President. – Good morning, dear colleagues. The first item on the agenda is a joint debate concerning European Council meetings and European security:
– European Council and Commission statements on the conclusions of the special European Council meeting of 6March2025();
– Council and Commission statements on preparation of the European Council of 20-21March2025 ();
– European Council and Commission statements on European security architecture: urgent decisive steps and unwavering support for Ukraine ().
The President of the European Council is on his way. He was delayed by fog in Brussels, so as soon as he lands he will come straight to the Chamber. So we can go first to the Council and the Minister for the European Union, Adam Szłapka.
Adam Szłapka, President-in-Office of the Council. – MadamPresident Metsola, MadamPresident von der Leyen, honourable Members, allow me to focus on the preparation of the meeting of the European Council on 20March, which will, as always, start with an exchange with the President of the European Ϸվ.
The spring European Council meeting is traditionally focused on economic issues. However, in view of the rapidly evolving international context, leaders will also follow up on the special meeting of 6March. We are all aware of what is at stake, and the leaders will build on the important progress made at their meeting last week.
Allow me to add my voice here in stressing that only a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine can put an end to the Russian war of aggression. A peace that is negotiated by Ukraine and its legitimated authorities led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A peace that involves Europeans, whose security it will affect without a doubt. A peace based on strong security guarantees.
The European Council is also expected to revert to the situation in the Middle East, which has evolved substantially since the leaders last addressed the topic in December.
Let me now turn to competitiveness, which is a centrepiece of the agenda of the next European Council. 2024 was a year of assessment and reflection, with the Letta and Draghi reports the strategic agenda for the next five years. 2025 is the year for action and delivery.
Three priority areas have been identified for the leaders' debate on competitiveness: simplification, energy and the Saving and Investments Union. For the EU to remain competitive, we need to cut red tape and simplify EU rules for businesses, especially SMEs. Reducing administrative burdens and creating a simple and clear legislative framework remain a matter of urgency.
Europeans also require access to clean, secure and affordable energy, and we have to take steps to address the saving and investments mismatch in the EU in order to better meet Europe's investment needs, in particular those of young and innovative companies. This will also be important to ensure private financing to develop our defence industry for years ahead.
Leaders will also address the topics of the single market, industrial policy and skills, paying special attention to those sectors that are heavily impacted by the sustained rise in energy prices.
Finally, under this point, the European Council will also turn to its customary point on the European Semester. For a more long-term perspective, leaders will have a first exchange of views of views on the next multiannual financial framework and the new own resources, following the publication of the Commission Communication of 11February and ahead of the proposal expected in summer 2025.
Migration also remains high on the European Council agenda. Leaders will take stock of progress made in the implementation of previous conclusions and ensure a steady pace of work on returns.
Finally, other foreign policy issues will be addressed, notably multilateralism and oceans, which are expected to be on the table during the working lunch leaders will have with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday. Depending on developments, Member States may also want to address issues in specific third countries or regions.
A Euro Summit is also scheduled to take place in the margins of the European Council, and will include the usual discussion on the economic situation with the President of the Eurogroup and the European Central Bank.
To conclude, we expect a substantial European Council meeting following up on the decision taken at last week's special European Council and advancing on essential work to ensure we are well prepared to meet the many challenges ahead. We are at a crucial juncture. We must rise to the occasion.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission. – Madam President, dear Roberta, Minister, honourable Members, it's now 70 years ago that Alcide de Gasperi said: 'We do not just need peace among us, but to build a common defence. This is not to threaten or conquer, but to deter any attack from the outside, driven by hatred against a united Europe. This is the task of our generation.'
70 years have gone by, but our generation is faced with the very same task. Because peace in our Union can no longer be taken for granted. We are facing a crisis of European security, but we know that it is in crisis that Europe has always been built.
So this is the moment for peace through strength. This is the moment for a common defence effort. And at the European Council, I saw a level of consensus on European defence which is not just unprecedented but was completely unthinkable only a few weeks ago. There is a new understanding that we must think differently and act accordingly. We have started to mobilise Europe's massive resources. And in the coming weeks and months, more courage will be necessary and other difficult choices await us.
Honourable Members, the European security order is being shaken, and so many of our illusions are being shattered. After the end of the Cold War, some believed that Russia could be integrated in Europe's economic and security architecture. Others hoped that we could rely indefinitely on America's full protection. And so, we lowered our guard. We cut our defence spending from routinely averaging more than 3.5% to less than half of that. We thought we were enjoying a peace dividend, but in reality we were just running a security deficit.
The time of illusions is over now. Europe is called to take greater charge of its own defence, not in some distant future but already today, not with incremental steps but with the courage that the situation requires. We need a surge in European defence, and we need it now.
We need it first and foremost because of the situation in Ukraine. There is the urgent need to fill the gaps in Ukraine's military supplies and to provide Ukraine with solid security guarantees. But this moment of reckoning is not only about Ukraine. It is about all of Europe and our entire continent's security.
Putin has proven time and again that he is a hostile neighbour. He cannot be trusted, he can only be deterred. And we know that Russia's military complex is outproducing ours. If we look at the military expenditure in real terms, the Kremlin is spending more than all of Europe combined. Europe's production is still on a lower order of magnitude. And beyond traditional capabilities, the range of threats that we face is getting broader by the day. I know that the European Ϸվ argued for years that Europe needs to do more, and you were absolutely right. And this is more dangerous, today, the era we live in, so Europe really needs to step up.
This is the goal of the plan that I presented to leaders last week. Its logic is very simple: we want to pull every single financial lever we have, to strengthen and fast track our defence production. With the REARM Europe plan, we can mobilise up to EUR800billion. So, honourable Members, let me focus on some of the main features of this plan.
First, there is the so-called national escape clause. Let me start with why it is crucial to mobilise national budgets. If we look today, we spend just short of 2% on average of our GDP on defence. Every analysis today agrees that we need to move north of 3%. Now look at the entire European budget – it only reaches 1% of the GDP. So it is obvious that the bulk of new investments can only come from Member States. This is why we are activating the national escape clause, foreseen by our new fiscal rules. This is a new tool that was created just last year, and we propose to trigger it in a controlled, time-bound and coordinated way for all Member States.
This can transform our defence budgets quickly and effectively. Member States could mobilise up to EUR650billion over the next four years, adding round about 1.5% of GDP to their defence budgets over four years. This is massive. And yet the European Council has tasked us to explore further measures, to facilitate significant defence spending at national level while ensuring debt sustainability.
The second point the European Council has agreed on our proposal for a new financial instrument. We call it SAFE (Security Action for Europe). We offer Member States up to EUR150billion in loans, to invest following a few basic principles – they could focus on a few selected strategic capability domains, you are familiar with them, it's advanced air defence, drones, missiles and ammunition, strategic enablers, military mobility, cyber, artificial intelligence, to name justa few – so that we maximise the impact of our investments.
These loans should finance purchases from European producers to help boost our own defence industry. The contract should be multiannual, to give the industry the predictability they need. And finally, there should be a focus on joint procurement, because we have seen how powerful this can be. Just think of the Czech initiative or the Danish initiative to provide weapons and ammunition for Ukraine. One nation took the lead. Others joined in, to place larger orders. Industry then scaled up, and prices went down. It was both very quick and very effective. And this is exactly what we need right now: scale and speed.
This is why we have chosen the emergency procedure under Article 122, which is designed precisely for times when 'severe difficulties arise in the supply of certain products'. In other words, Article 122 allows us to raise money, to lend it to Member States for them to invest in defence. This is the only possibility for emergency financial assistance, and that is what we need now. We will keep Ϸվ constantly updated on progress.
This leads me to my third point: the cohesion funds. This is a possibility that we are offering to Member States. Member States will have the possibility to redirect some of their uncommitted funds to defence-related projects. This could be infrastructure, it could be research and development. This would be voluntary – voluntary for those who want to go the extra mile. It will be up to Ϸվ and Council to decide on this additional option.For the same reason, REARM Europe also includes measures to mobilise private investment, with the European Investment Bank and our upcoming Savings and Investment Union.
Honourable Members, all of this will also have positive spillovers for our economy and our competitiveness. It will include new factories and production lines that will be necessary, creating good jobs right here in Europe. The investment boost will be felt well beyond the defence sector. We know the spillover effects to both sides, be it from steel to space, large transport companies or the innovative AI start-ups.
Together, we have the size to deter any hostile country, we have the economic power and now, finally, we also have the political will.We all wish we could live in more peaceful times, without any question. But I'm confident that if we unleash our industrial power, we can restore deterrence against those who seek to harm us. It is time to build a European Defence Union that ensures peace on our continent, through unity and through strength. This is Europe's moment. And Europe will rise to it. Thank you very much, and long live Europe.
Manfred Weber, on behalf of the PPE Group. – MadamPresident of the European Ϸվ, European Commission, Council representatives, dear colleagues, we as the EPP know what we owe the Americans: as Supreme Commander Eisenhower and American soldiers brought freedom and democracy back to Europe; asReagan's call to the Soviet Union – 'Tear down this wall!' – in 1987 brought freedom and democracy also to Central and Eastern Europe.
On the other hand, what happened in the White House two weeks ago was simply a scandal. To say Ukraine is responsible for the war is simply a lie. And even with our long history, with our US friends in mind, we must call a lie a lie. No one can twist the truth. Putin doesn't want to end the war; he wants to end Ukraine. And as Europeans we will never allow this.
After the speech of Vice President Vance in Munich and what happened with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, one reality is clear: dear friends, we are alone. The world is in turmoil. Europe has to wake up. We have to become responsible for ourselves. Our security is not in the hands of Washington or Moscow. It must be in our hands.
Since 1952, MadamPresident – the CommissionPresident referred to this – more than 70 years ago, we had the first idea of building up a defence union. I have to say, we wasted a lot of time in the last 70 years for discussing it endlessly. Last Thursday, putting EUR800billion on the table to build up a European defence was an important step, showing that Europe finally takes its defence into its own hands. Money is in this regard a precondition, but is only the starting point of doing so. We need to go further.
The first point: we would save a lot of taxpayers' money if we act together. We have 17 tankmodels in the European Union. The Americans only have one. We need standardisation. We need an obligatory common procurement. And we need to build up a true European market for defence goods, with all the further mergers in the industry side. This is not yet fully foreseen in the plan of Thursday.
Secondly, we need joint European projects, like a missile or drones defence system, especially in the east side of Europe; a cyber-defence brigade where everybody understands that cyber is not any more a national issue; a satellite surveillance system where we are not any more depending on US data. And every European citizen would immediately understand it's better to do these kinds of investments together.
I would love to see, then, parts of the troops with the European flags on their uniform. This is not yet foreseen in the plans of last Thursday.
Europe has to answer the offer of France to define the French nuclear shield as a kind of a European shield. This is not yet part of the plan of last Thursday.
Imagine for a second that Trump finally would invite Europe to go to the negotiation table to Saudi Arabia. Who would represent Europe then? Commission President? Council President? High Representative? Merz? Macron? Who would speak on behalf of Europe and on which basis could he or she then speak and act? Unanimity as a precondition for having a voice, then, in Saudi Arabia? Dear colleagues, that shows clearly we are ridiculous. We are not up to the task in this moment of time to give a proper answer. Kissinger said years ago, decades ago, 'Whom shall I call when I want to speak with Europe?' Let's be honest, he didn't give a proper answer on this until now.
Europe stands at a self-defining moment. Personally, I think we should once in the future elect the president of the European Union directly by the citizens of Europe. This is naive. This is a dream. Without dreamers, as Adenauer, DeGasperi, Schuman, Václav Havel and Wałęsa, no one of us would sit today in this Chamber of the European Ϸվ.
The truth is that the plan of 1952 was more ambitious on a European spirit than what is on the table today. We need dreams that create hope and the determination to implement them. This method brought 70years of peace and then finally the reunification of the European Union 35years ago.
Finally, dear colleagues, because the purpose of the European defence union is to defend our democracy, even more democratic legitimacy of the process is needed. The Ϸվ must be fully involved. Bypassing the Ϸվ with Article 122 is a mistake. Europe's democracy stands on two pillars: it's the citizens and it's the Member States. We need both for our security.
Last Thursday was a great starting point, and I truly congratulate Ursula vonderLeyen and António Costa for the strong message – the will to invest into our defence and to our strength. But this can only be a starting point. The main task of our generation is to create a true European defence union. The European People's Party is ready to do so.
Iratxe García Pérez, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señora presidenta, hoy, una vez más, podemos mirar hacia atrás y reconocer que nuestros fundadores tenían razón: Europa se forja en las crisis. Desde los escombros de la Segunda Guerra Mundial hasta la pandemia, pasando por la caída del Muro de Berlín, cada desafío nos ha hecho más fuertes, más unidos y más conscientes de nuestro papel en el mundo.
La llegada al poder de Donald Trump y su vergonzoso acercamiento al criminal de guerra Vladímir Putin han dejado claro que no podemos depender de terceros para garantizar nuestra seguridad. Esta crisis nos brinda una oportunidad sin precedentes: dar un salto adelante en la construcción de una verdadera Unión Europea de Defensa.
El plan de rearme para movilizar 800000 millones de euros es un paso positivo; pero no nos engañemos, es solo el primer paso. La suspensión de las reglas fiscales para liberar 650000 millones no garantiza que se alcance esa cifra, ya que no todos los países tienen el mismo músculo fiscal; y los 150000 millones en préstamos respaldados por deuda comunitaria deben ser el embrión de un nuevo instrumento, el sucesor del NextGenerationEU.
No podemos permitir que las soluciones nacionales fragmenten nuestra defensa y aumenten los costes. Necesitamos más deuda común, más solidaridad y más visión estratégica y, al mismo tiempo, garantizar que esta inversión en defensa no se haga a costa del gasto social y del estado de bienestar, que son la esencia del proyecto europeo. Porque, si sacrificamos nuestro modelo social, estaremos alimentando el caldo de cultivo de la extrema derecha y socavando los cimientos de nuestra democracia.
Madam President, colleagues, the construction of a genuine common defence and our support for Ukraine are two sides of the same coin. For three years now, a democratic nation has been suffering the brutal aggression of Vladimir Putin, an aggression driven by imperialist paranoia, justified with lies, aimed at stopping Ukraine's integration into our democratic and prosperous Europe.
We cannot and will not allow Ukraine's sacrifice to be in vain. A sacrifice that has already cost thousands of lives, with hundreds of thousands injured and millions displaced. The European people have a long memory. Neither Trump nor Putin will make us forget the bombing of civilians, the massacres in Bucha, Mariupol and Zaporizhzhia, or the bravery of families who have sent their loved ones to the frontlines only to lose everything.
But let me be clear, we cannot resign ourselves to helping Ukraine only to resist. We must help Ukraine to win this war. To achieve this, we need bold and decisive action. Mrs van der Leyen, we are waiting for your legal proposal to confiscate the EUR 200 billion in frozen Russian assets to rebuild and arm Ukraine.We cannot we cannot continue to tie Ukraine's hands while Russia bombs its people.
Colleagues, if we let Kiev fall to Putin, autocrats will have won a decisive battle against democracy, a battle that will define the 21st century.
As Churchill said to Chamberlain, "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war". Let us not repeat that mistake. Let us stand with Ukraine. Let us defend our values and let us ensure that democracy prevails.
Jordan Bardella, au nom du groupe PfE. – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Présidente vonderLeyen, vous voilà rattrapée par l’histoire et par la réalité d’un monde dont vous avez toujours rejeté l’existence –un monde dans lequel vous avez cru bon et juste de déléguer notre sécurité aux États-Unis, nos industries à la Chine et notre politique énergétique à la Russie. La leçon des dix derniers jours est celle de l’humanité tout entière: une nation qui ne maîtrise ni ses armes, ni son économie, ni son destin est une nation condamnée à subir l’histoire plutôt qu’à l’écrire. Nous voilà donc immergés dans un monde d’intérêts et d’ambitions, un monde dur, dangereux et mouvant, où les appétits s’aiguisent. Face à l’enlisement du conflit en Ukraine et au risque de prolonger une guerre sans perspective de victoire claire, face à l’horizon du désengagement américain, nous devons avoir deux priorités absolues: la paix et l’indépendance.
