the important element of this strategy: the fact that it is a life-cycle approach, where you will see that we propose tools that support children; that support young people, adults that are looking for a job, or that are working and their salary is not enough to cover their daily, weekly, monthly expenditure; and people in old age. You will see that it refers to poverty that you inherit because your family, your parents, did not have the means; or it is about energy costs, housing, medical causes, or your background, whether it's ethnic, whether it's geographic. Poverty is very geographic as well. Thinking about Romania, for example, of course the numbers in such a country are quite high. Romania is still third in the EU in the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion – 27 %. Much needs to be done. But in the past ten years, with the support of the European Social Fund Plus and the entire cohesion policy, the number dropped from 37 % to 27 %. This is progress, but we are responsible so that together we deliver much more together, and much more ambition is necessary. With this conclusion, I go back to work, and I count on your partnership so that we work together.

Mr President, thank you for this opportunity to be able to discuss with you here in the plenary the EU anti-poverty strategy and the overall social package that we adopted in the European Commission on 6 May. I must start with the figure, with the numbers of truth that drive our action. That is that one out of five Europeans (that is, 93 million people in Europe) are at risk of poverty, at risk of social exclusion. And for children, the number is one out of four. That would mean some 19 million children that are in this precarious situation. For the European Union, with the indicators, with the economy, with the domestic internal product that we have, this is really unacceptable. And it is not just unacceptable, it is not something that we could have not avoided. With this in mind, we have adopted this social package that has three tools inside, three components. First, the communication on the first‑ever EU anti-poverty strategy, which sets a very clear path forward on making significant, accelerated progress towards our 2030 headline target addressing poverty in adults and in children. But of course, it is an important boost towards our 2050 ambition to help eradicate poverty. So this is the main and most ambitious goal. Then the second tool is the communication on strengthening the European Child Guarantee. And it is very important because it is exactly the tool that breaks the generational transmission of poverty. The third tool addresses another critical issue: housing. We have set forward a proposal for a Council recommendation on fighting housing exclusion. Now, all three parts of the package include and announce concrete tools, practical mechanisms that can help us advance together in the European Union, in full respect of the competences that Member States have, that the European Union has, but also with the mindset that we have a collective fight against poverty. Before I turn to substance, I also want to thank you, the European Parliament. And it's an honest 'thank you', because it is about the many conversations, the many debates, the many resolutions, reports, engagements with you bilaterally, with the committees, with the intergroup – all these contributions have shaped this package and have made for a better anti-poverty strategy. It's not a perfect anti-poverty strategy, but because of your contribution, it is a better tool for Europeans. Of course, many asked, why come with the strategy and why at this moment? Main answer is this one: we are running out of time. As I've mentioned, we have committed that by 2030, we will take 15 million Europeans out of poverty. Is it too much? Is it too little? I have told you the overall numbers. But even if we look at this ambition, we are still at only 3.7 million Europeans that have been effectively supported and relieved and taken out of poverty and social exclusion. So we are barely on our way there. We are barely making it. So in a world that is anyway shocked, that is undergoing so many challenges, this is not the way to go on our road to reduce poverty. We really need to step up. We really need to accelerate. So this strategy gives us very concrete deliverables on how to do that. We built it on three main priorities. First, it is about quality jobs. It is about quality employment, because this is the surest way out of poverty for those that, yes, can work. And this year, the Commission will launch this first second‑stage consultation of the European social partners on possible EU action to support the activation of people excluded from the labour market. That could become a legislative tool. Let us see what the consultations will tell us. We are also committing to continue tackling in-work poverty directly, because many who have a job are still living in poverty and exclusion. Numbers say 8 % of all workers in the EU. But we know how dynamic these numbers are and we see the pressure of the cost of living, the affordability crisis. So numbers indeed are important, but we have to take them in context. Second, the anti-poverty strategy refers to access to quality services, because people in poverty and at risk of vulnerability face a fragmented access to services and systems that are many times different to navigate for them. Many do not know what services they are eligible for or how these services can really help them. So we will propose a Council recommendation on integrating access to services. Integrated access is quite essential so that we can address this: a better outreach for people who need support, a faster needs assessment, better cooperation between administrations and integrated and personalised support plans for the people who need assistance. Third, the strategy is about mobilising all actors – a whole‑of‑society, wholesale approach. Because fighting poverty is a collective responsibility. That is why we call on Member States to appoint a national anti-poverty coordinator, who should be positioned at the highest political level – in the prime minister's/president of the council's office, if possible – so that we make sure this top political priority makes it possible to tackle this huge challenge across the whole of the government, not just in one ministry, one agency, and across the different governance levels. We are also deepening our partnerships – with Parliament and in particular with the intergroup on fighting poverty, with the Committee of the Regions, with the Economic and Social Committee, with the private sector, with the philanthropy sector, through the coalition against poverty that we are preparing to launch and, crucially, a partnership with people who have experienced poverty themselves through a new tool – a structured dialogue that we are putting in place. We are also strengthening the European Child Guarantee. The aim is to improve access to education, to healthcare, to healthy nutrition, a healthy meal, to adequate housing for every child in need. Because we know that the best social investment that we can make – and it is an investment – is in the first years of life. Also, we are including a housing recommendation proposal that gives Member States a clear framework looking at a person‑centred, housing‑led, preventive approach. We need to act before people lose their homes. We need to support them with integrated services when they need it, and we need to support Member States to deliver on the supply of affordable social housing for those that are at risk of exclusion. So, honourable Members, this strategy is our collective answer to the needs of millions of Europeans who are struggling. We have set the course and now we need to walk it together. I look forward to your questions and to your input.

