What Francisco spoke about.

6

May

2025

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An urgent assessment of the applicability of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba (debate)

Madam President, Madam High Commissioner, let us be serious and clear. The nature of the Cuban regime is absolutely indisputable: a one-party regime that criminalises all forms of political dissent and social protest; a regime whose new penal code is even more restrictive in relation to the promotion of civil rights; a regime that undermines all fundamental freedoms and constantly monitors what is known as ‘civil society’. This is the portrait of a dictatorship, as indeed all Marxist-Leninist regimes have been throughout history. I understand, however, the argument of those who believe that keeping open a channel of dialogue on human rights is, nevertheless, maintaining a possibility, even if sometimes tenuous, of putting pressure on the regime and positively influencing the direction of the country. But it must also be remembered that, even now, the regime has chosen to revoke the parole it had granted to José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro in response to a request from Pope Francis to release political prisoners. This, I believe, is a clear sign that the regime has no intention of alleviating repression and exploring a different path for Cuba, quite the contrary – it is a shocking display of cynicism.

6

May

2025

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A unified EU response to unjustified US trade measures and global trade opportunities for the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the new American leadership presents itself with a clear purpose - to destroy the global order based on international law and replace it with a transactional vision of the relationship between states where, inevitably, the strongest dominate and impose. We must make it clear that protectionist mercantilism has never been and will not be the solution, and that the tariffs imposed by the United States represent a penalizing setback for the global economy of consumers, especially the poorest and businesses. In this context, Europe must assert itself as the region of free trade and must strengthen ties with partners closest to us. The EU-Mercosur agreement has therefore gained vital importance, not only because of its economic potential, but above all because of its geostrategic dimension and the affirmation of common values such as democracy, the rule of law and human rights. There is, however, one essential element that we must not lose sight of at the moment: while Donald Trump and his administration are circumstantial, the transatlantic alliance is long-lasting and essential. Europe must react resolutely, but also with intelligence and consideration, to a wrong and erratic policy which, incidentally, first and foremost harms the American population itself.

2

Apr

2025

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Execution spree in Iran and the confirmation of the death sentences of activists Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, here we are again today, unfortunately, to talk about one of the most atrocious and violent regimes in the contemporary world: The Iranian theocratic regime. And to talk about people who have been sentenced to death and who have been sentenced to death for one reason only: because they dare to fight, with limitless heroics, this barbaric regime, this regime that oppresses women and men in their own country. There are several cases. We refer here to two in particular, but there are many more. In the prisons of Tehran and other cities of Iran there are hundreds and hundreds of people waiting for death. It is the response that the regime finds for all those who insist on continuing to fight against arrogance, against authoritarianism, against total disregard for the most elementary human rights. Let's not have any illusions. This is one of the most atrocious regimes we are facing today. And there's only one way we can go: it is the way of denouncing the regime and the way of solidarity with its victims and with these men and women who heroically continue to resist. That is our duty and that is our responsibility.

2

Apr

2025

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Delivering on the EU Roma Strategy and the fight against discrimination in the EU (debate)

Mr Oliveira, I fully agree with you and it is clear that this contributes to this hate speech against the Roma. I just want to remind you of something very important: in the penultimate Portuguese Government, a minister, who is now a Member of Parliament, our colleague here in the European Parliament, Ana Catarina Mendes, led a process with a view to carrying out a very extensive study on the situation of the Roma community in Portugal. Unfortunately, it appears that this study has not yet been carried out. It is a serious shortcoming and I believe it is a commitment that we must make to the country. It is a shame, in fact, that we are in this situation, because Roma communities are communities that accompany, have been part of Portuguese history for hundreds and hundreds of years. They are Portuguese just like the others and as such they have to be treated.

