Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, cohesion, infrastructure, young people, simplification, the right to remain: These are some of the words that go through the heart of this relationship and synthesize its spirit. Words that are not slogans, but real demands that come strongly from those who live and administer local realities. Territories that speak with the voice of administrators, families, entrepreneurs and young people who want to build a future without being forced to abandon their roots. Areas calling for a closer, more concrete, fairer Europe. This report has the merit of bringing to the European Parliament those requests that we have collected in months of listening and direct discussion. That is why I would like to thank Mr Nesci for his excellent work, with a participatory approach and real attention to the needs of communities and the dignity, as he said before, of rural areas and their inhabitants. If we want to build effective European policies, we must start with sincere dialogue with the internal areas, with the small towns, with those areas often left on the margins, but which build the soul of Europe. The Commission is devoting a great deal of attention to this issue and we very much appreciate it. It is there, in the villages, in the countryside, in the hearts and in the less central places that Europe can rediscover itself and the meaning of its original mission.

The next item is the debate on the statements by the Council of the Commission on: "The Illegal Visit of President Erdoğan to the Areas Occupied by Cyprus" (2025/2705(RSP)). I would like to remind the honourable Members that this debate will take place in a single round of speeches by speakers from the political groups. Therefore, there is no catch-the-eye procedure and "Blue Card" interventions will not be accepted.

The next item is the debate on the Commission statement on: "Democratic lawfulness and contains authorisations of genetically modified organisms by the Commission, despite Parliament's objections" (2025/2645(RSP))

The next item is the debate on the statements by the Council of the Commission on: "Resilience and the need to improve the interconnection of energy network infrastructures in the EU: the first lessons of the blackout in the Iberian Peninsula" (2025/2686(RSP)).

The next item is the report by Thomas Bajada, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Security, on the European Water Resilience Strategy (2024/2104(INI)) (A10-0073/2025)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we want a European budget that looks to the future but with its feet firmly planted in the real needs of people, without ambiguity and with more certainty. We have sent out some signals with the amendments in the committees and they have been accepted. The first, the family, is not a marginal voice but a pillar of European growth, as is the fight against depopulation, especially in rural areas. If we want to tackle the demographic decline, we need courageous, structural policies that focus on those who build communities every day: mothers, fathers and children. And also the local authorities: We cannot talk about cohesion if we leave out those who really know the territory. Municipalities and regions must be active from the beginning to the end of the procedure. Some progress has been made on smart and sustainable infrastructure: not only energy and transport but also water and digital tools. Finally, a principle that seems simple but is not: Simplify. Break down bureaucracy, give clear and accessible answers to those who want to invest in their territory and make our production system competitive. This is the framework where we imagine that we can work together, that we can work together on a real budget for a stronger, closer and more concrete Europe.