What Michele spoke about.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe must remain a leader in health and technology, protecting the well-being of our citizens. But current industry regulations are complex and limit innovation. In her mission letter of 20 September to the Commissioner-designate for Health, President von der Leyen clearly identified as one of the priorities of her mandate the need to ensure both the availability of medical devices and the strengthening of the competitiveness of the medical technology sector. The College of Commissioners should make it a primary objective to cut red tape for businesses to ensure that EU rules are fit for purpose. The European Commission is asked to speed up the regulatory review process of the medical devices sector, otherwise our global competitiveness is at risk. This review will not only benefit innovation, but above all it will facilitate access to prevention and treatment for the European citizens whom, I am sure, we all want to guarantee.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today we are dealing with a crucial issue: drought and extreme weather events, which pose a growing threat to our communities and European agriculture. In the context of climate change, these challenges cannot be ignored. Agricultural regions – I am thinking in particular of those in southern Italy, which is at the heart of our economy – are suffering devastating impacts. Water scarcity compromises crops and reduces productivity, putting food security at risk. Farmers – who are the guardians of our land, not the enemies – face ever higher costs and unprecedented uncertainties. It is our duty to act. We need investment in state-of-the-art infrastructure and adaptation strategies that ensure the protection of our land and farmers. It is essential that the European Union coordinates activities between Member States, creating an early warning system and an emergency fund to support affected communities. Together we can turn this crisis into an opportunity to build a stronger and more sustainable Europe. Our actions today determine the future actions of our generations.