La première, la plus urgente, se construira par la diplomatie. L’organisation d’un sommet de la famille occidentale, idée formulée par la Première ministre italienne, GiorgiaMeloni, devrait nous permettre de définir clairement nos objectifs pour la souveraineté de l’Ukraine, les exigences que nous devons mettre sur la table et les garanties de sécurité à offrir à ce pays allié, afin qu’il ne subisse plus jamais les assauts de l’agresseur russe.
La deuxième boussole, à plus long terme, est de bâtir l’autonomie des nations d’Europe, pour faire en sorte que personne d’autre que nous ne détermine nos intérêts et les conditions de notre sécurité. Si elle est capable de repenser une diplomatie libre et indépendante, la France peut redevenir la force d’entraînement du continent et l’interlocutrice évidente et naturelle de ce nouveau monde, parce que la France est dotée d’une armée de métier reconnue, d’une base industrielle d’exception, d’un siège permanent au Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, de la dissuasion nucléaire et, bien sûr, parce qu’elle est l’héritière d’un pacte vingt fois séculaire entre la grandeur d’une nation et la liberté du monde.
Madame von der Leyen, permettez-moi de vous dire que tous vos choix politiques se sont, hélas, fracassés sur le mur du réel. Avec le pacte vert, vous avez opté pour la décroissance, alors qu’il fallait produire sans entrave. Vous avez désavoué le nucléaire, opté pour l’inflation de normes et de taxes, et encouragé les achats de matériel américain plutôt que d’appliquer la préférence européenne en matière de défense. Ce n’est qu’au prix de changements d’orientation profonds que l’Europe restera une actrice de l’histoire, dissuadera les menaces et imposera le respect aux empires.
President. – Now I give the floor to the President of the European Council.
MrProcaccini, can I give the floor to the President of the European Council first, because he has just arrived?
António Costa, President of the European Council. – MadamPresident, MadamPresident of the European Commission, Minister Szłapka, honourable Members, the European Union is living a defining moment. The sense of urgency is upon us. Geopolitical tensions have risen over the last weeks. Multilateralism is under enormous pressure, and so is the rules-based international order.
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine entered its third year and the threat it represents has wider implications for Europe and international security. This is exactly why, last week, the European Council took fast and ambitious decisions on defence and Ukraine. We are putting our money where our mouth is. We are delivering on what we promised.
Three years ago precisely, in Versailles, we decided to boost Europe's defence to build the Europe of defence. Three years ago, we laid the foundation of what we decided last week. Over the last three years, Member States increased their defence spending by 30%. Over the last three years, on average, among the 23 European Union Member States that are in NATO, we reached the NATO target for 2024 of 2% of GDP.
Now we are going much further. In one month, working hand in hand with the European Commission, we have kick-started the Europe of Defence. On 3February, in the informal leaders' meeting with the special participation of the British Prime Minister and the Secretary General of NATO, we opened the way for decisions.
Last week, the Commission anticipated some of its proposals on defence financing, which were the basis for European Council decisions. In this special European Council, we decided to invest in the priority areas already defined by the European Defence Agency, reflecting the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and in full coherence with NATO: air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems, strategic enablers, military mobility, artificial intelligence, cyber and electronic warfare.
We have also decided to mobilise more public and private funds for our defence. We welcome the Commission's initiative to dedicate EUR150billion of additional defence spending to funding the capabilities we urgently need. In addition to the loan instrument proposed by the Commission, leaders were clear that we need flexibility. With the Stability and Growth Pact and in the use of the European funds, it will also be important to provide more public money for the defence sector where Member States decide to do so.
The European Investment Bank initiative to broaden its mandate for more loans to the defence sector will improve access to private financing.
Finally, we decided to spend better and more efficiently together, with joint procurement ensuring standardisation and simplifying permitting and reporting requirements.
Our focus is clear: next week, the Commission and the High Representative will present the white paper on defence, and the European Council will continue to take work forward to build our deterrence, to strengthen the security of our continent.
Competitiveness and defence must go hand in hand to boost Europe's industrial and technological competitiveness, to create jobs, reinforcing economic convergence and the resilience of our value-chain networks. It is the right way to make the European Union stronger. It is the right way to protect our citizens and our social model.
Madame la Présidente, Mesdames et Messieurs, les efforts que nous déployons pour dépenser davantage en faveur de la défense européenne profiteront également à l’Ukraine. La sécurité de l’Ukraine et celle de l’Europe sont indissociables. Les meilleures garanties de sécurité que nous pouvons apporter sont le renforcement de la capacité de l’Ukraine à assurer sa défense et la construction d'une Europe de la défense crédible et solide.
La semaine dernière, nous avons également chargé le Conseil de travailler rapidement à de nouvelles initiatives visant à répondre aux besoins urgents de l’Ukraine en matière militaire et de défense. Dans le même temps, nous nous préparons à soutenir l’Ukraine lorsqu’elle aura décidé d’entamer des négociations, afin de l’aider à parvenir à une paix globale, juste et durable. Nous nous tenons, ainsi que de nombreux partenaires, aux côtés de l’Ukraine.
Vendredi, j’ai organisé une vidéoconférence avec la présidente de la Commission européenne, la haute représentante et des partenaires de l’OTAN tels que les États-Unis, le Canada, la Turquie, la Norvège et l’Islande. La réunion extraordinaire du Conseil européen venait de se terminer, et nos amis ont eu des réactions très positives en ce qui concerne nos décisions, notre rapidité, ainsi que l’engagement et l’intérêt qui sont les nôtres dès lors qu’il s’agit de renforcer, toujours plus, notre coopération.
Nous devons garder le rythme. Lors du Conseil européen qui se tiendra la semaine prochaine, nous poursuivrons les discussions et prendrons des décisions supplémentaires sur la compétitivité, la prospérité partagée de l’Europe et l’autonomie stratégique européenne. Nous sommes tous conscients de l’urgence qu’il y a à combler notre retard en matière d’innovation, de productivité et d’investissement. Le rétablissement de la compétitivité de l’Europe doit donc rester au premier rang de nos priorités. Il s’agira d’une question essentielle lors de la prochaine réunion du Conseil européen, et je reviendrai devant ce Parlement pour rendre compte de nos discussions.
Senhora Presidente, Senhoras Deputadas e Senhores Deputados, hoje não é apenas o terceiro aniversário da Declaração de Versalhes, é também o quinquagésimo aniversário da primeira reunião do Conselho Europeu, em março de 1975 — e é também o meu centésimo dia nestas funções.
Cem dias em que se tornou claro que a Europa da Defesa e a Europa da Prosperidade Partilhada são as prioridades deste mandato e são prioridades interdependentes.
Cem dias em que se tornou claro que reforçar o papel da Europa no mundo é uma prioridade estratégica. Porque o atual contexto nos impele a alargar a nossa rede de parceiros, uma rede que já é vasta, mas uma rede que tem tudo para poder crescer: nos acordos de comércio, na cooperação para o desenvolvimento e na liderança das grandes causas globais, como o Pacto para o Futuro ou o combate às alterações climáticas. Porque a União Europeia é um parceiro fiável, previsível e atrativo e muitos países têm muita vontade de colaborar connosco a todos os níveis.
Por último, cem dias num espírito de excelente cooperação interinstitucional.Thank you, dear Roberta, danke schön, liebe Ursula.
As instituições europeias e os Estados-Membros têm de estar mais unidos do que nunca para reforçar a União Europeia. Para avançar, precisamos de ter mais confiança em nós próprios, mais confiança no nosso poder coletivo, mais unidade para enfrentar uma nova era geopolítica.
Não há dúvida de que estamos a obter resultados mais rapidamente, de que a União está mais forte pela segurança e pela paz e pela prosperidade na Ucrânia, pela segurança e pela paz e pela prosperidade na Europa.
Nicola Procaccini, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, now I deserve an extra minute because of the discomfort you cause me.
President. – I understand, I understand!
Nicola Procaccini (ECR). – So thank you, President. The European Council represents a step in the journey back to reality, which we welcome.
Yes, we would have liked greater clarity on the sources of financing for the plan, on long-term planning and on its integration within the overall framework of the Atlantic Alliance.
Considering rearmed EU retaliation against Trump and the USA is a tragic mistake, just as it would be to see it as a concession to the Trump administration. Investing in defence and security is an act of dignity for our nations, and the mark of respect for our international allies.
It was Obama and Biden before Trump who asked Europe not to rely solely on the sacrifices of the American working class. And what was Europe's response? The Green Deal, a massively expensive welfare system, tariffs on American cars, and some moral lessons towards those who ensured our security with their own money and even their own blood.
Macron is right when he says that imagining the European Union as the only herbivorous power in a world of carnivores is pure utopia. The problem is that we don't stop breeding the carnivores. Look at the European imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia. Do you know how much France alone has increased its LNG purchases in the past year? By 81%! Money that Putin uses for the missiles, with which he bombs Ukraine daily.
When Trump says that the European Union has given more money to Putin than to Zelenskyy, he is telling the truth. I hope this hypocrisy ends once and for all.
The Italian Prime Minister is right. Let us not call it ReArmEU, but DefendEU because the peace and freedom we enjoy must be defended. And defence is not only about weapons but also about strategic infrastructure, raw materials, communication systems and technological innovations.
Meloni is right again, and not only her, when she states that the European defence detached from American allies and NATO is unthinkable.
Politicians and legislatures come and go, but the West remains and must remain for a long time. We are bound by a common path and a common destiny. As they say in Latin, "Simul stabunt, simul cadent".
Valérie Hayer, au nom du groupe Renew. – Madame la Présidente, Monsieur le Président, Madame la Présidente de la Commission, chers collègues, Monsieur le Ministre, qui aurait pu penser, il y a quelques semaines, que les États-Unis soutiendraient à l’ONU, avec la Chine et la Corée du Nord, une résolution russe contre l’Ukraine? Qui aurait pu penser que son président dirait un jour qu’il récupérerait le Groenland, territoire européen, «d’une manière ou d’une autre»? Ce qui est en train de se passer outre-Atlantique, ce n’est pas un simple désengagement; c’est un renversement complet d’alliances. Je ne pensais pas dire cela un jour, mais aujourd’hui les faits sont là: dans un monde où, depuis vingtans, la Russie et la Chine augmentent massivement leurs dépenses de défense, la Maison-Blanche, sous DonaldTrump, n’est plus notre alliée. Notre monde est de plus en plus hostile, et nous devons en tirer deux conséquences.
La première, c’est que nous devons savoir nous défendre tout seuls. Alors, Madame la Présidente, achetons européen, investissons européen et produisons européen. Oui, cent fois oui, à ces 800milliards d’euros, à sortir la défense de nos règles budgétaires et même à un emprunt commun. Oui à une préférence européenne, faute de quoi notre argent ira encore alimenter d’autres économies que la nôtre. Sans préférence européenne, pas d’autonomie stratégique et donc pas de souveraineté.
Toutefois, il faut aussi dire les choses: on aura besoin de plus. Il faudra donc travailler très vite, Madame la Présidente, aux obligations européennes proposés par le Parlement et par un certain nombre de gouvernements en Europe. Il faudra aussi travailler aux modalités de mobilisation de l’épargne des Européens. L’enjeu stratégique, évidemment, c’est l’argent, mais pas uniquement. La coordination sera clé. Il faut que nos armées et notre million de soldats européens soient capables de travailler ensemble. Il faut aussi que nous avancions sur le bénéfice européen de la dissuasion nucléaire, sans bien sûr remettre en cause la décision souveraine nationale de l’activer. C’est à ces seules conditions que nous préserverons la paix pour nos concitoyens.
Il est également urgent, pour assurer notre sécurité, de continuer à soutenir l’Ukraine, parce que la sécurité des Ukrainiens, c’est aussi notre sécurité. La décision de DonaldTrump d’arrêter les livraisons d’armements et le partage de renseignements ne nous rappelle qu’une chose: nous devons reprendre notre destin en main, continuer à essayer de convaincre l’administration américaine qu’elle fait une erreur, évidemment, mais, pendant ce temps, accélérer notre aide à l’Ukraine et être force de proposition pour offrir des garanties de sécurité à l’Ukraine –et à nous-mêmes. Cela passe notamment par l’envoi de troupes européennes pour le maintien de la paix, une fois un accord obtenu. Nous devons dissuader une fois pour toutes la menace russe.
La deuxième conséquence à tirer, c’est que notre modèle démocratique est attaqué: à l’est par les ingérences russes et à l’ouest par le camp Trump et les alliés de cette internationale réactionnaire, ici même dans cet hémicycle. MonsieurProcaccini, quand vous prétendez que les États-Unis ont donné davantage d’argent et de soutien à l’Ukraine que l’Europe, c’est faux. Vous le savez parfaitement et vous reprenez en ce sens à la fois la propagande de Trump et la propagande du Kremlin. Nous sommes aux côtés de l’Ukraine, nous avons été aux côtés de l’Ukraine depuis le début et nous continuerons de l’être jusqu’à l’obtention de la paix –la paix n’étant en aucun cas la capitulation.
Madame la Présidente, le bouclier démocratique doit être une clé de voûte de ce mandat, et nous attendons votre proposition avec impatience autant qu’exigence; mais commençons déjà par appliquer les lois qui existent déjà. Où en est l’enquête sur le DSA? Le principe fondamental du droit, c’est que, quand on viole les règles, il y a sanction, et c’est votre responsabilité d’en assurer le respect.
Chers collègues, l’Europe est une puissance stabilisatrice. Notre objectif, c’est la paix, l’ordre international et la promotion de la démocratie. Nous avons les atouts pour être une puissance politique et militaire. Il est temps de s’assumer comme telle.
Bas Eickhout, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, first of all, Mr Costa, I would like to thank you for the Council conclusions, and certainly on Ukraine, where you opted for a conclusion by 26 Member States and not 27. And I think that was a very good decision to do, and not every time try to weaken our conclusions in order to get all 27 on board.
However, this also means that the Council should act on this asset of Putin within the Council. Doing conclusions with only 26 is a first step, triggering Article 7 is really, really time to act on it.
Secondly, Madam President, I want to thank you for your ReArm proposal. And the Greens are fully on board and supporting you for a truly European defence and security Union. However, in your plan, we do have some questions and concerns.
First of all, triggering an escape clause. To be very honest, if you are triggering an escape clause in your fiscal rules continuously, maybe at a certain moment you need to wonder whether maybe the fiscal rules are not fit for purpose and you need a proper review instead of every time triggering an escape rule.
Secondly, and here I have to agree with Mr Weber, the European approach is not strong enough in your approach. Of the 800 billion, only 150 billion are European, the rest is national. Without any clear indication it will be a European approach. And even with the 150, only by doing it through a joint procurement, I'm not sure this will really have a proper European approach. We don't need more tanks on the Greek-Turkish border.
That brings me to the third point. Defence and security is much broader than arms and ammunition. This is about infrastructure. European infrastructure needs to be improved also to transport all the materials throughout Europe. This is about real infrastructure as well. This is about cyber security but this is also about energy independence. And Mr Procaccini, you said it already, looking at how much money we as Europe are spending on fossil dependency, EUR 400 billion each year, and we moved it from Russia to the United States. It's not helping anything. So the green transition is in the same agenda as the security agenda and should not be treated separately.
And that is why we are concerned that investments in green and social transition are being at the cost of investments in security, and therefore we need to increase both and we need to increase spending on both.
