Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, if one of us suffers from a fever, a cough or a chill, it is only natural that he should ask his doctor to diagnose him and start the necessary treatment. How many people have these symptoms in Europe each year? Millions. But there are millions of young people who have a serious illness with symptoms that are not physically obvious: depression, anxiety, loneliness. Some, as has already been said by others before me, come to suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among our young people in Europe, after road accidents. While young people are being absorbed by social media on their smartphones, in a virtual world, we don't build real-world alternatives for them, or build too few. Culture, education, research and international exchanges should offer more real spaces in which to grow and confront each other. Europe, on the other hand, is worried about investing in weapons and cuts funds to programs such as Horizon and Erasmus, exactly the programs that open doors, create links, give perspectives. In this Parliament’s Committee on Public Health – a Parliament that often fails to have the unity needed to solve the problems of our society – we decided, once all together, to launch a study on the mental health of young people on the European continent. I hope that in a few months we will have more data and that this data will push us to invest in the necessary resources, so that a young person with mental health problems can be treated without delay and without stigma, like a patient with pneumonia or diabetes.

Madam President, I visited Birkenau and Auschwitz with Sami Modiano, who was deported there at the age of 13 and lost his father and young sister there. I visited Hiroshima, a museum that shows tragedy and destruction. I will not live long enough to visit the Museum of the Destruction of Gaza and to hear the voices of my great-grandchildren asking 'but where was great-grandfather in those years? How could this have happened?' Thanks to your young age, High Representative Kallas, you will still be there and you will need to change the subject or hide, because you will not be able to explain to your grandchildren how, in a position of power representing Europe, you did not do the impossible to stop those shooting children begging for water and bread. Nor did you raise your voice when your President called to express solidarity to a war criminal who, in your silence, carried out a genocide.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are facing a genocide that cries out for justice: More than 55,000 Palestinians have been deliberately killed, including thousands of children. Gaza is now the leading place of death for children on the planet. Europe must act with harsh and lasting sanctions, Mrs Kallas: Total arms embargo, immediate suspension of all agreements with Israel. No more hypocrisy! Netanyahu should not be called on the phone to be supported, as Ursula von der Leyen did. What a shame! Netanyahu must be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity. Every day late is a bloody day. We recognize the State of Palestine. We have been waiting for him for seventy-seven years, probably twice his life. Stop the genocide.

Madam President, the President of our Commission has outlined her priorities: ending oil imports from Russia and pursuing a rearmament plan. First of all, I personally find it offensive speaking and leaving without listening to the voice of Parliament. She announced that the financial value of all imports has decreased from EUR 12 billion to less than 2. We should be pleased, but did it help Ukraine? Did it stop the war? No. The second strategy is creating EUR 800 billion of debt to buy weapons, including landmines. I have seen with my eyes the horrific physical and psychological damage landmines inflict on the bodies of veterans. They will not be a roadway to peace. The only true path to peace is the pursuit of peace. President Von der Leyen showed wisdom in one concept: embracing Ukraine in the EU. Before leaving, she told us that she is working hard on this. Maybe next time she can spend a few more minutes with us and display what she is doing as proficiently as she speaks about weapons.

