What Victor spoke about.

Mr President, dear colleagues, we have succeeded, we have saved the European budget for next year from austerity policy and from those who, in the current difficult context, want to jeopardise the European construction with a lower subsistence budget. If we want a more united and stronger European Union that provides adequate responses to the war in Ukraine and to manage the effects of the pandemic, that truly protects European citizens against the backdrop of rampant inflation and the energy crisis, or that meets our common expectations, we need a more ambitious budget. Unfortunately, not all decision-makers understand this. We have negotiated until the last minute to protect essential European programmes and policies for our citizens in the current context, we have managed to get additional allocations of funds to fight rising energy prices for the transport sector, for SMEs, for education, for young people, the environment or culture. This budget also provides additional resources for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, but also for the entry of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia into the Schengen area. To ensure the resources needed to implement our shared ambitions, I call for a review of the European long-term budget.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the accession of Romania to the Schengen area leads to benefits for the entire European Union. Specialists estimate that the trade volume between Romania and its main EU partners would be boosted by more than 10% in the next few years. The increase of GDP in Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia will lead to a multiplier effect on the European economy already facing an increased risk of recession. Schengen enlargement also means a strong pro-European message in our region, but also better support capacities for Ukraine and its reconstruction. Finally, the internal market will be better integrated across the region, leading to more opportunities for SMEs. Cross-border areas will become bowls of development and the increased mobility will lead to the development of digital trade and tourism. Among the countries that will benefit the most from these new opportunities are the Netherlands and Austria, with whom Romania maintains special trade links, led by right-wing government that currently oppose enlargement without any arguments. I call upon my colleagues here in the Parliament and the Commission to continue helping us by presenting these arguments in order to have a positive vote at the December Justice and Home Affairs Council.

Madam President, dear colleagues, I approved in the European Parliament the resolution on Romania's accession to the Schengen area, which I initiated with the support of my colleagues in the European legislature and the Social Democratic Group. The favourable vote of 547 MEPs out of the 639 present demonstrates the real support that Romania benefits from. Unfortunately, there were also voices against our country, especially from extremist groups, but also from some MEPs from pro-European parties, the EPP, Renew or the Greens. 49 votes against and 43 abstentions. The only political group that voted unanimously for Romania's accession to the Schengen area is the Social Democratic Group. In this context, I have already contacted every pro-European MEP who expressed reluctance, to explain to them why Romania deserves in the Schengen area, in order to understand the motivation behind their decision and to convince them to change even the vote given in the plenary of the European legislature. We will fight with my colleagues to the end for a positive vote for Romania in the Council on December 8, so I invite MEPs from all political parties to do the same and insist on our country's accession to the Schengen area.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Union is facing unprecedented challenges and a series of crises that directly affect citizens. The effect of the pandemic and of the war in Ukraine have led to rising inflation, rising energy prices and falling purchasing power across Europe. In this context, we must identify together the best solutions and endow our Union with the appropriate means to respond to citizens’ pressing needs. The Socialists and Democrats Group requested that the 2023 European budget uses all financial and technical means available to protect citizens and SMEs from the effects of this crisis, offering the Union real prospects for development. Our political group has pushed for increased resources of around EUR 300 million on energy—related measures, including research, investment and the development of green energy, designed to protect citizens against increased energy prices. In the same line, we propose the allocation of additional financial resources of EUR 60 million for SMEs by supplementing the specific related programmes but also by supporting the recovery of the cultural and creative sectors affected by the pandemic. Increased attention has also been given to health by increasing by EUR 150 million the actions aimed, for example, at providing solutions for the long—term effects generated by COVID. To these extremely important issues we added concrete actions related to the war in Ukraine: the support of States on the front line, such as Romania and Poland, and refugees, especially young people and minors from the conflict areas. The increase of EUR 250 million in humanitarian aid funds, the addition of funds for the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods, including the Republic of Moldova, and the allocation of an additional EUR 100 million for Member States to assist them in receiving migrants, will allow us to better manage the effects of the war. An important aspect is the increase in funds for the management of the external borders of the Union and the fact that, once again, at the request of the S&D Group, the European Parliament calls for and includes additional amounts for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area. To this measure is added an increase of EUR 210 million for the Erasmus+ programme, both for the access to education of young Ukrainians and for the continuation of mobility and educational programmes affected by the increase in living costs. I am particularly happy that the pilot project that I have proposed together with Vice—President Kaili will allow us the monitoring of children coming from Ukraine in such a way as to prevent human trafficking and ensure a safe future. I also welcome the inclusion of a reference in our resolution by which the Commission is invited to identify solutions for saving the unspent funds from the previous financial period and allocating these resources to the frontline countries affected by the war in Ukraine. In these uncertain times of our workers, it is also of paramount importance to continue supporting social dialogue and workers’ training and ensuring a stable funding for those initiatives. Everyone is feeling the effect of the current crisis and the European programmes are seriously affected by the galloping inflation. That is why we call for the review of the multiannual financial framework in order to build an ambitious and flexible budget that provides concrete and common answers to the challenges we face in such a way no one is left behind.

Madam President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, in 2021, like said, 95 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. This was equivalent to 21% of the EU population, and the risks are growing with the current energy crisis and inflation rate. We are the developed part of the world, but many of our citizens have difficulties in paying their bills at the end of the month. The risk of poverty increases, according to Eurostat, if the individual is a woman, has children, is young or unemployed. For instance, 27% of young adults aged between 18 and 24 are affected by poverty, and the risk varies across the EU. Romania, Bulgaria and Greece reported the highest shares of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Dear colleagues, our speeches in the plenary would not resolve the problems. We need, therefore, a European strategy against poverty, with concrete milestones, financial mechanisms and proactive policies implemented at all levels. ‘No one left behind’ should mean something, and this implies effective measures and clear targets to reduce poverty in all our regions. So, I support what Commissioner Schmit said, that we need to act together now in order to end poverty in Europe.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, that is enough! In the last 11 years, I have repeatedly insisted on Romania's accession to Schengen. The real question is who is opposed and why? All the European Social Democrat leaders declared that they support Romania's accession. I have not heard this from all the centre-right governments and I ask their representatives not only to speak here, but to go and talk with their political colleagues, for example, in the Netherlands. But if we are all in the room for accession, then I insist that the Council, Mr. Minister, tell us clearly whether in December there will be a vote for Romania's accession to Schengen starting next year. And if it doesn't, what do we do? That is why I propose that we MEPs ask for the support of the Court of Justice of the European Union itself. And I am convinced that many Europeans will support us. In one of the tens of thousands of messages sent by Romanians to European leaders that I will submit to the Council headquarters, Irina, a 22-year-old woman from Alba Iulia, writes that joining Schengen means for her that Romanians become full European citizens. So the reality is simple: Romanians deserve Schengen!

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, we need a strong European democracy to face the current challenges. This requires us to build a resilient society, rules for fair participation, but also strong and transparent European parties and foundations that can help develop the European political and democratic debate across Member States. This regulation enables us to avoid foreign interventions in the European political landscape by defining clearly what can and should be done in order to avoid the situations presented recently by the media of non-transparent financing of populist parties by authoritarian regimes. I have also made the proposal to consolidate European parties by actively promoting their logos and identity at national level, developing strong activist groups across Europe and enabling them to campaign on European issues. I take this opportunity to thank all the PS activists that already do that relentlessly across Europe and in my country, Romania. We are building a European agora and our political parties and foundations are at the core of this new democratic identity.

