Speeches

The next item is the debate on the question for oral answer to the Commission on the impact of the war against Ukraine on women tabled by Robert Biedroń, on behalf of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (O-000015/2022 - B9-0012/22) (2022/2633(RSP)). I would remind you that the free choice of bearing applies with the exception of the first two rows allocated to group leaders. You can request the floor by catch-the-eye and by blue card via your voting terminal, after you have entered your voting card first. I would also remind you that speeches in the Chamber will continue to be made from the central podium, except for catch-the-eye, blue cards and remarks on the application of the Rules of Procedure.

I have received, pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure, six motions for resolutions. The debate is closed. The vote will take place today. Written declarations (Rule 171)

The next item is the debate on the Commission statement on the state of play of EU-Moldova cooperation (2022/2651(RSP)). I would remind you that the free choice of bearing applies with the exception of the first two rows allocated to group leaders. You can request the floor by catch-the-eye and by blue card via your voting terminal, after you have entered your voting card first. I would also remind you that speeches in the Chamber will continue to be made from the central podium, except for catch-the-eye, blue cards and remarks on the application of the Rules of Procedure.

Madam President, the Conference on the Future of Europe has taken a positive step. Those of us who had doubts as to whether it was indeed a positive step towards a more united, more democratic, more transparent, more just social Europe have received screams, insults and derogatory remarks from the far-right wing of the European Parliament, and this convinces us that something good has been done by this Conference on the Future of Europe. And now we have the challenge of taking the next step, colleagues. The joint resolution proposed by the presidents, from the European People's Party to the Left, is a positive step. It means listening to the voice of citizens and that direct participatory democracy strengthens representative democracy. But the point is to go further and we want you, Vice-President Šimečka and gentlemen of the Council - who were absent and a bit of a brake on this process of the Conference on the Future of Europe - to help and not undermine the initiative that the European Parliament will take for a constituent assembly to revise the Treaties, on the basis of Article 48. We will take initiatives as a European Parliament with large majorities, and let the far right shout. And we expect both the Commission and the Council to support this initiative.

We have a request for a blue card, but we have already made a great deal of use of this right and we are long overdue and, also, I think the matter has already been covered. The colleague requesting a blue card has spoken and has already exercised the right to a blue card before.

There are other requests for a blue card but it is obvious, I think, that other colleagues would like to raise questions and objections. As Chair-in-Office, I think that two blue cards are more than enough to ask questions to the previous speaker and we will therefore proceed with the list of registered speakers to whom you are also entitled to ask blue card questions.

The next item is the urgent debate on the report on behalf of the Committee on Regional Development on increased pre-financing from REACT-EU (COM(2022)0145 - C9-0127/2022 - COM(2022)0162 - C9-0132/2022 - 2022/0096(COD)).

Madam President, Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine and war compel us to think outside the doctrine of "business as usual" and in matters of peace. The European Union must be a protagonist and not a lagging behind in efforts to bring about a ceasefire. It is inconceivable that Erdoğan would play this role as a so-called peacemaker and that the European Union would be virtually absent. We cannot be an economic giant but a political dwarf, because the European Union – and its peoples – are suffering tragic consequences from the negative economic consequences of this war. And for this very reason, the European Parliament calls, with the Ştefănuță report, for a stronger impetus to be given to the implementation of what we have planned and for the financial perspectives to be amended and the Community budget to be strengthened, so that we can have resources to strengthen the social pillar. It's not just a label, because inequalities are growing. We need resources to finance the European Health Union and the green and digital transitions. Because we need to invest in renewable energy and energy saving. We need resources for humanitarian aid to refugees. "To all refugees," I stress, dear colleagues from Poland. And to those who came to Greece a few years ago and you didn't agree to take a single one. Not double standards. The same goes for gender equality. We need to put forward a strong demand as the European Parliament for a stronger Community budget, but also for peace, as soon as possible.

Madam President, the brutal invasion of Ukraine by the Putin regime requires a common, strong, united European response at all levels: both at the level of the economy and at the level of energy. And common crises – we have learned from the pandemic – require common responses, strong and swift. The pandemic led the European Union to create the Recovery and Resilience Fund and make a huge common European loan. It led us to a joint negotiation and ordering of vaccines. We must do the same with the energy crisis. The International Energy Agency estimates that the super-profits of energy companies, for 2022 alone, are 200 billion. Taxation and a cap on these super-profits is therefore needed to support households and businesses; joint European supply of LNG and hydrogen gas, accelerated investments with renewable energy sources and public resources, joint European intervention against profiteering in wholesale and retail prices and for the economy. We have an increase in inflation, a drastic reduction in growth within the European Union and a new increase in social and regional disparities. This is why we need common European borrowing with a Eurobond and to address the crisis and the war and invasion of Ukraine, as we did with the pandemic; extension of the escape clause also for 2023, realistic changes to the rules of the Stability Pact, not to kill investment and recovery, not to cancel the positives of the Recovery Fund, to avoid a new crisis of debt and savage austerity, which, if it drags the European South, will cost both the European North and the European Union as a whole.

The next item is the report by Mrs Tolleret and Mrs Delbos-Corfield on: Gender mainstreaming in the European Parliament - annual report 2020. Mrs Tolleret, rapporteur, will first speak to us from Paris, from the offices of the European Parliament, for six minutes.

Before we move on to the next item on the agenda, I have an announcement. Ms Salima Yenbou left the Greens political group and joined the Renew Europe political group as of 9 March 2022.

