Nicola ZINGARETTI

What Nicola ZINGARETTI has said (22)

• 2026-06-16 “The risk of creating a more unjust and inhuman world. These are the words of Pope Leo. So indeed, we have to look very carefully at all of this. It will not just be. It will not just be the digital element or artificial intelligence that will create that inhuman world. It will be the way that it is used. So now we have to be very careful. Regulation has to exist. Europe is behind right now. We have to have proper instruments. Things have begun to move. That's fine. But what we need is major investment working together, and we have to bring together all of that innovative capability that exists now. It's now and just now that Europe will be able to find its place in the world to defend its values as well humanity, democracy, and equality. We have to look at these things very carefully. Thank you.”
  Artificial Intelligence
• 2026-06-16 “The risk of creating a more unjust and inhuman world, these are the words of pope Leo. So indeed, we have to look very carefully at all of this. It will not just be, it will not just be the digital element or artificial intelligence that will create that inhuman world. It will be the way that it is used. So now we have to be very careful. Regulation has to exist. Europe is behind right now. We have to have proper instruments. Things have begun to move. That's fine. But what we need is major investment working together, and we have to bring together all of that innovative capability that exists. Now it's now and just now that Europe will be able to find its place in the world to defend its values as well, humanity, democracy, and equality. We have to look at these things very carefully. Thank you.”
  Artificial Intelligence · EU digital & tech sovereignty
• 2025-09-02 “E-003362/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission In accordance with Article 30 of Directive (EU) 2019/790 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market, the Commission will carry out a review of the Directive not before 7 June 2026. The effectiveness of the Directive’s measures on the remuneration of authors and performers will be considered as part of this review. In this context, the Commission will assess the implementation of the transparency obligations introduced under Article 19 of the Directive, taking into account the margin of manoeuvre of Member States to address specificities of the different content sectors. Under this provision, music performers should receive relevant and comprehensive information on the exploitation of their performances fixed in phonograms from the parties to whom they have transferred their rights, or from sub-licensees. Based on the outcome of the review, the Commission will consider the way forward. Regarding the establishment of a European industrial strategy for music, the Commission acknowledges the call made by the European Parliament and will continue to engage with stakeholders, including authors, artists, producers, and streaming services, to address the challenges facing the music industry and promote a fair and sustainable music ecosystem.”
  EU and national cultural identities
• 2025-07-17 “E-002981/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission Following the review of Israel’s obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement 1 , discussed at the June 2025 meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, the EU engaged in a dialogue with Israel with the objective to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground. During the negotiations, Israel committed to taking significant steps to improve access for largescale humanitarian aid. These commitments include increasing the flow of aid trucks; opening crossings; reopening Jordanian and Egyptian aid routes; allowing sufficient access of fuel to sustain essential services and aid deliveries; allowing the entry of humanitarian personnel into Gaza, including the United Nations 2720 monitors; improving the security situation and ensuring a safe operational environment; and repairing key infrastructures, including water desalination plants and water pipes. Clear benchmarks were set to help the EU monitor implementation of what was agreed. The European External Action Service and the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations are reporting to Member States on a weekly basis on the progress in the implementation of the humanitarian understanding. In light of the deterioration of the situation on the ground, including the declaration of famine by the Integrated Food Security Phased Classification in Gaza Governorate 2 , in the State of the EU speech the President of the Commission 3 announced that the Commission will propose a package of measures, including an enhanced sanctions package targeting violent settlers, extremist Israeli ministers, and members of Hamas; and a partial suspension of certain traderelated measures under the Association Agreement. These proposals build on the work led by the High Representative/Vice-President and require Member States’ support by unanimity and by qualified majority respectively – to be adopted. The Commission will also pause elements of the bilateral financial support, without adversely affecting work with civil society or Yad Vashem. 1 https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/delegations/israel/documents/eu_israel/asso_agree_en.pdf. 2 https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-134/en/. 3 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/state-union/state-union-2025_en.”
