Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, we are all here in the European Parliament because we firmly believe in the founding values of the European Union. But it is important to say that the beating heart of the European project is not found inside these buildings, but in the territories to which each of us belongs. I am talking about the regions and the city and today I am speaking to you not only as a Member of the European Parliament but as a member of the municipal council of my city, Ostuni. And I tell you with certainty that the environmental, social and economic challenges that are talked about so much here, rightly, are addressed first and foremost by the municipalities, which are at the forefront of the fight against social exclusion, in the implementation of measures related to the green, industrial, digital transition, in the fight against climate change. What can Europe do? It must support regions and cities, involving them in all decision-making stages, especially in cohesion policies, and improve their access to funding. I conclude by taking advantage of this space to thank all the local administrators for the great work they do every day.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, today we are celebrating World Mental Health Day, but we must remember that mental health requires daily action that must be courageous and concrete. Mental health cannot be treated as a secondary issue. Today, 84 million people in Europe live with mental disorders and the costs to society exceed EUR 600 billion per year, or 4% of European GDP. It is a problem that concerns each of us and that has been further exacerbated, as my colleagues have said, by the ongoing crises: the pandemic, which has forced us into social distancing measures; inflation, which brings families to their knees who can no longer shop and make it to the end of the month; unemployment, which does not allow young people to find their own autonomy. These are all aspects that affect our mental health. The European Commission finally launched a comprehensive strategy last year that focuses on three key pillars: prevention, access to quality care and social reintegration. This is a step forward, but we call for mental health to be integrated into all EU policies, from education to work and social inclusion. We must make full use of European funds to strengthen the training of professionals and to promote innovative tools, such as telemedicine, which can improve access to care, especially in the most isolated areas. We must vigorously combat the stigma surrounding mental disorders. Here, we will always continue to fight for a fairer, more inclusive Europe, where no one is left alone to face their own problems.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the agricultural sector on its knees, water rationing for families and the increase in fruit and vegetable costs are some of the consequences of the drought emergency that is affecting many parts of Europe, in particular the South of Italy. This year, for example, temperatures in Sicily, Puglia and Calabria exceeded 45°C for several days, causing devastating crop losses. And while in these days the floods and floods hit Emilia Romagna – to whose citizens all my solidarity goes – only yesterday President Meloni asked to cancel the Green Deal. In fact, floods and droughts are closely related and are the result of those climate changes that Europe should fight even more strongly. At Meloni we say: Environmental policies such as the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy are not a whim, but a necessity, a necessity to defend our productions and the food security of our citizens and the citizens themselves. We of the Five Star Movement propose the creation of a climate emergency fund for the prevention of these natural disasters, through policies attentive to territories and future environmental challenges. The future of the world we live in is in our hands. We have to take care of it.