Before continuing with the debate and the next speaker, we will proceed to the opening of today's first vote. We shall vote on the dossiers as they appear on the agenda. Voting will be open from 9:45 to 11:00. The same voting method as in previous votes will be used. All votes will be taken by roll call. I declare the first vote open. You can vote until 11:00. The results of the first vote will be announced at 13:00 today.

The next item is the debate on the report by Stefania Zambelli, on behalf of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work (COM(2020)0571 – C9-0301/2020 – 2020/0262(COD)) (A9-0114/2021).

The next item is the debate on the Commission statement on drought and other extreme weather events in the Iberian Peninsula and other parts of Europe (2022/2543(RSP)). The debate will take place with a round of speakers from the political groups.

The Identity and Democracy (ID) political group informed the President of decisions on changes to appointments and committees. These decisions will be mentioned in the Minutes of today's meeting and take effect from the date of this announcement.

We will start by announcing the results of the second vote on Wednesday 16 February 2022. (The President announced the results of the vote)1 ____________________________________________ 1For the results and other information on the votes: see Minutes

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Our meeting begins today. Before I move on to the announcement of the results of the vote, I would like to refer to an unacceptable and absolutely reprehensible event that happened yesterday in the Chamber of the European Parliament. I can accurately read the reaction of the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, to this phenomenon: A fascist greeting in the European Parliament is unacceptable. Always and everywhere. It offends me and everyone else in Europe. We support the exact opposite. We are the home of democracy. This greeting belongs to the darkest chapter of our history and must remain there. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament I am sure that this statement expresses the whole democratic, constitutional, parliamentary spectrum of the European Parliament and not just the Bureau of the European Parliament. We, as the Bureau of the European Parliament, have a mandate, not only from MEPs, but from the vast majority of European citizens who have elected us here, to defend parliamentary democracy and the rule of law; And that is what the President and the Bureau of the European Parliament will do, I am sure, with your support.

Madam President, Mrs Lagarde, thank you for your contribution and for the positive comments you have made on the report that we have prepared in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. I would like to thank you, Commissioner Gentiloni, as well as colleagues, because all the statements, even those critical of the report, have shown that through the exchange of views in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs we have achieved to a very large extent something that is described in a word that has a Greek root: synthesis of views. The European Parliament must play an even more active role, because what we are seeing today is the need to coordinate monetary policy with fiscal policy, in full respect of the independence and important role of the European Central Bank. The debate, and our report underlines this, shows the need to learn from past mistakes; not to "kill" the sustainable recovery, not to undermine the goals we have all set together with the creation and activation of the Recovery and Resilience Fund. It is obvious that we are all concerned about the extremely high rates of inflation and their consequences, especially for the poorest sections of the population. However, a hasty and rapid rise in interest rates will not lower fuel prices; on the contrary, it can make it difficult, undermine sustainable growth, resilience and price stabilisation that a comprehensive approach requires. I welcome, in the context of these considerations, the European Central Bank's proposal to create a central fiscal capacity and I consider it particularly important that, without delay, the Commission publish its proposals for changing the economic governance framework during the suspension of the Stability Pact. Delaying doesn't help. One last sentence: I think it is good that monetary policy is 'greening' and that in these steps, Mrs Lagarde, you should take for granted the support of the great majority of the European Parliament.

Madam President, Mrs Lagarde, Commissioner Gentiloni, ladies and gentlemen, I think that the moment when we are debating this report is particularly important, because its formulation coincides with three important parameters. The first is the positive policy of the European Central Bank in response to the pandemic crisis. The second fact is the review of the strategy of the European Central Bank after 18 whole years. And the third is what we just noted: 20 years since the creation of the euro. The report notes that the European Central Bank's monetary policy decisions in response to the pandemic were a positive, important step, which caused a positive impact on the euro area. The introduction of the PEPP, increasing market volumes, increased bond market flexibility and easing eligibility criteria, key interest rate policy contributed to the economic recovery, improving financing conditions, although this recovery was uneven and in some cases exacerbated social and regional disparities. Therefore, in our report we argue that the ECB's supportive policy should remain for as long as it takes to strengthen the recovery and encourage public and private investment. I would like, at this point, to thank the shadow rapporteurs, our collaborators, the ECON secretariat for their cooperation during these arduous negotiations and to note with satisfaction that the report we are debating today was voted in favour in ECON by the largest majority in recent years: 49 votes in favour, 8 against and 1 abstention. I would also like to express my optimism that the plenary will also support with the same breadth and majority the text of the report as it was voted in committee. In the time I have left, I would like to note a few things. I would also like to highlight an issue concerning my country Greece, Mrs Lagarde. The inclusion of Greek bonds in the PEPP was and is an important positive step. However, the issue remains open that Greek bonds are still not eligible under the public sector asset purchase programme, despite the significant progress achieved. With our report, we are asking, by a very large majority, the ECB to review, as long as the relevant horizon of flexible reinvestments lasts, what needs to be done and to provide specific recommendations so that Greek bonds remain eligible and the recovery in my country Greece is not jeopardized by a new round of austerity and a new debt crisis. In conclusion, I think it is very important that the positive steps in the ECB's action in the fight against the climate crisis continue without concessions, as well as to break free from dogmatic approaches to how to approach the principle of market neutrality. Already, the ECB has deviated on several occasions, in order to achieve its objectives, from this principle. We must continue with pragmatism and realism. Finally, I think it is important to facilitate the access of small and medium-sized enterprises to the financing that suffers in many countries, to finally complete, Mr Gentiloni, Mrs Lagarde and gentlemen of the Council who are absent, the European deposit insurance scheme, because without the third pillar there is no banking union, and to take further steps in the area of transparency, communication with citizens and gender equality within the European Central Bank.