2

Apr

2025

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Delivering on the EU Roma Strategy and the fight against discrimination in the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the Roma communities unfortunately continue to suffer from structural discrimination throughout Europe. They are denied access to fundamental rights such as education, health, housing and justice. Despite a number of EU strategies, including the Rome 2011 Strategy, the risks of exclusion remain very high. These communities are often victims of forced evictions and face a constant violation of their basic rights. While the European Commission has a key role in ensuring anti-discrimination legislation, such as the Racial Equality Directive, the lack of political will and insufficient responsibility of Member States are still very significant obstacles to the necessary changes. The Commission's recent assessment confirms that while some processes have been initiated, the promises have in most cases not translated into concrete and effective action on the ground. But beyond that, these communities are now the victims of a special attack by some far-right forces across Europe. This is the case in my country, Portugal, where the far right has clearly chosen this community, the Roma community, as a prime target of its racist and xenophobic attacks. And in the face of this, we must respond in the strongest possible terms, seeking to ensure conditions of dignity for this community that is part of European history.

1

Apr

2025

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Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, the atrocities committed against the Congolese indiscriminately must have consequences for those responsible. These atrocities are unequivocally war crimes and crimes against humanity. And one of the biggest culprits in the escalation of violence, which is particularly cruel to women, is Rwanda – about which no one has the slightest doubt – which, moreover, is playing a double game in the region. It is committed to peace, but will arm and cover the M23 rebels, who have recently taken Goma and Bukavu. The European Union has the power to call the Rwandan Government to account and many appeals have already been made to this effect, to which I naturally join, suspending the cooperation projects it has with the country, until it puts an end to any collaboration with the armed groups on the ground today and makes a contribution so that these groups and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo commit themselves to the Nairobi process and engage in a genuine national dialogue. Of course, since the overwhelming majority of Congolese are Christians, it follows, of course, that the majority of the victims of the atrocities are also Christians. But to make such distinctions is something ignominious and barbaric.

1

Apr

2025

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Safeguarding the access to democratic media, such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the European Union is not just about policies, plans, strategies, agreements, regulations and directives. A union between peoples, such as ours, also needs symbols and the symbolic dimension of Europe has been sidelined for the benefit of other priorities. Radio Free Europe is one of the symbols of European identity and memory, because it was created in the post-war period to give voice to European values, to be a light for the peoples in the East who were suffocated by totalitarian communist regimes, crushed by false symbols and false idols. In the dark times we are living in again, the European Union cannot let that light, that symbol, go out. The winds blowing from the East – from Russia in particular – are, again, winds contrary to Western freedom and democracies. Radio Free Europe is not a Cold War relic. It is a symbol of free Europe in its own right and the European Union should take over its funding where appropriate.

1

Apr

2025

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Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024 (debate)

Madam President, Madam Vice-President of the Commission, this is a particularly important moment in the life of this Parliament. We cannot ignore the fact that human rights, viewed as universal rights, had their origin precisely here in Europe, in the year 1789, at the time of the great French Revolution. This was the first time that we defined that human rights, although applied to a country, had a true universal dimension. Since then, they have come a long way, but the truth is that in the last year we have seen a very serious setback in human rights practically all over the world. Looking at what has happened, we can mention, we can enunciate several serious problems. Democracies are retreating. There are far more autocracies than democracies around the world today and, above all, the value of democracy is widely questioned in various parts of the world. Executions have increased. The number of those sentenced to death has increased. Violence against women in some parts of the world has increased alarmingly and I must mention in particular that extreme form of violence which is sexual violence against women. Around the race for critical raw materials, which are fundamental to our own technological development, to the digital and climate transitions we are engaged in, new situations that undermine human rights are also being created around it. Big tech companies operating all over the world create new problems of disrespect for human rights in the digital world. The International Criminal Court, as has just been rightly mentioned, is today the subject of an unprecedented challenge and attack that could call into question its very viability. So we have no reason to be optimistic. We have an obligation to be attentive and to continue to support all those who, in the most diverse parts of the world, fight heroically for the affirmation of human rights.

