23
Apr
2024
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European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities - European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities for third country nationals legally residing in a Member State (joint debate - Disability cards)
(NL) Mr President, I would like to thank everyone very much for their strong and broad support for the directive on the disabled parking card for Europeans and non-residents. I have not been able to hear any dissonance and I am pleased and proud of that, because Europe stands for our values and norms. Since this is my last speech in this Chamber, as I will be putting an end to my work as a Member of the European Parliament from July, it is up to the next generation to build a better European Union. I would like to send a message to the following colleagues: Keep looking at people who have trouble connecting. Keep looking at the older generation that has built the current EU. A very important message — and I would also like to convey it to Commissioner Dalli: try to build a health union where a healthy lifestyle and active ageing are important to prevent welfare diseases. Welfare diseases are our future threat in the European Union. Let us fight for a Europe where young and old can learn even more from each other, a Europe we are proud of. I'm not only a proud Brazilian or a proud Dutchman, no, I'm also a proud European. In 1989, Jacques Delors said: ‘You cannot love the internal market’. Well, I've been with my wife Jacqueline for 50 years. Not only because I have an economic partnership, but we also love each other. So you have to try to convey that emotion and identity as well. Europeans need to love Europe more and be more proud to be European. That is why I call on the Commission and also on my colleagues from the new Parliament: Invest in European emotion and identity, making us feel much more connected to the Union we live in. I am grateful for the beautiful 20 years in this house in which we have been able to work together with many colleagues and achieve a lot. Above all, I want to thank my family, my wife, children and friends for the wonderful years and for all the support I have received from them. We should not look backwards, but forwards. And let us not forget that this Union is about peace, about values and norms and, of course, also about a strong European internal market. Here is a proud European and I thank you all very much.