Giuseppe LUPO

What Giuseppe LUPO has said (29)

• 2026-07-15 “(12:04:21 - 12:08:48): Thank you, madam chair colleagues. As we know, fisheries, agriculture processing of products are a strategic priority for the EU. It's an important sector in terms of food security, protection of marine ecosystems for the economy, social cohesion, of insular and coastal states, also for food sovereignty in Europe. According to commission estimates in 2017, the budget line for fisheries, for 2027 will be up to about €1,016,000,000. So it's a major commitment with an increase of 2.1% over 2026 and over €1,000,000,000 in payment appropriations with an increase of 10.7% over the preceding year. And so we welcome these increases, but nonetheless, we believe that the resources should be used efficiently in order to meet the specific needs collection of scientific data, protection of biodiversity, decarbonization, support for aquaculture, and for coastal and insular states. So we're calling for simplification in access to, EMFAR resources, which are too scarce often for, fishers. And very often, they encounter obstacles, which stand in the way of use of funding. Simplification doesn't mean reducing controls, but, allowing these resources to reach the beneficiaries in useful time. And we should pay particular attention, I believe, to coastal and artisanal fishing, which continues to be crucial to economic and social issues in coastal and insular communities in Europe. At the same time, we need to invest in safety for fishers' generational renewal through training, incentives, for the setting up of activities, instruments which will facilitate access to fishing and agriculture for young people and women. And finally, we're calling for rapid flexible intervention in cases of climate or environmental crisis. The heating of the seas, pollution. These, as we know, are creating serious consequences, particularly in the Mediterranean and for the islands. I'm thinking in particular of Sicily and Sardinia, the cases I know best. The European Oceans Pact, Ireland strategies, those for coastal communities are interesting initiatives taken by the European Commission. But we believe that they need to be backed up by specific resources through the plans to involve fisherfolk, local authorities, and the scientific community. To conclude, this will be, as we well know, the next budget before the the last budget before the next MFF 20 28 to 34. And as we know, the architecture of the budget proposed by the commission will go beyond MFAP and will bring together funds for fisheries and agriculture in a single fund. We're not happy with that because we don't feel it allows for certainty and recognizability of produce. Now we've seen an increase from 2,000,000,000 to €4,000,000,000 under the previous presidency, but the parliament is asking for 7,300,000,000. We need adequate resources for this sector, which is of strategic importance to our economy and for food security. And we hope that the Irish presidency will welcome the parliament's position. I wish miss Pricing the very best in her work, and I'm sure that despite the tight time limits, we will manage to coordinate correctly with the other rapporteurs. Thank you.”
  Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
• 2026-07-15 “(12:26:49 - 12:29:57): Thank you, madam chair. Thank you to my colleagues. I listened carefully and took note of the comments made by the other groups, the colleagues who've spoken. So I'd like to thank Mr. Falcone who raised some issues I can fully agree with on the need to link economic, social, environmental sustainability to the question of competitiveness with particular reference to aquaculture, then innovation, renewal aspects which were raised by other colleagues as well, such as Mr. Christensen, with reference to the questions of investment and innovation, the strategic role of fisheries and aquaculture, which was something I stressed particularly during my introduction, as well as small scale fishing and the reference to the Oceans Act. I'd like to thank my colleagues for the work they've done. We heard that there are going to be some amendments on the regenerating economy, which is very interesting. Yes, it's true. We have to also encourage fleet renewal in technological terms as well. We've seen, for example, that if you have technical innovation, sonars, this type of thing on board, it can also improve fishing selectivity, and therefore, the environmental impact can be improved as well. Obviously, this all requires resources which have to be made available to fishers by making correct use of EU funds. Decarbonization certainly is a crucial objective, and Miss Le Carinec also raised some important aspects with reference to the need always to work towards strengthening the scientific approach and observation, data collection, careful analysis of data as well to observe and understand in-depth what are the changes coming about in our seas and oceans. The director of DG Mare also added some very important aspects. With this, I turn to the presidency. It would be very interesting to understand what happened with MFFAF for the different member states between 2021 to 2027 because that could help us, I think, for the upcoming MFF for 2028 through to 2034. So thank you to everyone for their work, and I'm sure we're going to continue to work together to achieve the best possible result. Thank you.”