  Conditions to access EU humanitarian aid · Relations with Israel - Palestine
• 2025-04-23 “E-001625/2025 Answer given by Ms Zaharieva on behalf of the European Commission In a volatile geopolitical context, the Commission stresses that education, research and innovation in Europe are founded on the indissoluble paradigm of academic freedom and freedom of scientific research. In the EU, European and international researchers will always be able to enjoy scientific freedom, which will therefore be enshrined in EU law in the context of the European Research Area (ERA) Act, expected in 2026 1 . A EUR 500 million package has been announced by the Commission President for the period 2025-2027 to further strengthen the attractiveness of the EU for world’s talents, including from the European diaspora 2 . This includes a ‘Choose Europe for Science’ Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) 3 already in 2025 to provide excellent researchers coming to Europe with pathways to stable employment 4 , a seven-year European Research Council (ERC) 5 super grant coupled with increased funding for grantees moving to Europe from abroad, and a visa strategy to facilitate relocation to Europe 6 . The new package builds on existing policies and tools. For example, the new European framework for research careers 7 and the European Charter for Researchers 8 support reforms at national and EU level to attract and retain research talents 9 , while EURAXESS 10 continues to provide personalised support to incoming researchers. In addition, the ERA Talent Platform 11 ensures the visibility of the attractive environment of European careers, and a Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO) 12 provides as of mid-2025 data for evidence-based policies. Moreover, 65 European Universities alliances 13 , the work towards a European degree, and the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters action 14 contribute to the attractiveness of the EU as a place to study and work. 1 As announced in the Commission Communication of 29 January 2025 on A Competitiveness Compass for the EU, the ERA Act will also include, among others, legislative measures aiming to address challenges for research careers and mobility. 2 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/da/speech_25_1130. 3 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_657. 4 The MSCA also provide a wide range of training, mobility and career development opportunities that are already available and open to researchers of all nationalities, including United States researchers. See https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/. 5 https://erc.europa.eu/about-erc/erc-glance. 6 https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/choose-europe-science-erc-welcomes-new-budget-super-grants. 7 Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe, OJ C C2023/1640, 29/12/2023. 8 https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/hrexcellenceaward/european-charter-researchers. 9 A Mutual Learning Exercise (https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/statistics/policy-supportfacility/psf-challenge/mutual-learning-exercise-research-careers) under the Horizon Europe Policy Support Facility supports the exchange of good practices by Member States on the implementation of the new framework for research careers. 10 https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/. 11 https://ec.europa.eu/era-talent-platform/. 12 https://ec.europa.eu/era-talent-platform/reico/, developed in partnership with the OECD with Horizon Europe support.”
  Research priorities within the EU
• 2025-04-11 “E-001499/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU strongly promotes the rights to truth and justice as core human rights and reiterates the importance of transitional justice as necessary step for reconciliation and peace. Civil society and victims’ organisations have a crucial role to play in this regard. The EU has supported several projects addressing truth seeking, justice and memory, including with the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and includes this topic in official visits, human rights dialogues, and meetings with the concerned organisations and authorities.”