That brings me to the last point. The situation in Ukraine is very dire and very sincere, and we cannot not act and we cannot lack on action and have complacency. The next Council needs to act faster. We need to stand by Ukraine. We need peace in Europe. We need peace in Ukraine. We need peace on our own terms.
VORSITZ: KATARINA BARLEY վäԳپ
Martin Schirdewan, im Namen der Fraktion The Left. – Frau Präsidentin! Donald Trump ist bereit, die Ukraine Russland zum Fraß vorzuwerfen. Die Zerstörung des Völkerrechts und eine internationale Ordnung, in der nicht mehr die Stärke des Rechts, sondern das Recht des Stärkeren Gültigkeit hat, sind dabei eingepreist. Umso mehr rächt sich jetzt, Frau von der Leyen, dass Sie die Diplomatie in den letzten Jahren leider so schändlich ignoriert haben und einzig und allein auf eine militärische Lösung des Krieges in der Ukraine gesetzt haben.
Keine einzige diplomatische Initiative wurde durch die Kommission unterstützt, weder die Bemühungen der Türkei, Brasiliens, Chinas, Israels, der afrikanischen Staaten, nicht einmal die des Papstes. Und ja, es handelt sich um ein massives politisches Versagen europäischer Politik. Und auch jetzt in Ihrer Rede– aber auch in Ihrer Rede, Herr Costa– kein einziges Wort dazu, dass die Kommission oder der Rat sich der Diplomatie zuwenden wollen, die doch vor allem und zuallererst der Ukraine dienen würde.
Die transatlantische Partnerschaft existiert nicht mehr. Trump überzieht die Welt mit einem massiven Handelskrieg und macht seinen Frieden mit Diktatoren à la Putin, während europäische Politiker am Nasenring durch die Manege des Weißen Hauses gezogen werden. Doch hier bei Ihnen dominiert weiterhin ausschließlich militärisches Denken. Plötzlich gibt es 800Milliarden mehr für Aufrüstung, keine Schuldenbremse mehr– Geld, das garantiere ich, das vor allem in amerikanische Waffen fließen wird.
Aber strategische Unabhängigkeit bedeutet doch, für verantwortungsvolle Politik endlich Schluss mit der Schuldenbremse zu machen und massive Investitionen in Industrie und in digitale Infrastruktur vorzunehmen. Sie bedeutet Energiesicherheit, soziale Sicherheit und Forschung und Entwicklung. Jetzt ist die Gelegenheit, die klügsten Köpfe nach Europa zu locken. Der europäische Digitalmarkt darf sich nicht länger in den Händen von Elon Musk und anderen Tech-Faschos aus den USA befinden.
Die NATO ist doch jetzt schon Geschichte. Die EU braucht eine eigene Sicherheitsarchitektur, bei der Diplomatie immer Vorrang vor militärischen Lösungen haben muss. Das widerspricht nicht der Idee notwendiger Verteidigungsfähigkeit, das widerspricht aber fundamental den Profitinteressen der Rüstungskonzerne und ihrer Großaktionäre: Damit niemand am Krieg verdient, muss die europäische Rüstungsindustrie verstaatlicht werden.
Und Sie sollten sich gerade jetzt für die Stärkung internationaler Organisationen wie der UNO einsetzen und das Völkerrecht verteidigen. Doch auch dazu kein einziges Wort, weder in Ihrer Rede, Frau von der Leyen, noch in Ihrer Rede, Herr Costa.
Ja, Selbstbestimmung und Souveränität stehen der Ukraine zu. Doch nicht nur bei Russland, sondern auch bei der Türkei und Israel müssen Völkerrechtsbrüche klar kritisiert werden. Internationales Recht gilt auch für Freunde, nicht nur für erklärte Gegner. Wer Glaubwürdigkeit will, muss Doppelstandards überwinden.
Und strategische Unabhängigkeit bedeutet nicht zuletzt auch ein besseres Verhältnis zu China. Frau von der Leyen, die EU-Kommission muss endlich aufhören, Weltpolitik mit der strategischen Weitsicht eines Kindes zu betreiben.
Zsuzsanna Borvendég, a ESN képviselőcsoport nevében. – Elnök Asszony! Tudják, mit nevezett Arthur Koestler zárt rendszernek? Egy olyan gondolkodási sémát, amely kizárja a realitást és a logikai összefüggéseket az érvelésből. Érzelmi alapon áll, és figyelmen kívül hagyja a józan észt és a valóságot. Amikor Önök a körülmények változásától függetlenül Ukrajna további töretlen támogatását erőltetik, ebben a zárt rendszerben gondolkodnak. A realitások tagadásával elérték azt, hogy úgy tűnik, Európa kimarad a békerendezésből és ezáltal az érdekszférák újrafelosztásából is.
Ideje lenne szembenézniük a valósággal. Magyarországot évek óta szégyenpadra ültetik jogállamisági problémák és a transzparencia hiánya miatt. Ukrajna kapcsán ez miért nem zavarja Önöket? Demokráciáról nem beszélhetünk, illegitim az elnöke, mindennaposak az emberi jogokat sértő, erőszakos kényszersorozások, a kisebbségi jogok tiprása lassan népirtásba fordul, mégsem hallok jogállamisági aggodalmakat.
Ahelyett, hogy újabb csillagászati összegeket szavaznak meg a háborúra, ki kellene vizsgálni a transzparencia jegyében, hogy az eddig Ukrajnába küldött eurómilliárdokból mennyi került oligarchák kezébe. Tisztázni kell, hogy az oda érkező fegyverek egy része valóban olyan terrorszervezeteknél kötött-e ki, mint a Hamasz vagy az ISIS, esetleg a mexikói drogkartell is profitált-e belőle? Lépjenek ki elméjük zárt rendszeréből, és mérjék fel a realitásokat, mielőtt Ukrajna EU-s és NATO tagságáról fantáziálnak, mert Európa végzetes elgyengülésével és a harmadik világháborúval játszanak!
Die Präsidentin. – Damit endet die Runde der Fraktionssprecherinnen und ‑sprecher. Ich werde jetzt mit der Redezeit relativ streng sein müssen, weil wir im Anschluss einen fixen Termin haben. Ich schließe auch das Catch‑the‑Eye‑Anmeldeverfahren; wir haben schon jetzt mehr Anmeldungen, als wir nehmen können.
Andrzej Halicki (PPE). – Pani Przewodnicząca! To bardzo ważne dni i bardzo ważny moment. To moment, na który czekają też obywatele, żeby przestać już rozmawiać, tkwić w nieustannych sporach politycznych. Trzeba działać. Bezpieczeństwo wymaga dzisiaj szybkiego działania, bo na to czekają obywatele. I patriotyzm nie polega już dzisiaj na gadaniu. Dziś patriotą jest ten, kto szybko uruchamia środki, projekty, które służą budowaniu bezpieczeństwa. Nie ma prawa nazywać się patriotą ten, kto proces ten będzie spowalniał, blokował albo głosował przeciw. I to nie jest też moment, w którym możemy prowadzić proceduralne spory.
Apeluję z tego miejsca do Parlamentu o podjęcie bardzo szybkiej decyzji i uruchomienie środków z silnym mandatem dla Komisji Europejskiej i z silnym mandatem dla rządów i naszych liderów. Tak, dzisiaj te projekty musimy uruchamiać jak najszybciej i tempo podejmowania decyzji jest kluczowe. Obywatele czekają nie tylko na uruchomienie miliardów na przemysł zbrojeniowy, ale także na wzmocnienie infrastruktury granicznej. Lata straciliśmy, żeby przekazać w tym kierunku pieniądze. Dziś pierwsze euro popłynęły, ale to kropla w morzu potrzeb.
Potrzebny jest projekt Tarcza Wschód. To nie jest projekt polskiego rządu. To jest projekt wzmacniania bezpieczeństwa całej Europy, od Finlandii po Rumunię. On musi mieć europejskie wsparcie. Potrzebne są środki na projekty tak zwanego podwójnego przeznaczenia, bo szkoły, szpitale, parkingi mogą być kluczowe także dla bezpieczeństwa, i te projekty muszą mieć wsparcie europejskich środków, europejskich funduszy.
Obywatele czekają na nasz rozsądek i szybkie decyzje. Jeszcze raz apeluję: mniej sporów, mniej gadania, mniej biurokracji, mniej debat i rezolucji. Szybsze wspólne decyzje, by można było uruchomić proponowane miliardy przez Komisję Europejską dla bezpieczeństwa naszych obywateli.
Γιάννης Μανιάτης (S&D). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι, η αναθεώρηση της εξωτερικής πολιτικής των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών φέρνει την Ευρώπη προ των ευθυνών της. Πρέπει να συνεχίσουμε να στηρίζουμε την Ουκρανία. Είναι η καλύτερη επένδυση που μπορούμε να κάνουμε για τη δική μας άμυνα. Η στρατηγική αυτονομία της Ένωσης, ιδιαίτερα στους τομείς της ασφάλειας και της άμυνας, είναι πλέον αναντίρρητη ανάγκη. Το ReArm EU, αν και ακούγεται φιλόδοξο, δεν κάνει τη διαφορά, και τα 800 δισεκατομμύρια είναι δάνεια που σε καμία όμως περίπτωση δεν πρέπει να εξευρεθούν σε βάρος του κοινωνικού κράτους, του κράτους πρόνοιας, των ταμείων συνοχής. Επιπλέον, αν η ρήτρα διαφυγής δεν εφαρμοστεί με αυστηρούς κανόνες, ώστε να αντιμετωπιστούν οι στρατηγικές ανάγκες που έχουμε ως Ένωση, η εφαρμογή της μπορεί να δημιουργήσει περισσότερα προβλήματα από αυτά που επιχειρεί να λύσει. Η Ευρώπη οφείλει να υπερασπιστεί τα σύνορα και τους πολίτες της απέναντι σε κάθε απειλή από τρίτη χώρα, είτε αυτό αφορά τις χώρες της Βαλτικής και της Ανατολικής Ευρώπης είτε τις χώρες της Ανατολικής Μεσογείου, όπως είναι η Ελλάδα και η Κύπρος. Σας ευχαριστώ.
Tamás Deutsch (PfE). – Elnök Asszony! Európában az emberek békét akarnak, Amerikában az emberek békét akarnak. Az USA patrióta vezetése ezért elkötelezetten békepárti. Az európai vezetők viszont továbbra is a háborút akarják folytatni. Ez több, mint bűn. Ez hiba. Brüsszel eddigi Ukrajna stratégiája megbukott. Az európai vezetők háborús uszítása, a hangzatos szónoklatok, a szankciós politika biztos sikeréről, az orosz agresszor katonai térdre kényszerítéséről eddig már 134 milliárd euró elköltését jelentették a háborúra, és mindez csak gazdasági bajokat, pusztítást és szenvedést hozott.
A háborúpártiak ráadásul még fordítva is ülnek a döglött lovon. Donald Trump világosan megmondta, Amerika kiszáll a háborúból, és békét fog teremteni, pont. Tehát, amikor már az amerikaiaknak sem kell a proxy háborújuk, akkor ezt a levetett amerikai háborús hacikát akarják a háborúpárti vezetők Európára kényszeríteni. Az eddig elköltött eurómilliárdok után, immár bármennyi pénzzel finanszírozni akarják az ukrajnai öldöklést. Amerika helyett is, sőt az amerikai béketörekvéseket megakadályozandó is. Brüsszel vezetői ráadásul növelik a bajt, megfejelik ezt azzal, hogy már Ukrajna gyorsított uniós csatlakozását mantrázzák, ami egyenesen összedöntené az európai gazdaságot. Ezt a háborút le kell zárni, és lezárni csak tárgyalásokkal lehet.
Patryk Jaki (ECR). – MadamPresident, Ministers, there is no doubt who is the aggressor and who is the victim. The aggressor is Russia and the victim is Ukraine. There is no doubt that no reset with Russia has ever succeeded and never will. The only thing that can stop Russia is credible force, and the general direction of strengthening European arms capabilities is good.
However, you will not escape from the fundamental questions. You are talking about the security of Europe. Great. I would like to ask you how the security of Europe is served by cancelling elections in Romania and not allowing the candidate with 50% of support to run? How does allowing Tusk to destroy the opposition, take away all public money from the opposition party, and imprison MEPs serve Europe's security? How do your immigration policy and the Migration Pact serve European security? And the key question is: do you want Europe to defend itself from external threats, or for Europeans to kill each other? Instead of integrating Europe in the face of threats, as usual you choose your particular interests.
If the strength of Ukraine grew from the number of your empty words, the Ukrainian army now would be preparing to parade in Moscow. Do you want to help? You have EUR300billion of frozen Russian assets. Give them to Ukraine. That will be enough for five years of war. But you won't do it. You keep it because you want them to use to negotiate further resets with Russia. That is why you keep attacking America, provoking it to leave Europe. And you yourselves do not have those military capabilities. Your behaviour will cause the EU countries that border Russia to be in great danger.President Zelenskyy found about this after the summit in London. He will not provide the army weapons with your slogans, and that's why we need to change it.
Billy Kelleher (Renew). – Madam President, the EU is a beacon of hope for millions of people across the globe. It's why Ukrainians broke down in tears when they crossed into our Union after Putin's immoral invasion of their country. And it's why migrants do everything to get here, to live and raise their families. And that's why Putin and other tinpot dictators despise us. We give people hope, while they only give people fear.It's why it must be defended.
'If something is worth building, it is worth defending' – these are the words is Seán Lemass, former Irish Taoiseach and leader who submitted Ireland's application to join the European Economic Community. My country is militarily neutral. We won't join a military alliance, but that doesn't mean we don't take sides. We are on the side of freedom, democracy, multilateralism, and a global order based on international law.
Ireland is lucky. We are an island in the Atlantic, surrounded by non-threatening nations. But I know my friends and colleagues along the eastern border of our Union live in fear of the return of Russian imperialism. I see the worry in their eyes. I hear the pain in my friends' voices when they speak about living under Russian occupation before independence. That is why I will not stand in the way in terms of defending your homelands and your homes.
And Europe must collectively defend itself. Our unity is our strength. This is a big change, and I know I will be castigated by the extremists at home, on the left and on the right, but it is morally the right thing to do. Ireland will not join NATO, but I firmly believe we must ensure our fellow Member States have the resources needed to defend their sovereignty and their values.
We must have defence bonds. We must make it easier for the states to strengthen their militaries by relaxing Stability and Growth Pact rules. We must all work together on sharing intelligence and ensuring interoperability and defence systems and energy security. Ireland must use every possibility under our constitution to support our European friends: humanitarian aid training, non-lethal weapons, support for demining initiatives, financial support and increasing our own military defence capabilities.
I will say it again, if it is worth building, it is worth defending. There has never been a greater force for peace, prosperity and progress than the European Union and we must defend this.
(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question)
Petras Gražulis (ESN), pakėlus mėlynąją kortelę pateiktas klausimas. – Gerbiamas pranešėjau, daug skambių žodžių, bet labai mažai darbų Ukrainos atžvilgiu iš valdančiosios daugumos ir iš Europos. Kodėl po šiai dienai Ukraina nepriimta į Europos Sąjungą? Kas, Amerika kalta? Ar Rusija kalta? Kodėl jūs neišgirdot Zelenskio per tokį laikotarpį? Gal išgirsit ir priimsit?
Billy Kelleher (Renew), blue-card answer. – Well, we have been very supportive of Ukraine's application to join the European Union and it has happened over many, many years. In fact, in recent times we have supported them financially. They have been supported militarily. And of course, you are promoting the propaganda from Russia and elsewhere saying quite clearly that the European Union does not support. But if you look at it, and if you listen to President Zelenskyy himself, he says quite clearly and categorically that the European Union has been a friend to Ukraine and a support them both financially, militarily and in humanitarian assistance as well. So I reject your points out of hand, as they don't stack up with the evidence.