Madam President, Commissioner, we need a common European response against rising energy prices in the European Union. We need effective measures, but also faster implementation. It is perhaps easy to talk about this here, but it is very complicated to talk to a pensioner when he pays his bills and has a small pension. It is very complicated to talk to a young man who lives on the minimum wage and gives half his income to pay bills, or to an entrepreneur who wants to succeed and can not do it because of energy prices. We need active measures. On the one hand, it is clear that we need to regulate. We can no longer leave things to chance and a liberalization that does not work today. We need to tax, to tax those who have won enormously on the backs of European citizens and the traders who have taken advantage of this context. We need to support those who invest in this production area and the states that have capacities in this energy area - and Romania, for example, my state has -. And also to implement REPowerEU faster, much faster than we do now.

Mr President, Commissioner, we need a European minimum wage, a decent wage for European citizens, a wage that allows citizens to have access to everything they want and we need a common regulation at European level, and we know that it has not been easy to achieve this. Unfortunately, there were governments - right-wing governments in the case of Romania - that opposed the European minimum wage, but today we see that everyone now supports something that in the past was rejecting. In Romania, 1.5 million workers will benefit from this regulation and I am convinced that in our country we will be able to live up to expectations and implement this directive as soon as possible. It is also important to go further, to support also SMEs in this respect, to ensure that working conditions are also adequate for these people who have a minimum income, however. Despite this, it is clear to us that, in the current context and with inflation and rising prices, we need decent wages everywhere in Europe and we need workers to be paid for the same work, in the same way, everywhere in Europe.

Mr President, Commissioner, Romanians deserve Schengen. Romania has been complying for many years with all the criteria regarding the accession to the Schengen area, and the successive evaluations of the European Commission, confirmed also in the context of the war in Ukraine, show that our country ensures the protection of the external borders at the highest standards. European leaders have no justification not to accept Romania's entry into the Schengen area this year. German Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it very clear that Romanians, through their efforts, deserve the respect of Europe and entry into this area of free movement. It is a pity that some centre-right European governments have refused and still oppose to recognise this right to Romanian citizens. Together with the Social Democratic Party and PES Activists Romania we will fight to the end for this objective. We will request a new debate in the plenary of the European Parliament and soon we will submit tens of thousands of messages of Romanians for this desideratum at the Council headquarters. We cannot have a strong and united Europe until Romanians have the same rights as other European citizens.

Mr President, the issue of mental health has for too long been considered a taboo subject, although millions of people are confronted with such situations. The isolation generated by the pandemic, the digital shift and the multiple crises we are experiencing have accentuated many of these trends. The absence of real preventive measures and the lack of digital literacy have led to new problems that we must, and for which we must, find new answers. Digital addiction, online bullying, fake news, born-out, unregulated teleworking and digital violence are just some of these new aspects. The worst thing is that more and more young people and children are facing such difficulties, some even taking their own lives. Among young people in Romania, suicide is the second leading cause of mortality, and about 10% of them experience depression as a result of the pandemic. In this regard, we proposed a pilot project for the development of the network of school and psychological counsellors in schools and the development of programs aimed at providing integrated assistance to young people and families. We need solutions and we need to find a balance at European level to deal with this situation.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the Republic of Moldova deserves the status of candidate country for the European Union, a clear and well-defined status, and in the context of the threat posed by the Russian Federation, it must be said that we cannot afford ambiguities or conditionalities. The efforts of the Republic of Moldova, in the context of the war in Ukraine, the support of the population for the European path and the solidarity shown by the citizens of Moldova confirm their attachment to European values and our vision of the world. That is why MEPs, in all political groups and in particular, I must say, those in Romania, have made it very clear that the Republic of Moldova deserves this status alongside Ukraine and we hope so, even Georgia. But the path to joining the European Union will not be easy. Reforms, but also European financial resources, will be needed. The economic and social effects of the war in Ukraine have affected the stability of the country and led to very high pressure on the population. This is why the financial commitments of the European Union and the international community must quickly become a reality. Through a favourable decision of the European Council, we will take a historic step, both for the Republic of Moldova and for the European Union.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, indeed, the European Union must not leave the Member States and Ukrainian refugees alone in the face of this unprecedented situation. That is why we have amended, here, the 2022 European budget to ensure that there is enough money to meet these challenges related to the war in Ukraine. The funds will cover part of the expenditure and efforts made by the Member States and will hopefully help to improve the European response. More attention will also be given to the states bordering Ukraine, including Romania, to finance, for example, the humanitarian hub. Last but not least, the local and county authorities will be able to benefit from additional financial resources. However, we need a concrete plan on future financing needs and financial support for the indirect effects of the war in Ukraine, especially on the states in the region. Around 40% of Europeans believe that the war has affected their standard of living and want the European Union to intervene to keep energy and food prices at an acceptable level. This requires new European resources and urgent action.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the crises we are experiencing and the volatility of the current economic environment mean that the recovery and resilience plans approved last year no longer fully correspond to our needs today. Whether we are talking about agriculture or health, education or energy, pensions or social benefits, the list of priorities has changed profoundly in the case of many European states. This is also the case in Romania, where we had a plan made quickly before, with many shortcomings, allocations of millions of euros for consultancy and targets that affect the social stability of the country. It is therefore important that the European regulation allows for greater flexibility, optimisation according to the needs of the Member States, but also a fair distribution of funds between investment areas and beneficiary areas. Last but not least, I have always campaigned for a significant allocation of funds for education and continuing training, and I was the author of the amendment calling, we, the European Parliament, for at least 10% of the funds for this area. I am pleased to see that most Member States have complied with our recommendation and that this proposal is taken up in the new perspective of the European Parliament.

