Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, today we call for a long-term vision for the European islands, based on an island pact and an island agenda. Article 174 of the Treaty is clear: the EU must pay particular attention to island regions, whose natural, severe and permanent handicaps are recognised. This particular attention today, Commissioner, does not exist enough. This is a gap to be filled and, let us say, there is clearly an underestimation of what the European islands represent. These islands have more than 20 million inhabitants, spread over around 2 400 of them – mainly in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic – and belong to 13 Member States, of which 3 are islands. In reality, Europe is an archipelago, but it still ignores it. There is evidence that it is sometimes good to recall: To live on an island is to live surrounded by water, and it is not to live on the mainland. Everything is different – the economy, transport, energy, waste management, the logic of importing, exporting and the extra costs they entail for everything, agriculture, water management, the blue economy – everything must be thought of differently. This report is therefore intended to be the founder of a new relationship between the islands and the European institutions, based on full consideration of Article 174 of the Treaty and the implementation of specific measures. This is fully justified, as insularity is also an additional vulnerability exacerbated by the crises we are experiencing. We see this with the war in Ukraine, which directly affects these regions by over-increasing costs related to insularity and remoteness. Islands are also, as we know, at the forefront of the effects of climate change, and they have been hit harder by the COVID-19 crisis. That is why we are simply calling for islands to be better taken into account in the regulations and in future budgetary discussions. We are already calling for the re-evaluation of the State aid scheme, the abolition of the de minimis ceiling, the creation of a specific programme for the islands – as there is for the Greek islands – and the creation of a compensatory envelope – all of which we are setting ourselves. Ladies and gentlemen, the world is a world of islands, and every island is a world in itself. Europe, with its islands, has the opportunity to be at the forefront for all islands in the world, just as it would benefit from building a new global island diplomacy based on OCTs and third countries. This is why our report also proposes to make 2024 the European Year of Islands. In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to vote overwhelmingly in favour of this report, which is intended to be the founder, the founder of a new era in the relationship between islands and the European institutions, and I call on the Commission and the Council to hear the initiative of our Parliament and also to hear the impatience of the islands, because too much time has been lost. Now is more than time to act. I'm telling you: the time of the islands has come.

Madam President, Commissioner, President of the Court of Auditors, Minister, the discharge for which I am responsible does not concern an agency, but a policy, the European Development Fund. We are now in the eleventh EDF and thus in its eleventh multiannual programming since its establishment by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, and then by the famous Cotonou Agreements, which have given a solid framework for cooperation with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and for development aid. The year 2020, for which we are examining this discharge, is the last year of this 11th EDF and, as of 2021, we will enter the 12th EDF and no more financing agreements can be signed under the 11th EDF. The twelfth EDF will also, for the first time, be integrated into the European multiannual financial framework and will therefore be subject to a number of European regulations from which it had previously escaped. In 2020, the financial implementation of the EDF covered financing decisions representing global commitments of EUR 2 687 000 000, contracts representing individual commitments of EUR 3 670 000 000 and payments representing EUR 4 600 000 000. And all this spending was marked by the COVID crisis, and 2020 was, in fact, a record year for payments due to the increase in disbursements to projects contributing to the fight against the COVID crisis and this also led to the acceleration of absorption. Our report points to a number of complications caused by the COVID outbreak. However, we are still concerned about the considerable increase in errors highlighted by the Court of Auditors and the refusal of beneficiary organisations to guarantee the Court full and unrestricted access to documents and supporting documents. In the 2020 implementation, I would like to underline that the Commission reacted in time and stopped funding a highly problematic project in Eritrea, relying on forced labour and slavery. And based on the experiences in Eritrea, I now call on the European Commission to step up its vigilance everywhere and to include working conditions clauses for all the projects it funds today for all countries. And vigilance must also be exercised for all projects in the Central African Republic and for European projects that risk indirectly financing the Wagner militias, which, as we know, have a considerable influence on that country’s army. In conclusion, I would also like to say that all European policies must be brought into line with the objectives of development policy. Because otherwise, the investments that are made through the EDF are annihilated in their scope. And I also want to say that the Commission must ensure that the interests of the outermost regions and the overseas countries and territories which share the same geographical area with the ACP countries are properly taken into account. In conclusion, I would like to say that EU development policy pursues the objective of eradicating poverty. But today we must also assume without hypocrisy the dimension of co-development and shared interests between the development of the ACP countries and the interests of the European Union.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in a few moments we will be voting, almost unanimously I am sure, on the first package of measures that will make it possible to mobilise the Cohesion Fund to receive refugees. I would like to thank you personally, Commissioner Elisa Ferreira, for this proposal, which is growing cohesion policy. There are already 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees in the EU: a very colossal number. Once again, cohesion policy is honoured to intervene concretely in response to a crisis, as we did once the COVID-19 crisis occurred. Now cohesion policy has a duty to help refugees, NGOs, cities, regions and states that are on the front line in the face of this great upheaval. But we already know, Commissioner, that the scale of needs now requires a second package of measures and additional resources. Cohesion will respond again, and I therefore welcome the CARE proposal. +adopted yesterday by the College of Commissioners. Commissioner, you can count on the full mobilisation of the REGI Committee for its adoption - I hope, ladies and gentlemen - as soon as possible. In conclusion, I would like to tell you that Europe was born out of solidarity and that it was born out of solidarity. We can clearly see how, in these troubled times, in these times of war, in these times when we all hope for peace, only solidarity will make it possible to withstand the trials of the moment and to open up new and more integrated paths for Europe.