Mārtiņš Staķis (Verts/ALE). – MadamPresident, Europe is a giant in chains: wealthy, powerful, yet paralysed. Objective reality and data show that there is no need to despair. Quite the opposite. We have given Ukraine EUR134billion. That sounds like a lot, but it's just 0.2% of our GDP. If the US steps back, we can raise that to 0.4% without difficulty. The Baltics, Finland and Denmark already contributed nearly 1% – a small price for lasting security – and our economies have only become stronger as a result.
We can make Russia pay. Let's seize 200billion of frozen Russian assets and direct them to Ukraine. MadamPresident, the European Commission must make a decision on this right now.
Dear colleagues, the numbers don't lie. We are 450million Europeans. Russia has just 140million people. Our economy is 12 times larger. We have everything we need to defend ourselves and others. The only step left: removing the chains we have placed on ourselves.
Marc Botenga (The Left). – Voorzitter, 800 miljard euro: niet om de salarissen of pensioenen te verhogen, niet om de wachtlijsten in de gezondheidszorg weg te werken, en ook niet om in elk dorp eindelijk stipte bussen en treinen te garanderen. Nee, voor wapens.
Laat me even wat cijfers voorleggen. We geven nu al 2 tot 3 keer meer uit aan oorlog dan Rusland. Deze week verklaarde de Duitse pers dat we over vier keer zo veel oorlogsschepen, drie keer zo veel gevechtstanks, drie keer zo veel artillerie en twee keer zo veel gevechtsvliegtuigen beschikken als Rusland. Ondertussen slaagt Rusland er gelukkig niet eens in om een kwart van Oekraïne te bezetten. De Russische tanks zullen dus niet meteen op de Grote Markt van Brussel staan.
Aan al wie vandaag zegt dat we meer wapens en meer soldaten nodig hebben, wil ik de vraag stellen – en aan mevrouw Van der Leyen – wie zal straks zijn zonen en kinderen naar het front sturen? Hou op met die oorlogskoorts en onzin. We hebben meer investeringen nodig in diplomatie. We moeten meer coördineren, niet meer wapens financieren.
Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik (ESN). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Szanowni Państwo! Nowy militarny eurodług będzie narzędziem nacisku na państwa i zagrożeniem dla ich suwerenności. To będzie dokładnie ten sam mechanizm jak w przypadku KPO. Jeżeli spełnimy kamienie milowe, a rząd będzie podobał się Komisji Europejskiej, to dostaniemy jakieś pieniądze. To nic innego jak polityczny szantaż. Co będziemy musieli oddać w zamian za te pieniądze? Jakie będzie oprocentowanie zaciągniętych pożyczek? Jedyne co potraficie, to zaciągać pożyczki i przeżerać je na unijną machinę. Planeta już nie płonie, że chcecie stawiać fabryki i produkować broń? Zmarnowaliście lata na Zielony Ład i obudziliście się z ręką w nocniku. Chomika bym wam nie dała pod opiekę, a co dopiero armię, widząc, jak obalacie demokrację w Rumunii. Potrzebujemy pokoju, a nie wojny. Bezpieczeństwo kraju i jego suwerenność zależy od jego potencjału militarnego, a nie wielkiej wspólnej unijnej armii. Ani skrawka więcej naszej suwerenności dla Was. Za nasze pieniądze chcemy budować naszą potęgę militarną, a nie – Ukrainy.
Κώστας Παπαδάκης (NI). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, ούτε άβουλη, ούτε αδύναμη, όπως ισχυρίζονται οι απολογητές της, αποδείχθηκε η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, για να κλιμακώσει την πολεμική προετοιμασία της στον ανταγωνισμό της με τη Ρωσία και την Κίνα, και εν μέσω εντεινόμενων αντιθέσεων με τις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες. Ο κυνισμός on camera για τη μοιρασιά της λείας των σπάνιων γαιών και των ενεργειακών δρόμων μεταφοράς της Ουκρανίας κονιορτοποίησε τα προσχήματα και των δύο πλευρών. Οκτακόσια δισ. αύξηση με δάνεια εκατοντάδων δισ. και με εξαγγελίες για έξτρα ψηφιακούς φόρους και άγριες περικοπές στον λαό συνοδεύονται με επιδοτήσεις και διευκολύνσεις στις πολεμικές βιομηχανίες. Η δε ρήτρα διαφυγής από το Σύμφωνο Σταθερότητας δεν αναιρεί ότι οι λαοί στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση καλούνται να αποπληρώσουν τον βαρύ λογαριασμό σε αίμα, πολεμικούς προϋπολογισμούς, πρόσφυγες, επικίνδυνη εμπλοκή. Μόνη ρήτρα διαφυγής για τον λαό είναι η πάλη για καμία εμπλοκή, να μην πληρώσει ο ίδιος τα σφαγεία των ιμπεριαλιστών. Αυτοτέλεια για τον λαό δεν είναι αυτή της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης από τους ανταγωνιστές της. Οξυγόνο είναι η δική του αυτοτελής πάλη για τα συμφέροντα και τις ανάγκες του ενάντια σε Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, κυβερνήσεις και κεφάλαιο.
Siegfried Mureşan (PPE). – Madam President, President of the European Council, dear colleagues, unfortunately, our long standing partner the United States of America is disengaging from Europe. It is disengaging in terms of security and defence, it is disengaging in terms of trade and economy, and it is disengaging in terms of defending democracy, rule of law and human rights.
We do not want this to happen. We regret this. We will never turn our backs on the United States of America. But we need to recognise the new reality where the United States administration has other priorities.
When Russia is challenging us from the East, and the current Trump administration is questioning the defence of Europe from the West. The conclusion for us, Europe, is simple we have to defend ourselves. What matters most now is what we are going to do ourselves at European level. And I believe we have to do two things.
Firstly, continuing to support Ukraine. Stopping military support to Ukraine is not a way to peace, it is a way to help Russia. We should not do that. Keeping Ukraine safe means keeping Europe safe.
Secondly, we have to invest in defence. And I believe the EUR 150 billion common European project put forward by the European Commission is correct. But we have to do it right. When we spend European money, we have to support European projects. What projects we are going to finance matters a lot. We should use this European fund to do projects which none of the Member States can do alone, so that the citizens of Europe see the added value of Europe. We should do the Common European Air Defence Shield and other European projects, invest in European research, produce more oil in bigger quantities and at smaller unit prices. Same equipment for the militaries of all EU Member States. Europe can do a lot to make sure that our militaries are well equipped with this European project. And of course, if European money is spent, the European Ϸվ has to be involved.
Let me say, in the end, that investing in investing in our defence means keeping Europe safe. If we are weak, we are a target. If we are strong, we are safe.
Sven Mikser (S&D). – Madam President, colleagues, a wise person once said that tactics is the art of using personnel and arms to win battles, whereas strategy is the art of using battles to win wars. Much has been said about how we need to rebuild European defence and security in the medium- to long-term, and I agree with most of it. Meanwhile, the decisive battle for Europe's future is playing out on the front lines in Ukraine and needless to say, following the very dramatic reversal, of course, by our American allies, the outlook has changed to worse.
So we need to step out, and we need to fill the gap left by Americans. And we need to do it now. It's not a matter of months or years, it's a matter of hours, days, maximum weeks. If we fail in Ukraine, if Ukraine falls, then we will not merely be back to square one, we will be in a much, much darker place, starting to rebuild Europe's security from shambles. We must not let this happen.
Anna Bryłka (NI). – Pani Przewodnicząca, Panie Przewodniczący! Unia Europejska próbuje zaklinać rzeczywistość kolejnymi prawami, regulacjami, a tak naprawdę znajduje się w gigantycznym kryzysie przywództwa, kryzysie gospodarczym i kryzysie bezpieczeństwa. Takie są owoce Unii Europejskiej.
Komisja Europejska wykorzystuje wojnę na Ukrainie i kryzys w relacjach z administracją amerykańską jako pretekst do przyspieszenia budowy europejskiego superpaństwa. Prawdziwą intencją Komisji Europejskiej nie jest udzielenie pomocy ogarniętej wojną Ukrainie czy rozwiązanie jakiegokolwiek europejskiego problemu. Kolejne problemy to tylko pretekst do zawłaszczania kolejnych kompetencji przez Unię. Mieliśmy już propozycje zmiany unijnych traktatów, reformę procesu decyzyjnego, w tym likwidację prawa weta, i po ostatnim posiedzeniu Rady Europejskiej dostajemy decyzję o kolejnym eurodługu, aby następnie właśnie tymi środkami szantażować finansowo państwa narodowe, jak w przypadku krajowych planów odbudowy. Nie ma naszej zgody na przekazywanie nowych kompetencji Unii.
Teraz Unia rzekomo chce się zajmować rozwojem przemysłu zbrojeniowego w Europie. Najlepsza pomoc, jakiej może udzielić Europie ta Komisja i ta Izba, to powstrzymanie się od jakiegokolwiek działania. Europy nie da się obronić ani rezolucjami, ani scentralizowaną władzą biurokracji. Dzisiaj potrzeba nam jak nigdy dotąd silnych państw narodowych. To one mają działać, to one mają rozwijać swój przemysł militarny i budować narodową armię, samodzielnie decydować, czego im potrzeba i w jakich ilościach, a nie anonimowy urzędnik z Brukseli.
Alexandr Vondra (ECR). – MadamPresident, European security is under immense strain. Panic and reactionary statements, especially on social media, only make matters worse. We must stay clear-eyed and strategically focused. European nations must recognise reality. The burden of defence now rests mostly on our own shoulders. We see clearly the signs of this shift. Governments are waking up. I am keeping my fingers crossed for Chancellor-elect Merz to find the financial resources for much-needed security enforcement.
We must act swiftly. Our defence industries need a framework that enables them to deliver, both through cooperation and national initiatives. That means cutting bureaucracy, simplifying the processes, providing real financial access and bringing energy prices down. We cannot have both an overambitious green transition and a fully capable military. Resources are finite. Europe must decide what it values most.
President. – Dear colleague Gražulis, I will explain it again. If I keep giving you blue cards now, with every speaker that comes, I cannot give them to other people. And there will be a point where I have to say no blue cards at all anymore.
This is why I decided to give every Member the opportunity to raise a blue card, but only once, because otherwise we cannot finish in time. We are limited in the end. If you do not agree, then please file a complaint to the President.
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Renew). – Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, Yes, we can!, Nous pouvons!, Wir schaffen das! After every major geopolitical shock in our young history, we have responded with the courage to share our sovereignties.
After 1945, we stopped the cycle of European civil war by merging our resources and our political destinies. And after 1989, we healed a divided nation, created a single citizenship, and proceeded to reunite a continent with parts that were caught behind the Iron Curtain.
And now, in 2025, Europeans are asking us to respond to the shock unfolding before our eyes. The rupture of the transatlantic alliance in the face of war on our continent. I believe we know what to do and how to do it. We can support Ukraine and its defence against Russian aggression. To replace the US, the EU would thus have to spend only another 0.12% of its GDP. We can build up a European defence industry worthy of the world's envy. We already have the technology. Now it's just a matter of investment and long-term contracts. We can jolt our economy into unprecedented growth and build up the euro as an alternative to the dollar as a global reserve currency.
It's a matter of breaking down jealously guarded national barriers, investing massively in our universities, issuing common European debt and opening up trade with all those countries looking for new leadership in the West.
And finally, we can build a European army in order to achieve lasting peace. We need a European Defence Force to secure and defend our continent, enabled by commonly procured European capabilities and led by a European commander. The only thing standing in our way is a giant Orbán shaped elephant in the room. But that too we can fix. We in the Ϸվ can provide ideas and political pressure. After that, Mr Costa and Mrs von der Leyen, the fate of Europe is in your capable hands. And remember. Yes, we can!
(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question)
Bogdan Rzońca (ECR), pytanie zadane przez podniesienie niebieskiej kartki. – Chciałem Pana dopytać, ponieważ bardzo uważnie słuchałem Pana wypowiedzi. Co Pan miał na uwadze, mówiąc, że więzi transatlantyckie zostały zerwane? Kto zerwał te więzi? Kto zrywa? Ewentualnie kto jest winny zerwaniu tych więzi transatlantyckich? I druga rzecz: gdy już uzbieramy te pieniądze, załóżmy, że one będą. Czy Pan dopuszcza taką sytuację, że będziemy z tych pieniędzy kupować najnowsze technologie zbrojeniowe w Stanach Zjednoczonych?
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Renew), blue-card answer. – Well, for me, it's absolutely clear that Europe not at all wants to tear down the transatlantic alliance. It seems to be a unilateral decision now from the US to at least make it much weaker than it is.
If Article 5 is under pressure and it's not a total guarantee, then NATO is not as strong as it should be. It's a deterrence. It's not an aggressive force.
And yes, we have to rebuild our European defence industry. That's absolutely clear. We have to be able to build up our own military and not buying it somewhere else.
Diana Riba i Giner (Verts/ALE). – Señora presidenta, la Unión Europea gasta un 1,9% de su PIB en defensa, casi el famoso 2%. ¿Y qué significa esto? Voy a poner dos ejemplos para que se entienda mejor: en primer lugar, la Unión Europea gasta tres veces más en defensa que Rusia y, en segundo lugar, la Unión Europea y el Reino Unido gastan en conjunto más que potencias globales como China. De hecho, si Europa fuera un Estado, sería la segunda potencia global en términos de gasto militar.
Señoras y señores, el problema no es cuánto se gasta, sino cómo se gasta. El dilema es que tenemos veintisiete sistemas defensivos diferentes sin una coordinación efectiva. Somos ineficientes y esto no lo resolveremos con una lluvia de millones en los presupuestos nacionales; aunque esta lluvia de millones tal vez sí calme a Donald Trump y a la industria armamentística estadounidense.
Representantes de la Comisión, analicen cómo podemos ser más eficientes, coordinen desde la Unión Europea la estrategia y la inversión y hablemos sin tabús de cómo financiar este esfuerzo, por ejemplo con impuestos europeos propios, impuestos a los más ricos y a los que más contaminan, porque, de lo contrario, sabemos que será la ciudadanía quien pagará esta factura. Y esta es una línea roja.
No podemos permitir que los presupuestos estatales o de la Unión Europea vean reducidas las partidas sociales y climáticas, porque hace quince años en la Unión Europea se recortaron derechos sociales en nombre de la austeridad. Hoy no lo harán en nombre de la guerra.
Danilo Della Valle (The Left). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, oggi tutto il Movimento cinque Stelle è qui a Strasburgo con il suo leader e i suoi eletti nazionali ed europei: Le portiamo la voce del popolo, che è stanco di questa guerra senza fine e vuole solo pace e prosperità.
Il vostro piano di riarmo è una dichiarazione di guerra, non si sa a chi o a cosa, ma è un attacco ai cittadini europei, perché sposta miliardi di euro dal sociale alle armi, dalla sanità alla militarizzazione.
Noi crediamo che sia indegno spendere 800 miliardi per il settore militare mentre le imprese fanno bancarotta, le famiglie non riescono a pagare le bollette e i giovani non fanno figli perché non hanno i soldi per crescerli. Invece voi preferite compiacere le lobby delle armi.
Oggi, gli stessi leader che da tre anni a questa parte hanno sbagliato tutto, puntando sulla sconfitta militare della Russia e boicottando ogni iniziativa di pace, come quella in Turchia, ci dicono che dobbiamo continuare ad armarci inseguendo la follia bellicista.
Volete la Terza guerra mondiale per nascondere i vostri fallimenti: ma noi ve lo impediremo. Non un euro per le armi! Le armi non sono la soluzione ma l'ostacolo al raggiungimento della pace. L'Europa senza pace è morta.
