Speeches

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, Mr High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, we are in times of war. The Bucha massacre shows that Putin's barbarism has no limits. More than ever, we need to support Ukraine humanitarianly and militarily. Let us be aware that this war has unbearable costs in human lives and desolation for Ukrainians, but also economic and social costs for Europeans and the rest of the world. Faced with Putin's aggression we must defend our democracies, taking into account that citizens have been tense for two years with the pandemic and now, in addition, they suffer the cost of the war with an exorbitant increase in prices. Our duty is to make them feel protected not only at the military level, but also economically and socially. That is why, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union cannot be a global political power without deterrence. It must assume its share of responsibility, as the High Representative has already recalled this morning. That is why a new strategic concept of the Alliance with a genuine European defence policy must emerge from the next NATO Summit in Madrid in June. On the other hand, runaway inflation threatens economic recovery and increases inequalities. It is urgent to lower the energy bill and in that sense, the last European Summit has been a turning point in the energy policy of the Union. Europe has reacted from unity, but taking into account diversity, as demonstrated by the recognition of "Iberian exceptionalism" so that Spain and Portugal can temporarily limit the price of megawatts. I welcome the fact that the Commission and the Member States are gradually taking up the proposals of the Spanish Government to achieve a reform of the energy market that moves towards a true Energy Union, clean and affordable for all. We'll only get it with unity. All European political forces, starting with those in my country, need to show a sense of statehood and support governments in order to successfully face all these challenges.

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, this is Putin's war, it has no other name. Its brutal aggression against Ukraine is a barbarism that has awakened political Europe. In the face of dictatorship, European democracy will win. The Union is acting quickly, unitedly and in solidarity, breaking dogmas and taboos. Today our thoughts and hearts go out to the Ukrainian people and, on this International Women's Day, especially to the women and girls who suffer, flee and even die. That is why we must continue to support with humanitarian and military aid the citizens who have decided to fight heroically in Ukraine. But above all, ladies and gentlemen, the Union must be a host land without borders. The activation of the Temporary Protection Directive should ensure a solidarity-based distribution of refugees, alleviating frontline countries. And finally, Commissioner, you said so. I call for special protection measures so that women and girls do not fall into networks of human traffickers.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, the cold has arrived and many families and SMEs continue to suffer the consequences of the rise in the price of electricity and gas when they are barely recovering from the pandemic. It is important for the European Council to endorse the Commission’s proposals – joint purchasing, strategic energy storage and the promotion of renewable energy – but there is also an urgent need for wholesale electricity market reform. On the other hand, Member States must tackle the migration challenge without further delay with an approach based on solidarity and respect for human dignity; it is unacceptable that no agreement can be reached in the Council while migrants continue to die at borders or at sea: with or without a pact, Member States willing to move forward together must do so now, action must be taken now.

Mr President, dear Vice-President, Europe needs legal migration now and, even more so, in the future. We need immigrant workers, not only for demographic, but also economic and geopolitical reasons. In addition, they represent a cultural richness for our societies. To attract these workers, ladies and gentlemen, we must simplify and further harmonise the European legal framework governing the conditions of entry and residence, eliminating obstacles and bureaucracy. That is why, following the example of the Blue Card, I call on the Commission to come forward as soon as possible with new legislative proposals for medium-skilled and low-skilled workers, as well as for the self-employed and entrepreneurs. In addition, the Commission and the Member States must give visibility and publicity to the existing rules, because it is useless to adopt measures if no one knows about them. Finally, Member States must achieve the effective integration of immigrants into our societies with ambition and adequate budgetary means.

Madam President, I am going to appeal to your generosity in time to make a ten-second paragraph in this debate. Today marks ten years since the end of ETA terrorism in Spain. I believe that today, in this cause of European democracy, we must celebrate this great victory of Spanish democracy. Ladies and gentlemen, the energy crisis is driving many families and businesses into an unsustainable situation and may undermine social cohesion, hopes for economic recovery and citizens' support for the European Union's green and digital transition. That is why, in the face of this European problem, there can only be one European response, as President Sánchez has already said lately and as he will reiterate tomorrow at the European Council. Ladies and gentlemen, from this House we must support this proposal, as the Commission is doing. In the short term, we must respond to the needs of the most vulnerable – as the Spanish Government, Mrs Montserrat, is doing – with fiscal measures and by decoupling electricity and gas prices. We must jointly negotiate the purchase of gas, as we did with vaccines, and create European strategic reserves, while correcting the financial speculation that is occurring in the CO2 emission markets. And in the medium and long term we must continue to bet on cheaper and cleaner energy, as we have proposed in the European Green Deal.

Madam President, Madam President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, the state of the Union has improved over the course of this year thanks to the collective efforts of all. Although Europe is still convalescing, we are on the path to overcoming the pandemic and economic recovery with the vaccination campaign and the launch of the Recovery Plan. In short, Europe is refocusing on the future. A green, environmentalist and feminist future, with a transition that must be just territorially between states and socially among all citizens. But, ladies and gentlemen, the crisis caused by the pandemic has been of such magnitude that the same rules do not serve us, either economically. That is why I support the proposal of the Spanish Minister Calviño so that green and digital investments are not counted in the deficit or in the debt of the Member States, and that the Recovery Fund is permanent. Let's go down that road, please.