Madam President, on behalf of our REGI Committee, I want to speak in favour of this emergency vote, which, you will agree, is not about a small matter, but about the most horrible, the most terrible, the most tragic: war, which is now part of our work. We all present that this war in Ukraine will have dizzying consequences for the whole of Europe. Already before our eyes, moreover, one of the largest population movements in our recent European history is taking place. Millions of Ukrainians, trapped in the shelling of the Russian army and the so-called war crimes of Vladimir Putin, have taken the path of exodus. In less than three weeks, more than 4 million people have already fled the bombs to seek refuge in the European Union. Currently, Poland hosts 2 200 000 refugees, Romania 500 000, Hungary 300 000, Slovakia 300 000 and Czechia 300 000. And we all know that as the war continues, the pressure will increase. Humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially everywhere, mostly for women and children. These are basic needs – food aid, health, education and housing – which must be met. For these countries, for the Ukrainian refugees, for those European citizens who, under conditions that are sometimes unimaginable here from Brussels, are fulfilling this duty of welcome, we must, through this debate, say that cohesion is present, that we are doing everything and that we will do everything possible to provide concrete support to the states, regions and cities that are at the forefront. This is the purpose of the CARE Regulation proposed by the European Commission, which our REGI Committee supports. It is our duty and honour to facilitate this through cohesion policy. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in conclusion, this debate will also, I am sure, be one of the reaffirmed unity of our Parliament in saying that we are not abandoning Ukrainian refugees or European citizens, who, faithful to the values of history, are today raising themselves to the level of our historic duty of fraternity, solidarity and humanity.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, before referring to our oral question, I would like to say here, on behalf of our entire Committee on Regional Development, our full and unwavering solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Our solidarity is also total with Poles, Slovaks, Romanians, Hungarians, Moldovans who share a physical border with Ukraine and are at the outposts today to welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing this despicable war and the Kremlin bombs. Ladies and gentlemen, we are facing one of the most important population movements in the history of Europe. In just a few days, more than 1.5 million refugees are on the roads. That is why our solidarity must be concrete. Europe and cohesion policy need to respond and demonstrate their capacity to now provide additional support to these countries. That is why, Commissioner, I welcome the proposals you intend to put on the table. Following the discussions we had together in the Informal Council in Rouen and in Marseille, I confirm that our Committee on Regional Development stands ready, if necessary, for an amendment of the cohesion regulations in order to facilitate and make it possible to immediately finance support for cities and regions hosting refugees and also to finance support for Ukrainian refugees. Notwithstanding this urgency, we are concerned about cohesion policy, and this is the subject of our question. Because two years after the adoption of the regulations, the 2021-2027 cohesion policy has not yet started and almost no partnership agreement has been validated. We have a duty to act to make this programming a success and we hope that the programmes will be operational in the regions and on the ground before the end of this year. This situation worries us all the more, Commissioner, as recovery plans are being rolled out across Europe in regions that are competing, not in line, with traditional regulations. And where there are abuses, states must now be called to order and to strictly respect the cohesion policy objectives to which they are bound by the regulations. Of course, the urgency of the recovery needs to be addressed. It is absolutely necessary, but it is also imperative to start programmes to maintain long-term objectives and, more than ever, ladies and gentlemen, the implementation of the ERDF is urgently needed, particularly in the light of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and Europe’s objective of energy autonomy – more than ever, moreover, if we are to free ourselves from external dependencies, particularly from Russia. The new cohesion policy must therefore be able to be rolled out across Europe before the end of this year. This is the message of our REGI committee and it is also, I mean, the concern of the Committee of the Regions. We therefore expect answers to the following questions. First, what is the state of play so far on the presentation and approval of the Partnership Agreements and Cohesion Programmes? Are they more or less advanced than at the same stage of the 2014-2020 programming period? Second, what is the average time to date for the approval of Partnership Agreements and programmes? Moreover, when does the Commission intend to transfer the first interim payments? Thirdly, does the Commission continue to share the position of Commissioner Hahn, who stated – you remember – in October 2021 that almost all of the 2021 budget allocation should be rescheduled for the following years? Fourthly, what measures does the Commission intend to take to avoid the considerable risk of under-implementation of the Funds? Finally, Commissioner, you are aware of the European Parliament’s commitment to the partnership principle. We would therefore like to know how the Commission ensures that the partnership principle is respected and implemented by the Member States, thereby ensuring the absolutely necessary consultation of all local stakeholders and civil society. That is what we wanted in the negotiations and that is what we got. In conclusion, Commissioner, I would like to say that you are the guarantor of the agreements debated, discussed and negotiated with you and the Member States in the trilogues. That is why we ask you – and we know we can count on you – to ensure that Member States and regions respect the agreements reached and the agreed rules that now oblige us all.