Per questo voglio lasciare la bandiera europea cucita con quella della pace: per non dimenticarlo mai. L'avrei lasciata alla presidente von der Leyen ma ancora una volta ha snobbato il dibattito parlamentare e questo luogo che, più della Commissione, rappresenta la democrazia.
President. – There is a blue card.
(MrDella Valle unfurled a flag)
Please, please come on. No blue card then.
I might remind you that this is probably against the rules. This is a parliament. It comes from parlare. Yes, I know it's the European flag and we love it.
Milan Uhrík (ESN). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, pani Leyenová, vy chcete nakupovať zbrane za 800 miliárd eur? Neskrývajte sa, prosím vás, tam v zákulisí a radšej nám ukážte, ako ste nakupovali vakcíny, pretože ja som presvedčený, že pod vašou taktovkou bude nákup zbraní len ďalším obrovským megapodvodom na Európanov.
A takisto by ma zaujímalo, že kto by mal s tými všetkými nakúpenými zbraňami ísť bojovať, pretože pre Európanov to bude znamenať len ďalšiu militarizáciu, ďalšie zadlžovanie, ďalšiu konsolidáciu a ďalšie zdražovanie. Mrzí ma, že jediný, kto sa na samite postavil proti tomuto vojnovému plánu Leyenovej, bol opäť iba maďarský premiér Viktor Orbán, že všetci ostatní – Macron, Scholz, Fiala, Fico a ďalší – hlasovali za Leyenovej navýšenie európskej vojenskej a finančnej pomoci pre Zelenského namiesto toho, aby sa pridali k tomu Trumpovmu plánu a zatlačili na Zelenského a dotlačili ho k mierovým rokovaniam. Zradili a sklamali týmto mnohých voličov.
Ja viem garantovať, že my v hlasovaní Leyenovej vojenský plán nepodporíme a našich voličov nezradíme.
Μαρία Ζαχαρία (NI). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, βλέπω ότι η πρόεδρος της Επιτροπής το έσκασε. Κυρία von der Leyen, από πού νομιμοποιείστε να πάρετε 800 δισ. από τις τσέπες των Ευρωπαίων πολιτών, για να τα δώσετε στις πολεμικές βιομηχανίες; Διαβάζω ότι εσείς μοιράζατε τα συμβόλαια στους λομπίστες των όπλων σαν τον πασατέμπο και απομακρυνθήκατε από το γερμανικό Υπουργείο Άμυνας. Ισχύει; Τώρα θέλετε να θυσιάσετε ολόκληρη την Ευρώπη για τα συμφέροντα των ίδιων. Τυχαίο; Και καλείτε και την Τουρκία στην ευρωπαϊκή άμυνα· την Τουρκία, που κατέχει τη μισή Κύπρο, που απειλεί την Ελλάδα με casus belli. Η Τουρκία, κύριε Costa, είναι κατά δήλωσή σας στρατηγικός εταίρος. Στην πραγματικότητα είναι εισβολέας σε ευρωπαϊκό έδαφος. Αλλά ξέχασα: η Κύπρος δεν έχει σπάνιες γαίες.
Κυρίες και κύριοι, έχετε εγκαταλείψει την ειρήνη και τη διπλωματία, για να γεμίσουν οι πολεμικές βιομηχανίες τα ταμεία τους. Οι φόροι μας θα γίνουν όπλα αντί για υγεία και παιδεία, ενώ νοσοκομεία θα κλείνουν, σχολεία θα ρημάζουν, συντάξεις θα εξαφανίζονται. Καλώ όλους τους Ευρωπαίους πολίτες να βγουν στους δρόμους να σταματήσουμε τον πόλεμο. Ναι στην ειρήνη.
Željana Zovko (PPE). – Madam President, dear colleagues, the proposal endorsed by the European Council on 6 March is an encouraging sign towards the strengthening of European defence. A good sign in times of stormy weather.
However, the EU's much-needed wake-up should not make us forget that the American umbrella is vital for us. We still need the rainy-day friend, now more than ever. The strengthening of our defence must go hand in hand with the strengthening of our relations with our allies, including with the US.
Besides the fact that the current EU measures will only produce effects in at least four years, we have to bear in mind that the United States and Russia together account for 85% of the world's new nuclear arsenal. The European Union also also strongly needs American intelligence, with some Member States even relying entirely on NATO. And the relative autonomy from American intelligence would take years. However, time is running out now – we all know in Ukraine what is going on.
For all these reasons, the EU must intensify its diplomatic efforts to find common grounds with our US ally. The EU defence and strengthening of a pillar of NATO can become robust within some years, but we don't have time to lose in not engaging in dialogue.
Thijs Reuten (S&D). – MadamPresident, colleagues, Council, Commission, Europe is at a critical juncture. You said it yourself, Minister. We are relevant now or never again to act or to be passive observers of the destruction of the rules-based order.
I commend the Member States for their clear understanding that Ukraine and Europe's future requires peace through strength – strength for Ukraine to stand up against Putin and against Trump. The US is forcing Ukraine into an unacceptable surrender it could also achieve without their help. If the circumstances are unfavourable for Ukraine, for Europe, we will not accept it. We have to change these circumstances towards a just peace, or accept the ugly consequences.
Now President vonderLeyen said that the Ϸվ was right, asking for more military support all along. Translate understanding then into real united action now, and for all the Member States, President Costa – some a bit more than others – that means sending Ukraine the weapons it needs now. It's irritating – it's appalling even – that there are still warehouses where there's critical air defence that Ukraine needs now. Do what is necessary now for Ukraine, for Europe.
Anders Vistisen (PfE). – Madam President, EUR 35 billion in loans for the Ukraine Recovery Mechanism. EUR 100 billion in Corona loans, EUR 750 billion for the recovery funds. And now the Commission proposes EUR 150 billion for rearmament.
But none of this would have been necessary if we had a Commission that was more preoccupied with creating growth instead of bureaucracy. If you had a Commission that was willing to prioritise within the EUR 1.2 trillion budget. Ursula von der Leyen, you are making the Europeans into welfare junkies and you're doing it from borrowed money.
So let me put this very simple. We want our money back!
Når vi ser på det fra et dansk perspektiv, må man sige, at EU har gjort meget lidt. Igen og igen har Danmark støttet Ukraine militært og økonomisk, og igen og igen har vi set, hvordan de største EU medlemsstater; Tyskland, Frankrig, Italien og Spanien ikke har fulgt trop. Så det er let at give Trump skylden for den situation, Ukraine står i. Men hvis man virkelig vil forstå, hvorfor vi tre år inde i krigen har et EU, der ikke er i stand til at forsvare sig selv, har et EU, der ikke er i stand til at forsvare Ukraine, så skal vi se indad. Der har været alt for lidt handling og alt for meget snak, og det fortsætter desværre.
Assita Kanko (ECR). – Madam President, Commissioner, for energy we used to look at Russia; for trade we depend on China; for defence we rely on the United States. When we fail, we blame someone else. The truth is that we are weak because we neglected our potential power. Because by not investing enough, or soon enough, in defence and industry, we gave up the right to be respected. We abandoned our primary duty, which is to provide security and pride to our citizens.
They wonder when we will take responsibility. Right now, we are only excited because Trump woke us up. Basically, he just showed us that there is no such thing as a free lunch. And we are upset? The fact that we needed this wake-up call about defence is so disturbing for our citizens.
We need to remember that Europe was stronger, and can be strong again. We need to remember that still the end of the Cold War was not the end of history, that we cannot earn respect if we do not change our mindset.
We need to invest in our defence and values, and stand firm for our principles – not only when it's comfortable, but also when it is not. Because to the question of whether our citizens can count on us, the answer must be 'yes'!
João Cotrim De Figueiredo (Renew). – Senhora Presidente, Senhor Presidente do Conselho, Senhores Comissários, Senhores Deputados, o mundo mudou muito desde o último plenário aqui, em Estrasburgo.
No dia 13 de fevereiro, último dia desse plenário, o secretário da Defesa americano, Pete Hegseth, disse a seguinte frase: «Os Estados Unidos já não estão disponíveis para garantir a segurança da Europa». Clarinho como água. Como disse a presidente da Comissão há pouco, o tempo da ilusão acabou.
E, por isso, fez bem o Conselho Europeu, o Conselho da passada quinta-feira, em flexibilizar as regras do Pacto de Estabilidade e Crescimento, em criar uma nova linha de financiamento e até em alterar o mandato do Banco Europeu de Investimento para permitir créditos em projetos na área da defesa, o que, aliás, mostra bem a forma adormecida como esta instituição europeia estava a olhar para a indústria da defesa.
Portanto, o Conselho fez bem. Fez bem, mas não chega. Porque é urgente definir uma arquitetura de defesa europeia, porque, sem isso, o plano industrial que é longamente falado continuará vago, as compras conjuntas continuarão descoordenadas e a defesa da Europa continuará dependente de outros, inclusivamente na sua componente nuclear.
Portanto, o fim do tempo da ilusão exige estas respostas rápidas e decididas, mas já sabemos que a velocidade tem riscos — e vale a pena, hoje, falar aqui destes riscos.O risco de, sistematicamente, se ultrapassar e passar ao lado do Parlamento Europeu; o risco de a Comissão e a sua presidente passarem a ser essencialmente uma figura decorativa face a iniciativas políticas de Macron, Starmer, Merz ou, quem sabe, outros; e o risco de destruir a NATO, para a qual ninguém tem hoje uma alternativa credível.
Portanto, é esse,Senhores Deputados, o nosso desafio: salvar a Europa — a começar pela Ucrânia, que tanto merece a nossa ajuda —, sem destruir as suas instituições. E é nossa responsabilidade estar à altura deste desafio.
(O orador aceita responder a uma pergunta «cartão azul»)
João Oliveira (The Left), Pergunta segundo o procedimento «cartão azul». – Senhora Presidente, Senhor Deputado Cotrim de Figueiredo, o senhor deputado acha boa ideia aliviar o garrote orçamental para gastos militares, o garrote do Pacto de Estabilidade para gastos militares, mas não acha bem se for para gastos com a habitação, com a saúde, com as pensões.
O senhor deputado acha que os recursos públicos não podem servir para investir na habitação, para resolver os problemas do acesso à habitação, porque são recursos públicos, mas desviar 800 mil milhões de euros para gastos militares, já, na perspetiva dos liberais, está certo.E o senhor acha que é com a corrida global aos armamentos, aumentando os riscos de confrontação, de guerra e de destruição, que se alcança a paz e a segurança coletiva.
Explique-nos lá, senhor deputado, essa ilusão liberal, porque nós não encontramos nisso nenhuma referência que sirva a povo nenhum, incluindo ao povo português.
João Cotrim De Figueiredo (Renew), Resposta segundo o procedimento «cartão azul». – Senhor Deputado João Oliveira, eu acredito é que, se não pararmos Putin, não há habitação, não há educação, não há saúde que valha a nenhum europeu.
E, portanto, quem tem de explicar é o senhor deputado: porque é que, há três anos, desde a invasão da Ucrânia pela Rússia, defende sistematicamente uma política de apaziguamento de tiranos como Vladimir Putin? Isso é que o senhor deputado tem de explicar.
Villy Søvndal (Verts/ALE). – Fru formand! Det smerter mig at konstatere, at vi ikke længere kan stole på USA under Trumps ledelse. Jeg er netop kommet tilbage fra Ukraine. Her kæmper landets befolkning for deres liv, deres frihed og deres fremtid. Vi ser den ukrainske befolkning blive svigtet af USA. USA har gjort det lettere for Rusland at bombe i Ukraine og dræbe civile. Det ser vi hver dag nu på tabstallene. Vores tætte allierede kan vi ikke længere kende. I Det Hvide Hus skal frihedskæmperen Zelenskyj, ydmyges og presses til at sige tak foran rullende kamera. Det er skammeligt! Jeg vil dog gerne sige tak. Tak til Zelenskyj og det ukrainske folk for at stille op mod autokraterne. Tak til de ukrainske soldater, der kæmper på slagmarken. Kolleger, lad mig gøre det klart: Europa skal gøre sig uafhængigt af Trumps USA. Det betyder øget samarbejde med forsvarsmateriel, teknologi og efterretninger. Det betyder, at vi skal skabe de nødvendige alliancer med de lande, der stadig støtter en verden formet af den internationale retsorden. Det betyder, at vi skal tro på os selv, på Europa og på Ukraine.
Li Andersson (The Left). – MadamPresident, as a leftist, I think that Putin and Trump form one of the most dangerous ideological alliances that the world has seen in a long time.
Therefore, it is essential that the EU strengthens its support for Ukraine. In addition, the EU should set a strategic goal of reducing our dependencies on the US. This means: creating a European security architecture, redirecting all financing currently going to the US arms industry to Europe; reducing energy dependencies; and limiting the powers of the digital oligarchs.
Changes to the fiscal rules must enable all of these investments. I do understand that the goal might also require more investment in European defence. But it would be a historic mistake to finance this by cutting welfare, because that would only cement the rise to power of Putin's and Trump's allies in Europe: the extreme right. And for once, the EU needs to be smarter than this.
Станислав Стоянов (ESN). – Г-жо Председател, прахосването на 800 млрд. евро, от които 150 милиарда нови заеми, ще натовари държавите членки с непоносим дълг. Ръководството на Европейския съюз, което вече се провали зрелищно в редица случаи като "зелената" сделка, нелегалната миграция, войната в Европа и икономическата рецесия, сега очаква да му доверим нашата сигурност. Лидери, които сега говорят за независимост от САЩ, дълги години бяха първи евроатлантически послушници.
Да, защитата на Европа е от решаващо значение, но отговорността за отбраната трябва да остане в ръцете на суверенните нации. Не бива да разхлабваме процедурата за прекомерен дефицит, нито да използваме кохезионните фондове за закупуване на оръжия. Европейската икономика вече е в криза и без това.
Европейският съюз трябва да търси сътрудничество със своите съседи и с всички глобални сили, да си осигури достъп до евтини ресурси и да изгради стратегически партньорства. Най-лесният начин да се спестят тези огромни пари, а и да се гарантира сигурността, е като се използва дипломацията и се възстановят нормалните отношения с Русия. Щом САЩ може да го направи, защо Европейският съюз да не може?
Jeroen Lenaers (PPE). – Madam President, when your neighbour's house is on fire, you don't haggle over the price of the garden hose. With those words, the US under President Roosevelt came to our aid during the Second World War. 80 years later, war is raging again on the European continent, but this time, the US does not only want to negotiate the price of the garden hose, they bully the neighbour into giving up his house altogether before considering any help.
This is the situation we are in today and it's a wake up call like never before for Europe, a wake up call that should not have been necessary. For years and years, we have been discussing the need for Europe to get serious about its own defence. Many European leaders have stood here in this room, passionately arguing the necessity of this.
So it's fair to ask exactly what we have achieved in all these years, and the clear answer is not enough. So in that sense, I really welcome the determination and the ambition shown by President von der Leyen and the European leaders last week. This ambition needs now to be translated into immediate and tangible European action.
Extraordinary circumstances ask for extraordinary measures, and we must be brave and bold not only to be able to help Ukraine, which is, of course, of crucial importance, but ultimately to help ourselves, because Ukraine's interests are Europe's interests, we are defending common European values. We are defending international law and the rules-based order. We are defending the very basic principle that the aggressor should not be rewarded at the expense of the victim.
Today, we must defend a future for our children in freedom and safety on our European continent.
Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D). – Voorzitter, Europa was, is en zal altijd een vredesproject zijn. Maar kiezen voor vrede en vrijheid betekent dat we onze veiligheid in eigen handen moeten nemen. Daarom zijn de voorstellen van de Commissie en de Raad een eerste belangrijke stap. Een nieuwe Europese vredesarchitectuur omvat echter veel meer 27 lidstaten die extra investeren. Het vereist ook coördinatie en strategie.
