Speeches

Mr President, Putin’s armed forces have underwhelmed. But he retains a strong grip on energy supply, for now. He will try to weaponise the winter to weaken resolve and support for Ukraine. The EU and Member States must introduce a range of measures and supports to help households and businesses and protect citizens from the worsening energy price hikes. Immediate actions of the energy crisis should not be at the detriment of the future needs of our energy system. Yet the market should be for the benefit of society, not siphon the life from it. It is only right to apply a windfall charge to actually give that money back to citizens. To reduce energy bills for consumers in the longer term, the answer is clear: embrace the energy efficiency principle and get renovating the built environment. But for now, the windfall profits being made by producers and, above all, by traders of the energy system must be subjected to storm force taxes. These astronomical and immoral profits must be taxed as soon as possible.

Mr President, I do not know if there is an interpretation in Irish for this session or not, therefore, in case I do not, I will ask the Commission my question in English at the end. Clearly, the pandemic has shown us that it is much better to cooperate at European level than to have each country go their own way and it is good that we see this collaboration at the beginning of the pandemic, both in terms of taking a stance against Putin and his illegal war in Ukraine. Also, while Joe Biden said, COVID-19 is over, it is not over, and it is important that we urge our citizens to be vigilant, especially when winter is coming, as COVID is much worse in winter than in summer. And now my question. MEP Trillet—Lenoir said we need an international treaty on pandemics. I would like to ask the Commission, do they believe in that and, if so, what progress is being made to ensure that comes about?

Mr President, current affairs in Haiti have completely disappeared from control and order. Parents don't want to send their children to school. There is a shortage of energy and clean water. In addition to the bad, hospitals, banks and shops are struggling to keep their doors open. Political instability has worsened since the assassination of President Haiti last year. In addition, inflation of almost 30% has exacerbated the problem. About 40% of Port-au-Prince are in charge of crime gangs and are killing hundreds of Haiti and the police are unable to control the gangs. I appeal to the Haitian authority to exercise attentive oversight over an honest and fair election. They need to ensure democratic integrity and put an end to this chaotic policy.

A Uachtaráin, the climate crisis is increasingly affecting the lives of millions of people across the world. This year, Pakistan endured extreme weather conditions: from its heat wave in March and April, to the devastating floods in June. Pakistan was one of the country’s worst affected by climate change in the first years of this century. This climate-induced crisis has come on top of an ongoing political and economic crisis. After the heaviest monsoons in over a century, 1 600 people lost their lives and approximately 13 000 people were injured, in addition to the millions of homes lost. The floods have also had a devastating effect on Pakistan’s agriculture, which plays a central role in the country’s economy. It is essential that the EU stand with the people of Pakistan, a country with which we have strong bilateral relations for over 60 years. I welcome the funding and supports that have been provided already. Europe has offered humanitarian funding, provided medical aid and exported essential equipment, such as water pumps and hygiene kits. I would like to make a broader point. In Europe our primary focus is on the unjust war in Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis, which poses immediate and acute dangers. Climate change, on the other hand, has not gone away. It poses an existential problem for the human race, and the effects are plain to see.

A Uachtaráin, the war in Ukraine and the COVID—19 pandemic have caused huge disruptions to global supply chains, exposed European vulnerabilities, and shown that, now more than ever, the EU needs to diversify our trading routes and develop new partners. However, diversification should not come at the expense of other EU policy goals that ensure that producers and trading countries abide by environmental and labour standards similar to those standards, that producers within the EU follow progressive labour and social rights globally, and that protect the commercial activity of businesses within the EU. As the world’s largest trading bloc, we are in a position to use our trade policy to engage partners on important issues. For this reason, I welcome the Commission’s additional sanctions, using its trade toolbox for enforcing labour, environmental and human rights standards. It is essential that these sanctions are used in a responsible way, namely only as a measure of last resort. Sustainability objectives should not undermine the negotiability of our trade agreements. It would be an own goal for the Commission to impose sanctions haphazardly. Doing so would undermine the negotiability of our trade agreements and indeed drive away prospective trading partners. The Commission’s proposal, I think, strikes this delicate balance between negotiability and ambition.

A Uachtaráin, we’ve entered a new phase in the unnecessary and callous war waged by Vladimir Putin. His shambolic and illegal referendums have served as a fickle means for Russia to try to absorb thousands of square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in what will be the largest forced annexation of land in Europe since 1945. Like the heinous war crimes that are part of Russian standard military tactics, disinformation has now become a fundamental element of Russia’s international relations. Last week, within hours of the Nord Stream pipeline explosion, disinformation, fitting the pattern of Russian information warfare was immediately circulated on social media platforms. This is a very sophisticated and covert operation, which at this stage is a well—oiled machine that has proven to be effective in many circumstances. It’s amplified to social media algorithms. The aim is to flood social media with false information, to blur the lines of fact and deter public opinion from supporting Ukraine, depicting it as a failed, corrupt, Nazi state. Disinformation has been so effective that many so-called ‘free thinkers’ have been reduced to unwitting Kremlin spokespersons. It is time to strongly counter this disinformation in the EU.

Madam President, uimhir 3, I think we were all very happy to support this report and to see it being approved by an overwhelming majority because it establishes a single charging portal for mobile phones, tablets and other portable electronics in the EU. Not before time. The aim of this proposal is to improve consumer welfare and reduce the environmental footprint that comes from the manufacture and disposal of chargers and is part of a broader effort to make products in the EU more sustainable, reduce e-waste and make consumers’ lives easier. Beyond saving consumers money, there is also an environmental benefit. While electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste in the EU, less than 40% is recycled. This law aims to reduce the volume of such waste. So now, people all over Europe, including myself, can go to our boxes and drawers, which are full of all sorts of chargers, which we will never again need to use and dispose of them properly.

A Uachtaráin, I was pleased also to vote in favour of this report. It aims to build resilience and competitiveness within the EU aquaculture sector. The EU imports 70% of all the aquatic food it consumes. In this regard, the EU aquaculture sector has a great potential and it is important that the European Commission and EU Member States provide the legal framework required to develop it further. EU aquaculture contributes to food supply and food security by providing sustainable and quality food products with a smaller environmental footprint than land—based, thus ensuring that EU aquaculture progresses in accordance with the green transition, while also bringing socio-economic opportunities to coastal regions and rural areas. I think it’s a worthwhile initiative and hopefully Member States, including my own, can avail of the opportunity.

Madam President, I am pleased to support this report from my colleague, Ms Trillet—Lenoir, for a regulation on serious cross-border threats to health. These new measures aim to strengthen public health in the EU when faced with serious challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic unfortunately revealed how the European Union severely lacked the tools to counter a health crisis, and consequently our national health systems faced extremely dark and challenging times. Public health systems across all Member States were overwhelmed and exhausted. The pandemic also showed us the importance of European solidarity and coordination. The report recommends strengthening operational coordination at European level and the promotion of solidarity in the European Union. I welcome the regulation and I support it.

A Uachtaráin, Commissioner, about 90 million persons in the EU have some form of disability; 50% of persons with disabilities are in employment compared to 75% without disabilities. Although major advances have been achieved in favour of people with disabilities, often these citizens are still faced with significant barriers to full participation in their communities. Efforts must continue if we are to achieve a more inclusive, fairer Europe, including access to employment and the rights of people with disabilities. Member States have been lagging behind for years when it comes to implementing EU legal texts on inclusivity. With the new EU Centre for Accessibility, we would hopefully have an effective tool in coherently implementing accessibility in the EU. I call on the Commission to guarantee adequate financial and human resources to ensure the effective operation of the centre. Let’s make the world a more inclusive place. It is time to raise the living standards of European citizens, especially those who are currently represented. And, finally, a shout out to the social farming initiative in my own constituency. The farmers involved are generously leading by example, by giving people with disabilities the chance to work on their farms. Initiatives like this should be encouraged and replicated all over the EU and in all aspects of human engagement.