  EU relations with left-wing Latin America
• 2024-11-08 “E-002475/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission 1. The EU household appliances sector stands to benefit from initiatives aiming to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of EU industry, notably regarding raw materials market conditions. Central to these efforts are initiatives to support the green and digital transitions for enterprises to meet the growing demand for more environmentally friendly goods and ensure imports align with the Single Market’s green standards. To achieve these goals, regional innovation and skill development efforts can leverage established EU budgetary sources. The Commission plans to introduce a horizontal Action Plan for Affordable Energy, including measures to lower energy prices and reduce production costs. 2. The Commission has no power to interfere in company decisions regarding restructuring. The freedom of establishment is one pillar of the Single Market. However, several Directives 1 stipulate minimum requirements on workers’ rights and involvement in companies restructuring. The Commission also calls on Member States to support the implementation of the Quality Framework for Restructuring 2 through appropriate means and urges all stakeholders to cooperate on the basis of its principles and good practices. Besides, when redundancies cannot be avoided, support through the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) 3 may be deployed if the Member State applies and the criteria defined in the Regulation 4 are fulfilled. The Commission will put forward a Quality Jobs Roadmap, developed together with the social partners that will support fair wages, good working conditions, training and fair job transitions for workers and self-employed people, notably by increasing collective bargaining coverage. 1 Directive 98/59/EC on collective redundancies, Directive 2001/23/EC on transfer of undertakings, Directive 2002/14/EC establishing general framework for informing and consulting employees and Directive 2009/38/EC on European Works Councils. 2 COM/2013/0882 final - 13.12.2013. 3 The EGF is directed at supporting active labour market policy measures and personalised services that aim to support workers’ job transitions, helping them to reintegrate into decent and sustainable employment. 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2021.153.01.0048.01.ENG”
  EU policy on forced redundancies · EU policy on social & environmental impact of foreign investments · European Globalisation Adjustment Fund
• “Dear president. At this moment in history, there is one thing we should do. We should not weaken a community spirit in favour of a purely intergovernmental Europe. Rather, we need to look at our civilization and peace and not forget the fact of the hundreds of years Europe was at war all at each other's throats. And this is just a small parenthesis in our history. We have been at peace since the Treaty of Rome. So we should not be rearming, coordinating, but starting to integrate and establish common values and sharing interests. And this is how we did it. By pooling our economic resources, making sure that our common destiny would prevail over tension and war. And it is particularly the fledgling democracies that have had to face up to the pressures of globalization. And this and nothing else, is what has enabled Europe to be a promoter of wellbeing and welfare. Now there are forces who wish to destroy our history. We are seeing new nationalisms which run the risk of transforming Europe into a reduced version of the United Nations. That's what they want the EU to be. That is not the way in which we can resolve our conflict. And certainly we won't be a strong player able to decisively influence and intervene in wars. Now we should be united, work together and that way be a driving force, and we will have strength in our unity. And that is something that we need. Let's change course.”
  EU political integration
• “President, we will require more than a minimal Europe. We need a maximum possible. And there are certain things we cannot deal with within our national borders. Rather, we have to pull together. Now, everybody has applauded Draghi, but seems to be doing the opposite. Rather than putting our resources. We're cutting our social benefits as well as the cap. But if we don't have cohesion then there will be no future. And without cohesion we don't have freedom. We have a European budget confined to 1% of GNP. We're not going to get very far with that. And really, we will come up against the limits of the European dream of Europe itself. We'll have a very small, inward looking Europe defined by nationalism, and there will be others then who will enjoy sovereignty and not ourselves. Rather, we need to work together. As we realised in 1957, we had to be very brave in facing up, taking courageous decisions rather than easy compromises.”
  Size of EU budget
• “Commissioner, looking at the Middle East, Ukraine, the Balkans and other areas of tension, one beside the other. It's clear that the the law of the strongest has come back, whereas the guarantors of peace are humiliated and rights are just put into a corner. And nationalism has, um, really emerged and it only destroys and produces war. The digital revolution shows us that private giants count far more than democracies. They're influencing democracies wealth, but they defend their interests, not the interests of the citizens and the freedom of the citizens. I could give you other examples of change, such as in the energy sector, but the conclusion is always the same. There is no European country that can deal with these challenges on its own. So we must we must reinstate hope. And that's why we need more Europe and more united Europe. A political protagonist, a democratic, uh. Actor uh, which is going to invest in the future. And I return to the government's asking for more courage. The Europe, the way it is at the moment is no longer sufficient. We need more. Thank you. We will now go on to catch the eye. We've received several requests. It will probably not be possible to give the floor to everybody. And we'll start off with, um, the first speaker. Uh.”