Veiligheid is ook zoveel meer dan kogels en tanks alleen. Het gaat ook om infrastructuur, technologie en het afbouwen van onze afhankelijkheid. Denk aan energie, grondstoffen aar bijvoorbeeld ook medicijnen. Veiligheid betekent ook niet bezuinigen maar juist verder investeren. Ja, in defensie, maar ook in duurzaamheid, infrastructuur en sociaal beleid. Ons sociaal model is immers uniek in de wereld en dat is wat Europa zo anders maakt dan waar Poetin en Trump voor staan. Dit is waar de Oekraïners voor vechten: vrede, vrijheid en veiligheid. Dat is wat we nu, meer dan ooit, moeten beschermen.
Roberto Vannacci (PfE). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, signora von der Leyen: ma dov'è?
Monsieur Costa, elle ne se cache pas derrière vous, Mme von der Leyen?
Perché la signora von der Leyen ha paura di questo Parlamento ed invoca l'articolo 122, lo stato di emergenza, per raggirare l'unica istituzione europea eletta dal popolo e per indebitare noi e i nostri figli per 850 miliardi di euro da spendere in armi.
Eppure i carri russi non sono a Varsavia, neanche a Budapest e neanche a Praga. E Parigi non brucia sotto gragnole di colpi. Quello che brucia in Francia sono le chiese cristiane. Queste sono le vere emergenze signora von der Leyen!
Sono le famiglie europee che non arrivano a fine mese e che non hanno i soldi per pagare le bollette del gas, che le politiche scellerate della sua Commissione hanno fatto lievitare esponenzialmente.
Le vere emergenze sono l'autarchia e la dittatura e la sospensione della democrazia, come è avvenuto pochi giorni fa in Romania, che i tecnocrati di Bruxelles appoggiano e sostengono.
Le vere emergenze sono gli attentati e la criminalità e gli atti di criminalità, che quasi giornalmente gli immigrati illegali portano a termine a spese e a danno dei cittadini europei nelle nazioni europee.
Queste sono le vere emergenze, signora von der Leyen, non la paura di vederci un soldato russo col colbacco in testa alle porte di casa. E ci venga in Parlamento, e non abbia paura, perché qua non l'aspetta un plotone di cosacchi con le sciabole, ma i rappresentanti del popolo europeo che vogliono dire la loro sul loro futuro.
Charlie Weimers (ECR). – Madam President, Europe's security isn't built on words, it's guaranteed by firepower. Strong national defences are key. I believe we can cooperate, we can scale up production, without surrendering national control. REARM Europe is a start, but without real output, it's just words.
We need bullets, drones, missiles streaming quickly, unimpeded by delays. Last year we produced 500 artillery shells. Ukraine burns through that in two months. Scaling up – experts say years. We don't have years. Bureaucracy kills. Delays kill. Either we act or we fail. Ukraine needs firepower now. Tanks, jets, not just applause. Drop the taboos – landmines, cluster bombs – because Russia has no red lines. It's time to turn plants into production, factories into force. Support Ukraine now. Peace through strength now.
Dan Barna (Renew). – Doamnă președintă, domnule comisar, domnule președinte Costa, apreciez și vă mulțumesc pentru prezența dumneavoastră la dezbatere. Contextul de securitate al Uniunii Europene nu mai este, din păcate, o certitudine liniștită, ci mai degrabă un câmp de luptă. Ne-am văzut vulnerabilitățile după instalarea unei administrații americane cu priorități și afinități pro-Putin. Ne-am amintit din nou – și statele din estul Europei știu asta foarte bine – că pariul pe garanții externe este unul foarte periculos pe termen lung.
Nu. Nu ne mai putem permite refugii iluzorii în dependențe strategice, nici militare și nici energetice. Acum este momentul ca Uniunea Europeană să devină un adevărat constructor al propriei sale securități. Propunerile actuale ale Comisiei sunt un pas vital, dar avem nevoie de mai mult decât de alocări financiare. Avem nevoie de o industrie de apărare robustă și unificată. Avem nevoie de forțe interoperabile, capabile de desfășurare rapidă. Avem nevoie de o abordare strategică comună, de o înțelegere unitară a amenințărilor actuale. Trebuie să devenim stăpânii propriului nostru destin și garantul propriei noastre securități. Doar atunci ne vom putea proteja cu adevărat valorile, cetățenii și viitorul.
Sergey Lagodinsky (Verts/ALE). – MadamPresident, MrVice-President, MrPresident,our challenges are monumental; our instruments are outdated. But the idea that unites us all – our Europe –it is not. I believe in the power of Europe because, frankly, what other choice do we have in the world divided between Trumps and Xis and Putins?
Ideas inspire, but actions define our future. We need real European capabilities, not grand promises; real European money, not 800billion of hot air that was promised by the Commission.
We need a strategic decision-making centre and we need an opportunity to leave spoilers like Orbán behind. We need a decision-making centre, not 27 passionate speeches per meeting – a core Europe for defence that should emerge with the big and bold, with the committed and capable. France and Germany, yes, but also Estonia and Latvia and Lithuania. Let's not forget about those. And London and Oslo.And yes, we make Europe act again. And yes, we will.
Kathleen Funchion (The Left). – A Uachtaráin, as a Member from a country that cherishes our neutrality and recognises the benefits it has brought to the world, I want to express my opposition to any backsliding when it comes to the neutrality of Ireland.
Our country has a proud history of UN-mandated peacekeeping missions, a tradition that has gone on for decades. Our neutrality has enabled us to maintain an independent foreign policy, and this is a strength that is valued and supported by the Irish people.
It is therefore shameful that our Irish Government would try to use this real emergency to end the 'triple lock' policy, which is in place to protect our neutrality. The 'triple lock' is a core component of Ireland's independent foreign policy, and is enshrined in national declarations to the Irish people by governments in advance of a previous EU referendum. So if the Irish Government wants to remove this protection, it should put it to the people and have a referendum on it.
Dolors Montserrat (PPE). – Señora presidenta, el nuevo orden mundial ha puesto a Europa frente al espejo, obligándonos a elegir en qué lado de la historia queremos estar. Tres años después de la invasión, Putin ya no busca solo una capitulación humillante para Zelenski y su pueblo, quiere borrar los valores europeos de libertad, democracia y paz y avanzar en su sueño imperialista.
Europa lo tiene claro: frente a la sumisión, liderazgo, acción y firmeza. Y esta es la peor noticia para Putin. No renunciaremos a la libertad, no descansaremos hasta una paz justa y duradera. Nuestro apoyo a Ucrania ha sido claro y firme desde el primer minuto, algo que no todos pueden decir aquí.
Mientras Estados miembros como Polonia y Alemania redoblan su inversión en seguridad y defensa, España tiene el Gobierno que menos invierte en defensa en Europa, solo un 1,2%. España es uno de los países que más gas compra a Putin desde que comenzó la guerra: 9000 millonesde euros. Sánchez es el equilibrista de una coalición de Gobierno sin presupuestos ni respaldo parlamentario que le exige la salida de la OTAN y blanquea a dictadores. Todo con un mismo objetivo: debilitar a España y a Europa desde dentro.
Europa debe asegurarse de que cada euro europeo para defensa se dedique a ello y no se repita lo que ha hecho Sánchez con los fondos de Next Generation EU: usarlos como si fueran propiedad de él y de su Partido Socialista. El Partido Popular Europeo lo dice bien claro y bien fuerte: sí a la Unión Europea de Defensa y sí a una soberanía estratégica real. La historia ya nos ha enseñado el precio de la inacción y esta vez no podemos fallar.
Christel Schaldemose (S&D). – Fru formand! Verden er forandret. Det er en mindre sikker klode, vi har i dag end for bare få uger siden. Derfor skal EU også forandre sig. EU skal tage ansvar for egen sikkerhed. Det har vi været alt for langsom om at gøre. Ukraine er vores lakmusprøve på, om vi vil, og om vi kan. Tendensen er desværre klar: Jo længere et EU land ligger fra Ukraine, jo mindre bliver der givet i støtte. Det duer ikke. Det er ikke måden, vi viser, at vi kan tage ansvar for Europas sikkerhed på. Vi siger, at alle i Europa skal stå sammen, men ikke alle handler derefter. Vi skal altså have øget den støtte til Ukraine, og det skal være nu. Og så skal vi selvfølgelig også opbygge vores egen europæiske forsvarskapacitet. Krigen i Ukraine, er simpelthen den prøve, der viser, om vi i Europa kan stå sammen mod trusler udefra. Vi skal have alle lande til at forstå, at det her, det handler faktisk ikke kun om Ukraine. Det handler også om os selv. Lad os sætte i gang. Lad os vise, at vi godt kan forsvare Europa selv.
Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová (PfE). – Paní předsedající, Evropa je vlastní vinou ve složité situaci, která prověří naši schopnost správně reagovat na osudové výzvy. Musíme jednat pragmaticky, být jednotní, ale zároveň respektovat suverenitu a zájmy jednotlivých států. Bezpečnostní politika se nemůže tvořit v Bruselu, ale musí vycházet z potřeb členských zemí. Šance Evropy je v transatlantické spolupráci. NATO disponuje obrannými mechanismy, které se vyvíjely celá desetiletí. Vytvářet paralelní evropskou strukturu je cesta špatným směrem.
Soustřeďme se na posilování aliance NATO. Investujme diplomatické úsilí i finanční zdroje do tohoto projektu. Je potřeba se zastavit a o obranné politice přemýšlet s chladnou hlavou. Naše vzájemné vztahy se Spojenými státy americkými nyní omezujeme pouze na otázku Ukrajiny a necháváme je definovat tímto konfliktem. Přitom je zde mnoho jiných problémů, na kterých potřebujeme spolupracovat. Měli bychom vyvinout maximální úsilí na zajištění míru a vytvoření fungujících bezpečnostních záruk. Chytré a zodpovědné řešení je zajištění konkurenceschopnosti našeho hospodářství, udržování pro Evropu výhodných transatlantických vztahů a vedení pragmatické diplomatické politiky.
Roberts Zīle (ECR). – Cienītā priekšsēdētājas kundze, Padomes priekšsēdētāja, Komisijas vicepriekšsēdētāja!
Protams, Eiropadomes lemtais par šiem 800 miljardiem eiro ir solis pareizā virzienā. Taču uzdosim jautājumu, vai jau trīs gadus atpakaļ mēs nevarējām pacelt šo klauzulu, kas liedza 650 miljardus dalībvalstīm ieguldīt militārajā industrijā un aizsardzībā. Un arī šie 150 miljardi no SAFE programmas, šķiet, tiks aplikti ar pārliekiem nosacījumiem — šodien dzirdētiem no Eiropas Komisijas priekšsēdētājas puses, — kas varētu piemeklēt līdzīgu likteni, kā mums iet ar Atveseļošanas un noturības mehānismu.
Kas būtu Eiropai jādara šajā izšķirošajā brīdī? Manuprāt, pārliecinoši ātri soļi, piemēram, palielināt sankcijas krievu ēnu flotei vismaz līdz ASV sankciju apmēram pret tiem, nepirkt Krievijas sašķidrināto gāzi, konfiscēt iesaldētos Krievijas resursus un nosūtīt Ukrainai palīdzību, nu, vismaz apmēram 1% no IKP militārajā pusē.
Jā, nav patīkama ASV administrācijas pozīcija, taču Eiropas labākā atbilde būtu rīcība — demonstrācija, un tas parādītu to, ka vienīgā izšķirošā iespēja mums ir saglabāt (NATO ietvaros) stingru Rietumu pozīciju drošības jomā.
Daniel Caspary (PPE). – Sehr geehrte Frau Präsidentin, geschätzte Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Es ist heute hinreichend oft gesagt worden: Wir haben die letzten drei Jahre nicht hinreichend auf Russlands Aggressionen reagiert. Und es ist auch deutlich geworden: Europa ist immer dann stark, wenn wir besonders unter Druck stehen.
Ich möchte auf eine Sache noch einmal hinweisen, die unser Fraktionsvorsitzender Manfred Weber vorhin vollkommen zu Recht dargestellt hat: Wir sind gut in den Krisenzeiten. Aber schaffen wir es in den Krisenzeiten nicht nur als Europäische Union, die Mitgliedstaaten dabei zu unterstützen, ihre Hausaufgaben zu erledigen, sondern schaffen wir es auch gemeinsam mit den Mitgliedstaaten, endlich in Europa den nächsten Schritt zu gehen?
Wir haben es doch gesehen bei der Corona-Krise: Der Corona-Wiederaufbaufonds war ein Riesenschritt der Europäischen Union, um den Mitgliedstaaten zu helfen. Aber wir haben es nicht geschafft, die europaweiten Stromnetze z.B. zu bauen, europaweite Eisenbahnnetze zu ertüchtigen. Wir haben es nicht geschafft, Europa als Kontinent mit einem gemeinsamen großen Projekt zusammenzubringen.
Und auch jetzt– ReArm Europe ist dringend nötig. Aber auch hier gilt doch wieder: Es fehlen genau die gemeinsamen europäischen Projekte. Es geht doch nicht nur darum, die Mitgliedstaaten jetzt alleine dabei zu unterstützen, die nötige Aufrüstung zu machen, endlich verteidigungsfähig zu werden, sondern wir müssen doch gemeinsame europäische Projekte durchsetzen.
Ich kann den Rat nur aufrufen, Herr Costa, ich kann die Mitgliedstaaten nur aufrufen: Bitte machen Sie im Rat Druck, dass wir einige Projekte auch gemeinsam machen! Die Beispiele, die Manfred Weber heute genannt hat: mit dem gemeinsamen Überwachungssatellitensystem, mit einem gemeinsamen Luftabwehrschirm, mit einem vielleicht auch gemeinsamen Flugzeugträger, Hubschrauberträger, Drohnenträger oder was auch immer. Wir müssen doch bitte auch als Europäer gemeinsam ein großes Projekt voranbringen, um auch nach außen zu zeigen: Wir meinen die europäische Einigung– gerade auch in Krisenzeiten– ernst.
Nicola Zingaretti (S&D). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, io penso che l'Europa debba aumentare la sua sicurezza ma il modo per farlo è aprire il cantiere per la difesa comune europea. E va detto con chiarezza: il semplice aumento della spesa militare per 27 eserciti nazionali non ci rende più sicuri.
La deterrenza o è europea o non è deterrenza e dobbiamo quindi finanziare progetti comuni, promuovere insieme acquisti a favore dell'industria europea, rafforzare il coordinamento dei sistemi e dei comandi, investire massicciamente nella ricerca dell'industria dell'aerospazio. Sicurezza è rilanciare il ruolo politico e unitario dell'Europa, ilsuo protagonismo come grande attore globale nel commercio, nell'industria e nella cultura, e rafforzare la sua politica estera.
Contro più nazionalismo occorre più federalismo e questa stagione si può e si deve aprire senza colpire la spesa e la coesione sociale ma con politiche di investimenti comuni. Perché siamo tornati alla sostanza della straordinaria intuizione di Ventotene: l'Europa sarà libera se sarà più unita.
Harald Vilimsky (PfE). – Frau Präsidentin, meine sehr geehrten Damen und Herren! Für den Kurs der Europäischen Union gilt in abgewandelter Form das Sprichwort: Immer, wenn du glaubst, es geht nicht mehr, kommt schon der nächste Wahnsinn daher. Und im Konkreten ist es jetzt der Plan, hier eine gewaltige Summe von 800Milliarden dafür vorzusehen, diesen Kontinent aufzurüsten. Und rechnen Sie diese Summe um auf die Zahl der Einwohner Europas, so kommen Sie per capita– wie es so schön heißt, vom Baby bis zum Greis – auf eine Summe von um die 1800Euro. Rechnen Sie das auf die Aktivgeneration, kostet das jeden Europäer, der heute Steuern beiträgt, wahrscheinlich zusätzliche 4000 bis 5000Europro Jahr.