12

Mar

2025

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Frozen Russian assets (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the times are very demanding for the European Union. All the answers and all the solutions to the world's serious problems are expected of her today. It is expected that she will act with immediate readiness, that she will replace overnight those who, as is the case with the United States, have backtracked on their commitments to security, to humanitarian aid. And many of those who were just pro-Europeans are hastening, at first, to portray the EU as weak or failed. But the truth is clearly different. Since the pandemic crisis, and still with the same legal armour as the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Union has lived up to difficult circumstances. He has acted, he has responded, he has reinvented himself. Just now, in the face of security threats on the horizon, the European Union has devised a plan of EUR 800 billion to re-arm. Even now, the European Union is preparing to respond to the tariff hostility of its old ally with a package of heavy tariffs. The news of a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine is a small relief, but nothing is guaranteed when there is a wordless interlocutor on the other side: Vladimir Putin. Therefore, the European Union cannot let its guard down. Ukraine is weakened and we must have the courage to use the 200 billion Russian assets frozen on our territories to keep afloat the ability of Ukrainians to guarantee their independence and the democratic values they share with us.

13

Feb

2025

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EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement (debate)

Thank you very much for the question. The agreement, in essence, as I have already said, is an agreement that guarantees and protects the various European economic sectors. Particularly in the field of agriculture, we have to have this debate. Let's see who wins and eventually who loses. If there are some European agricultural sectors that are going to lose, of course we have to find compensation mechanisms at European level, and that is what we have done over the years. If there is one sector in the European Union that has benefited greatly from European support, it is precisely the agricultural sector. It is probably the economic sector that has benefited most from the support over the years, over the several decades of existence of the European Union. Now, what is also not acceptable is the discourse that is being made about the state of agriculture in those countries. I know all these countries, I have visited them several times. In these countries, the law of the jungle does not apply. They are democracies, they are democracies with the rule of law and they are democracies increasingly concerned with keeping up with the big agendas on the issues of combating climate change, deforestation, etc. Let us also not make such a bad judgment of countries ...

13

Feb

2025

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EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement (debate)

Mr Oliveira, do not underestimate the democratic importance of this European Parliament. The agreement will be discussed and voted on here in the European Parliament; and this Parliament is also the expression of the will of the various countries, of the various peoples, of the various European states. The agreement is, in my view, a good agreement, it is an agreement that protects, in essence, European interests. There will be some sectors that may lose. In all agreements there is always that risk. Then we have to find mechanisms, safeguard clauses, support funds and that is what is planned. So this speech, which is a speech that aims to create fear in European society, with certain sectors of European society, is a speech that does not serve the interests of those you are supposed to represent and defend.

13

Feb

2025

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EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, this agreement is good for the European Union politically, economically and commercially. The European Union has every interest in strengthening its links with the Mercosur countries. We have deep historical, cultural and political affinities with this region. We are talking about a set of democracies. We must deepen these relations and nothing better than moving forward with the treaty. At a time when protectionism and mercantilism are returning in force, we must show signs of openness, a free trade agreement and an agreement aimed at properly regulating relations with another region of the world. We do not want a Europe closed in on itself. We want an open Europe. Europe needs to connect with other regions of the world. We need to source raw materials that we do not have on our continent. We need to establish trade relations that will boost our economies and, therefore, it is essential to finally ensure the implementation of this agreement. But there's something I want to say here. It is legitimate, of course, to be against this agreement, but what I have noticed, unfortunately, I think that on some left and many right, is that there is a real Trumpist discourse against this agreement, because it is a discourse based on the falsification of reality and a discourse based on the attempt to produce fear among the populations. Let us have a serious debate, a debate on the basis of the facts, a debate on the basis of what is actually in the agreement and not what some want to make believe is in the agreement, but is actually not there. This agreement is an agreement that should, can and should be discussed. We are starting this democratic discussion here. We are an open and democratic space, but we have an obligation to do so rigorously.

12

Feb

2025

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Repression by the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua, targeting human rights defenders, political opponents and religious communities in particular

Commissioner, like so many here perhaps, I was a young man in Portugal, a teenager, when I followed the fall of dictator Somoza and the victory of the Sandinistas, and I remember well the great hope that this created in all of us. But we quickly realized that we were facing an authoritarian system. Unfortunately, in the name of socialism, a dictatorship was in fact being established, and we cannot look differently at left-wing dictatorships or right-wing dictatorships. Dictatorships are always dictatorships and must be clearly condemned. The situation has worsened in recent years and, in particular, in recent months. The most recent constitutional reform was to strengthen the autocratic power of this real matrimonial dictatorship, which is in fact something specific in the world, to call into question the principle of separation of powers. This has already had consequences: more political prisoners, more people persecuted for doctrinal reasons, for religious reasons, for reasons of willingness to participate in civic life. Nicaragua is increasingly a country detached from the fundamental principles of freedom and democracy. This is a dictatorship in all its splendour. And we Europeans have an obligation, all of us, to express unequivocally our solidarity with the Nicaraguan opposition, the Nicaraguan resistance and the entire Nicaraguan people who are suffering the hardships of a violent dictatorship.

