Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, first of all I would like to thank my colleague, Mr Maran, from whom I inherited this dossier. This is my first speech in this House and it is happening at a very uncertain time for Europe. As we speak, at the borders of the Union, war is no longer a distant scenario: It's a reality. The news from the Middle East is dramatic, while Ukraine continues to fight also to defend our values and our security. In the face of all this, Europe cannot afford divisions. Yet the fragmentation of our defence costs us between €18 billion and €57 billion every year. Wasted resources, duplicate capacities, inefficiencies that weaken the Union. This is why defence flagship projects are essential, first and foremost, to build a true single market for defence, to support our SMEs and to strengthen strong and transparent European governance. Domestic investment alone, of course, is not enough. Without a common strategy, they remain fragmented and ineffective. European security can no longer remain a project: It must become a reality.