Mr President, thank you so much for the input from this debate on the European Semester process. Just a few remarks on some important topics which are reflected in the European Semester process, but are also present in our citizens' everyday lives. We are looking at topics such as energy prices, housing, but also their security, skills and how we prepare them for the transformations of our economy and budget, how we invest in Europe. For all these topics – and you have mentioned different views on them – for all these topics, the European Semester process is extremely relevant and has a direct impact on what the EU does to support Member States to support its citizens. Obviously, monitoring the situation of the housing prices, the affordability, the accessibility of housing is quite central to the monitoring processes of the European Semester, and there is an outcome. The outcome is the affordable housing plan that we have adopted, following up to which we are deploying all the tools that are meant to support Member States to respond to this important challenge. Looking at the evolution of energy prices, of inflation driven by energy prices, we monitor them through the Semester and we are, again, acting at European level. We have approved the affordable energy action plan. We are continuing to work on these topics and it is absolutely relevant that through the Semester, we are able to assess the vulnerabilities, the risks of the European Union and able then to act to strengthen our economies together. As important it is to mention that we need to be coherent in our efforts for our common security and our common defence, and the European Semester allows for Member States to deviate from fiscal rules so that by activating the defence escape clause, they can invest jointly in a common concept of security providing for procuring for military equipment. That is, as was mentioned here, inside the common cohesive European vision and approach. We invest in people. We have presented the first human capital recommendation in this European Semester, which is exactly about helping the European Union invest coherently across industries, across value chains, in the skills that people need so that we are able to empower them and make them able to benefit from the opportunities of new transformations in industry, but also protected from the restructuring or the vulnerability of the same industries. Obviously, it is important to note that the European Semester is quite linked with the budget's elaboration. This Semester is particularly linked to the next multiannual financial framework. So obviously, the way that we shape the next European budget is closely linked with what we monitor, with what we collect, with what we do through our coordination mechanism in the European Semester. Every debate on this topic remains relevant and important. It is a technical tool, but with tremendous direct impact in Europeans' lives. Thank you for your input and those will obviously be taken into account in our work at the European Commission.

Madam President, honourable Members, I would like to thank the two rapporteurs for their reports, which provide a valuable contribution in view of the European Semester priorities for 2026. This cycle was launched in a context marked by increased global uncertainties and by multiple economic, social and security challenges. Our competitiveness and our sustainable prosperity are fundamentally challenged by economic and social divides as well as by pressures from technological change, demographic shifts and shifting global landscapes, and by the accelerating impacts of climate change. A lack of innovation and low productivity growth risk to undermine our long-term growth potential and our social welfare state. And in this overall context, enhancing Europe's competitiveness and resilience must remain a key priority. I very much welcome the clear message from this Parliament that investing in people's skills, promoting quality jobs, ensuring social fairness and affordable, accessible and sustainable housing are central to the resilience and competitiveness of our economies and of our societies. The Parliament has been a strong partner for the European Commission to progress in this direction, and it is also thanks to your strong engagement that we now have an economic governance framework that places economic and social objectives on an equal footing. The European Semester will remain the central mechanism for coordinating the implementation of policies at national and regional levels. Many of the policy levers to regain competitiveness and improve our prosperity rest within our Member States and our regions. For instance, Member States and the regions have an important role to play in taking action to improve the business environment and reduce bottlenecks for the efficient allocation of savings. Also, policies to strengthen education and training are key. The social convergence framework is by now an integral part of the European Semester. It is a key tool to deliver on the principles and objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and this requires ambitious reforms and ambitious investments that should be put in place by Member States. Despite the remarkable resilience of the EU labour market, in fact the strong job gains in recent years have only been matched by a muted or limited reduction in poverty risks, including for those that are in employment. Moreover, skills and labour shortages in key sectors remain sizeable and continue to pose bottlenecks for productivity and fair, green and digital transitions. And for the first time this year, the Commission has proposed a new recommendation on human capital, as announced also in the Union of Skills last year, focusing on skills gaps in strategic sectors and making better use of skills intelligence. Turning now to fiscal policy: sound public finances remain the foundation of a sustainable and stable economy. We have already made a good start with the implementation of the new fiscal framework – we now need to keep up this focus and enhance the efficiency and quality of public spending and of revenues. This is especially important given the immense demands on public finances in the context of fiscal sustainability risks in many of our Member States. In particular, Member States should make effective use of the temporary flexibility within the fiscal rules for defence spending. Honourable Members, the draft report rightly focuses on the issue of delivery. What ultimately matters most is that our policy recommendations are eventually implemented on the ground, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the cohesion policy have already had a positive impact on boosting the implementation of crucial reforms and investments. We need to continue on the same track. This is what we do with the Commission's proposal for the next multiannual financial framework. And in this context, we will step up our efforts further to improve the engagement with and ownership of recommendations in the context of the European Semester. Let me conclude by stressing that continued dialogue with the European Parliament remains an essential part of the macroeconomic policy coordination under the European Semester.

Mr President, thank you for the debate. What is clear, of course, is that we need to work to design a targeted and balanced policy response to all the challenges linked to subcontracting that you've mentioned. Our aim in the Commission is – I've said it and I repeat it – twofold. First of all, to protect the workers who are deprived of their rights in subcontracting chains. At the same time, to recognise the added value of subcontracting as a legitimate business model. Here, listening to you, I must acknowledge that I had two concepts in mind. Subcontracting chains that do their job and subcontracting chains that are designed to abuse, to exploit, to get cheap labour. And these are two separate concepts, I must say. Your report that will be voted on tomorrow is a very good document – it identifies challenges that are in place that were debated today. What are the risky sectors? What is the scope to be covered? What mechanisms, solutions can be used? I mention again here joint and several liability, direct liability, and who is responsible. This is very important. You also underlined in the debate the need and the importance to leave enough flexibility to companies. You stressed also the role, too, of enforcement and labour inspections, national-level, cross-border. We will take into consideration the inputs that you've offered, and of course the vote tomorrow, in the two initiatives that I've mentioned. First, the fair labour mobility package, and then the Quality Jobs Act. In doing so – I'll mention it again – I do not believe that it is acceptable that we have a labour market with more speeds – workers of first class or second class. It's dignity that we need to offer to our citizens and our workers. It's the promise of social rights in a dignified Europe, and together we can achieve this. Thank you again for the report, the topics and the debate.

Madam President, honourable Members, let me express my gratitude to the rapporteur – Johan – and to the shadows for this report, which is very timely for the Commission. On 4 December last year, I presented the Quality Jobs Roadmap and on the same day we launched the first-phase consultation for a Quality Jobs Act. At the same time, we launched our preparatory work for our fair labour mobility package, which will come this year. In all these documents, subcontracting is presented as a key priority. Subcontracting, I will tell you, is a legitimate business model. I think that it is very important for small and medium-sized enterprises across Europe. Through subcontracting, companies can have access to specialised expertise. They can quickly adapt so they can meet changing business needs and they can stay competitive. But, at the same time, as was stressed by Enrico Letta in his report, subcontracting can also lead to abusive practices and to poor compliance with employment rules, as was mentioned here, such as failing to pay wages or social security contributions or to ensure, and this is even worse, the safety of the workers in their workplace. This, in turn, can create unfair competition and lower the quality of jobs. This happens particularly in high-risk sectors, as we call them – we could mention construction, logistics, the food industry, but these are just examples. Therefore we are now exploring how the European Union should act to tackle such practices that lead to exploitation and to abuse of workers. This does not mean hindering our businesses' freedom to conduct their business. It means ensuring fair competition and, above all, it means protecting workers' rights. Let me draw your attention, in particular, to the existing legislation in the European Union on labour mobility and, notably, on posting. The posting rules already include a mandatory direct subcontracting liability in the construction sector, and evidence shows us that a majority of Member States put in place direct liability – some extended it to the full subcontracting chain and extended it beyond construction to all sectors where posted workers are concerned. The European Commission is also currently working with the European Labour Authority to be able to facilitate the stronger implementation and enforcement of the applicable posting rules. The question now is: what more can and should be done? In the first-phase consultation for the Quality Jobs Act, we indicated that, especially in sectors where data show that the risk of fraudulent practices is considerable, further action could exist. I will name some of this: assessing how liability schemes can be applied at national level – direct liability, joint and several liability, etc.; looking at strengthening enforcement efforts, including via our European Labour Authority; enhancing transparency in national systems like, for example, by using pre-qualification or certification systems or national registers, without imposing additional burden; or exploring how social dialogue could contribute to the respect of existing rights. Your report today, which will be voted on tomorrow, indeed provides the European Commission with important further orientation for our work. Let me again mention labour mobility. As I said at the beginning, there is a specific cross-border dimension to the challenges that are linked to subcontracting, which is also linked to less transparency and more difficult enforcement, especially when it comes to labour intermediation and the presence of third-country nationals. The fair labour mobility package intends to look into such challenges, as I have mentioned. Finally, as your report reiterates, a number of demands regarding subcontracting can be addressed also in public procurement. Thus, I would recall that the upcoming revision of the Public Procurement Directives is underway and can address this. The impact assessment that we are working on will carefully analyse the issues that have been raised. Of course, I am looking forward to hearing your views, to exchange with you, to the result of the vote tomorrow – as I have mentioned, this is extremely important for the Commission's further work on this very important topic. Again, I cannot fail to mention that I think it's our duty to make sure that labour mobility and labour in general, when connected with our European Union and the single market, shows its light face – the lights of positive opportunity – and not its dark face. This is what should drive our work forward.

Madam President, thank you for a very rich and intense debate. I thank you, João, for the report, for the proposals. I thank everybody who contributed. Of course, it is no easy task to take on the battle against poverty and exclusion, but I think it is a task that we must all embrace, and to do so with all the energy and all the belief that our citizens need it and deserve it. We cannot speak of democracy, of security, of safety, of prosperity while you accept that 100 million Europeans are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, out of which many children. I want you also to know that I appreciate the strong calls for the reinforced Child Guarantee. And as I've said, it will be a central part of our of our anti-poverty strategy. And of course, it's an important part of the MFF discussions and debates. But I will emphasise again and again, as I mentioned in the education debate, intervening into this area, fighting poverty is systemic. It is going beyond what we invest with the European Social Fund Plus or our social budget in Member States. It is a holistic approach, and it is a holistic vision that we need to embrace and to tackle through all policies, from health care to fiscal policies. It is a mix and this needs to be evermore important tackling poverty as we are looking at our society facing technological AI transformations, transformations that help us for the better, but that also must empower our citizens. So with this in mind, I hope that we will work together so that the anti-poverty strategy is strong, it delivers, and that we are able to achieve our 2030 targets, and especially to pave the way for our 2050 ambitious objective of eradicating poverty in Europe. As ambitious and as complex as this dream might be.

Madam President, honourable members, thank you. As you know, this year we will adopt the European Union's first ever anti-poverty strategy. And this should send a clear signal that, in 2026, we cannot accept that around 93 million people, that is 20 % of the EU population, are at risk of poverty, are at risk of social exclusion. And that 1 million people experienced the most severe form of poverty, namely homelessness. We want to send a strong message that nobody should feel forgotten. On the contrary, we want to stand by and support people that are facing hardships. At a crucial time in their lives when the cost of living has become a huge concern, and when many cannot afford basic goods and services. An EU strategy to tackle poverty can only be a collective endeavour, starting by its design. We have consulted very broadly Member States, civil society, businesses, social partners, people experiencing poverty, including children. And we have collected a broad array of evidence and recommendations on a good way forward. The Parliament's INI report is obviously an extremely valuable contribution and I'm very grateful for it. I'm very glad to see that our findings converge to those of this House. And I would highlight five elements which I think are quite important. First, taking a fundamental rights approach also means recognising that poverty is multidimensional. Addressing poverty is not only about income, but it is also, as I was saying earlier, about access to housing, employment, education, health, child care, long-term care, energy, transport and other services or food. There are also other barriers to moving out of poverty, like health issues, like disability and many times like stigma. And therefore, it is essential to take a person-centred approach to make sure that different policies can really help and not to contribute to worsening poverty or its drivers. A second element: we need to address poverty throughout the life cycle of a person. Looking at children, at youth and working age population and at old age, and try to focus on the specific needs of the different stages in life. And one area of focus will be the strengthening of the European Child Guarantee, as was asked in this House many, many times. Taking such a lifecycle approach is also a key element to intergenerational fairness, and the strategy will look into the territorial angle and the gender dimension of poverty. And this is quite important. Thirdly, I want to mention that our ambition is to combine a strong, supportive approach with a strong preventive approach, meaning supporting both those in poverty today and at the same time making sure that we create mechanisms to prevent that others are falling into poverty tomorrow, in particular in the context of rising cost of living, and also by focusing and investing on children and in our youth. Fourth element, we will not address poverty with just social policy alone. Even in this House and in many contexts, we debate amongst ourselves the social policy promoters. But if we want to address its root causes, we must take a systemic approach and address poverty in all relevant policy areas, ranging from energy, transport and agriculture to digital, financial or fiscal or even justice policies. A fifth element I want to mention is, of course, what I always say, that we need to work always together: public and private actors, civil society and social partners at EU level, at national level, regional and Communities. This also means that it means that we need to hear the voices of those that experience poverty firsthand, and we need to recognise the value of their expertise in improving these policies. And this, for me, is quite important in delivering this anti-poverty strategy very soon. I thank you for your contributions. I'm looking forward to hearing your views and to working together to deliver on our efficient anti-poverty strategy in Europe.

Madam President, I say to the Members, thank you for the very diverse contributions that you offered today – a lot of challenges, some common to our European Union, some more local. What is clear – and I want to emphasise that – is that the European Union, in the context of our enhanced cooperation, in the context of the support we give to Member States in education, is one of the most important investors in education in our Member States. EUR 135.5 billion is the total amount that the European Union is investing only in the current MFF 2021-2027 in education. Here, of course, I include Erasmus, which many of you mentioned, but I also include a part of the European Social Fund+, a part of the European Regional Development Fund, which finances educational infrastructure and a large part indeed of the recovery and resilience NextGenerationEU package that went and invested into our education infrastructure. So, we start from a strong platform for investment, but we need to do more – because it was said here that we see that the results of our children in standardised tests concerning basic skills – those that equip them for a world that is more and more disruptive, for a society that is online, offline, more and more exposing them to vulnerabilities – these basic skills are decreasing. So, as I mentioned, and I count on this House, on Parliament, we need to enhance our political commitment with Member States towards improving basic skills, towards improving skills portability, the working conditions of teachers, just to name a few, and the inclusiveness of our education. But it is also important that the negotiations for the next MFF will be focused on education and – as I mention to ministers of finance, to prime ministers that I meet – education is key for our preparedness, for our competitiveness and for our resilience. The skills of the young and of the adult alike are absolutely essential for our social fibre and for our shared future, and this is, I think, something that unites all of us political families and institutions in the European Union. I do count on your support, as we will go through the next initiatives that I've mentioned today: the education package, the skills portability initiative. Working together, I think we can improve a lot of the issues that were today raised here.

Madam President, honourable Members, we know that education is the great equaliser of opportunity. But this is only true if every child and every learner in Europe and beyond has access to high quality, inclusive education, no matter their origin, no matter their gender and no matter their background. In Europe, we can be proud of our education and training systems. Yet pride must go hand in hand with honesty. We must recognise where inequalities persist and where change is needed. In a world that is shaped by new technologies and artificial intelligence, how we learn, how we adapt, and how we think critically will be just as important as what we learn. That journey starts with building strong foundations like literacy, mathematics, science, digital skills, citizenship, education. Reversing the decline in basic skills is at the heart of the Union of skills policy that we proposed last year. Last year as well, we adopted the action plan for basic skills and this autumn in 2026 as part of a bigger education package, we will go further with a basic skill support scheme for schools to support children and young people who are struggling to keep up. Teachers are also central to every learner's success, and they deserve our full support and our full attention. And yet, too many are overworked, undervalued, and sometimes leaving this beautiful profession. A quarter of Europe's teachers are more than 55 years old, and they will retire in the next decade, while not enough young teachers are stepping up to replace them. And without motivated, well-equipped teachers, there is no education system and there can be no equal opportunities for all. And that is why, and this is very important, I will also present as part of the education package, the EU agenda for teachers and trainers. We must also strengthen vocational education and training, making it more attractive, more innovative and more inclusive, in line with the Herning Declaration that was adopted in September last year during the Danish presidency of the Council, and this will be the goal of the European VET strategy that I will also present this summer. European action must work in synergy with national strategies. That is equally important. With the Commission's proposal for a Council recommendation on human capital, we put stronger emphasis on education inside the European Semester. This is an important process that is of particular relevance in view of the next budget, and how the funds will be allocated in the next MFF. And education needs to be central. EU funding can be a powerful catalyst for reform, and our proposal to increase the funding of Erasmus+ by 50 % is a clear signal of our ambition. But this is clearly not enough. We need much more investment in education. It is about public funding with the national regional partnership plans. But it is also, I would say, about mobilising private funding. And on this, let me stress the key importance and opportunity that we have with the newly proposed European Competitiveness Fund, that is to support innovative education and training and to bring in private investment as well. Finally, I will also mention our global gateway, through which we continue to support access to quality education beyond the borders of Europe worldwide. Of course, inequalities in education do not start in the classroom and they cannot be solved there by themselves. Too often, an equal access to health care, housing and social support translates into unequal learning opportunities. A child who is unwell, who changes home frequently, or who lacks a safe place to study, starts each school day with a clear disadvantage. If we are serious about equal opportunities in education, we must look beyond schools and work across sectors, across policies, bringing together education, health, housing, employment and social services, just to name a few. Only a systemic approach can ensure that every learner has a fair chance to succeed. Honourable Members, today, more than ever, investing in education is a strategic investment in our competitiveness, in the resilience of our societies and democracies, and in our shared European future, a future that is grounded in our common values. I invite you, of course, to continue to work together to make education truly live up to its promise that it is the great equaliser for every learner everywhere.

Madam President, honourable Members, the debate today shows the importance of our ongoing efforts to promote the abolition of the death penalty worldwide. Let us be very clear. The death penalty is incompatible with the right to life and the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill treatment. It is an affront to human dignity. Proponents of the death penalty often base their argument on deterrence. However, studies consistently show that states with capital punishment do not have lower crime rates than those without. The death penalty also makes miscarriages of justice irreversible and any reformation and social rehabilitation impossible. I want to stress that even if the current trend in some countries is alarming and requires a firm stance from the European Union, there has been significant progress in the abolition of the death penalty in the last decades. Two thirds of all states are today abolitionists in law or practice. This positive trend is also reflected in the growing support for the biennial resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, in the UN General Assembly. Last time, in December 2024, the resolution was adopted for the first time with a two-thirds majority of all UN states voting in favour. We will continue to call on those few remaining states that still carry out death sentences to introduce a legal moratorium as a first step towards full abolition. We also see the upcoming World Congress against the Death Penalty, to be held in Paris at the end of June this year, as an important opportunity to engage with civil society and states from around the world. I assure you that the European Union will continue to work towards the abolition of the death penalty in the countries that still retain it.