Mr President, dear colleagues, in the context of the crises we are going through and in the light of the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe, there is a need for the European Union to have new instruments to protect the population. But changing the treaties is not an end in itself. A more united, more humane, more efficient Europe is needed. We talk about such skills in the area of health, social policies, energy or even education. In the same vein, the European Parliament, as the main representative institution at European level, must have the right of legislative initiative in order to be able to fulfil the will of the citizens. Also, on certain specific topics, such as joining the Schengen area or applying the sanctions imposed on the aggressor states, there is a need for an easier procedure. But there's also a red line. We do not want certain European bureaucrats to decide non-transparently. We want the voice of every country and every European citizen to be truly heard at European level. Therefore, in order for our vote on treaty change to reflect the will of the citizens, the Social Democratic Party, of which PES Activists Romania are part, is conducting a public consultation at national level, in our country. I also invite you to do the same.

Mr President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, but mainly, dear citizens of the Republic of Moldova, we are here for you. Parliament is here. The Commission is here. The Member States, Romania and all social democratic groups are here to help the Republic of Moldova in a concrete, practical and pragmatic way in any situation. Suntem aici pentru voi. 600 de milioane de euro pentru planul de redresare economică, zeci de milioane de euro pentru asistență umanitară, securizarea frontierelor, chestiunea refugiaților și mai ales pentru protejarea populației în contextul creșterii prețurilor la energie. Sume consistente promise pentru a ajuta Republica Moldova în contextul efectelor generate de război. Un sprijin fără precedent și nu ne oprim aici. Vorbim de investiții de eliminare a dependenței Republicii Moldova de Federația Rusă. Vorbim de întărirea instituțiilor democratice. Nu pentru noi, ci pentru voi, cetățenii din Republica Moldova. Meritați tot sprijinul și respectul nostru. De aceea, le solicit încă o dată colegilor mei ca împreună să sprijinim aderarea rapidă a Republicii Moldova la Uniunea Europeană.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the war in Ukraine has created additional pressure on tourism and transport, severely affected by the pandemic, for which we need to find solutions. In my country, Romania, on the border with Ukraine, there were significant costs in these two areas. We have experienced a decline in international tourism, with foreign tourists being frightened by what is happening in the region. That is why we need new European support instruments and we have asked for a dedicated budget line. In terms of transport, Romania had to take over what was being transported to Ukraine. After the start of the war, freight traffic in the port of Constanta increased by 8%, from 33 ships per day to 50. The Romanian Ministry of Transport has allocated additional funds for these new needs in the transport area, but European support is needed. It's not just the merchandise that's important. We also need solutions for Ukrainian sailors or carriers who have nowhere else to turn. We need more flexibility from the European Commission and additional resources to ensure the necessary transport flows for both Ukraine and the Eastern European countries, on which the resilience and trade stability of the whole Union depend.

Madam President, I have attended the Conference on the Future of Europe and citizens have clearly underlined that they want to contribute more to the European project. Contrary to what has been said, their ideas and proposals are valuable. And also we have to acknowledge the fact that important parts of them go beyond the current treaty framework. I am particularly happy to see that citizens want the European Union to help them get access to quality education and health services and several of our proposals, even of my proposals, have been included in the conclusions. The pandemic and the war in Ukraine show that we need a European Union that protects its citizens and its Member States, and for that it needs the means and the instruments to act by including even a stronger social dimension. We therefore call for a convention and the activation of the procedure for the revision of the treaties according to Article 48 of the Treaty of the European Union. And as a member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, I support the need to start working on this immediately. Dear colleagues, in these uncertain times, we need to revise the Treaties in order to build a Europe that offers certainty, security and the perspective of a sustainable future for everyone.

Recently, in Transnistria, a series of challenges have emerged, meant to generate potential instability in the Republic of Moldova. We must not fall into the net of those who want to start a new conflict in the region, but we must be cautious and increase both the support for the Republic of Moldova and the presence on the ground. From here, in the plenum of the European Parliament, I convey to all the citizens of the Republic of Moldova the fact that Europe and Romania will not abandon them. As I said before as minister, when I offered assistance for European integration to the Republic of Moldova, its European path cannot be blocked. Because this is the way for the development of the country and a better life for the citizens. Therefore, I ask the European Commission to further assist the Republic of Moldova in order to obtain the status of candidate to the European Union and to implement an accelerated path towards integration. Only in the Union will the Republic of Moldova have guaranteed the security it needs and the chance to develop.

Madam President, I actually had another speech prepared in Romanian, but I decided to change my intervention because I saw what the extreme right was saying earlier here in the plenary of the European Parliament. They were attacking a group of people, a group of Europeans. They were attacking the Roma community. This should never happen in this House because, when we speak about Europeans, when we speak about Roma people, we speak about human rights. We speak about us being together, and we speak about the need to correct what is not working well, but also to look ahead and identify those policies and those directions that can resolve the issues and the problems, not point out and discriminate like they did. And now they have left the House. They attacked and they left the House. This is not the way to proceed. This is not the way to do things. This is why we have to think ahead. We have to establish a concrete plan, an action plan that will resolve all of these issues. We need to act together and we need to show that the Roma community has a future here in Europe, everywhere in Europe, in all Member States, and we have to identify the solutions to enable this.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, I have been campaigning for many years for the development of education about the European Union, both as a Member of the European Parliament and as a teacher. It is time to understand that through this kind of education we ensure that our citizens better understand their rights and obligations at European level, that they have more knowledge about the states that are in the European Union, about their history and culture, and that in this way we manage to strengthen the resilience of our societies by developing a sense of belonging to this unique democratic community in the world. To achieve this, we need a common curriculum available in all Member States, teachers trained in this direction, methods and content tailored to different categories of learners, including online, and adequate, adequately funded resources. In this regard, we must involve all institutional actors and all organisations that have contributed and want to contribute to the development of civic education for active European citizenship. This process must be coordinated at European level, including through a responsible structure that assumes this role. I hope that civic education about the European Union will soon be available in all schools in the Member States, because this kind of skills will strengthen the role of European citizens in the European Union's decision-making process and enable them to respond better to global and European challenges. I would therefore like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Devesa, for his efforts and for taking on board our ideas in his report.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, in this difficult situation we need an exceptional European budget that truly protects the population. Every euro we put together in the common European basket must reduce the impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. That is why our political group has called for the European budget for next year to protect citizens against rising energy and food prices, to finance the affected sectors, in particular tourism and agriculture, and the creation of new companies, to support programmes in the fields of innovation, education, health and culture. In this regard, we have integrated the following proposals into the European Parliament's common position: additional support for Member States bordering Ukraine, but also for the Republic of Moldova; implementing a joint programme to support seniors; the development of the European Emergency Medical Corps; the creation of a compensation mechanism for the effects of the war in order to be able to apply new sanctions against the Russian Federation; settling investments from European programmes for Ukrainian refugees to enable them to access education, health and social services; financing energy investments to reduce dependence on the Russian Federation. Added to this is the need to ensure adequate resources for the protection of the population in emergency situations and for international humanitarian action, preserving our democratic values that define us. But new resources are needed to meet these challenges, including by making existing programmes more flexible and extending programmes and implementation periods. It is not enough just to make transfers from existing resources. People expect us to allocate budgetary resources where they are needed and to produce results quickly. We call on the European Commission and the Council to accelerate the joint response to the current challenges, ensuring that funds reach where they are needed faster.