  EU political integration
• “I will speak in Italian. I should like to thank all those who are involved in this very important issue, which needs a lot of work, and thank you for it. Perhaps I just could look at the concept here. It's not true that just arming national states increases the security of Europeans. If we look at the history of Europe, it tells us exactly the opposite. National arms have always led to major disasters and wars. In 1957, Europe was born. As a result of this, to unite and build common projects, to integrate their economies, to integrate their industries. And for this reason, it is crucial that alongside the project to simplify rules, we need to move forward with all projects relating to the integration of policies and also of armies. So, as we have just heard, it's a very important to use Edit because it is a a symbol of reinforcement of the European defence. But if I may say of the common European defence, European common defence is a deterrent. What it is doing is being exclusively focused on and financed for Europe. It's not supposed to just be to finance the national armies. What we are trying to do is build deterrence. And I think we need to look back at what European history teaches us, because in 1957, a very enlightened group of people decided that they were going to make progress, that they were going to confront the problems of the modern world by uniting. Thank you.”
  EU competences on defence
• “To be quite frank, this budget is not a bold one. It is holding Europe back while America and China move ahead. It is renationalising common policies. This is a mistaken choice, particularly when we see the rise of the right wing in Europe. We need to be competitive. But what we're seeing now is that nationalism is setting out the wrong path. As Draghi said, we need €800 billion investment per year in innovation and universities. Where have they gone? To the social security policy. We need to invest in the future. We can't exclude our territories or demolish agricultural policy or fishing. Otherwise, we'd be undoing our cultural, historic heritage. This is the problem. We have to adapt the budget, but the right doesn't want to do that. And so the risk that we're running is that we all face decline. We have to go forward with more courage in Europe.”
  Size of EU budget
• “The enemy of Europe is back, and it's among us. It's nationalism. The union was born to unite Europe, but the policies of governments influenced by nationalism is trying to divide it. That's the truth. They want to dismantle the pillars of the integration process, reducing the budget, a lack of courage on investment and common debt, lack of resolution in foreign policy are all part of this dramatic trend. And when this happens in Europe, the outcome over history has always been the same thing War. We need unity not just in words, but we need to create territorial cohesion. We need investment and integration and political unity. Madam von der Leyen, you represent the synthesis between a council who is enthralled to nationalist trends and a parliament that is strongly pro-European. This commitment has been weakened until today. But history is asking us to change tack, because defending democracy and defending freedom means rebuilding hope in this wonderful project. Thank you.”
  EU political integration
• “Europe's strategic autonomy is absolutely essential. But let's put an end to hypocrisy. We need unity. We need shared investment policies. And thanks to the European Union, for decades now, we have guaranteed peace and prosperity as well as solidarity for our citizens. And this has been within a transatlantic alliance in which we have had sovereignty. That's all up for discussion. We now need a more integrated and federal Europe to face up to the future. So I call on you to beef up community policies, have courage, have faith. And that stands in opposition to the right wing Between nationalists who have proposed an entirely inadequate budget. We must try to face up to the fear and selfishness which have led us on the road towards war. That is why we need a united and strong Europe, that Europe is possible. That's the Europe we want, and we will continue to fight for it.”
  EU political integration
• “Commissioner. As you know, Europeans are afraid the 27 member states feel that they're in a position of weakness. We need to protect people, and the European single market is a way to relaunch competitiveness and social cohesion. In the letter report, 450 million consumers are a unique opportunity for businesses to achieve growth and for citizens to get hold of quality services. And the nationalist right is engaged on a self-destructive path. We need to do the opposite. We need the capitals market. We need innovation in terms of social cohesion instruments. We need to move forward faster with innovation, digital, green infrastructure. To achieve global competitiveness, we need to simplify bureaucratic procedures, cut red tape, but not do away with good rules. Encourage training and innovation. More Europe, more good. Europe is what we need, and only in that way we will be will we be able to replace today's fear with tomorrow's hope.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation
• “At a time of a digital revolution, we are saying yes to a simplification to make life easier for citizens and companies, but no to rules which weaken personal protections. What we need to do is we need to invest. Our digital standards are the fruit of a humane vision of the economy. The big external powers are challenging our rules, and so it would be irresponsible to let them do that. We don't need to look just look at standards. We also need to look at industry and science. We need to invest. And this is something that right wing governments don't want to do. Digital is the real infrastructure of this sector. It changes. It changes work. It changes democracy itself. And Europe is too weak. We are regulating things that we don't own and we haven't built. So in Parliament, we need to raise our voice to ensure that the future generations have what they deserve. A a united, courageous Europe can own is the only way of guaranteeing a future for young people. Thank you.”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty
• “How can we move ahead if we don't realize that there cannot be competitiveness without cohesion? We have rules and goals in the EU to get over barriers. Then we have the jungle market where there are no rules, no values, and where might is right and where there could be decline. This is the difference. Competitiveness isn't a race to the bottom when it comes to wages, social values. We have to launch innovation. We have to make sure that we have an energy market, a digital market, a knowledge based market, and that we transfer technology to markets. It's about the right that new generations that they have to survive. We need to make sure that we don't have contradictory legislation so we can make it easier for businesses and that we can digitize public administration. It is urgent to take action because though there are those who think. There are those who think that democracy is.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Well, look, we defend a Europe of freedom from Adenauer, Spinelli, Delors, Romano Prodi and it's you. You have allied yourselves with the nationalist right and you are betraying your own inheritance. You need to change course. You need to respect what has remained in the European Parliament of the values of the founding fathers of Europe.”