Ich sage: Das ist der falsche Weg. Europa braucht dieses Geld für neue und gute Jobs. Europa braucht dieses Geld für soziale Aktivitäten, für Spitäler, für den Bildungsbereich, für Schulen, aber nicht, um aufzurüsten. Und ins selbe Horn stößt auch der Vorschlag, der jetzt aus Frankreich kommt, nämlich den ganzen Kontinent mit Atomwaffen quasi zu übersäen. Das ist der falsche Weg.
Wir haben zurzeit Verhandlungen in Saudi-Arabien mit der Trump-Administration– und jetzt kann man von Trump halten, was immer man möchte, aber es ist zumindest der Versuch, hier am Tisch Frieden herbeizuführen. Ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass die Europäische Union dort anknüpft, wo sie 2012, glaube ich, schon einmal war, nämlich eine Art Friedensnobelpreis erhalten zu haben, und sich jetzt hier in Kooperation und in einem Zusammenspiel mit dem Westen gemeinsam dafür ausspricht, das Sterben endlich zu beenden, endlich dafür Sorge zu tragen, dass es zu qualitativen Friedensverhandlungen kommt und dass wir in Zukunft wieder daran arbeiten können, den Wohlstand auf diesem Kontinent voranzutreiben, und nicht zuzusehen, wie hier mehr und mehr Tote und Verletzte generiert werden.
Adam Bielan (ECR). – Madam President, for too long Europe has neglected its defence industry, leaving us dependent on external suppliers and slow to react to crises. While NATO allies uphold Article 5, they have failed to meet Article 3's obligation to develop their own defence capabilities.
EU Member States must urgently invest in their own security, as Poland did under Law and Justice leadership.
Recent events have shown that without the United States, Europe is unfortunately nearly defenceless. Regardless of political turbulence or disagreements, we must maintain strong and reliable transatlantic relations. Our security depends on it. And here, from this very place, I once again urge the Prime Minister of Poland to stop blocking President Duda's proposal to convene an EU‑US summit in Warsaw under the Polish Presidency. Failing to hold it will only deepen the cracks in our relations with our most important ally. We cannot afford such missteps at a time when security challenges are multiplying across Europe and beyond.
Zoltán Tarr (PPE). – Madam President, dear colleagues, usually I speak Hungarian, but I'm compelled to speak English because I need to speak to the people of Europe on behalf of my fellow Hungarians.
In an increasingly uncertain global political situation we need a strong Europe, which requires the establishment of a new security system. Unfortunately, there is a risk that my country, Hungary, will not be part of this because the current Hungarian Prime Minister serves foreign interests. The country's economy is in despair, inflation is soaring and corruption is our present and our future.
The government is isolating Hungary. It claims to seek peace, but in reality it endangers the security of Hungarians and that of the whole of Europe. The vast majority of Hungarians believe that Hungary's place is in Europe. Everyone must clearly understand that. Hungary's home is Europe, and Europe's security is equal to Hungary's security.
We, the opposition, the Tisza party, are ready to lead Hungary back to the heart of Europe. Our future lies in a strong, secure and prosperous Europe, not in the shadows of the Kremlin.
(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question)
Alexander Jungbluth (ESN), Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Sehr geehrter Kollege, Sie haben ja kaum zum Tagesordnungspunkt gesprochen; Sie haben ja eigentlich Ihre Redezeit vor allem dazu genutzt, gegen Ihre eigene Regierung vorzugehen. Aber ich stelle mir mal folgende Frage: Sie wollen ja immer diese stärkere europäische Integration. Sie stellen hier in Aussicht, dass Ihre Delegation dafür steht, Ungarn in das Herz Europas zurückzuführen. Was wollen Sie denn eigentlich erreichen? Wollen Sie tatsächlich, dass eine ungarische Armee geopfert wird, damit es eben eine europäische Armee gibt, die Ungarn dann mit Sicherheit nicht mehr verteidigen will?
Meinen Sie mit dem Herzen Europas das, was Ihre Fraktionskollegen von der CDU zu verantworten haben, dass es zu Massenvergewaltigungen in Deutschland kommt, dass es zu Terror in Deutschland kommt? Wollen Sie, dass das auch in Ungarn stattfindet? Glauben Sie, dass das der Punkt ist, wo Sie sagen, dass das Herz Europas Sie dahin zurückführt?
Zoltán Tarr (PPE), kékkártyás válasz. – Azt értem az Európa szíve alatt, hogy egy olyan Európában élünk és kell éljünk, ahol az európai országok önszántukból, saját akaratukból együttműködnek annak érdekében, hogy egy biztonságos, biztonságot nyújtó, egymásnak segítő Európát hozzanak létre. Ehhez arra van szükség, hogy az európai országok együttműködjenek, segítsék egymást és tiszteljék egymást. Erre gondolok akkor, amikor az Európa szívéről beszélek.
Javier Moreno Sánchez (S&D). – Señora presidenta, señor comisario, señor presidente del Consejo Europeo, comienzo enviando, en nombre de la delegación socialista española, nuestro recuerdo, apoyo y cariño a las familias de las víctimas del 11M.
Señorías, ¿guerra o paz? La Unión está en una disyuntiva impensable hace unos años, especialmente para quienes no hemos vivido la guerra. Crece la inquietud en nuestras sociedades, especialmente entre los jóvenes. Tenemos que hacer partícipe a la ciudadanía, con transparencia y pedagogía, de los cambios que exige la nueva realidad geopolítica. No podemos dejar el relato en manos de la extrema derecha, que aprovechará para seguir destruyendo la esencia de la Unión Europea.
Tienen que decirnos claramente si están con Ucrania y con Europa o si están con Putin. Tenemos que explicar que la paz y la seguridad en nuestro continente pasan por seguir apoyando a Ucrania para lograr urgentemente una paz justa y duradera en la que participemos ucranianos y europeos. Y, a medio y largo plazo, tenemos que rearmar Europa y desarrollar una política de defensa común que nos permita ser autónomos y garantizar nuestra propia seguridad.
(El orador acepta responder a una pregunta formulada con arreglo al procedimiento de la «tarjeta azul»)
Jaak Madison (ECR), blue-card question. – I generally agree with you when we are talking about defence policies. We really have to support more Ukraine. I definitely agree.
But, as you are from the Socialist Party from Spain, just a very small, tiny question: what is your opinion on why Spain has provided so little help to Ukraine currently? Because when you look at the GDP, the real help – military aid – it has given to Ukraine, it's almost nothing compared to Poland, Estonia, Denmark, Finland and so on. So, why is there so much talk and no actions? What is the problem in Spain with the Socialists? Why are you not acting?
Javier Moreno Sánchez (S&D), respuesta de «tarjeta azul». – Señor Jaak Madison, gracias por su pregunta. Desde el primer minuto de la invasión de Putin a Ucrania, el Gobierno de España ha estado con Ucrania. Haremos todo lo necesario para que consigamos esa paz duradera y justa. Estamos con Ucrania, seguiremos estando con Ucrania y pondremos los medios que hay que poner. No se preocupe que el Gobierno socialista español está en ello y seguiremos apoyando a Ucrania, porque no solo es la paz en Ucrania, es la paz en Europa, es la defensa de nuestras democracias y por eso tenemos que seguir unidos. Por eso pregunto a la extrema derecha europea si están con Putin o están con nosotros.
Marion Maréchal (ECR). – Madame la Présidente, malheur aux vaincus et aux vassaux! Telle est la grande leçon inculquée aux Européens depuis maintenant plusieurs semaines. Si nous ne voulons pas risquer que, un jour, l’un de nos chefs d’État se retrouve dans la position de VolodymyrZelensky dans le Bureau ovale, alors oui, il faut augmenter nos stocks, nos munitions, notre matériel opérationnel et le nombre de nos soldats, non pas pour jouer l’escalade guerrière, mais pour être craints par des adversaires convaincus de notre capacité à riposter. Si vis pacem, para bellum.
Pour cela, nous devons dès maintenant écarter la dangereuse illusion d’une force armée au service d’une Europe fédérale. L’Union européenne peut et doit, bien sûr, faciliter le financement de ce réarmement, mais elle ne peut en aucun cas en être la générale en chef; c’est aux armées nationales de défendre nos nations. L’urgence qui doit nous occuper est d’établir une préférence européenne en matière d’achats militaires. Si cette priorité ne devient pas la pierre angulaire de la nouvelle architecture de défense de notre continent, alors toute velléité d’indépendance restera illusoire.
Allons au bout du chemin: le réarmement militaire n’a de sens qu’accompagné d’un réarmement démographique et identitaire. Il est grand temps que cette institution cesse de regarder les menaces uniquement à l’aune de ses œillères idéologiques.
Sebastião Bugalho (PPE). – Senhora Presidente, Senhor Presidente, há três anos, ninguém antecipou que a Europa se unisse em torno da Ucrânia, negando a invasão da Federação da Rússia.
Três anos depois, a instabilidade americana faz com que muitos digam que a Europa não existe, que não conta, que não consegue.
Caros colegas, nos últimos cem dias, as três instituições aqui reunidas mostraram que a Europa está aqui.À ameaça de tarifas respondemos no dia, defendendo a nossa economia. À ameaça de alívio de sanções respondemos na semana, com o 16.º pacote de sanções. À suspensão de apoio à Ucrânia respondemos na hora, não abdicando da liberdade ucraniana, da sua constituição, da sua soberania.
A União tem provado que é possível reagir sem provocar, agir sem desistir. Fazemo-lo não para invadir ninguém, mas para impedirmos novas invasões. Fazemo-lo não por oportunidade económica, mas por necessidade, porque não há pobreza mais devastadora do que a pobreza da guerra.
Friends, I am Portuguese. I was born in a most distant Member State from this war. So I say to my Polish friends: I know your security is our security. I say to my Romanian friends: I know your democracy is our democracy. I say to my Baltic friends: your defence cannot just be our defence.
To our Ukrainian friends, I say: your freedom is our freedom. Today it is increasingly clear that a common response is the only fair response, that to invest in defence is the most urgent response in solidarity. Let's not waste time. Let's do it.
René Repasi (S&D). – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Nach den bizarren Szenen im Weißen Haus vor elf Tagen wissen wir: Die europäisch‑amerikanische Freundschaft hat keine verlässlichen Freunde mehr auf der anderen Seite des Atlantiks. Wir müssen uns der bitteren Realität stellen: Wir sind alleine für unsere Sicherheit verantwortlich. Das verlangt echte Anstrengungen und keine Luftbuchungen. 650Milliarden Euro mehr an möglichen nationalen Schulden führt noch lange nicht zu 800Milliarden Euro zusätzlichem Geld für unsere Verteidigung.
Ich verlange einen ambitionierten Vorschlag, der Verteidigung als europäische Aufgabe versteht, der echtes europäisches Geld in die Hand nimmt, ohne den sozialen Zusammenhalt zu schwächen. Das verlangt gemeinsame Verschuldung für gemeinsame Verteidigungsaufgaben, ohne nationale Schulden zu erhöhen.
Lasst uns mutig sein! Die äußeren Gefahren unseres Kontinents sind die Pandemie unserer Zeit.
Michael Gahler (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Der Aggressor im Kreml weiß gar nicht, wie ihm geschieht: Die bisherige Führungsmacht des Westens wechselte in Sachen Ukraine die Seiten. Es muss uns als Weckruf reichen, dass es Zweifel gibt, ob die USA gegenüber ihren Verbündeten im Ernstfall ihren Beistandsverpflichtungen nachkommen. Da müssen wir vom worst case ausgehen und so schnell wie möglich alle Instrumente aktivieren, um uns zu verteidigen und um uns verteidigungsfähig zu machen auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene– im Prinzip, wie es dem Vorschlag der Kommission entspricht.
Als EP haben wir Probleme mit der Rechtsgrundlage, und ich hätte mir auch gewünscht, dass wir auch die nationaleescape clause nur insoweit gelten lassen, als die zusätzlichen Ausgaben in gemeinsame Rüstungsprojekte investiert werden, um Skaleneffekte zu erzielen, um Interoperabilität zu erhöhen. Wir brauchen auch europäische Projekte, um uns gemeinsam zu schützen. Ein European Sky Shield wäre so ein Beispiel; andere Projekte sind genannt worden.
In der Zwischenzeit sehen wir, wie die russische Rüstungsmaschinerie auf Hochtouren läuft und schon jetzt mehr produziert, als sie in der Ukraine einsetzt. Wofür wohl? Machen wir uns endlich klar: Die russische Bedrohung richtet sich gegen uns alle, und die Ukraine ist unsere erste Verteidigungslinie, die wir stärken müssen, während wir das eigene Potenzial hochfahren.
Die Ukrainer sind die ersten, die Frieden wollen. Sie wollten auch den Krieg nicht. Aber sie wissen auch, wie ein russischer Frieden aussieht, ein stalinistischer Frieden im russischen Gulag. Das droht auch uns, wenn die Ukraine fällt und wir nicht verteidigungsfähig sind. Lassen wir es nicht so weit kommen! Slawa Ukrajini!
(Der Redner ist damit einverstanden, auf eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“ zu antworten.)
Erik Kaliňák (NI), otázka položená zdvihnutím modrej karty. – Počkám na pána. Je hrozné, že v čase, keď celý svet tlačí na diplomaciu a mierové rokovania, v Európskom parlamente rečníme dve a pol hodiny o zbrojení a potrebe akejsi vojenskej federalizácie. Za mňa úplne mimo, ale otázka na vás.
Hovoríme o stovkách miliárd na zbrojenie ako spôsob, ktorým pomôžeme aj Ukrajine, ale tej začínajú zúfalo chýbať nie peniaze, nie zbrane, ale ľudia. Ako chcete riešiť tento problém? Deportáciou Ukrajincov z územia Európskej únie alebo nasadením našich vojakov?
Michael Gahler (PPE), Antwort auf eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Wir werden alles unterstützen, was zu einem gerechten Frieden führt– und je früher, desto besser. Und das heißt dann aber auch, dass wir dann, wenn wir einen Kriegszustand beendet haben, unseren Beitrag leisten, dass die Ukraine nicht noch einmal wieder überfallen wird, und das heißt, diese Abschreckung muss glaubwürdig sein.
Die Ukraine braucht Sicherheitsgarantien, die den Namen auch verdienen, und der britische Premierminister hat gesagt „boots on the ground and planes in the air“. Ich glaube, das wäre nach Ende des Kriegszustandes eine gemeinsame Antwort auf die russische Bedrohung.
Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, le grand écrivain et combattant de la France libre RomainGary se demandait pourquoi les élites françaises n’avaient pas suivi le général de Gaulle à Londres en1940. Était-ce parce qu’elles étaient violemment antisémites? Non, pas vraiment, nous dit Gary. Pro-allemandes ou pro-nazis, alors? Non plus. La raison était plus tristement banale, selon Gary: c’est qu’elles aimaient trop leurs meubles.
Les grandes tempêtes exigent de rompre avec l’habitude, et le moment est venu pour nous aussi de nous défaire de nos meubles. La Russie nous menace directement, et les États-Unis nous abandonnent lâchement. Eh bien, c’est le moment de vérité de l’Europe.
Il nous revient désormais, à nous et à nous seuls, d’aider massivement notre première ligne de défense qu’est la résistance ukrainienne. Le Conseil européen l’affirme, mais cela suppose de prendre des décisions fortes, devant lesquelles nos États reculent encore, comme la saisie des 209milliards d’avoirs publics russes gelés en Europe et leur affectation à l’Ukraine.
Il nous revient aussi désormais, à nous et à nous seuls, d’assurer notre propre sécurité et de construire une défense autonome. Nos dirigeants l’affirment, mais cela suppose d’aller plus loin que ce qui fut annoncé jeudi. Lançons un emprunt commun finançant des programmes européens et assurons-nous que cet argent serve à développer les industries européennes –et pas à empiler les F-35.