Mr President, Commissioner, the extreme drought that hits Spain and Portugal in the middle of winter has now added to the long list of annual natural disasters, which are increasing in number and intensity. On the front line today, in the face of this drought in these two countries, farmers and national and regional authorities, to whom I want to reaffirm here, on behalf of our Group and on behalf of our REGI Committee, our utmost solidarity. We will do everything we can to help and, of course, we ask – as you said, Commissioner – for the mobilisation of the European Solidarity Fund as soon as possible and for emergency aid where it may be needed. More broadly, the Earth, humanity and the world of life have entered today into a turbulent zone whose exit is not for tomorrow: 50°C in North America this summer, from the wildfires that are now hitting the far north, the land that has literally collapsed under the feet of the people of Erftstadt – we will, together with the REGI Committee, next week in this locality, in Germany – villages in Belgium and the Netherlands that are under water and increasingly violent tropical cyclones in the outermost regions. This is the new deal that is before us. As Chair of REGI, I put on the table a proposal: the creation of a new fund, the Regional Climate Adaptation Fund, based on risk and needs mapping and national climate adaptation plans. The fund aims to help regions invest in infrastructure that is more resilient to the effects of natural disasters. Indeed, today, all our efforts are focused on mitigating and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, it must be done; But we must also make up for the lack of a genuine European strategy on adaptation to climate change, which is already underway and has become irreversible, given the inertia of the climate model. It is our responsibility to prepare all European regions to adapt their development strategy and investment plan in the light of this new situation, which will, as you know, shake up all sectors and requires billions of euros of investment in all areas. President von der Leyen has made a commitment – I conclude, Mr President – to apply Parliament’s right of initiative. That is what we are doing with this proposal. Grab the leapfrog launched by the REGI Committee and present to the European Parliament a proposal for the creation of this new regional climate adaptation fund.

Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, Poland is a great country, one of the largest in our Union, and its history tells the powerful desire of its people for freedom and democracy. That is why we must first say in this debate that the first victims of breaches of the rule of law, both in Poland and Hungary, are Poles and Hungarians themselves. It is therefore for these peoples – and for the reasons why they joined the EU in 2004 – that the European Commission must now operate the mechanism of conditionality of the budget to respect for the rule of law. The rule of law is not an option, it is a condition. A condition of membership of our Union – and, as the Court says, ‘for the enjoyment of all the rights deriving from the Treaties’. To those in Poland, Hungary or elsewhere who are now testing the European Union on its values, the answer must be firm, to remind them that there is no European Union or common life possible without the acceptance of a common legal order.

– Mr President, when so-called wild animals are deprived of their freedom, it is man who takes their lives. Animals have only one purpose: to live, to live free, and if they have a reason to exist, it is neither behind bars nor in circuses to satisfy our small amusements and our great resignations in the face of animal condition and suffering. It was said: Many European countries, under pressure from citizens – because citizens are ahead of the curve – have already banned wild animals in circuses. But now is the time for a Europe-wide ban to harmonise regulations and ban these practices once and for all. I think the time has come, in this Europe of human rights, to found now, too, a Europe of animal rights.

Mr President, the world has never been so rich in history and I think we can also say that we have reached a very high level of our human civilisation. And yet, in this twenty-first century, we are still talking about famines, about the millions of people around the world who are hungry and dying of hunger or malnutrition. This is a disgrace to humanity: this situation speaks of the accommodation of civilisation with a form of barbarism and it also speaks of the accommodation of our prosperity with underdevelopment in other parts of the world, such as Madagascar, where there is an urgent need today to mobilise international solidarity, because the situation there is tragic. In the south of the country, more than one million people, including 70 000 children, are now suffering from acute malnutrition. These famines in Madagascar and elsewhere are now aggravated by global warming. But they did not wait for global warming to exist. And if we really want to solve the food challenge on a global scale, we must also have the courage to fight the unequal order of the world, which, far from home, creates many misfortunes.

Madam President, this morning I would like to pay tribute to the collective, trans-partisan and exemplary work we have done in the European Parliament to save the POSEI budget for the outermost regions, which was unfairly threatened. And it is the honour of our European Parliament to have it restored. I would also like to welcome the personal commitment of Commissioner Elisa Ferreira, with whom we have worked to ensure that the right solutions are found, for which she is thanked here. I would also, of course, like to thank the rapporteur, our colleague Eric Andrieu, for having stood firm during the negotiations on this aspect, which will enable us, on Réunion Island, to force all large retailers to play into the hands of local production and fair competition.

Mr President, I say it bluntly: the judgment of the Polish Court is extremely serious. Without the primacy of European law, which stems from the 1963 and 1964 judgments, there is no longer any protection of the fundamental rights of Europeans, there is no longer any common legal understanding and there is therefore no longer any European Union possible. It is as simple as that and it is as serious as that. Your government, Prime Minister, has entered a process of unbundling values and challenging the rule of law. And you are coming this morning to challenge the European Union on the essentials, in this European Parliament. But I say this to you as chairman of the Committee on Regional Development: The European Union is not a window for the recovery of structural funds. The EU is an area of common law that we are determined to defend and we do so also for the Polish people.

Mr President, Commissioner, I say this because I think so: we have a good agreement and I want, as Chair of the REGI Committee, to congratulate our rapporteur Pascal Arimont on the work he has done and the unity he has achieved. I would also like to thank you, Commissioner, for your role and involvement in the negotiations. I would also like to thank the Portuguese Presidency this evening for its very constructive spirit in the trilogues. We have €5 billion now to help the regions, businesses and economic sectors most affected by Brexit. Our discussions have been intense, sometimes very difficult, but in the end we are getting a fairer fund with a no-lose allocation method that takes into account the main demands of the European Parliament and in particular more support for fishermen. Cohesion policy shows once again that it is able to respond in times of crisis. We have demonstrated this in the COVID-19 crisis, we are also doing so with Brexit.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this summer was a deadly and catastrophic summer. Hundreds of people lost their lives and regions were devastated by the floods and fires that ravaged Europe. And our thoughts go, this morning, to the victims of these disasters, to the families affected, but also to the regional and communal authorities who have rescued and who, since then, continue to heal the wounds. Our solidarity is total. She has spoken and must continue to speak and I thank all the political groups and the President of the European Parliament for putting this debate on our agenda this morning. Recall that in July, floods and floods first hit Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, Romania and caused more than 300 deaths and billions of damages. We all remember these absolutely unthinkable images, where the earth literally collapsed in the heart of a German village in the Rhein-Erft region, near Cologne. Added to these unprecedented floods were the heatwaves and forest fires that ravaged large areas of the south, including Greece, Italy and France. The shock for us is immense and we discover our fragility, that of the European regions, in the face of climate disasters. The poor countries of the world are no longer the only ones fragile in the face of the consequences of the unleashing of nature. Because here as elsewhere, we are not actually prepared to deal with the increasingly devastating impacts of ongoing climate change. As we pointed out in our last report on the EUSF, we must now consider that these once exceptional disasters become, together with climate change, a permanent reality, as recalled in the recent IPCC report, and we must draw all the consequences, in all European policies. As a matter of urgency, it is essential that the EU uses all its solidarity instruments to help the recovery of the affected regions and localities. But the 2021 EUSF budget seems to have already been well spent. Commissioner, we are very concerned about this. In this context, how does the Commission plan to provide budgetary resources as quickly as possible? Because everywhere, aid is expected. And how will the Commission also ensure sufficient funding for future disasters? But beyond emergencies, there is also the central question, in my opinion, of adaptation to climate change. This is a real challenge for all cohesion policy, as climate change will destabilise regional development, with consequences in all development sectors – all sectors will be impacted. This morning we had a very interesting debate on the climate package. But I note that all the measures that are envisaged are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as we miss the challenge of adapting to climate change. That is why, together with my colleagues, I call for the creation of a Regional Climate Change Adaptation Fund to start the necessary work on infrastructure in order to make it sustainable, as well as to limit the consequences of disasters. And as Commissioner Timmermans has just said, the billions of investments needed for this will always be lower than the cost of inaction on climate change. We can already see this with the cost of reconstruction in devastated cities and regions. Commissioner, we also need to have a very clear idea of the consequences of impacts on a region-by-region basis and a proper mapping so that we can make the right choices for investment and development strategies. In conclusion, I think you will all agree with me that it is always better to build well than to repair.

Mr President, dear Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, as you know, the Committee on Regional Development unanimously adopted this own-initiative report on a new approach to the Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic Region, which calls above all on the Council and the Commission to create an Atlantic macro-region, as you know for the Baltic Sea, the Danube, the Alps and the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Everything forces us to do so, because the Atlantic Arc, with its many assets, has also become the epicentre of multiple crises. First, the Brexit crisis, which has hit the entire Atlantic Arc and continues to hit it. And then, the COVID-19 crisis. Finally, all Atlantic regions are also very affected by the climate crisis. All this creates very serious concerns in the short, medium and long term and will also have consequences, Commissioner, on the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the Atlantic Arc and on the risks of accelerating the depopulation trends that we are already observing. We must respond strongly to these problems, and this is what local actors, public authorities, particularly regional authorities, and the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions are asking for, and I want to say that they have done an exemplary job. We therefore call on the European Council to respond to this expectation and to give a mandate now to create this macro-region. And we expect the Commission to work on it now. And there is no reason, Commissioner, to defer. Let's say it: when regions think big, the European Commission still thinks too cautiously today – as evidenced by the Atlantic Action Plan, which, in our view, lacks ambition and is too far from potential, in particular because of the lack of budget allocation, the lack of coordination with cooperation funds and structural funds and the over-competitiveness of its governance. What the Commission is proposing is considered insufficient by all actors on the ground and by our REGI committee in the European Parliament. Insufficient for industrial development and employment. Insufficient for sustainable fishing. Insufficient for ports, blue economy and climate objectives. The Atlantic Arc is the largest seafront in Europe; and Europe, the world's leading maritime power, must think of a strong strategy for it. As you know, European civilisation has many roots in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. And in a way, the Mediterranean has reached the Atlantic. From the discovery of the Americas to the opening of new maritime and trade routes, slavery, the industrial revolution and globalisation, today the Atlantic is at the heart of the European continent and continues to shape it. A Europe that thinks it is a world power has no future without the Atlantic and should therefore give it a very strategic priority. And it would be quite paradoxical if China, which has global visions, attached much more importance to it than we do. To conclude, of course, I would like to thank all the REGI Members who contributed to this report, as well as the Transport and Fisheries Committees for their close and valuable cooperation. May this REGI own-initiative report be the founder, now, of this Atlantic macro-region that everyone expects.