Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, In times of great uncertainty, Europe has shown courage. With the Recovery and Resilience Fund, i.e. the RRF, we have not only responded to the pandemic and the energy crisis, we have invested with billions. Cohesion and the future were poured into figures, into an investment instrument. Where markets fail again, Europe has acted. Where people lost their jobs, the RRF helped. Where states have needed support, the RRF has invested in schools, hospitals, railways, wind turbines and much more. It has not only secured jobs, it has created the future, social justice, economic stability, ecological renewal – all in one investment instrument. A success that does not expire, but should be further developed, of course improved, of course well controlled. Because what bears in the crisis can also strengthen in the future. A role model for a true Investment Union – that is what it is all about. For a social and resilient Europe. Daring more Europe means investing more in the future, and therefore a thank you to the two rapporteurs.

Madam President, Eighty years ago, the Second World War ended. Europe was in ruins. Eighty years ago, the foundations were laid for a Europe of peace. Thanks to the European Union, we have been working together ever since. ‘United in diversity’ – our EU motto also goes back to the spirit of Lagerstraße in Austria. So that millions of us Europeans will never die again in camps, in our own homes, on battlefields. For this, many old contradictions must be set aside, and we must work together, find compromises, build democracy so that peace holds. This is not self-evident. Democracy can be destroyed. This is what the Second World War has shown us, and therefore we must defend this great achievement. Democracy needs us all. We must celebrate and uphold the end of this terrible war and the beginning of our European Union. Because right now it needs the "never again", it needs attitude, it needs Europe.

Mr President, Commissioner! What is the value of the EU passport? Is it a promise to the rule of law, to peace, to freedom? Or a dubious business model, a special right for oligarchs? When individual Member States sell EU passports, they are not just selling a document, they are selling the protection of our values and trust in Europe. As we impose sanctions on Russia, the very ones we want to sanction find their way into the heart of Europe – through loopholes, through so-called investor programmes, through bought golden passports. Therefore: No deals with despots, no passports for Putin's henchmen. And the European Court of Justice has now made it clear: The sale of EU passports is in breach of EU law. Citizenship must not be for sale – whoever makes Europe money loses Europe’s credibility. Bypassing sanctions strengthens the aggressor. Europe is not a business model.

Madam President, Madam Vice-President Mînzatu! The Union of Skills, the Union of Skills, this is a good start; We want to support you in this, but we want to continue. We need a European right to further training, a right that gives workers the opportunity to use their working time to increase their skills without losing their wages and costs. We are in the midst of a change in the labour market, there is a lack of skilled workers at the back and at the front. We need to put people first, and most importantly, we need to give everyone the same opportunities to benefit from this change. The economic success of a company stands and falls with qualified, well-trained employees, and in-house training binds the employees to the company. I repeat: In-house training is particularly important, so companies benefit from it. It is a win-win situation.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, The Supply Chain Act has introduced a paradigm shift. It clarifies: Companies must be liable if they cause damage, just as private individuals do. They must respect labour law, environmental law and fundamental human rights. The Commission's omnibus package is synonymous with evasion of responsibility. It is a knee-jerk of the President of the Commission in front of a few large corporations, on whose pressure passed laws are being reopened. What does this mean: Companies are no longer liable. It becomes almost impossible to hold the parent company accountable if problems have been identified with a subsidiary. Penalties are cancelled. Our competitive advantage in the European Union is that the European Union stands for quality, that investors, that consumers, that companies and states worldwide can count on us to meet high standards - and we must not give up.

Mr President! Dear Executive Vice-President! A great conviction, an excellent work ethic, a vocation to care for others – that is what I perceive in the health sector with female doctors, nurses, midwives, nurses for the elderly, and that must remain so. These caregivers like to work in the industry when they have enough time to do their job well. In Austria – and now the average is only for the country I know best – there are 76,000 missing nurses by 2030 and as many as 200,000 by 2050. What does this mean in everyday life for those who are in the front row? Many do the work for two. That is, they are psychosocially under stress and pressure. 30% of them are over 50 years old. Retirements are imminent. We need to take care of the young people, but above all the men we need to attract to the care sector. Whether man or woman: Anyone, anyone can learn care. Man, with two N, and thus one of the most important jobs, should of course do this job just as well.