Madam President, honourable Members of the European Parliament, abolition of the death penalty is a long-standing priority for the European Union. Our position on it couldn't be any clearer: we object to its use in all cases and in all circumstances – no exceptions. Regrettably, 2024 was a record year in executions, and the preliminary data concerning last year, 2025, indicates that executions have significantly increased further in some countries. The significant increase in the global number of recorded executions in 2024 – that is +32 % – was mainly attributable to three countries in the Middle East: Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Iran accounted for 64 % of them. Having said this, we should note that it is estimated that executions and death sentences in China remained in the thousands last and previous years, although the figures remain a state secret, as they do also in North Korea and Vietnam. In 2024, over 40 % of all recorded executions were related to drug offences, in clear violation of international law. The information we received at the beginning of the year indicates that around 1 200 persons were executed for drug-related crimes in 2025. This would represent an over 90 % increase an drug-related executions as compared to 2024. Hence, I want to stress that it is not only of concern that the number of executions is further rising, but also that capital punishment is increasingly being applied to offences that do not meet the threshold of most serious crimes under international law, understood as crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing. Furthermore, the effect of the death penalty is often discriminatory, with disproportionate impact on racial, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, foreign nationals, and the LGBTIQ+ community. Many facing the death penalty are executed following unfair trials after having been subjected to torture and other forms of ill treatment. In the hands of authoritarian governments, the death penalty can become a political tool to instil fear, to repress opposition and quash the exercise of fundamental freedoms. Honourable Members, the death penalty has no place in the 21st century. Our fight against it should continue. The EU guidelines on the death penalty remain the anchor of our external action. The EU continues to raise this issue with all states that still retain capital punishment in law and and/or in practice. We use our political and human rights dialogues, as well as démarches and other bilateral meetings, to raise concerns in relation to fair trial standards, due process guarantees, discriminatory application and other minimum standards under international law. Other tools include trial observation, support to human rights defenders, public statements, and engagements in multilateral contexts, such as the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council. One of our most important achievements is the increased cooperation with civil society on the ground. In July 2024, the EU initiated a framework partnership to support the new Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition, composed of 25 abolitionist organisations operating in 40 target countries. This cooperation has been instrumental in empowering civil society to more effectively advocate for abolition in the target countries and coordinate action at regional and international levels. This is crucial as civil society continues to lead efforts against the death penalty worldwide.

Madam President, Members, I thank you for quite a lively debate. I attend many debates and this was lively, important, but polarised on certain issues, and it should not be. Somebody said that there is no Europe without social Europe – this is what the Commission believes and this is what I believe. I greatly appreciate your questions and the level of ambition that you want to set for all the topics that are important for our social rights. I won't respond to each and every one of you, but I will say this: the European Pillar of Social Rights delivers. Go and speak with the people about how they perceive Europe and they will say that they know that the Minimum Wage Directive – in some countries where it has already been implemented – has helped them have a higher income. This is quite important. Turning to Romania, Ms Grapini asked about child poverty. The European Child Guarantee in Romania has an allocation currently at about EUR 7 billion out of our European Social Fund Plus. But that is not important; what is important is that while, yes, one out of three children is at risk of poverty and exclusion, the story that must come from this Parliament and from this European Union is that 200 000 Romanian children were lifted out of risk of poverty and exclusion in 2024 with the help of the European Social Fund Plus. We must share the story that from almost 40 % children in in risk of exclusion, we are now at 33 %. Because if we do not give hope that what has been implemented already – while not enough – has delivered, then we don't have the fuel to continue to deliver on our social ambitions. So it is extremely important that when we say we will have a strong European anti-poverty strategy, a fair labour mobility package with legal initiatives to strengthen the European Labour Authority and to have a fair treatment for workers, that when we say we have a Quality Jobs Act to deal with AI challenges, but also subcontracting, people will believe that we mean it because we have already proven that our words become realities in people's lives. Together – Commission, Parliament, Council, governments – we have a tremendous duty for this pillar of social rights to remain extremely ambitious in a very complicated context. I invite you to support us to continue to set the bar high, but also to continue to share, with credibility, the success story of European social policies thus far and the European Pillar of Social rights and the first action plan thus far, and to help us fill in the gaps. Thank you so much for your commitment and I think throughout 2026, beyond this action plan, with all the initiatives that will be put forward, we will be able to go in front of the citizens with very concrete initiatives that follow up on what has already been provided.