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, when Trump declared 'we will take Greenland one way or the other', I felt the responsibility to study and learn. I travelled with a group of Greens to Greenland, and what I found was not a place of conflict, but a land of peace and charming people used to fully living in an incredible environment – an environment of incredible biodiversity. The people of Greenland are watching us, hoping that Europe will be serious and consistent. They wish for a deeper partnership with Europe, but we need to respond promptly and with openness and innovation. Ursula von der Leyen opened a European Commission office in Greenland kind of late, only one year ago. That was a first step, but now Europe must prove that its presence means action. The greatest risk we face is not someone else's arrogance, it is our own slowness.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, rare diseases are different from many other diseases because other diseases are usually quickly diagnosed and then put into a treatment process. In rare diseases the patient does not know what he is suffering from and wanders from one hospital to another, from one doctor to another, desperately and groping in the dark, sometimes in search of a diagnosis and a cure that does not arrive. This morning it seemed to me that most of the speeches agreed on the need to act: That is, Commissioner, 5.2 billion over 25 years is obviously not enough, and you know that. The biotech plan is certainly innovative and important, but it is not enough. We need to unite our efforts and unite them in a truly transnational way, to tackle a problem that affects all our citizens. In short, we must make a common effort, and this effort cannot take place without resources. As they say: No money, no mission.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are discussing how to share rifles and cannons, instruments of death. But the tools of life? What is the value of a European Union if a child in one of our countries can access a life-saving medicine and in another cannot? Whether our health depends on the market, on interests, on borders? We have seen what it means to be unprepared, we have seen it with Covid: They lacked masks, essential medicines, respirators. Today, some hospitals still lack cancer drugs, life-saving drugs. Europe, the cradle of public health, cannot become the continent of health inequalities. The Critical Medicines Act It's a step, but it's not enough. We have to make it a reality, because millions of citizens are waiting for answers and many, waiting, are dying, Commissioner. Health is not a privilege: is a right; a right that we are called to protect now, now, here! We must strive for strategic independence, not only on weapons, but also on drugs.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, young people who are isolated and fleeing society, distressed by the economic crisis, the labour crisis, the climate crisis. They feel excluded and the majority is not interested in politics because they believe that here we do not deal with them. They live an anxiety that leads them to withdraw into themselves, as has just been said, with very serious forms of psychological suffering. A recent survey indicated that 70% of 16-24 year olds have felt depressed or hopeless in the past 12 months. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents on our continent, second only to road accidents. This is why our work of studying, analyzing and planning investments for the mental health of our young people is urgent. The current numbers indicate how little has been done so far. In Italy, for example, 25 million were allocated to psychological care in 2022 and subsequently decreased to 9 million per year between 2025 and 2027. Many of us in the Committee on Public Health want to focus on this issue and ensure that in a year's time, instead of dramatic figures, we can come up with concrete solutions. We owe it to our young people and we owe it to the future of our continent.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate agreement and the withdrawal from the World Health Organization, as well as the suspension of humanitarian aid, represent an unprecedented threat to international cooperation and global stability. The United States is responsible for about 13% of global CO2 emissions.2Second only to China. Their withdrawal from the Paris Agreement undermines global efforts to limit global temperature rise. The United States contributed 18% to the World Health Organization's budget, funding crucial programs to treat HIV, tuberculosis, malaria. I heard a little while ago about a health passport. As a doctor I can assure you that viruses and bacteria do not need a passport to infect and cross borders. And if we do not want to help the poorest countries out of solidarity, we should do so at least out of selfishness. The European Union must strengthen its role in promoting international cooperation. Our strength lies in the unity to build a sustainable, healthy and just future for all.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Trump began his term of office by reaffirming concepts that were already expressed during the election campaign, but which today become concrete actions that challenge the values on which our Union is founded. I want to name a few. Trump did not call on the President of the Commission to highlight the marginality of Europe in his worldview. He said he wanted to put an immediate end to the conflict in Ukraine, but he wanted to do so in dialogue with Putin, excluding Europe. He signed executive orders to release those who assaulted Congress – the seat of democracy – and revoke protections for transgender people in American prisons, exposing them to very serious risks. He also signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. We know that the courts and Congress could limit these decisions, but the political message is clear: values such as respect for human rights and democracy are in jeopardy. If we do not react, now and forcefully, we will accept years of irrelevance and allow others to write history, betraying what we are and what we stand for.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, let us imagine a world in which the air we breathe is not contaminated by smoke or harmful aerosols. It is not a dream but it is an urgent necessity. People who are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke, whether from burning cigarettes or from electronic devices - and I want to repeat this before Mr Fiocchi - are exposed, against their will, to the same health risks as active smokers. And I'm talking about cancer and cardiovascular disease, because the nicotine in the aerosol causes cardiovascular disease. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable and we must protect them with our decisions: Otherwise, what is our role here? We have the support of civil society, which, as is often the case, is ahead of parliaments. European Union citizens want smoke-free environments. The vast majority of Europeans want smoke-free offices and restaurants, and the majority also want smoke-free bars. We must act without hesitation to create a healthier future for all. Public health, as Alessandra Moretti mentioned before me, the public health of all must prevail over the economic interests of industry.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, as High Representative Borrell said, the election of Donald Trump is a call for reflection for all of us. It comes at a time when Europe seems to have lost its soul, its role as moral and cultural guide. We are divided, fragmented in the face of the challenges that will define our time: wars, climate, migratory flows. The war in Ukraine should have awakened in us a strong, united and determined reaction to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible. Instead, we risk becoming mere spectators of the action of men like Trump, Putin and Elon Musk, a private individual who owns more satellites than the great world powers. It's our last call: If we do not respond now, if we do not defend the values we erected on the ruins of the Second World War – peace, fairness, social and civil rights, self-determination of peoples – we risk destroying everything that the generations before us built.

(beginning of the speech outside the microphone)... effective and holistic migration, says the title. I suggest starting with the intellectual honesty, absent in that part of this House two days ago, which rejected the debate on deportation and detention in a prison. lager outside Europe, migrants fleeing violence, hunger and poverty. The Meloni government's agreement with Albania has a precedent: Guantanamo Bay, where prisoners can be treated outside the law. But in the case of Guantánamo, these are suspicions of terrorism. This is the "holistic" treatment of desperate people. I imagine that each of you last night, including Mr Procaccini, whom I thank for listening, had an excellent dinner and this morning an invigorating hot shower. Here then is the holistic vision in the words of the Italian Vice-President of the Council, I quote: Borders are sacred and dogs and pigs come to Europe. I don't know about pigs, but our beloved domestic dogs in Europe receive far more holistic treatment than the Melons government...