Mr President, Commissioner, the Council, the Slovenian Presidency, once again, is conspicuous by its absence, but in the end... Ladies and gentlemen, after three years of deadlock we have reached an agreement with the Council and the Commission to carry out an ambitious revision of the Blue Card, which was adopted in 2009, with the aim of attracting more highly qualified workers, in particular in sectors with shortages of staff, and making it easier for employers to recruit non-EU people. And this improvement is especially important for our small and medium-sized businesses. The review would not have been possible without the commitment and effort of all actors, despite the complicated negotiating conditions caused by the health restrictions of the pandemic. In particular, I would like to thank the German Presidency and the Portuguese Presidency for their commitment, as well as the efforts of our dear Commissioner Ylva Johansson and her team to defend the reforms. And, of course, the European Parliament team of shadow rapporteurs and the entire technical team, in particular Céline, Shane and Matteo, for the excellent work they have done to give the reform real added value. The revised Blue Card rules will further harmonise the conditions of entry and residence of highly skilled workers, introducing more flexible criteria, extending the rights of beneficiaries and simplifying mobility within the European Union, as well as family reunification procedures. But above all, with this agreement we are sending a political message in the right direction: Europe must increase legal forms of migration and, above all, facilitate the arrival of workers who can contribute to the development of our continent. The new review establishes more inclusive admission criteria. In particular, we have broadened the scope to include beneficiaries of international protection; we have established a minimum and maximum wage range that applicants must achieve in order to obtain the Blue Card, with the aim, on the one hand, of making it more attractive and, on the other hand, of avoiding the risk of social dumping between nationals and foreigners. This achievement will also attract young graduates. In addition, we have reduced the minimum duration of the employment contract from twelve to six months and have achieved that, in the case of workers in the technology and information and communication sector, professional experience can also be considered and not only academic qualification. As mentioned above, the revision includes new rights for Blue Card holders and their family members and measures to facilitate family reunification. In particular, the holder’s spouse or partner is given unrestricted access to the labour market; Blue Card holders are allowed to pursue self-employed or other auxiliary professional activities, and better protection is ensured in case of illness or disability, as well as in case of unemployment. Finally, mobility within the European Union is facilitated and simplified by introducing a recognised accelerated procedure for employers, the "European fast track’, reducing the minimum period of residence in the first Member State and allowing periods of residence to be cumulated in order to obtain long-term resident status. This will help companies, for example, when asking a worker to move to another Member State. This element, that of mobility, is the real added value of the revision of the European Blue Card compared to national systems and the one that makes it more attractive by allowing skilled workers to access the labour market across the Union, but this requires Member States to trust each other. Only in this way will we move towards a consolidated European migration policy. But, ladies and gentlemen, in order not to raise suspicions, we must remember that the Member States will be able to maintain their national regime in this area in parallel with the European Blue Card system. However, it is important to highlight that the new Directive ensures equal treatment between the two systems, the European and the national, so that holders of the European Blue Card and their families are not at a disadvantage compared to holders of national permits. In addition, we have facilitated the procedure for moving from national systems to the European system. As I have stressed throughout the negotiations, I again call on the Member States and the Commission to make this measure visible by disseminating information on the benefits of the Blue Card here in Europe, but also around the world. Finally, I would like to stress that with the revision of this directive we have taken an important and necessary step, but not enough, because I reiterate: We need these and these skilled workers no matter where they come from, otherwise this review does not make sense. On the other hand, we must put an end to legislative fragmentation on legal migration and put forward a simplified regulatory framework covering all situations and all workers. We need to incentivise legal migration: firstly, because it is the best instrument to combat irregular immigration; Secondly, because it is absolutely necessary that we adopt policies that also regulate the admission and residence of workers with medium and low-paid jobs, as well as seasonal workers and those men and women who come to our continent for research or study purposes. At a time when managing migration flows, through a genuine common migration policy, remains a priority for this House and on the political agenda, and when we are waiting for an agreement on the Pact on Migration and Asylum, it is important that we do everything we can to get people to Europe safely, improving legal immigration channels. I hope that we will soon conclude new agreements on this subject.

Madam President, the past European Council raised the need to avoid loss of life and to reduce pressure on European borders. But, ladies and gentlemen, the Council's conclusions do not save lives. We need urgent action. The Council gave concrete instructions to the Commission and the High Representative, in close cooperation with Member States, to strengthen support and assistance to priority countries of origin and transit. Mr Vice-President Šefčovič, could the Commission anticipate what measures and objectives will be prioritised in this autumn's action plans and how the use of financial resources on migration will be improved? Finally, let us return to urgency. I would like to reiterate, once again, the need to put in place a genuine European plan for maritime search and rescue, as well as for the disembarkation of migrants in safe ports, agreed between Frontex, the Commission and the Member States. We need an accurate and effective protocol to save lives.