Mr President, honourable Members, I would like to thank this House for the oral question that you adopted in December on the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan. It gives an important opportunity to us to take stock of where we are so far in the mandate and what is yet to come. A large number of policies, measures, legislation and guidance have been agreed since the Pillar Action Plan was adopted in March 2021, so the tools and instructions manual are ready. But now we have to be vigilant in making sure that the fair, inclusive and resilient social Europe that we want and that we need continues to be actually built. The 2021 Action Plan shows results, progress has been recorded. However, we need to do more, we need to do better and we need to do faster in some areas. Therefore, the full implementation of the 2021 Action Plan remains an imperative. Some people might believe that the commitments made five years ago to strengthen labour rights and social protections in the European Union are no longer a priority with global developments and the associated, more pressing matters always on our doorstep. But I believe that the opposite must be true. If we want to increase our resilience and our competitiveness – and I've said it numerous times – Europe needs to embrace even more tightly the values of equality, fairness and opportunity on which it was built. Last year, the Commission carried out a review of the 2021 Action Plan to understand what has worked well, whether there are gaps and where future possibilities and priorities should lie. We are currently analysing the results and finalising this review. While the impacts on the ground of the action plan are unfolding, the feedback we received confirmed the importance and the relevance of our pillar. Meanwhile, we have adopted during this mandate a number of of key initiatives: in December, we adopted the Quality Jobs Roadmap, giving a clear message that every job in Europe must be a quality job. That is how we attract talent, that is how we reduce in-work poverty and that is how we strengthen Europe's competitiveness. This includes ensuring that people furthest from the labour market can be brought back in, helping address both social cohesion and labour shortages. The Union of skills that we presented earlier in March 2025 will help us turn the tide so that young people and those of other ages are better trained and prepared for what lies ahead. In December, we also launched the first phase of consultation of social partners on a forthcoming quality jobs act, which covers many of the areas that you mentioned in the oral question. This year, 2026, we will adopt the first-ever EU anti-poverty strategy, a Council recommendation on fighting housing exclusion and a strengthened European Child Guarantee. The anti-poverty strategy will have a strong, person-centred life cycle and preventive approach, also in view of the increased cost of living pressures. We will also present this year a fair labour mobility package with a legislative proposal for a European social security pass, a legislative proposal to strengthen the European Labour Authority, and a skills portability initiative that is meant to remove barriers to worker mobility. When it comes to funding, under the proposal for the next MFF, we have, for the first time, a system that will be put in place to ensure that systematic and transparent monitoring of the contribution from the EU budget towards social objectives is performed, and this is a major step forward – and you know of the proposal concerning the minimum 14 % social investment commitment for all national plans. We will present the results of the review of the 2021 Action Plan in July. Future actions will be defined on the basis of a thorough analysis of implementation but also, importantly, in view of the gaps and the new needs that have been identified. The new actions will complement and strengthen ongoing and planned initiatives, thus contributing to supporting the EU's competitiveness but, more importantly, its resilience and preparedness at societal level. Honourable Members, I count on your continued support. I am looking forward during this debate to hearing your ideas, your contributions on how to make these instruments as effective as possible in the current context in Europe.

Mr President, thank you for the very valuable debate, for your contributions. It is important to reiterate that drones and drone defence are a top priority of the Commission, and clearly also of the Parliament. On my side – because my portfolio is connected with the work on our own defence industry – it's important to note that designing a defence industry that extracts value from our European talents, from our students' education, from our STEM education, the skills creating jobs, high-quality jobs related to this field, is extremely important. Because in the end, we want an industry that is not fragmented, that is efficient, that is able to scale – although that is dependent, of course, on the professionals, on the talent, on those that work in this topic. So, I invite you, of course, to support this report with your vote later today, and all other related topics that have been raised in the debate today can be replied by my colleagues from the Commission.