Thank you, Mr. President, and congratulations Mr. President, for the kind words you have given us. Thank you, Ursula, for staying for the entirety of the debate. You spoke a lot about energy, and rightly so. And to your credit, you’re going around the world trying to get LNG supplies for Europe. But I’m sorry to say that in my country we have an opportunity to build an LNG terminal free of charge for the government, which one army of government is blocking. We also have vast gas resources of our coast which are not being utilised, and yet we are largely dependent on one pipeline from the United Kingdom. And today the United Kingdom said if Russia cut off supplies of gas to Europe, then there will be gas rationing and electricity outages in the United Kingdom and Ireland. So I would ask you to ask countries like Ireland to use the resources and opportunities they have and not to be scrounging on the supplies that other Member States need, and also to remove the roadblocks to the deployment of renewables, especially planning and permission. And one final ask, maybe not to put the clocks back this winter to save energy.

A Uachtaráin. I commend my colleague Christophe Hansen on the work he has done on this file. This proposal for a regulation to limit the availability of products linked to deforestation on the EU market is a step in the right direction in order to achieve the EU’s commitment to curb deforestation and forest degradation. This is a topic close to the heart of many of my constituents in Ireland South. They want to know where the products that they buy come from and to be sure that these products are not linked to the destruction of forests and their ecosystems. For this reason, I welcome the ambition to supply deforestation-free products in shops and businesses across Europe in the future. It is worth noting that I voted to support the inclusion of financial institutions’ activities with this regulation. Financial institutions must take responsibility for ensuring that finance they provide to companies does not contribute to the activities that pose a risk to forests and our ecosystems. I am very pleased to support this report.

Mr President, it is clear that climate change severely affects the forest ecosystem and that in doing so, forests themselves can fight climate change. Naturally, the trees can absorb carbon from the atmosphere and, as a result, the carbon emission in the atmosphere is reduced. For this, we need to preserve, improve and increase forests in the European Union so that we can achieve carbon neutrality. Forests also contribute to many ecosystem services such as water and clean air, to protect them from erosion. The main aims of the EU Forest Strategy are to achieve effective forests, forest conservation and forest restoration in the EU. This will allow the trees to absorb and store CO2 in the atmosphere. Therefore, of course, I voted in favour of the report.

Mr President, I welcome this report from my budget colleagues on the 2021 proposals for the revision of the multiannual financial framework. This report importantly ensures the MFF’s compatibility with the Parliament’s Fit for 55 package, particularly the alignment of the MFF with the Parliament’s position on the Social Climate Fund. The Social Climate Fund is essential to supporting and protecting vulnerable households, micro-enterprises and transport users as the emissions—trading system is expanded. At a time of soaring inflation and energy costs, we need to be sure that climate policies are implemented in a way that protects vulnerable groups. I also echo my colleagues’ call for consideration of a broader revision of the MFF. We must consider the current budget allocations and whether they are appropriate for the Europe we are living in today. We need a legislative proposal for a comprehensive MFF revision as soon as possible.

Mr President, this cross-disciplinary initiative provides a welcome opportunity to combine our climate and digital goals with the benefits of creative design and to foster rural and urban developments that improve citizens’ everyday lives. Particularly, I welcome the report’s acknowledgement that the New European Bauhaus should be linked to the renovation wave. Modernising buildings to ensure they are more sustainable and efficient is fundamental to reaching the EU’s climate and energy goals. For this reason, I support my colleagues’ calls for increased funding to be allocated to the New European Bauhaus. When managing the implementation of the initiative the Commission should ensure that all projects are consistent with the EU’s green and digital climate as they contribute to creating new jobs and business opportunities, and in local areas, and, importantly, that citizens’ perspectives are incorporated into the process. As the objective of New European Bauhaus is to create a positive living environment for European citizens, it is essential that citizens themselves have their say in how this programme is implemented. I look forward to seeing this contribution help the local development in Ireland and across Europe by creating public spaces for the sharing of knowledge, culture and sport.

Mr President, I was happy to vote in favour of the REFuel EU Aviation Initiative Report. The aim of the report is to boost the supply and demand for sustainable aviation fuels in the EU, in line with the goal of reducing aviation’s environmental footprint, which is huge, to achieve the EU's climate targets. It is imperative that European planes use the greenest and most sustainable fuels to help the EU become climate neutral by 2050. And it is important that we invest much more in the development and deployment of sustainable fuels made in , in order to decrease costs. And that is one lesson I think we have learned from COVID and from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that we need to put more resources into producing things so we can have the label ‘made in Europe’ on them.

Mr President, one of the objectives of the European Green Deal is for the EU to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050. In order to accomplish this, significant changes are required for the European transportation system. Innovation will help, but a key solution already exists: a large modal shift towards active mobility, particularly cycling. Considering its indisputable environmental benefits as a form of transportation, the EU must prioritise cycling in its climate strategy, dedicate resources to cycling policy and promote its advantages. It is time to implement a real bicycle policy, one that recognises the importance of cycling as a unique and fully-fledged means of transport. A green Europe must be a cycling Europe, and when we have that, we might get Katie Melua to sing about cycling in Europe as she has done for Beijing. Finally, I just want to say my name is Seán Kelly. I am often confused with the great Irish professional cyclist Sean Kelly, which pleases me greatly, especially when it helps me to get through Belgian security at speed.

President, with EU regulation, we can create better standards and a legislative framework to achieve the EU’s aims. That said, we, as legislators, need to be mindful of the huge impact that EU law alone can have across all Member States. We have a duty to ensure that we do not over-regulate, and to avoid unnecessary administrative or regulatory burdens. Working for my Group on the AFCO opinion on ‘Better regulation’, I stressed the need to better support our 24 million small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU. I also strongly believe that better regulation is needed to achieve the goals set out in the Green Deal. But in particular, a red tape that hinders the progress of the green transition must be discarded.

Madam President, as a rapporteur in the last mandate for InvestEU, I want to thank Mr Hoyer and the EIB and the European Commission for rolling out this very important instrument for the European Union. Now I am a rapporteur for the EPP for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the renovation of the EU’s building stock is a key Green Deal priority. However, at present, there is a funding gap of EUR 214 billion a year for green financing for residential buildings, which will require a greater input from bank loans. Currently, 72% of renovations are self-funded, while only 18% of consumers are taking loans to renovate their homes, because they are too expensive. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, under Article 15, expands the toolbox for Member States. It includes energy efficiency loans and mortgages for building renovations. So, a question, Mr Hoyer: does the European Investment Bank envisage the establishment of an EU-wide renovations guarantee fund, enabling credit institutions to reduce their risk exposure on green mortgage portfolios, and so improve access to renovation loans for vulnerable households? Finally, I would like to thank the EIB also for their assistance for Ukraine – quick and positive.

, Commissioner, colleagues, the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill marks a new low in relations between the EU and the UK. We mustn’t forget that the UK was a valued member of the European Union for 40 years and played a very constructive part. But breaching international law is just not acceptable, as Vice-President Šefčovič said. Also, it defies logic – because the protocol is working. The majority of MLAs returned in the recent election are in favour of the protocol. The business people that I met in my capacity as rapporteur for the Trade Committee, the vast majority are in favour of the protocol and see the benefits of being in the single market of the European Union and the UK market. Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting a good friend of mine, former MEP now Under—Secretary Vicky Ford, and we had a robust discussion. I pointed out to her that if green and red lanes are a solution, come and negotiate, and we can see – because nobody has been more flexible than our good friend Vice-President Šefčovič. I appeal to Boris Johnson, the British Government, to give over this Fawlty Towers—like approach to politics, because if they don’t, there is a danger that Basil would be confused with Boris. Regardless of the outcome in the volatile situation in Number 10, there is only one solution – put this bill aside, come and negotiate and we can reach an agreement. That is what democrats always do.

Mr President, I voted in favour of this resolution on illegal logging in the European Union. While in many Member States this logging is of unequivocal concern as it is damaging to the environment and habitats, I think it is also important to encourage legal logging. The planning process in Ireland is a major obstacle and as a result, my country receives far more hectares each year than other countries. Sustainable forest management around the European Union is key to preserving our forests in the years to come. This will be even more important to achieve our other biodiversity and climate change goals. The Commission and Member States must now do something to tackle illegal logging to preserve our environment in the coming years and push Ireland to plant more trees.

A Uachtaráin, I voted in favour of this report and I had the privilege of speaking on it this morning. One of the points made, particularly by Professor Krasnodębski, was that a lot of this gas would be Russian gas which, as has been pointed out, is no longer reliable. Secondly, we probably don’t want – and obviously we’d like to become independent of – Russian gas soon as possible. In fairness to Ursula von der Leyen, she has gone around the world trying to get alternative supplies – Japan, Kuwait, Qatar, etc. But at the same time, in some countries – and particularly my own country – we have an opportunity to build an LNG terminal, which the agreement is objecting to. Secondly, we have vast resources of gas offshore, which we could utilise pretty quickly. So we’re quite happy for someone else to take it out of the ground and export to us and not to take it out of the ground ourselves. I think in this time of crisis, the Commission should look at what resources are there within Europe, particularly that we can utilise so that we are not dependent on Russian gas and Putin won’t be able to put us into a severe position this winter and the following winter.

A Uachtaráin, I voted in favour of this resolution concerning the granting of candidate status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and of a European perspective to Georgia. While full candidate status has been recommended for Ukraine and Moldova, it is important that Georgia fulfils a number of criteria before such status can be granted. That said, the proposed European perspective for Georgia is testament to the continued progress being made by the people and government of Georgia in this regard. Overall, the commitment of these three countries to European values and ideals has been remarkable, particularly in recent months following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ambition of these countries to accede to the European Union has become even clearer. It is my hope that progress can be made on this front as quickly as possible and I am delighted with the positive vote here in Parliament today. It must really encourage particularly the unfortunate people of Ukraine.

A Uachtaráin, as the Russian artillery barrage continues to pound Ukraine, the notion that Putin was forced into definitive action by NATO becomes more and more ludicrous. The war has changed everything and has forced Europe’s hand, accelerating our Green Deal ambitions and fundamentally altering our overall energy policy but – as Vice-President Timmermans said – uniting us and not dividing us, as war criminal Putin expected. Gas will be an important part of the EU’s decarbonisation pathway, but the situation poses significant risks for security of supply. This required immediate legislative action on the Security of Gas Supply Regulation and the existing internal market for gas regulation. The importance of diversification for security of supply is evident, and this applies in particular to my own country, Ireland – and they’d want to wake up to it. I am also glad to see the reinforced contingency planning to the gas coordination group and its crisis management sub—group included. The focus placed on these files and the speed at which they are being addressed should be commended. Although many share this credit, I would like to join with Vice-President Timmermans in particularly thanking Jerzy Buzek and Cristian Buşoi for their diligent work.

Mr President, Commissioner Šefčovič, the Commission’s recent recommendations to the European Council to grant Ukraine and Moldova EU membership status was very encouraging news. We must make it clear that Ukraine belongs firmly within our European family. Our future lies together, side by side, in peace. This is also true for the Republic of Moldova, which has shown itself to be a great ally during the current crisis, ready to fight for a European future. I commend both Ukraine and Moldova and hope candidate status will be finally confirmed by the decision of the Council tomorrow. As regards the decision on Georgia, I acknowledge that it shares these aspirations, along with other countries of the Western Balkans, and these expectations should not be neglected. I am pleased that the European Commission officially recognised its European perspective and offered Georgia a specific guide to obtaining candidate status. I strongly recommend to the Council to grant EU candidates status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, in line with Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union. A Uachtaráin, tá súil agam go ndéanfaimid dul chun cinn suntasach ar an ábhar seo go luath.