Mr President! Dear President Lagarde, Dear Commissioner Albuquerque, The European Central Bank is much more than just a bank: It is the backbone of our economic policy, the pillar of the European Union. Their monetary policy determines our economic future, and those who tie their hands to it block progress, endanger social peace and oppose shared responsibility. Price stability is at the core, not to say the sacred cow of monetary policy. But monetary policy goes far beyond mere price stability. Therefore, the European Central Bank also has two mandates, and the second mandate includes responsibility for people's prosperity, for jobs, innovation and also for equal opportunities. At a time when climate change and social inequality are increasingly impacting people, the European Central Bank's second mandate is more urgent than ever. We S&Ds are firmly on the side of the ECB, as its role is essential, including in the fight against climate change. In fact: Price stability and climate protection are inextricably linked. Because the climate crisis threatens people, threatens our planet and the economy alike, and those who do not understand this live in an illusion. Unfortunately, there are still forces in this House that want to force the ECB onto a market-neutral line, as if this were an inviolable dogma. But we know: Market neutrality is not a law of nature, but at most a concept conceived by humans, which leaves us in the climate war in the lurch. This policy of market neutrality would exacerbate the problems of people and the planet, rather than bring solutions. The recognition that climate change, social justice and price stability are closely linked must give us the guide on how to shape monetary policy. Only a sustainable and just economy can ensure long-term stability for all of us.

Madam President, Dear Commissioner, United in diversity – that is the motto of our Union. Only half of people with disabilities in the European Union are employed – often part-time or in low-wage jobs. United in diversity – but for me that also means that we have to appreciate this diversity. We need to look at people's potential, not just their disability or illness. People with disabilities can contribute so much to our community. But we also need to let them contribute and create the right framework conditions – and they start early. People with disabilities must have equal access to education and training, equal access to the labour market. Above all, they do not want to pass the time with work that is completely below their competences. Inclusion and appreciation in the labour market – we need to look closely at this over the next five years.

Mr President, Vice-President of the Commission! Housing is not a financial product. Living, that's being at home. Living, that's feeling safe, living near work and school. This makes housing a basic need and a fundamental right. The real estate industry, hedge funds, speculators, cashing out more and more every year. In the last five years, rents have risen by almost a quarter. Do people earn a quarter more? Do pensioners therefore have a quarter more money available, students, families, single parents? Of course not. The housing crisis is not an individual problem, it is a structural one, everywhere in the European Union. Vienna shows how it works. Vienna continuously invests in providing affordable and quality housing for all people. But we need new framework conditions across the EU. We need to revise EU state aid rules to simplify public housing. We must curb vacancy and speculation at the expense of all of us. Vienna presents the solution for the European Union. We need to make it a reality across the EU.

Mr President, Vice-President of the Commission! Without wealth taxes, there could not have been a middle class. It could not have arisen at all. Franklin D. Roosevelt did this in 1935. Revenue Act recognized. But where are we today? Taxes on large private assets continue to decline and, at the same time, wealth is more unequally distributed than ever. Eight men – you mentioned – own more than the poorer half of the world’s population. Anyone who sees a connection here is correct. Because slowly there are only a few very, very few rich and a lot of poor. And no middle. But we can counter this if the nationalist and conservative parties and governments finally stop doing clientele politics for the rich. With a wealth tax, a super-rich tax, we are finally doing politics for the many, for a real middle class. That is why, of course, we can only vociferously support the initiative of the Brazilian G20 presidency, support it as a European Union, when a globally necessary super-rich tax is now called for. Let’s tackle it – together.

Mr President, Commissioner, 13 billion – an almost unimaginable sum. And this 13 billion euros is now at stake, because the European Court of Justice has ruled that Apple must pay back this incredible sum to Ireland. This ruling is groundbreaking in the fight against tax avoidance, because it is clear: Tax tricks are not only morally reprehensible, but now also illegal. This is drying up Europe's tax swamps more and more. That's right, because we can use the 13 billion euros more than well in times of the climate crisis, the social crisis. Floods and droughts, i.e. the damage caused by climate change, amount to 5 to 7 billion euros per year in Austria alone. That's where the $13 billion comes in. I think Ireland can use it very well. So let's get the money we are entitled to as a society back from the corporations!

Mr President! The images of recent floods in Austria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and fires in Portugal speak for themselves: Our habitat is in danger. However, the Commission's new mantra seems to be: Competitiveness at all costs. But what good is it for us if we are competitive, but in the end have exploited our natural resources in such a way that we can no longer live on and off our earth? Then we can say that we have prevailed economically against China and against the USA, but half of Europe has either sunk or burned down. This can happen, but it doesn't have to. If we Green New Deal, who has given us so much hope, consistently pursue and implement, then we create the turn, the turn that saves all of our lives. For this reason, the Commission may Green Deal We cannot go into the background, because we can only operate on a planet that also lives.

Madam President, Innovation, investment, production – these are the three magic words in the Draghi report. I think we all agree here that we want to put these three magic words into action. The spirits are divided on the ‘how’. There is talk of cutting red tape, but if we consider that industrial policy is nothing more than state support for companies to promote certain economic activities, then the industry must also play by certain clear rules of the game. These rules of the game are often sold as bureaucracy. The key lies in the harmonisation of rules within the European Union and not in the national patchwork. Because only if we really act together can we be competitive. That is why I would like to add two other magic words that Mr Draghi did not address so clearly or not at all in his report, namely redistribution and social inclusion. Because we as a society, we as a community must ensure that everyone benefits from growth and not just those who are close to the lever.

The next item is the debate on the report by Christian Ehler, on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology products manufacturing ecosystem (Net Zero Industry Act) (COM(2023)0161 – C9-0062/2023 – 2023/0081(COD)) (A9-0343/2023).

I wish you an excellent good morning on this last day of the parliamentary term. We start with the debate on the report by Daniel Freund, on behalf on the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, on the conclusion of an Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank, the European Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions, establishing an Interinstitutional Body for Ethical Standards for Members of Institutions and advisory bodies mentioned in Article 13 of the Treaty on European Union (N9-0008/2024 - C9-0127/2024 - 2024/2008(ACI)) (A9-0181/2024).

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Money laundering not only costs us an exorbitant amount, money laundering also threatens and degrades our democracy and our security. This is also why the anti-money laundering package is absolutely important. In the future, we will be able to shed more light on oligarch toys such as yachts, private jets and also football clubs. Among the highlights is AMLA, the EU anti-money laundering authority. Money laundering knows no boundaries. The importance of this new EU anti-money laundering authority is particularly evident when banks such as Raiffeisen Bank International in Austria are also expanding their business in Russia – with over 2,000 new local staff and more money – which is grotesque. So if we think of Putin's ongoing war of aggression, if we want to protect and defend democracy, then we must fight money laundering consistently. Our money laundering package is more than suitable for this.

Mr President! Only a yes is a yes. This is the key to our overall togetherness. Its boundaries stop where its boundaries begin. This is especially true at times when we are particularly vulnerable. This is especially true for sexual acts. That is why it was, of course, a bitter disappointment for me when it became clear that our new EU law will not be able to follow the European Parliament’s ‘yes only means yes’ approach. There was too much resistance in the council. But we have achieved a lot with this new EU law. We underline: Violence is nothing private, online or offline. This anti-violence package is an important start. In the revision, we must, of course, complement the "yes only means yes" principle. Thank you, Frances, thank you Evin, thank you Helena Dalli and thank these great collaborators that we were able to achieve this.

The next item is the debate on the report by Malin Björk and Eugenia Rodríguez Palop, on behalf of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims (COM(2022)0732 – C9-0431/2022 – 2022/0426(COD)) (A9-0285/2023).