  Funding for fisheries and aquaculture · Environmental regulation of fisheries
• 2026-02-25 “E-000797/2026 Answer given by Mr Kadis on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has not been notified about the incidents mentioned by the Honourable Member and does not dispose of sufficient information to assess their impact on fishing operations around Lampedusa Island. The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 1 can support measures that contribute to the protection and restoration of aquatic biodiversity and ecosystems, including actions to achieve a good environmental status as set out in Article 1(1) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) 2 . Under specific conditions, the EMFAF can also provide for compensation to fishers for the temporary cessation of fishing activities. It remains within the competence of the Italian authorities to assess and, where appropriate, mobilise the relevant EMFAF resources in line with the objectives of Italy’s EMFAF programme. The Commission remains available to support Italy in the implementation of its EMFAF programme. In implementing their marine strategies, Member States are already obliged to protect the marine environment to achieve good environmental status. No further programmes are therefore envisaged. 1 Regulation (EU) 2021/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 establishing the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1004. 2 Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive).”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries · Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
• 2026-01-29 “P-000378/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission 1. The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) 1 can only be activated at the request of Italy which has a deadline of 12 weeks as from the first damage occurred, demonstrating that the total direct damage exceeds the thresholds specified in Article 2 Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002. The EUSF may cover a part of the costs for emergency and recovery operations incurred by public authorities 2 . The Commission stands ready to support and guide the authorities should they wish to apply for EUSF support. Italy can request assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) 3 . This enables the Emergency Response Cooperation Centre to coordinate and mobilise support from other Member States and UCPM participating states, such as specialised equipment or response teams for emergency operations. 2. The Commission recalls that the Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction Regulation 4 applies to natural disasters occurring between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025. This temporal scope reflects a sunset clause introduced by the co-legislators as part of a broader compromise reached during the legislative negotiations. 3. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes for Calabria, Sardinia and Sicily currently include around EUR 352 million to prevent and manage the risks caused by natural disasters. Out of this amount, EUR 196 million have been allocated to selected operations as of 31 December 2025, while EUR 156 million are still available to support new interventions under the abovementioned programmes. While the ERDF cannot be used to cover emergency interventions and general reconstruction needs, it could be used for the creation and the upgrade of infrastructure to improve resilience. 1 Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund (OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3) as amended by Regulation (EU) No 661/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 May 2014 (OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 143) and by Regulation (EU) 2020/461 of the European Parliament and the Council of 30 March 2020 (OJ L 99, 31.3.2020, p. 9). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32002R2012. 2 This means, for example, the recovery of essential infrastructure, provision of temporary accommodation to the population, cleaning-up operations, and protection of the cultural heritage. 3 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en. 4 Regulation (EU) 2024/3236 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1057 and (EU) 2021/1058 as regards Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction (RESTORE). http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/3236/oj.”
  Cohesion and rural funding · EU Development & Humanitarian Aid
• 2025-11-19 “E-004607/2025 Answer given by Mr Kadis on behalf of the European Commission 1. The European Ocean Pact recognises the support to small-scale fisheries as a priority. As announced in the Pact, the Commission adopted a Communication on the allocation of fishing opportunities 1 , which encourages Member States to further look into the allocation of fishing opportunities for small-scale fisheries. It is however important to recall that such allocation is decided by the Member States and Italy’s decision is outlined in Directorial Decree No 0582398/2025. The Commission understands that the additional closure period, adopted for November 2025, was to ensure that the fleet in the western Mediterranean could meet the conditions of Article 8.1(h) of Council Regulation (EU) 2025/219 2 . 2. The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 3 helps achieving sustainable fishing activities and strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of the fisheries sector. In the context of the implementation of the Western Mediterranean multiannual plan 4 and under specific conditions, the EMFAF can provide for compensation to fishers for the temporary cessation of fishing activities. The Italian authorities can consider mobilising resources from the Italian EMFAF Programme to provide support to the affected operators. The activation of EMFAF financial support must be in line with the specific objectives of the Italian EMFAF Programme, as agreed between the Commission and Italy. 1 Communication on transparency and good governance in quota allocation encourages Member States to use Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy to promote sustainable fishing practices and better support smallscale and coastal fishers (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/6227/oj/eng/pdf). 2 Council Regulation (EU) 2025/219 of 30 January 2025 fixing for 2025 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. 3 Regulation (EU) 2021/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 establishing the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1004. 4 Regulation (EU) 2019/1022 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 establishing a multiannual plan for the fisheries exploiting demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean Sea and amending Regulation (EU) No 508/2014.”
