Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, Europe wants to be a leader in modern industry, innovation and clean technologies. However, our potential is often hampered by complex and lengthy permitting processes. While elsewhere in the world, projects are being prepared and approved in a matter of months, in Europe, investors have been waiting for permission for years. Europe today does not need more forms, it needs more projects. Overlapping rules, unclear competences and endless administrative procedures are slowing down infrastructure, industry and weakening the competitiveness of our economies. We need permitting processes that are fast, transparent and predictable. Let us shorten deadlines, simplify procedures and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy. If we want to invest in Europe and not elsewhere in the world, we must act now.

Madam President, Europe is living today in a time of growing geopolitical tensions, but too often our response is rhetorical rather than strategic. We are talking about global responsibility and a rules-based order, while in key power fora, including the UN Security Council, Europe's real influence is waning. In addition to the US, Russia and China, Europe is increasingly seen not as a decisive actor, but as a moral commentator on world affairs, which should worry us, because who does not have the power to enforce the rules, it is no wonder that others cease to respect it. For too long, Europe has covered up the lack of real power with liberal rhetoric. We moralize, we make statements, we instruct others, and at the same time we comfortably live under an American security umbrella. This may seem virtuous, but it is not sustainable or sovereign. A strong Europe will not be created by further weakening Member States or centralising power in Brussels. It will come about through the cooperation of sovereign nations that are able to protect their citizens and take responsibility for their own security. Only then will Europe regain external respect and trust at home. This is the vision that we, as Patriots, defend for Europe.