Mr President, dear colleagues, Commissioner, the situation is very serious. 1.8 million children have left Ukraine. 2.5 million children have been displaced inside Ukraine. In total we are talking about 60% of children in Ukraine. We are talking about destinies, we are talking about people, we are talking about young people, we are talking about children who need our support and we cannot ignore this situation. It is not enough just to talk about access to education, access to health. We have to act. We must act in a unified, common manner, offering a package of minimal services to which these children have access. That's what we need resources for. We need joint action at European level and we cannot leave the burden of these efforts to the Member States alone. Many of the Member States, including Romania, which I represent here in the European Parliament, have made efforts to do so, but we need to go further. We must be able to combine our efforts and that is why we, at the level of the European budget, have called on the European Parliament for common resources to be made available to meet these challenges and to be able to provide integrated support for these children. As was said earlier, whether we are talking about access to education, psychological support or housing, there are many things that need to be done not only immediately, but also in the medium and long term. In this sense, I would like to welcome the efforts of the Commissioner who raised this issue at Member State level and I would like the Member States, especially those that contribute more to the European budget, to continue to do so. We see that today the Council is not present at this important debate and that may be why it would be appropriate indeed to go further. I was at the border, as were other colleagues, and I worked hard to support the children. We must act together because children's rights are human rights.

Madam President, together in this House we are called ‘the European Union’. We are safe and our citizens feel that they have a future. The Union can continue to develop, despite sometimes being hesitant. However, decision makers have ignored what might happen and did not engage enough in investing in modernising the common project. They locked the doors and the windows to our house, hoping no one would ever get in. But now our neighbourhood is on fire and the flames might reach our house soon. They are in our backyard and, together with our strategic partner, the United States, we need to put out the fire by moving forward at a faster pace, meaning we need to: consolidate our defence in partnership with NATO; protect our population against energy and food crises; financially support Ukraine, EU border countries and partners like the Republic of Moldova; make European funding more flexible; reform the EU. I call on all the international leaders present in Brussels to consolidate this House, defend our values by investing in education, our democracy and culture, and listen to our citizens. Keep the door open and be courageous enough to protect our neighbourhood.

Commissioner, dear colleagues, we have been to several border points with Ukraine. That is why I start by congratulating the staff dealing with border protection, especially the border in Romania, for their professionalism. Romania ensures border protection as well as any other country in the Schengen area. I thank the hundreds of volunteers who got involved to help the refugees, including my colleagues from PES Activists Romania for what they are doing for the children in Ukraine. The situation, however, is difficult and risks getting worse. We have over one and a half million refugees, but the total estimated figure is more than five million. There is a need for an integrated European response ensuring the extended support of Frontex also in the Republic of Moldova, increased funding and better coordination, the implementation of specific measures for children, the creation of security areas in the border area in coordination with local authorities and civil society, a more flexible status for refugees, a medium and long-term plan for migrants from Ukraine and, last but not least, the unitary implementation of measures by all Member States.