  Funding for fisheries and aquaculture · Environmental regulation of fisheries
• 2025-03-19 “E-001153/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission Under the intergovernmental Bologna process, the common agreement is that if a Romanian university’s branch in Italy offers a programme accredited in full compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) 1 by the Romanian quality assurance system, it would provide the necessary evidence for trust, which is the basis for recognition by other European Higher Education Area (EHEA) countries. However, this remains a non-binding commitment, meaning there is no legal barrier preventing Italy from establishing its own accreditation procedures. In the Rome Ministerial Communiqué 2 , part of the Bologna process, ministers reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that external quality assurance arrangements, when conducted in accordance with the ESG, apply equally to transnational higher education within the EHEA as they do to domestic provision. However, this political commitment does not translate into a legal obligation. Directive 2005/36/EC 3 applies only when the purpose of recognition is for professional reasons, which does not correspond to the situation described. Accreditation procedures are not addressed in this context. In the case of recognition for further study, there is no legally binding instrument at EU level. The non-binding Council Recommendation of 2018 4 states that higher education qualification acquired in one country should be automatically recognised at the same level in another one. Regarding the Lisbon Recognition Convention of the Council of Europe and UNESCO 5 , the EU did not accede to this Convention and is not in a position to interpret its provisions. Relevant information can be provided by National Academic Recognition Centres (NARICs). 1 Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, https://www.enqa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ESG_2015.pdf. 2 https://ehea.info/Upload/Rome_Ministerial_Communique.pdf. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2005/36/oj/eng . 4 Council Recommendation of 26 November 2018 on promoting automatic mutual recognition of higher education and upper secondary education and training qualifications and the outcomes of learning periods abroad, OJ C 444, 10.12.2018, p. 1, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=oj:JOC_2018_444_R_0001. 5 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/fulllist?module=treaty-detail&treatynum=165.”
  Governance of academic priorities within the EU
• 2025-03-19 “E-001154/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is pursuing infringement procedure INFR(2016)4081 1 to ensure compliance of Italian legislation regarding honorary judges with the requirements of EU labour law and effective access to justice. As different national provisions apply to honorary judges who were already in service on 15 August 2017 2 and to those recruited after that date, separate assessments are required in the framework of INFR(2016)4081. Honorary judges belonging to the first group can be confirmed permanently in their positions and obtain worker status. On 15 April 2025, the Italian legislator adopted a reform amending their working conditions 3 . Reform plans are less advanced regarding honorary judges recruited after 15 August 2017. The Commission also draws the Honourable Member’s attention to the fact that a preliminary reference on the capacity of confirmed honorary judges to effectively exercise their rights under EU law is currently pending before the Court of Justice of the European Union 4 . The Commission will analyse the recent reform and closely monitor the case law to assess whether further procedural steps are required to ensure conformity with EU law. 1 Information on Commission decisions pertaining to this infringement procedure are available in the public register online: https://ec.europa.eu/atwork/applying-eu-law/infringementsproceedings/infringement_decisions/?langCode=EN&version=v1&typeOfSearch=byDecision&refId=INFR(201 6)4081&page=1&size=10&order=desc&sortColumns=decisionDate 2 The date of entry into force of Legislative Decree No 116/2017 of 13 July 2017 - ‘Organic reform of the honorary judiciary and other provisions on Justices of the Peace, as well as transitional arrangements for Honorary Magistrates in service, in accordance with Law No 57 of 28 April 2016’. 3 See Law n. 51 of 15 April 2025, GU Serie Generale n. 89 of 16-04-2025: https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2025/04/16/25G00064/SG 4 Case C-253/24, Pelavi.”
  EU policy on permanent and fixed-term employment · EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
• 2024-09-05 “P-001631/2024 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission is aware of the risk that shipwrecks pose to sensitive marine environments. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive 1 requires Member States to monitor any potential source of pollutions to European seas and to assess the impacts as part of their marine strategies. It is the responsibility of Italian authorities to ensure that pollution is at levels that do not harm to the marine environment. According to information available, the Italian Coast Guard is monitoring the area where the Bayesian yacht sank. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) offers a range of top-up services 2 to help Member States to respond to oil marine pollution from ships, such as oil response vessels. The Ship-Source Pollution Directive 3 requires Member States to penalise a ship where it can be proven that the ship discharged oil overboard illegally. Although the Ship-Source Pollution Directive does not apply to shipwrecks, it offers a basis for satellite surveillance that can alert the Italian authorities of a possible oil spill in the location where the yacht sank. In this context, the EMSA provided such services following a request by the Italian authorities during August and September 2024. 2. If the local fisheries sector and communities suffer financial consequences due to the environmental impact of the Bayesian yacht sinking, the Italian authorities 4 can consider mobilising the funds allocated under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) to the Italian National Programme to provide support to the sector. The activation of EMFAF financial support should be in line with the objectives of the Italian EMFAF National Programme. The affected parties should coordinate with the relevant Italian authorities to apply for such support. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2008/56/oj 2 https://www.emsa.europa.eu/we-do/sustainability/pollution-response-services.html 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32005L0035 4 Ministero dell’Agricoltura, della Sovranità Alimentare e delle Foreste (MASAF).”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you very much, chairman. Mr. Hiranuma, the S&D shadow cannot be here, so I'm going to be putting the questions that he would have liked to ask. And he apologises for the fact that he isn't here. First of all, thank you very much for your presentation and thank you very much for your written replies. I'd like to raise some issues on two topics. First of all, the fraud case in Greece, as you know, this was this was related to agricultural funds. And then another question regards greenhouse gas reduction. Now you replied to question 12. And in your answer you say that the EPP doesn't inform the Commission on its investigations and that the it was in February 2025 that the media reported on the EPPO investigation. So the question is how and when did the commission first find out about the fraud system? I've understood that this took place in February. And was it really in February through the media that you found out now. Question 16 and your reply. You say that the commission proposal on the national and regional partnership plans puts more emphasis on fraud prevention. And there are very and there are key prerequisites for the audit and control systems of the member States. But as you yourself say in the answers, member states are supposed to be setting up systems that protect the financial interests of the European Union, while the responsibility of the European Commission is to make sure that these national systems work effectively. So therefore, the question is, can you explain exactly how these new prerequisites are different to the ones that are in place at the moment? And in what way could they have impeded this case of fraud? And then the third question linked to the first topic I mentioned is linked to question 14.”
  CAP delivery architecture: ring-fenced common fund vs integrated national plans
• “Thank you. Chairman. We welcome the Draghi report. I would also add the letter report on the single market. Both of these reports are based on a shared principle. Competitivity and economic social, territorial cohesion are inseparable. The budget of the European Union must reflect that reality by correctly funding and by coordinating national budgets as well. In Portugal last week, in a public speech, President Draghi stressed once again what he had stated in his report. And that is the important the question of the the common debt and the assets in the EU would render capital markets deeper and more fluid, creating a virtuous cycle between higher yields and greater financing opportunities. This is something on which the Commission should think in order to come up with some specific proposals. We also welcome the proposal for an omnibus package for Investeu to provide additional investment in green and digital transition, and support the current and the next MFF. We urge the council, without further ado, to adopt the proposal currently on the table on new own resources. They are absolutely essential in order to responsibly repay the debt of next generation EU and finance the Union's priorities on common security. We are looking closely at the Safe instrument, which talks about up to €150 billion to for member states, but we stress the need that all common defense spending should remain under the control of the budget authority in a transparent and democratically legitimate way. Now, all of this is more urgent now in the light of the common communication. And we've heard from the Commission as well, which which seriously downgraded the the forecasts for growth in GDP in the coming years. I trust that together with the rapporteur and the shadows. I'd like to thank them for their work. We will be able to come up with a positive report for the opinion from this committee. Thank you.”
  Own EU resources
• “Thank you very much. Thank you, commissioners, and thank you to colleagues as well for this opportunity for a debate. I think it's been extremely useful. I agree with those MEPs, um, from my group that spoke already. Now, the NRP accounts for 44% of the MFF, uh, from 2028 onwards. And I'd like to remind you that cohesion, agriculture and fisheries accounted for 63% of the MFF, uh, up to 2026 and 49% of the MBF up to 2020, and then 52% up to 2027. So we're talking about this huge decrease. I don't think that it's sustainable. It's going to weaken the EU's competitiveness because I mean, do you really think that the EU is going to become more competitive by weakening fisheries, agriculture and cohesion if you do? It's a mistake. Europe can only become more competitive if we have more cohesion. Thank you.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• “Thank you. President, Minister, colleagues. Well, I'd like to congratulate the rapporteurs on this. The joint budget that we have for 2026 is going in the right direction, then removing some of the council proposals and placing an emphasis on education, research, health and young people. However, that's not enough for the future. In the future, the European Union will need more investment and a larger budget. The own resources are not the current resources, rather, are not sufficient to finance all of our strategic needs and then also complete our historic tasks like cohesion policy. There are sectors that are in difficulty, like fisheries and agriculture. They need to be assisted as well. That's why we rapidly need to bring on bring on board new own resources. As Mario Draghi has said, without cohesion, we can't have a competitive Europe in the future. Thank you.”
  Own EU resources
• “Thank you very much. President, Commissioner, Minister. Colleagues. The Fisheries Committee maintains that funding for fisheries and aquaculture are fundamental for the well-being of islands and coastal regions, guaranteeing fisheries that that are competitive, environmentally sustainable and socially sustainable. For this reason, the committee asks for a reinstatement or rejection of the reduction of funds and to reinstate them in the MMF 2028 2034 because security on board Generational renewal. Protection of biodiversity. These things cannot wait. We defend the work of fishers and food security, such that fish products will be available at all schools and all school cafeterias around Europe, and not just on the richest people's tables. Thank you.”
  Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
• “Commissioner, the Europe needs an MFF up to 2024. That's more ambitious than the current one. To make sure that social policy, agriculture, fisheries are up to the challenges of the digital agenda, competitiveness and the environment. We need a budget that has greater capacity for expenditure, more income. We need to up the historical 1% debt. We need new resources. Own resources we need to use. We need to use common debt. And particularly bearing in mind that the EU needs to reimburse 357 billion in debts for next generation in EU for a 28 to 34 that will take billions a year, which brings down the capacity for expenditure to the tune of 20%. And that is a cut that is not sustainable for the economy, for competitiveness and for jobs in the EU member states. If they are steered by the right wing and bring down own resources, then this will be a catastrophe. Socially speaking for Europe.”
  Own EU resources · Size of EU budget
• “Given the negative experiences we've had in the past on a number of occasions, and those have been checked. The second question. Is about the level and quality of parliamentary services. Some of them really are excellent and I certainly like to express my appreciation of that. The translation and interpretation services, for example. But is there a system to monitor the quality of services? And I'm not talking about controls where people have complained or lodged an official complaint. I'm talking about a just normal way of checking the quality of services. Auxiliary services helping members, for example. The transport. Car services. Especially in Strasbourg. We know. That we don't have our own chauffeurs in-house. We have third party third parties providing support. But what about police checks? I think the drivers do an excellent job. Um, but I think that if you organize a general system to check the quality of services, monitor that quality, that would allow the administration to have some reference points, objective reference points that in certain cases could indeed help and may indeed lead to the idea of these services being internalized.”
  Multilingualism in EU institutions
• “Thank you. Chair. I'd like to thank the rapporteur for his work. Um, on the, um, on Belgium's request to mobilise the globalisation adjustment fund, um, of, uh, €900,000 for a 417 people. This fund, as we know, will contribute towards the creation of a European economy that's more competitive and dynamic and will help to improve skills and professional perspectives for those affected and help them to get back into work. It's the social responsibility of the EU and member States to provide these workers with the qualifications that they need to work in the European economy of the future, and to ensure the green and digital transitions. Mobilizing this fund should be part of a broader political response, because investing in lifelong training and learning and promoting, uh, professional skills for workers across Europe is key. If we're going to create a more inclusive, uh, skilled workforce that will be able to meet the challenges of a global, rapidly changing labor market very much.”
  European Globalisation Adjustment Fund
• “Thank you sir. A few minutes late. Thank you. Chair. Colleagues, as budget committee, we have to provide a budget assessment of the implementation from 2025 2029 of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement with the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire. And where the financial contribution for the entire duration of the protocol is 2.96. Uh. €1 million based on €350,000 for access to the fisheries resources in Cote d'Ivoire fishing zone, equivalent to a reference tonnage of 6100 tonnes per year for highly migratory species and support for development of the sectoral fisheries policy of Cote d'Ivoire, amounting to €435,000 per year, and in May 2025 the European Parliament approved this and will make available the necessary appropriations for to honour the obligations under the new protocol, which has already been signed with Cote d'Ivoire on the 7th of June, 2025. The support for the protocol will allow the EU's fishing vessels to fish off Cote d'Ivoire and allow Côte d'Ivoire to cooperate in promoting the development of sustainable fisheries policy and the responsible exploitation of the fisheries resources in the Cote d'Ivoire Fisheries Zone, and to ensure that the Union and Cote d'Ivoire will cooperate to contribute to improve the working conditions. More decent work conditions in the fisheries sector. We recommend that for future agreements that can't be taken as an impact assessment of the socioeconomic added value of the preceding protocols, the budget impact is positive, so the Fisheries Committee is recommended to approve the agreement. Thank you for your attention.”
  Fisheries access for developing countries
• “Mr. President. Thank you very much. Thank you to the Commissioner for being willing to come and speak to us this evening. I think that the results which the Commissioner has pointed out, show that joint investment is really the right way to go when it comes to strengthening the European Union's economy and that of different member states. The experience from next generation EU, I think, shows that with a joint debt, we've got a good result to use. Or to borrow from Mario Draghi for a moment. This is the right way to go to support investment, competitiveness, growth, cohesion, uh, all of these things, uh, of the European Union. And I therefore think that, uh, uh, investments backed up by a joint debt could be the right kind of structural, uh, instrument if it's correctly managed. Um, and I think that, uh, this would help the European Union to face fundamental challenges, uh, in the future, uh, such as common defence, for example. And I'm hoping that the RF will help the commission to think about this in terms of the European Union's future. The second point I'd like to make is that, uh, some clarification was given regarding deadlines. Some of this we were already aware of. Uh, there are some issues with Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria, Malta, Greece, Portugal. The these have suffered, uh, as a result of natural disasters and major storms and so on. And of course, uh, infrastructure, uh, uh, drinking water systems, sewerage systems need to be looked at. And this will cause, uh, delays with, uh, the, uh, plans under the RF. And I wonder if the commission has plans to help these areas if they can't stick to the deadlines which they have under the RF.”
  Own EU resources
• “Thank you, Madam President. Madam Commissioner colleagues. I would also like to thank the rapporteur for the excellent work. The Draghi report puts us face to face with the reality. Europe has to regain ground in terms of competitiveness, innovation and attracting investment. Our parliamentary group strongly defends the need to attract private capital and to reinforce public investment. This is possible by using a common debt which can fund our priority, our priorities and increase productivity. As President Draghi recently said, Europe needs to invest in fighting social inequalities and territorial inequalities as well as gender inequality. The Draghi report comes forward with sustainable growth suggestions which will help young people and regions.”
  EU fiscal rules and oversight of national budgets
• “In Italy in 2025, some 30,000 hectares went up in smoke and those rejecting them were also affected. Sardinia and Sicily were particularly affected, with hundreds of fires. The increase in temperature as a result of climate change is clearly a major risk factor. In order to tackle this disaster, which has cost the lives of 20 people and caused a major environmental damage as well as economic damage, we need a new European strategy based on prevention. The civil protection mechanism is, uh, indeed playing an important role, but we need a plan which provides for the stable, qualified workforce with firefighters using new technologies like drones and satellite systems. So forest workers and firefighters must be able to work in absolute safety. Thank you. I thank them for their very difficult work in fighting these fires.”
  Management of EU forests
• “And I think given that perspective, and I think the secretary general shared this opinion, it would be worthwhile Increasing the number of visitors, but also reserving the additional quota for exclusively young people, exclusively students, people who constitute the very future of Europe. If we're looking at 16, 17, 18 year olds at the moment, they're the ones who are going to be voting for the first time democratically in the next elections. So I think we should try and do what we can to get more of them here and understand the Parliament better. But I think also, if we could have some sort of program that would reach out to schools, that would be useful, especially schools which may be further away from other activities that we could have conferences, I don't know, carry out experiments to see if we can actually reach out to these furthest flung regions and they can benefit from getting to know better the work that we do in the European Parliament. And a final point, I would like the idea of having a policy to save money, especially in human resources, but we have to be in a position to work with the other institutions to compete with what they have. Thinking about the Commission and the Council, and I think we can't necessarily. Take on those challenges in absolute terms. Maybe for the future, we're going to have to invest more to improve our skill set and to bolster the organisation chart of the parliament. And if it's worthwhile doing that, then I think we have an obligation to do it.”
  EU engagement with youth
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. Commissioners. I listen closely to your statements, and I particularly appreciate your openness to listen to comments from the European Parliament. So I would like to congratulate you on that. Just one comment and then a question about the European pillar of social rights. We know that at the last review of the financial regulation, the principle of social conditionality was introduced. The question to the commissioners is will the RRF be used as a model for national plans or even further? How do you plan to promote the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights? Thank you.”
  EU policy on social criteria in public funding
• “Thank you. Chairman. I would also like to express my gratitude for the report. I just like to make two very brief comments. Firstly, I think we need to be more careful about the issue of our own resources and new income. This is something that we don't need. We can't repay by making cuts. Hopefully this will, uh, come up in the new, uh, council semester. Secondly, we have to monitor all the reforms implemented by member states, not just those strictly linked to the RF, because we can't allow member states beyond the reforms linked to our RF funds to implement reforms that go against the values of the EU, for example, against the objective of reducing social, regional and gender inequalities.”
  Own EU resources
• “Thank you. Chair. Well, I would also say that it was a very disappointing proposal as well for the MFA. It's not an option. And this is not the MFA that Europe. Once. So I don't have a technical question, but rather a political one. Does the Commission have the will? Is it open to listening to requests from the European Parliament and open to making changes to the proposal?”
  EU political integration
• “Thank you, chair. Thank you to the speaker for this assessment of the budget. I fully support your approach, and I welcome the creation of a single budget line to increase the efficiency of the agency and ensure greater transparency. We're also aware that part of the income of the agency do come from taxes applied to businesses. And this means that there is volatility and there's difficulty in predicting income, which further weakens the efficiency of the agency itself. So therefore, I'm in favour in particular of the Commission's proposal of creating a financial reserve and indeed go further in depth on what the speaker just said, that is having a reserve aimed to attenuate the uncertainty of income and give it greater stability. So I can also propose a few suggestions for amendments that we could discuss in order to make a contribution towards improving the text. Thank you.”
  Accounting and auditing of EU budget
• “Yes. Thank you very much. I'm just stepping in to express my appreciation of the work done by the Co-rapporteurs. At this moment in time, when the European Union has reduced its growth estimates, and it's absolutely urgent for us to step up a gear when it comes to investing in strategic sectors. I wanted to focus on the area of housing. Housing investment corresponds to our social need to provide affordable housing to Europe's citizens. It also responds to the need to relaunch the building sector, which is a major engine of economic growth. Thank you very much.”
  EU housing policy
• “Thank you very much. Madam president, Commissioner, colleagues. Mr.. This facility saved the European economy over the last few years, millions of jobs. So I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who's worked towards this important goal, including the economy commissioner at the time, Paolo Gentiloni. It has shown, however, some limits, particularly in outermost regions, especially in islands, Precisely with regards to the sector of transport, but in general in Europe when it comes to cross-border connections in Sicily, we're still awaiting the project and the resources to double the railway line. In Sardinia, they're still waiting for the resources to create a railway line in Abbasanta Navarro. So not having a railway line worthy of the name is quite embarrassing. So we need a new boost to these next generation EU funds. And the extension of 18 months we think is necessary for the mature projects, especially regarding cross-border transport. This is for the environment, for the creation of infrastructure that we need in order to remove inequality And improve the quality of life of citizens when it comes to education and health. The competitiveness of the European Union, which needs improvement, creating new job opportunities, especially for the youngest, especially in those areas where there is very little employment. Thank you.”
  Funding for OCTs and outermost regions
• “Colleagues, let's resume the meeting and take your seats Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having joined us and on behalf of the Commission to propose, to propose the amending regulation for the accounts of the workers affected by globalisation. There's item 17, amending regulation EU 2021 691 as regards support to workers affected by human and job displacement in enterprises undergoing restructuring. So I will give the floor now to Miss Bosman, who is the director of the Directorate General on Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission, was eight minutes for a presentation. Thank you.”
  European Globalisation Adjustment Fund
• “Mr. president, Commissioner, colleagues, the MFF 20 2834 is not sufficient to respond to the priorities and challenges of the EU. Workers associations don't like it, employers don't like it, nor do the regions. The funds for fisheries, agriculture and the regions are weakened, and this is a mistake because it will weaken the role of the Parliament and the EU. There are the resources in this. Mff are too limited to fight inequality and the new challenges in defence as well as competitiveness, the digital and green transitions and agricultural and fishing policies. We need more income with greater contributions from Member States new own resources, shared debt to invest in growth. So we would ask the Commission to change the the proposed MF to have a more competitive Europe that shows more solidarity.”
  Size of EU budget · Own EU resources