11

Feb

2025

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Protecting the system of international justice and its institutions, in particular the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner and Minister, the sanctions ordered by President Trump against judges and officials of the International Criminal Court may mean, in practice, the end of this court, which was created to enforce the Rome Statute and to try the most atrocious crimes of which human beings are capable. The end of the International Criminal Court would represent an unacceptable civilisational setback and would be a boon to the genocidal people of this world. It would also be an unacceptable blow to the millions of victims who see the ICC as their only chance for justice and reparation. However, there is no body other than the European Union that can come to the aid of the ICC and keep the international justice system afloat. The European Union has a single tool for this: blocking status, which allows circumvention of the extraterritorial effects of laws adopted by third countries. Here, triggering the blocking statute has become a categorical imperative. The European Union has a choice to make between justice and impunity, and cannot delay that choice any longer. What is at stake is nothing less than the survival of the international criminal justice system.

11

Feb

2025

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Escalation of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, what is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo today is yet another tragic chapter in the history of violence suffered by Africans. The report of the atrocities that come to us from the region is especially cruel, because they have as one of the main targets women and girls subject to rape, as a systematic weapon of war and affirmation about opponents. We must ensure that those responsible for these heinous crimes are brought to justice and that, as far as is humanly possible, reparations are made to the victims. We cannot ignore that Rwanda is one of those responsible for this escalation of violence. This country has played a double game in the region. On the one hand, it is committed to peace, on the other, it is arming and providing cover for the military forces advancing on Goma. The European Union has the capacity to hold the Rwandan government to account by suspending its partnership and cooperation projects with that country until it clarifies very clearly its participation in the clashes and puts an end to any collaboration with the armed groups on the ground today.

11

Feb

2025

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Wider comprehensive EU-Middle East Strategy (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, the European Union has historically shown great difficulty in dealing with the problems of the Middle East, which is understandable given the very nature of the European Union, which consists of several states with different and, in some cases, conflicting foreign policies. But never, as today, has a more active presence of the European Union in the Middle East been so necessary. What have we seen in the last few weeks, and in particular in the last few days? Absolutely demeaning and even obscene statements by the President of the United States when he refers to Gaza and the Palestinians, on terms that we all heard a few days ago and a few hours ago. A behavior of the government of Israel that is completely unacceptable. Israel now has the most extreme right-wing government in its history, and its behaviour even calls into question some of the fundamental tenets of Zionism. Because, no matter what position we have towards Zionism, this behaviour of Israel, of this government of Israel, completely departs from the generous principles, of some of them, that were at the basis of that movement. And, on the other hand, we also have Iran as a source of permanent instability in the region. In view of all this, the European Union must assume its responsibilities. Only we, I believe, will be in a position today, given recent developments in the world, to take a more active part in contributing to the recognition of the two States, to the viability of the two States. That means, I believe, first of all, and until recently this was not a clear thing, the recognition by the national states of the legitimacy of the State of Palestine. And I appeal, even in the case of my own country, which is Portugal, to move towards the recognition of the State of Palestine, because it seems to me to be a step forward towards resolving this problem. But the subject is complex and we cannot have Manichean views.

22

Jan

2025

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Systematic repression of human rights in Iran, notably the cases of Pakhshan Azizi and Wrisha Moradi, and the taking of EU citizens as hostages

Madam President, Commissioner, I rise in this debate to refer specifically to the situation of the members of the mujahedeen organisation of the Iranian people. As you will know, several members of this organization are being held in Tehran's Evin prison. Many of them are survivors and witnesses of the mass executions that took place in the late 1980s in Iran by the infamous death commissions. Members of the mujahedeen have consistently denounced human rights violations, torture and unfounded accusations against the regime's dissidents. Even from prison, they always express their solidarity with all prisoners on death row and call for an end to capital punishment, including through hunger strikes. Now, on January 7, two members of the mujahedeen had their death sentences reconfirmed by the Supreme Court: Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48. Both were subjected to physical and psychological torture of extreme violence. Amnesty International has called on the Iranian authorities to halt the execution of the two dissidents. This Parliament cannot but make the same appeal.

21

Jan

2025

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Humanitarian crisis in Sudan (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Sudan is still not as visible in this Parliament as it should be. Unfortunately, the European Union's commitment to the resolution of this catastrophic war continues to fall short of what is necessary, because no one is unaware that this war is probably the deadliest of all times. Despite this, the European Union seems oblivious to the macabre geopolitical interests at stake. There are no consequences for those who are profiting from war and paying for heavy weapons used indiscriminately in civilian areas. The United States has already imposed sanctions on the leaders of the two conflicting forces, as well as on funding sources linked to the United Arab Emirates. The European Union must follow the same path: sanction war criminals and hold the United Arab Emirates to account. Sudan should be one of the priorities of European foreign policy, given the scale of the tragedy that afflicts it. The fact that it is not means that, compared with other regions of the world, the European Union unfortunately continues to look at Africa as a kind of footnote.

21

Jan

2025

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Situation in Venezuela following the usurpation of the presidency on 10 January 2025 (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, in a democracy the rules are very clear: Those who win the elections have the legitimacy to exercise power and those who have the most votes win the elections. And so today, in Venezuela, the reality is very simple: there is a usurper installed in power and there is a legitimate president prevented from landing in his own country. That is the reality. That is why this Parliament must send a very clear message to Europe and the world, and in particular to the Venezuelan democrats, that this is our understanding and that we stand in solidarity with all Venezuelan democrats. Last session, I did not follow my group and I took a position of clear recognition of the President-elect of Venezuela. And it is with that authority, too, that I now want to say that it is not a great service to the Venezuelan democrats to take advantage of this type of debate to come and attack the legitimate government of Spain. It is a terrible service, it is an exploitation, it is an unacceptable instrumentalisation of those Venezuelans who, at the moment, are going through an extraordinarily difficult phase and are fighting for democracy. I don't think they need that kind of support. They need generous, deep, clear solidarity. A solidarity from Democrats to Democrats and not a solidarity conditioned by the will to oppose in one's own country of origin.

21

Jan

2025

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Need for actions to address the continued oppression and fake elections in Belarus (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the Belarusian regime is a puppet regime that caninely serves Putin's imperialist narrative. In a few days, a new electoral farce will take place for dictator Lukashenko to perpetrate himself in power. The European Union must not let the world forget the political opponents who fill Belarus' prisons, starting with Mikalai Khilo, who has been detained for almost a year on charges of insulting the dictator. This official of the Delegation of the European Union to Belarus was sentenced to four years in prison a few days ago. He remains an official of the European Union. You need to support him and his family. Your arrest must have consequences. The opposition has called for the people to revolt. In the 2020 elections, the people took to the streets to express their revolt and the regime shook, but Russia-backed violent repression got the better of them. The Lukashenka regime does not exist outside its osmosis with the Putin regime. And for that very reason, weakening Putin is irreparably weakening Lukashenko and creating an opportunity for Belarusians to get rid of this terrible dictatorship.

17

Dec

2024

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Toppling of the Syrian regime, its geopolitical implications and the humanitarian situation in the region (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner and Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, the images that have come to us from Saydnaya prison are a representation of the absolute evil of which human beings are sometimes capable. Unfortunately, absolute evil does not necessarily succeed good. And the Syrian reality is too complex and painful for us to look to the future with optimism. But let us look with some hope. There is now a path that clearly forks. On a path that we would want – highly unlikely – which would lead to a tolerant and multi-ethnic regime. And the one we do not want – but unfortunately it is possible – which would lead to the establishment of a violent repressive theocracy. The first question is to what extent the Syrian people will be able to freely choose their path and to what extent, unfortunately, other peoples and other states will not choose instead of the Syrian people, and this will be a mere plaything on the geopolitical board of the region. At this time, we know some statements from the rebels who took power. These statements point to a pacification of Syria, to an orderly transition, but they must be questioned. And we have an obligation to do so. We must ask them whether or not they will respect ethnic and religious minorities and seek harmonious coexistence. Whether or not they will hold war criminals, including those who have used chemical weapons against defenceless civilians, criminally responsible. At the same time, the European Union must now negotiate humanitarian corridors to help the population in need. And let's not forget one thing: Syria is destroyed and one of our first tasks is to strongly support Syria in its reconstruction process.

28

Nov

2024

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Strengthening children’s rights in the EU - 35th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ensuring that every child has access to fundamental rights is not only an ethical duty of all of us, but is the key to a fairer, more tolerant and brighter world. But children are still the ones who suffer the most from the physical and psychological violence with which adults punish each other. The children of Gaza, massacred without pity or pity, the Ukrainian children deported to Russia, the Afghan girls annulled by the medieval and religious fanaticism of the Taliban, the Sudanese children fleeing the civil war. And there are children who suffer right here in Europe. Child poverty affects almost 20% of our children. Access to quality and inclusive education is still unequal and migrant and refugee children remain on the margins or away from their parents. There is therefore still a long way to go in the area of the promotion and protection of children's rights, which is why it is important to mark the anniversary of this very important UN Convention.

27

Nov

2024

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The shrinking space for civil society in Cambodia, in particular the case of the labour rights organisation CENTRAL

Mr President, Commissioner, Europe is the continent that takes the best care of labour and trade union rights. They were, as we know, rights won at the cost of blood, sweat and many tears. But today European democracies benefit from products from countries where these rights are not yet consolidated or even under attack. And this dilemma, as seen in the case of Cambodia, also arises in relation to countries with which the European Union has even signed cooperation agreements. There is a reflection that needs to be made now. The European Union's Generalised Scheme of Preferences is not delivering the expected result. The partial suspension of these benefits in the case of Cambodia does not appear to have had any effect. The persecution and imprisonment of trade unionists and activists for political reasons is proof of this. The European Union must make it clear to the Cambodian government that it does not agree with the criminalisation of the struggle of Cambodians and attacks on civil society, using all the mechanisms at its disposal, be it individual sanctions or even the total suspension of preferential tariffs.

27

Nov

2024

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Promoting a favourable framework for venture capital financing and safe foreign direct investments in the EU (debate)

Thank you very much, Mr Oliveira, for your question. As I began by saying, we agree with the diagnosis contained in the Draghi Report. Solutions are matters that should now be discussed. And this is one of them, it is a matter that must be discussed. I believe that we must find a solution that links European priorities with national priorities. I do not, of course, think that the national states should be placed in a secondary position in relation to the policies that they must follow with regard to adoption, to increasing foreign investment. We have to articulate the two dimensions and I think that is what has been happening, that is the path that we must continue. I have no fear in this area. I believe that the best policy will be one where national options can be combined with European ones. And that is the path that for many years, as you know, we have followed, namely the Socialist Party in Portugal.

27

Nov

2024

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Promoting a favourable framework for venture capital financing and safe foreign direct investments in the EU (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, in this House, in this Parliament, we may differ and we will certainly differ in the solutions, but we do not disagree with the diagnosis outlined in the Draghi report. A Europe with signs of economic decline, very low levels of investment, a loss of international relevance and complex demographic and geopolitical challenges. In this new global economy of rapid transformation and innovation, venture capital is essential to support the creation and development of new businesses, a function not fully ensured by the banking sector, as we know. Despite advances in recent years, Europe continues to have a low profile on the world market. There is a need to foster a greater risk culture in European society and to stimulate the supply of risk capital. In this field, the European Investment Bank could play an important role. Here too, however, we must state clearly the following: the European model of development goes through the virtuous articulation of modernization and economic growth with a social state that protects and also liberates. This is our model, in which, I believe, the vast majority of the population continues to review themselves. There is no economic prosperity without social welfare.