  EU political integration
• “Artificial intelligence and digital revolution are really the true innovators. And they those who control it will control the ways of thinking and not just the economy. We need to try and, uh, catch up. We Europeans are regulating what we haven't built in. The development of technology is neutral only in its rhetorics. In the practice, you need to take choices starting by ownership and access. Who has a model and data centers actually controls democracy at the end of the day. So we need public policies, common investment. We need to take have a single market, universities, companies to build an ecosystem of digital sovereignty. We need to do this basically for the young. We've inherited a system of freedom and democracy, and we cannot leave it. Leave? To them, a future of new, modern oppressions. Let us invest for European future and for the new generations. Thank you.”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty
• “(10:01:32 – 10:02:51): Mister Zingaretti, please. How can we move ahead, if we don't realize that there cannot be competitiveness without cohesion, we have rules and goals in the EU to get over barriers. Then we have the jungle market where there are no rules, no values, and where might is right and where there could be decline. This is the difference. Competitiveness isn't a race to the bottom when it comes to wages, social values. We have to launch innovation. We have to make sure that we have an energy market, a digital market, a knowledge based market, and that we transfer technology to markets. It's about, the right that new generations, that they have to survive. We need to make sure that we don't have contradictory legislation so we can make it easier for businesses and then we can digitize public administration. It is urgent to take action because though there are those who think democracy. There are those who think that democracy is king. Mister Vilemski. Thank”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Now, we always knew this. They are afraid of the EU for its values and its unity. That is why they are threatening us. And we must save ourselves. But just via words that will be not be enough. We have to make a step forward in integration, invest in strategic autonomy and energy in the digital areas. Innovation in common EU defence. That means joint political will, social cohesion, dignity of individuals so important for competitiveness. Now we are experiencing the most dramatic period since the end of World War two because they want to take a good model and replace it with might makes right. We need justice and the world needs a strong Europe to guarantee peace. Governance therefore must act. Act united to take a the path of a united and free Europe. We must be up to the task of history because the problem is not the EU, but its enemies.”
  EU political integration
• “25:47 – 15:27:35): Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Madam Commissioner. Our S and D group has obviously expressed its support for the Mediterranean Pact and we share the vision and the objectives of creating a framework with a lot of political engagement from the bottom up. So we think that we need to focus on shared priority areas like energy, the environment and education. We need to have this as an umbrella for democracy, for public engagement rather than an opportunity for private companies to engage in business. So we don't want to have a repetition of 1955 and 1957. We want to have more the Treaty of Rome than the State of Israel. So we want to make sure that we learn the lessons from the past. We do think that we need to emphasize the people-to-people approach that needs to be recognized as a key pillar and the pact should focus on the human dimension of the Euro-Mediterranean. And in the action plan, we do need to make sure that we don't become overly dependent on bilateral agreements. We need to focus rather on multilateralism. And ultimately, Commissioner, it's going to be vital that we create cultural peace in the Mediterranean as we did under the President of the Commission Romano Prodi back in the day. So that's how we see things. Thank you.”
  EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood