Speeches

Please, colleague, I would like to remind you about the rules on the blue card. It is a question – 30 seconds – and an answer – 30 seconds. Thank you very much.

Mr President! As we hear today, there is no doubt that the European car industry is under pressure. This is partly because there is strong competition – unfair competition – from China. But I also have to say that the car industry in Europe is also under pressure because the car industry itself did not want to be part of the green transition in time. Had the car industry not tried to prevent us from making the many demands we have made over the years, they would probably have been better able to cope with the competition. We do not want to reverse the green transition. We do not need to extend the time for the internal combustion engine, but we need to invest. We must invest together so that we can produce batteries, so that we can develop new cheap electric cars, etc. The future is not with internal combustion engines in Europe. The future is with electric motors for our cars, and if we do it together, we can also secure a proper future for the important European automotive industry. But then you have to be in it yourself.

The next item is the Commission statement on the extreme wildfires in Southern Europe, in particular Portugal and Greece, and the need for further EU climate action on adaptation and mitigation (2024/2861(RSP)).

Mr President, even though we pay no entry fee to use social media, they come at a cost. And that cost is becoming too high for our society, our democracy and our well-being. From all over the world, we hear calls for a safer and a fairer social media. Citizens call for social media to be free from disinformation, manipulative content and foreign interference. Parents call for social media to be safe for their children to use without seeing harmful content. And users call for control over the own data. In the S&D Group, we do hear those calls and we answer those calls. Under the S&D leadership, with the DSA, we won the first fight between lawmakers and social media, and we ended the Wild West online. For the first time, social media platforms in Europe are now liable for the algorithms. They must not become a megaphone for illegal content, for disinformation or harm public health. But, in order to make sure that this also is the real life out there, we call upon the Commission to really take on the role as the sheriff of this new online world. We really need to make sure that we use the tools we granted the Commission by the DSA. We need to make sure that we have a strong implementation and a strong enforcement. We need to make sure that our kids are safe. We need to make sure that our democracy is not destroyed. I do think that we need to see the Commission speed up the implementation and enforcement. And if you need more resources, we have to look at that. I also think that it is important to say that if the DSA is not enough to make sure that we have a safe social media world, then we also need to be open to do more, for instance, to look at better rules around age verification. S&D, we hear the calls, we will keep on fighting to make sure that we can be safe online as we are offline.

I have received a request for a blue card, but since the time is already gone, I think that we will continue because the speaker has already had the floor.

Mr Lucano, you don't have more speaking time. Mr Lucano, Mr Lucano, Mr Lucano, you don't have more speaking time. Okay, then I will use this opportunity to remind you all that we have a very long list of speakers. And we have more topics on the agenda for tonight. So please, colleagues, respect your speaking time. I know we all want to say a lot, but we don't have the time for it. So, please, I will be a little bit tougher from now on.

I would maybe remind you all about the blue-card rules: with the blue card, you have the right to ask a question for 30 seconds, and then you can reply for 30 seconds.

The next item is the Commission statement on the need to prevent security threats such as the attack in Solingen through the management of irregular migration and effective return (2024/2798(RSP)).

Madam President! I think we all know this about the washing machine getting off at the worst possible time. The guarantee has just expired. And what do you do? Yes, it is always a hassle to get your product repaired and at the same time, you do not know what the consequence is, and it is quite annoying. Every year, European citizens spend EUR 12 billion to replace the products that could actually have been repaired. And every year, more than 35 million tonnes of waste ends up in Europe's landfills because of this, which is why we are in the process of improving it here in Europe. Fortunately, it is now easier for European consumers to repair rather than buy new ones. It's good for your wallet, and it's good for our planet. Because we consumers, we want to make a sustainable choice and repair our defective products, but it just has to be easier, and it will be now. That is why I would like to start by expressing my sincere thanks to our rapporteur on this matter, René Repasi, who has done a tremendous amount of work to ensure that we have this new law. I would like to highlight three things in particular that I think are good. First, we ensure that spare parts become more easily available and the price must be reasonable. Prices and availability should not stand in the way of repair. Secondly, we make sure that the repair becomes what you take as your starting point. If a product is broken, then repair should preferably be the first way. Replacing the product should be the last resort. And thirdly, we are introducing what I think is quite crucial: a 12-month extended warranty on products that are being repaired again. This will provide greater security for consumers. So the next time the washing machine gets off at the worst possible time, you have a better chance of getting it repaired. It's good for us consumers, and it's especially good for our planet. Thank you very much for the legislation we have now.

Mr President! Every year, more than 300,000 Europeans die as a result of air pollution. Part of this air pollution comes from our transport sector. We had a chance to do something about it, but we missed that chance. We could have had an ambitious deal. We haven't had that. We could have made fewer demands on the automotive industry. We ended up almost not asking anyone. I find it extremely regrettable that we are missing this opportunity to do something about it. We are not taking the necessary action against our air pollution with the Euro 7 standards, and I fear that because we do not deliver in this house, we will end up putting the demands on our mayors in the major cities of Europe. It will simply be so in the future that it will be difficult to get into a big city with a petrol or diesel car, because we have not tightened the rules sufficiently. Then they will shut it off, and then we actually have problems with freedom of movement. We could have solved this, but we chose not to. I think we are going to see lots of environmental zones in the future, which then makes the locals in the cities after all try to do something. I am disappointed with this house, but I am also very disappointed with the Commission. The Commission chose not to fight for its own good proposal. They didn't take up the fight, they just accepted that the automotive industry ended up thinking this would be so terrible. I am deeply disappointed that the Commission did not assume its responsibilities. I will vote against the agreement because I want to support the health of EU citizens. We do not do that with this legislation.

Mr President! Artificial intelligence can be both a friend and an enemy. We have seen the examples. Both the good ones: an app that helps detect skin cancer, or AI that helps identify the risk of cardiac arrest. And we've also seen the bad guys: a chatbot that guides children to do harm to themselves. We need clear rules of the game. We must never accept that artificial intelligence harms our society or our health. We must never accept that artificial intelligence determines who should be hired and who should be fired. And we must never accept that the responsibility for personal case handling will lie with artificial intelligence. But in a world of artificial intelligence, people are still needed. Rules are needed. And we need governance, and we get that with the AI Act. That is why it is good news that we are now adopting this law, because we are in control of how we can use artificial intelligence. Now the course has been drawn up and the rules of the game have been written. And in this way, we can ensure that we both exploit the benefits and that we protect ourselves from the disadvantages of artificial intelligence.

Mr President! I heard an episode on the radio this morning that made a deep impression on me. A reporter is visiting a group of Ukrainian soldiers at the front. The soldiers sit in the shelter, smoke cigarettes and drink coffee. It is not at all with their good will, but they do not have enough ammunition to retaliate the Russians' attacks. They don't have enough ammunition to fight, and they don't know when they'll get it. We can't be familiar with that. Europe – the EU – needs to help Ukraine more! Ukraine's fight for freedom is our fight for freedom, and our freedom comes with a price. We have to be willing to pay that price. Right now it is the Ukrainian soldiers, both in the shelter and on the battlefield, who are our guard against an aggressive Russia. We need to help them. It requires investment. It requires donations. This also requires financial sacrifices from us in Europe. I hope that the Heads of State and Government will take on that responsibility. I hope they can agree to do much more than we do today.

Mr President! Thank you, Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues! Greenwashing is a thing of the past. Many consumers want to shop green. The companies have found out, so there is actually money to be made on the green labels. And it is almost impossible to kick through just for green labels, such as the blouse that is sustainable, the roast that is CO2-neutral, the washing machine that is climate-neutral. That may be true, but we don't really know. As a consumer, you have no chance of knowing it as it is today. Too often it is also wrong. It is, you might say, green birds on the roof. Nice marks on the packaging. But it is of no use, because the green transition is actually hampered when companies trick consumers into making a choice that is not green. And that is why, with this legislation, we now require companies to document their green claims. That's really good. We are also going to demand better information for consumers, and then there is the possibility of sanctions if it turns out that this is being cheated. It is important that we give consumers an opportunity to make a real green choice. With these common rules, we are giving consumers this opportunity, but at the same time we are also giving them the opportunity to have a better functioning single market, and in this way we can jointly create a greener future. We need that.

Mr President, in a few months, all the European citizens will go to the voting room and vote in the European Parliament elections. Dear Commissioner Breton, do not let Putin’s internet trolls steal the vote. When social platforms emerged, we were hopeful that they would be a place to connect people across the world. How exciting! We hoped that these new platforms would create new room for democracy, places where people of all kinds shared their thoughts and came together in a greater understanding. Now I often wonder if the technology simply brings out the worst in people. Fuelled by conflict—loving algorithms, hate speech and disinformation are spreading like wildfire. It is threatening our mental well-being, it is threatening our democracy and it is endangering our fundamental rights. As such, we need a structural solution to these threats. That is why we made the Digital Services Act two years ago, to hold big tech responsible for the spread of hate speech and disinformation on their platforms. I am so proud of that law. We obliged the platforms to do risk assessments, to counteract disinformation and to stop illegal content. The DSA is adopted, the tools are here and the very large online platforms are identified. Now we need to see the law in action. Everybody has to do their part. The Member States needs to assign the digital services coordinators, and they must provide adequate resources. They do play a crucial role in enforcing the DSA on national level. The Commission needs to open up investigations when there are signs that social platforms are breaching the DSA rules. Breaches of the rules should be punished and the rules should be enforced thoroughly. The big tech companies need to live up to their obligations under the DSA; they have to adapt their business model to serve democracy, not to undermine it. Going into the European elections this year, these responsibilities are more important than ever. The European Parliament elections will be the first stress test of the DSA. Now it has to prove its worth. Now all parties to the DSA have to prove their worth. We count on you in the European Commission, Commissioner Breton. We count on the Member States, and we also count on the big tech companies to do their part. Rest assured that the S&D Group and I will call out anybody that neglects our democratic rules on social platforms. Let us now protect European democracy. We have the tools in place; we just need to start acting.

Mr President! Right now, we are witnessing an environmental disaster on our western shores of the European Union. This plastic pellet that falls overboard from large cargo ships pollutes the ocean and washes up on the beach. Both fish and birds eat the small plastic balls because they look like sea creatures and plankton. Toxic chemicals penetrate from the plastic into the bloodstreams of the animals. It does not break down, and when the small fish are eaten by the larger ones, the plastic balls follow along, as well as the chemicals. Animals are suffering. Our nature is suffering. We need to make every effort to clean up. Plastic must be removed from the sea and away from the beach. That is the task here and now, but in the long run we also need to make sure that these environmental disasters cannot take place. We need to make use of new political solutions. All too often containers fall from ships. Last December, 46 containers fell from a ship off the Danish coast. We must take the lead in Europe and demand that shipping do something about this. We must minimise the risk of environmental disasters in the future.

Mr President! European consumers can play a very important role in the green transition. We can vote with our feet and with our wallet, but for it to work for the green transition, we need to know the truth about the products we buy. As a consumer, you need to be able to trust and understand the information that manufacturers provide to us. But today it is a wilderness of green claims on everything from clothes to washing machines. ‘Sustainable’, ‘CO2 reduced’, ‘climate neutral’. As a consumer, it is impossible to understand and understand. We are now changing that with rules that empower us consumers. The ‘Green wash’ should be over. There must be no more unsubstantiated green claims. In future, producers may only use the green claims if there is real evidence. And at the same time, we are putting an end to other bad habits of producers that mislead consumers and, in the worst case, lead to increased consumption. Many thanks to our dealer, Biljana Borzan. You have fought a tireless battle for consumers and for our nature. Thank you so much for that.

Madam President! Ukraine's place is undoubtedly in the EU. The Ukrainian population has been ready for EU membership since the Euromaidandemonstrations in Kiev back in 2014, and just under a decade later, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has actually led the country closer to membership than ever. The war has lasted too long, almost two years. I can't stand it. The Ukrainian people deserve the war to end soon. But the war only ends when Ukraine wins, which is why we in the EU must continue our strong support for Ukraine. Our support must be both military and economic, and at some point it must translate into EU membership when Ukraine is ready. Fortunately, Ukraine is well on its way. Reforms are underway, and this is important, because the EU is more than just trade and neighbourhood. The EU is founded on shared values of democracy, freedom and rights. That is why it is important for me to stress to the Council and to the Commission that we must not relax our support for Ukraine. Ukraine must be helped to finalise the war, and then they must enter the EU when they are ready.

Mr. President! We are approaching the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And in Ukraine, people are still dying in the war. Families are divided. Home is destroyed. Nature is suffering. In the first two weeks of the war alone, air pollution in Kyiv was 27 times higher than normal. Millions of hectares of agricultural land have been contaminated by heavy metals and millions of greenhouse gases have been emitted due to the war. The Russian forces are not only killing the Ukrainian population. They are also killing the Ukrainian nature, which is why there is still a need for a united and strong European support for Ukraine and a correspondingly strong condemnation of Russia. Together, we can and must hold Russia accountable for the environmental damage they inflict on Ukraine. It will cost many years to rebuild Ukraine, but it will also cost a lot of time and money to restore nature in Ukraine. Let us use all the tools we have to help Ukraine on its way.

Mr President! Dear colleagues! We're busy. Insanely busy. The planet's temperature is rising and Europe's role as a world leader in green technology is at risk. In fact, we have long been in the global lead when it comes to climate policy and industrial policy. If we get today's vote through well, then we have an opportunity to continue with it. Continue to show the way to reduce our CO2 emissions, and continue to show the way for an innovative industry that can develop the green buses and trucks of the future. Today, buses and lorries emit more than 6% of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions, and that will increase if we do nothing. That is why it is crucial that our industry is able to develop the world's best zero-emission buses and trucks. And with the outcome of the negotiations on heavy-duty vehicles, we are ensuring exactly that. We set ambitious requirements for the industry and ensure high reduction targets. By 2030, all new urban buses will have to be zero-emission buses, and by 2040, new trucks sold will have to emit 90% less CO2 overall. These are crucial signals. Long-term signals that we send today. These are clear signals to our industry so they can plan for it. These are clear signals that will help secure them a global leadership position, because in the future electric buses and zero-emission trucks will be the cheapest and, not least, the greenest. The question is not whether, but rather when? And I think we're busy! What has happened to our photovoltaic industry should not also happen to our truck industry. We cannot allow this to happen, which is why we need legislation that places demands on the market – we cannot leave it to the market itself – but precisely why I am also incredibly proud of the agreement we have made. We are ensuring a clear path for the green transition of trucks and buses, and we are showing a clear path for Europe to stay in the green lead. Many thanks to Bas Eickhout and the other negotiators, and I hope that we will have a strong result voted through later today.