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we must recognise the urgency of joint action on mental health. A challenge that cannot be won piecemeal. We need a common engine, a shared vision that guides our investments on a scientific, cultural and economic level. We can change our future, but we must change our attitude. Many have said it before me. We need to target resources strategically. On the one hand, we must ensure care for patients with established pathologies. On the other hand, we need to invest in prevention, research and innovation. An advanced IT system is indispensable that collects all our data, with reliable result indicators and constant monitoring. Only then will we be able to assess the effectiveness of our investments and ensure mental health that leaves no one behind, not only through care, but by making prevention a priority across our continent. Mr President, Commissioner, I have, as you have, listened to everyone who has spoken so far. It looks like every Member of the Parliament, regardless of their party, agrees on what is needed. I guess it is time now to go from words to action.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, each of us must undergo checks. Think of exams like a mammogram, an MRI, a CT scan. It doesn't matter who you are and what role you play in society. Tonight's President in this House, if you have to undergo a radiological check, has no idea whether the machinery used is new or too old. It relies on the system, and that's right. But the system is also us. As a surgeon, I know what it's like to use an outdated device. It can affect the accuracy of the diagnosis and therefore the future of the patient's life. In Europe, more than 30% of diagnostic devices are over ten years old, with peaks exceeding 70%, exposing patients to inaccurate diagnoses and too high radiation. Thanks to European funds, some facilities have been able to start renovating this equipment, but that is not enough. The replacement of medical machinery must be a priority for every state, so that every citizen, wherever they are in Europe, can access contemporary and safe technologies. It is not a choice, it is a moral obligation.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed the staging of a being who would like to hide the dramatic reality of his regime. He spoke of values, while trampling on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Europe continues to withhold funds intended for Hungarian citizens because it does not want them to be used by a dictator. A dictator who established the state propaganda office by law, as did Mussolini and Hitler before him. He was right to mention among his friends those who do not disdain the fascist salute, such as some so-called Italian leaders. Europe is a union of values and we will defend them because, as Gyula Illyés, a Hungarian poet, wrote: "Where there is tyranny, there is tyranny not only in the gun, not only in the prison (...), in the sky above even the Milky Way appears different, it appears as a frontier".

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I can only applaud what Mr Andrews has just said. The United Nations is a necessary institution, but at this historic moment it should be refounded. I quote two episodes lived during the "Summit of the Future". Two episodes linked to two of the most important challenges of our time: climate change and wars. On September 22, at the Summit of the Future, John Kerry publicly stated the ongoing failure of the ecological transition and also outlined the solution. He said that every year, in international assemblies, in parliaments, we discuss how much to invest in the ecological transition and we discuss, we argue about deciding to allocate 200 or 300 billion dollars. In fact, he said that 5 trillion would be needed and that these 5 trillion would be there. The United States has a GDP, a gross domestic product, of 25 trillion, China 17. If we combine the twenty most industrialized countries, the solution would be at hand. The next day, on 23 September, we met with the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. As a member of the European Parliament delegation, I asked him to explain to us what had happened in the last week of March 2024. As you all know, on March 25, with a decision that has never taken place before, the United States gave the go-ahead, not exercising veto power in the Security Council, for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. So all the great powers of the world agree. And what happened? Bombings, massacres, deprivations of all kinds continued, which even led to the re-emergence of the polio virus. What was the position in both failures? Politics. So what is the use of the United Nations? What are parliaments for...

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, for months we have been witnessing unbearable images, death and violence of all kinds. Hatred grows day by day. And how could he not? Madam President, imagine that you are a mother, that you are in the Gaza Strip, that you see your little girl running towards you with her arm torn apart, her muscles and bones exposed because they were hit by the shrapnel of a bomb. And that mutilation will accompany her for the rest of her life. Right now, Netanyahu – and those who support and protect him – is Israel’s worst enemy. Netanyahu uses hatred as a poison, a poison that protects and keeps alive and free him, a war criminal, while killing thousands of innocent lives, distorted by war and despair. You can't keep looking the other way. Israel suffered a violent, terror attack, but Netanyahu was responsible for the genocide of the Palestinian people. We have to and we have to stop it.

I didn't hear the first part, but I understood the meaning and my answer is clear. You see, honourable Member, I believe there are only two possible solutions. One is that the whole world goes to war against Putin, and that means that this House will disappear. The other is how conflicts in humanity have been resolved over millions of years. Just study the history: Do you remember a conflict that was not resolved by peace negotiations? I don't.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, there is no doubt about who is the aggressor and who is being attacked, so support for Ukraine is right. But continuing to talk only about bombs, missiles and cannons cannot lead to a ceasefire. There is an immediate need for a peace negotiation: If it doesn't happen, it will be a disaster. Europe's leaders are playing Russian roulette, as in the movie The hunter. In 48 days, the U.S. will have a new president. What is Europe doing, besides hoping that it is not Trump? Hope is not the best strategy. Trump made it clear to the world seven days ago: If elected, he won't even wait for the inauguration. On 6 November, he will call his friend Putin – as he called him, "friend" – and the war, he says, will end in a week. Ukraine is in Europe and Europe should be the main actor for a peace solution. If in these 48 days the President and the High Representative do not enter into negotiations, they will condemn Ukraine to lose its territories, they will condemn Ukraine to lose many more lives and they will condemn Europe to be insignificant in the world. A truly failed start to Ursula von der Leyen's new term.