Mr President, honourable Members, I thank Mr Pozņaks and the shadows for this important report and urgent call to action. Drone and counter drone capacities are top Commission priorities. As the Commission and the HR/VP presented in the defence white paper already nine months ago, and in the defence readiness roadmap in October. The drone danger threatens all of Europe. It is part of the toolbox of hybrid warfare, and we've seen drone incursions and airspace violations in Poland, in the Baltic Sea and also in Romania, the country that I know best. And we've seen drone disrupting airports all over Europe. Drones threatening our critical infrastructure and the EU's internal security. Russia and other malicious actors use drones to challenge our safety, our security and our supply chains, and to test our defence readiness. They impact directly our citizens, for example, through spreading fear and through airport closures. And equally, our economic actors, including critical entities. We must develop cutting edge-capacity capacities to detect, to track, to identify and to neutralise incoming drones. And we must use drones to deter and to defend. Learn from Ukraine, where drones halt the Russian advance on land and force the Russian navy into its ports. Efficient drone defence needs integration and cooperation on radar surveillance, on command and control. In short, EU added value. That's why already last October, we proposed flagship defence projects. Complementing the work of the European capability coalitions, flagships will be led by Member States with the support of the Commission and of the HR/VP. The European drone defence Initiative to develop multi-layered, technologically advanced and interoperable counter drone capabilities. And at the Helsinki summit in December, Member States took steps forward on the Eastern Flank Watch flagship project to guard the eastern border on land, in the air and at sea. Member states included drone and drone defence in their SAFE loan proposals, and EUR 1 billion from the European Defence Fund is being used for drone and counter drone prototypes. The European Defence Industry programme offers new money to de-risk investment and should be mobilised also in support of drone production. Moreover, EDIP will include measures to protect supply lines for crucial company components. We strengthen supply lines also through the Chips Act, through STEP and through the Critical Raw Materials Act. Drones, counter drone systems and other defence technology is evolving at an unprecedented speed. The battlefield is changing and so must our defence industry. The EU Defence Innovation Scheme and the European Innovation Council, as well as the European Defence Hub for EU defence innovation, will continue supporting new defence actors, so that we can develop drone and counter drone technologies through the producer-developer-operator model. Furthermore, we set up the Tech Alliance: Talented SMEs, start-ups, scale-ups that connect with Member States. The first industry roundtable meeting was in November on drone defence. Also, we presented our European defence industry transformation roadmap to do more than build a better drone or a better tank to build a better defence industry, a fully connected ecosystem linking innovators and industry to soldiers in the field. We must speed up. That is true. Our new pilot programme, AGILE, aims to cut development down from 6 to 12 months. We are learning from Ukraine. We have the most dynamic defence industry in Europe. In the Brave Tech EU initiative, sharing knowledge and linking EU to Ukrainian companies and through the drone alliance that we are setting up with Ukraine. Also last week we proposed EUR 90 billion in loans for Ukraine, and I thank Parliament for triggering the urgent procedure so that we can quickly get this to support Ukraine. Drones and their ecosystems offer opportunities not only for our defence but also internal security, including border protection. In the face of recent incidents from drones against the security of critical infrastructures, there is a need to enhance the coordination, the ambition and the visibility of our actions through a comprehensive approach. The Commission will soon come forward with an action plan, which will cover the multidimensional aspects of drone and counter drone capacity. Its objective will be to enhance the EU's preparedness to prevent impactful incidents, to better detect malicious activities, and to deploy the right capacities so that we can respond faster to the threats. And drones also offer massive opportunities for our economies and for our societies. We already have one of the best legal frameworks for civil drones in the world. Last summer, 54 Members of Parliament asked us to make Europe a lead market on drones, and now we can make that happen because of dual use. What's good for civil drones will also be good for our defence. So let's work together so Europe can lead on drone industry and on drone defence for our benefits and for our protection.

Madam President, honourable Members, Jimmy Lai has now been detained for more than five years. Most of this time, he was held in solitary confinement. In December, the Hong Kong High Court convicted him on national security grounds, and he now faces a lengthy prison sentence and will likely spend the rest of his life in jail. The trial against Jimmy Lai was politically motivated. He was prosecuted for his support for freedom of expression and for democracy in Hong Kong. The independent newspaper that he founded, Apple Daily, was forced to shut down in 2021, and six former journalists from Apple Daily were charged. This is a striking example of the clampdown on the free and independent press in Hong Kong. It demonstrates the dramatic decline of the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong since June 2020, when Beijing imposed the National Security Law on Hong Kong. Since then, hundreds of opposition politicians, journalists and civil society activists have been arrested. Most independent media outlets were forced to close and many civil society organisations had to disband. A free and independent media is vital for resilient societies and ensuring government accountability. Criminalising speech and political dissent breaches Hong Kong's international commitments and its own Basic Law. The prosecution of Jimmy Lai further undermines confidence in the rule of law, a cornerstone of Hong Kong's attractiveness and success as an international business hub. The European Union, through its office in Hong Kong and Member States' representations on the ground, has closely followed national security trials and regularly attended the court hearings. The EU has repeatedly raised its concerns in public and in meetings with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. Today, the European Union reiterates its call for Jimmy Lai's immediate and unconditional release. The European Union will continue to call on China and Hong Kong to adhere to the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong's Basic Law, to respect international commitments, and to preserve the 'one country, two systems' principle.

Madam President, honourable Members of the European Parliament, we share your concern regarding the case of Mr Joseph Figueira Martin, a European citizen currently detained in the Central African Republic. Since the outset of this case, in May 2024, the High Representative and the European External Action Service have been closely monitoring developments in coordination with the Belgian and Portuguese authorities. While the European External Action Service and the EU delegation support coordination and information-sharing, they do not provide direct consular services themselves. That remains within the competence of the Member States. Belgium and Portugal have been granted access to Mr Figueira Martin and are providing him with regular consular assistance. Both in Bangui and in Brussels, on every possible occasion and at all possible levels, we have consistently stressed to the Central African authorities the imperative that Mr Figueira Martin's rights are fully respected. We have also underlined the importance of ensuring that his conditions of detention meet international standards, in line with the Central African Republic's obligations under international law – including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Convention Against Torture – with a view to achieving his liberation, and we will continue to do so. More broadly, the European Union remains deeply concerned by the human rights environment in the Central African Republic, particularly in areas where the Wagner Group has been active. The EU has repeatedly condemned the actions of this group and its affiliates, which have been associated with serious human rights abuses and violations of the international humanitarian law. The Wagner Group has been listed under the EU's Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, along with key individuals and entities operating in the Central African Republic. The European External Action Service and the EU delegation in Bangui, in coordination with Belgium and with Portugal, will continue to follow with great attention the developments of Mr Joseph Figueira Martin's legal case, but also of his health. We hope for a positive outcome, to which we stand ready to contribute within the remit of our competencies, and we extend our sympathy and support to his family.