Nous avons besoin d’agir plus, et plus en Européens. Слава Україні («Slava Oukraïni»)! Vive l’Europe libre!
Luděk Niedermayer (PPE). – MadamPresident, the world has changed, not to better, in the last few years, but mostly in the last few weeks.
It's clear what we Europeans have to do: the exact opposite to what Moscow, Beijing, but also Donald Trump, is dreaming about. We must get united and we must get much, much, much stronger.
From that point of view, the summit was a good start. But not everything is about money. We need a strong and clear foreign policy to be able to represent the interest of Europeans. Common purchases are good, but it's not the same as the European defence that we desperately need, and this is what Manfred Weber was talking about.
So for me, the summit was a good start. But we must go much, much further and we must go much, much quicker, because there is very little time left.
(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question)
Ondřej Dostál (NI), blue-card question. – Good morning, MrNiedermayer. I hope you will respond to my question. Do you really think it would be a good idea to transfer deciding about war and peace from Prague – or other capitals of sovereign nations – to Brussels, and let Brussels institutions decide if our sons will go to war? Because this is a necessary aspect of the common European defence you propose.
Luděk Niedermayer (PPE), blue-card answer. – First, this is not exactly what I was talking about. But it's absolutely obvious: either we defend ourselves together, or we don't defend ourselves.
What I'm talking about are the projects that will substantially increase our ability to defend, and make it much more effective, and save money – for example, anti-missile defence, drone defence, electronic defence, and so on.
It would be – and I guess you understand – much more effective to make it together than try to develop 10 or 20 different systems at the same time. We don't each need to reinvent the wheel.
Dan Nica (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, domnule președinte Costa, domnule comisar Šefčovič, discutăm astăzi despre un program de asigurare, de fapt, a securității Uniunii Europene. Pentru mine ca român și pentru țara mea este extrem de important să știm nu că suntem doar în marginea Europei și că trebuie să apărăm Uniunea Europeană pe flancul estic, dar trebuie să ne asigurăm că avem și cu ce. Trebuie să-i asigur pe cetățenii români că trebuie să-și vadă de viața lor de zi cu zi, la fel ca toți cetățenii europeni, și că nu există vreo amenințare care să pună în pericol modul lor de a trăi, de a-și desfășura viața în condiții normale.
Totuși, în actuala configurație globală, doar dacă ești înarmat suficient ești respectat. Aceasta este o lecție pe care am învățat-o, din păcate, în ultimii ani de zile, iar perioada de naivitate a Uniunii Europene s-a terminat. Trebuie să avem scut de apărare antiaeriană, să avem drone, să avem sisteme antidrone, să avem sateliți, să avem sisteme care să ne protejeze, pentru că doar și numai atunci vom putea să ne desfășurăm viața în mod normal. În plus, trebuie să avem grijă de industriile noastre strategice. Trebuie să avem oțel, trebuie să avem aluminiu produs în Uniunea Europeană, pentru că altfel nu vom putea realiza nimic din ceea ce înseamnă asigurarea intereselor noastre strategice.
Rasa Juknevičienė (PPE). – Gerbiama pirmininke, lygiai prieš 35 metus pirmajame po okupacijos laisvai išrinktame parlamente balsavau už Lietuvos Nepriklausomybę, o šiandien ši diskusija man – to paties kelio tęsinys kartu su Europa.
Mano žinia viena – Europa bus stipri, jei padėsime Ukrainai laimėti. Ir mes galime, tik reikia patikėti, kad galime. „ReArm Europe“ turi būti įgyvendinama solidariai tarp Europos Sąjungos narių ir solidariai su Ukraina, kuri jau yra ES narė de facto, nes savo krauju gina mus.
Ukrainos fronte sprendžiamas Europos likimas. Kažkas paskaičiavo, kad iki šiol kiekvienam Europos Sąjungos piliečiui Europos karinė parama Ukrainai nekainavo nė dviejų puodelių kavos. Valstybės narės tikrai gali skirti Ukrainai daugiau. Sutarkim dėl ne mažiau kaip 0,25proc. nuo BVP iš kiekvienos šalies. Iškelkim ambiciją: Ukraina – Europos Sąjungos narė iki 2030m. Pasikartokim istorijos pamokas ir priimkim iššūkius. „Keep calm, carry on“ – Winston Churchill.
Marta Temido (S&D). – Senhora Presidente, Caro Presidente do Conselho, quero começar por saudar as conclusões do Conselho Europeu extraordinário da semana passada.
Mais do que nunca, todos compreendemos que a segurança europeia está estreitamente ligada ao desfecho da guerra na Ucrânia. O rearmamento da União Europeia, nomeadamente para responder às ameaças híbridas, não é uma escolha, é uma emergência de dissuasão.
A Ucrânia precisa de apoio imediato, incluindo da mobilização dos ativos russos congelados, e as conclusões do Conselho mostram a compreensão de que vivemos uma rutura histórica.
Mas precisamos de ir mais longe. Da mesma forma que fomos capazes de o fazer na resposta à pandemia, também no investimento em segurança e defesa precisamos de maior solidariedade e coordenação entre os Estados-Membros, nomeadamente através de mutualização da dívida e de compras conjuntas.
E, ao mesmo tempo, precisamos de fazer tudo para manter a mesma ambição de investimento nas áreas sociais e ambientais da União Europeia, que são a nossa razão de ser.
Por último, precisamos de ser claros com os nossos cidadãos: o momento que vivemos é grave, e provavelmente não o ultrapassaremos sem sacrifícios.A paz justa que queremos para a Ucrânia é a paz que nos protegerá, enquanto sociedades democráticas e livres, a todos.
Tonino Picula (S&D). – Madam President, dear colleagues, I welcome the proposal to strengthen European Union defence capabilities with ReArm Europe, and I call on Member States to proceed forward.
I also believe that this House will support an even more ambitious position. It goes without saying that the transatlantic disruption caused by the new US administration has brought us long-term geopolitical changes. We must not base European security on voter attitudes in US swing states. The EU needs to plan de-risking policy towards Trump's Washington. This is not America that wants its allies to respect it. This is an America that wants its allies to fear it.
Europe must make some historical and responsible steps ahead. Bold leadership and adequate funds are needed, including through seizing EUR 200 billion of Russian assets. I always repeat that our security does not stop at our borders. That's why we have to act fast and to act now. Time is of the essence.
Spontane Wortmeldungen
Dariusz Joński (PPE). – Pani Przewodnicząca! „Bezpieczeństwo, Europo” to nie jest tylko hasło polskiej prezydencji. To również jest wyzwanie, przed którym stoi dzisiaj cała Europa. I powiem absolutnie wprost: musimy się dozbroić, bo Putin wcale się nie chce zatrzymać na Donbasie, nie chce poprzestać na Ukrainie. I nie jest prawdą, kiedy mówi teraz, że już nie chce, żeby ludzie ginęli, bo gdyby tak było, to by trzy lata temu nie atakował Ukrainy.
Otóż, choć wiem, że jeszcze na tej sali są osoby, które by chciały robić interesy z Putinem – choć ich jest coraz mniej na szczęście – i szerzą tutaj rosyjską propagandę, m.in. to, co mówi Russia Today, to jest najwyższy czas, żeby powiedzieć stop i dość. Dość już tego. My dzisiaj musimy zbudować europejską polisę ubezpieczeniową i żeby tak było, musimy zainwestować ogromne pieniądze w uzbrojenie. I ten plan Komisji Europejskiej, żeby wydać do ośmiuset miliardów euro właśnie na uzbrojenie jest bardzo dobrym pomysłem, tylko musimy to zrobić szybko, bez debat, bez konsultacji, bez rocznych dyskusji. Po prostu musimy to zrobić zaraz, bo my nie mamy czasu.
I chcę powiedzieć jeszcze jedną rzecz. Polska chce przenieść z KPO, z krajowego planu odbudowy prawie 30 mld zł na to, żeby właśnie zainwestować w uzbrojenie, bo bezpieczeństwo dla Europy jest dzisiaj najważniejsze.
Maria Grapini (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, domnule președinte al Consiliului European, domnule comisar, stimați colegi, astăzi trebuia să dezbatem despre ședința Consiliului din 20 martie. Din păcate, aproape toate discursurile au fost legate de reînarmare, de apărare; sunt foarte importante, dar vreau să mă opresc la cele trei puncte spuse de președinția poloneză și vreau să le discutați, domnule președinte, în 20 martie. Este vorba de problema economică. Nu putem să fim puternici – ați spus, domnule ministru, și pe bună dreptate, trei piloni foarte importanți: simplificare, energie și investiții. Dacă aceste trei lucruri nu le vom face, nu avem cum să ne apărăm.
Trebuie să spun cu regret că, în ultimii 20 de ani, diplomația Uniunii Europene a scăzut. Dacă vrei să fii puternic în lumea globală, trebuie să știi să negociezi și cu cei mai puternici ca tine și cu cei mai slabi ca tine și să ai clar o economie solidă, care îți permite după aceea să poți să stai la masa negocierilor. De aceea, domnule președinte Costa, special pentru dumneavoastră, vă rog să discutați în 20 martie ce soluții avem pentru energie. IMM-urile sunt la pământ, populația nu-și poate plăti energia, cel puțin în țara mea și în alte țări din est.
President. – I apologise: apparently there was not interpretation in every language, but at least in German I had it.
Γεάδης Γεάδη (ECR). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, σωστά έχετε αναφέρει στην ομιλία σας ότι πρέπει να οικοδομήσουμε κοινή άμυνα. Για πολλοστή φορά ακούσαμε πολλά για την Ουκρανία, όμως ούτε λέξη πάλι για την Κύπρο. Το πρόβλημα ασφάλειας της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης δεν είναι μόνο η Ρωσία αλλά και η Τουρκία. Κυρίες και κύριοι, κάποια γωνιά της Ευρώπης, η Κύπρος, ένα από τα 27 κράτη μέλη της Ένωσης, για όσους έχουν ξεχάσει, τελεί υπό παράνομη κατοχή. Δεν μπορεί να υπάρχουν κατοχικές δυνάμεις δύο προσεγγίσεων. Αποτελεί πρόκληση η παρουσία της Τουρκίας στη συνάντηση του Λονδίνου και η προσπάθεια να συμπεριληφθεί στην ευρωπαϊκή άμυνα ως εγγυήτρια ασφάλειας της Ευρώπης. Μία χώρα που κατέχει παράνομα το βόρειο τμήμα της Κύπρου, απειλεί με πόλεμο χώρες του ΝΑΤΟ και στηρίζει τρομοκράτες στη Μέση Ανατολή. Η Τουρκία όχι μόνο δεν έχει θέση στην Ευρώπη αλλά ούτε στην ευρωπαϊκή άμυνα και ασφάλεια. Ελευθερία στην Κύπρο, όπως λέμε "ελευθερία στην Ουκρανία"!
Hilde Vautmans (Renew). – Voorzitter, mevrouw Ursula von der Leyen heeft haar job gedaan. Ze heeft op korte termijn gezorgd voor 800miljard euro aan extra budgetten en de lidstaten hebben het goedgekeurd en gingen naar huis. Maar ik richt mij nu tot u, want nu begint het echte werk. Ik wil u ertoe oproepen om niet gewoon meer van hetzelfde te doen. We zullen het anders moeten doen. Ik reken erop dat u een "coalition of the buying" aangaat. Koop samen aan. We weten wat er nodig is: een Europees luchtafweersysteem en een Europese nucleaire paraplu.
Ik heb de heren Merz en Macron gehoord. Frankrijk en Duitsland doen mee en als zij meedoen, dan zullen andere landen sowieso mee instappen. Doe dit gewoon. Neem ook de Noren en de Britten mee aan tafel. We weten allemaal waarom. Laat ons niet gewoon meer van hetzelfde doen, alleen maar een "coalition of the willing" vormen. Er is nog één grote stap die u samen met de Commissie moet zetten – en ik heb dit vandaag maar een paar keer gehoord –nl. de stap naar een Europees leger. Dat is wat we nodig hebben.
Ana Miranda Paz (Verts/ALE). – Señora presidenta, señora Von der Leyen, ante la escalada militarista y belicista, le traslado como eurodiputada de una organización pacifista nuestra más rotunda oposición a este rearmamento europeo.
A la señora de la guerra no le importa que el gasto militar lo paguen los pueblos, no le importa que la factura de la guerra la pague la ciudadanía, prefiere apoyar el belicismo antes que la política social, prefiere apoyar más gasto militar y menos servicios públicos como la vivienda, la salud o las pensiones.
Hay que volver a la defensa de la paz, a la resolución pacífica de conflictos, a la diplomacia, a la defensa de los derechos humanos. Hay que volver a la democracia, no a estar supeditado ni a la OTAN ni a los Estados Unidos. No al rearme, ni a la escalada militar y belicista de la Unión Europea. (La oradora pronuncia una frase en gallego).
Özlem Demirel (The Left). – Frau Präsidentin! Frau von der Leyen sagte: Die Zeit der Illusionen ist vorbei. Und sie streute dabei aber so viel Sand in die Augen der Bevölkerung, dass man kaum noch richtig schauen kann. Sie nutzt die Verunsicherung in der Bevölkerung für ein gigantisches Aufrüstungspaket. 800MilliardenEuro: nicht für Bildung, für Jobs oder soziale Gerechtigkeit, sondern für Waffen. Das wird nicht zu mehr Sicherheit und Frieden hier in Europa beitragen. Nein, es dient nicht unserem Bedürfnis. Es dient der Großmachtkonkurrenz, über die Frau von der Leyen seit 2020 in diesem Parlament immer wieder gesprochen hat.
Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, an diejenigen, die hier immer die alten Römer zitieren, dass diejenigen, die den Frieden wollen, jetzt für den Krieg rüsten sollten. Ich möchte euch sagen: Dann geht doch ab an die Front, aber schreit nicht nach der Bevölkerung! Unsere Söhne, unsere Kinder kriegt ihr nicht.
Die Bevölkerung in Europa sehnt sich nicht nach Krieg, sie sehnt sich nach Frieden.Und unsere Geschichte in Europa hat uns beigebracht, dass immer mehr Waffen nicht zu Frieden beitragen werden.
Lukas Sieper (NI). – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Menschen Europas! Unsere Frau Kommissionspräsidentin von der Leyen wird es nicht wissen, aber sie war einmal meine Vorgesetzte. Während sie in Deutschland Verteidigungsministerin war, diente ich als Ladeschütze bei der Panzertruppe in Munster, in Leopard-2-Panzern, die heute in der Ukraine im Einsatz sind– und genau dort gehören sie hin.
Die Europäische Union ist ein Friedensprojekt, aber solange die UN ein zahnloser Tiger ist, muss man Frieden leider verteidigen. Und dafür brauchen wir langfristig eine europäische Armee, denn wohl kaum werden die Spanier die Portugiesen angreifen, die Polen die Tschechen oder– Gott behüte– die Luxemburger uns Deutsche.
Mittelfristig muss die Beistandspflicht aus Artikel42 Nummer7des Vertrags über die Europäische Union dem Artikel5 des NATO-Vertrags mindestens gleichkommen, aber kurzfristig wird der Kampf um unsere Freiheit in der Ukraine geführt. Und dementsprechend muss es unsere größte Priorität bei unserer eigenen Verteidigung sein, die weitere und nun mit dem Wegfall der USA noch stärkere Aufrüstung der Ukraine voranzutreiben. Denn der Feind steht– leider genauso wie bei unseren Übungen damals auf dem Truppenübungsplatz– im Osten.
Hélder Sousa Silva (PPE). – Senhora Presidente, Senhor Presidente do Conselho, Senhora Comissária, as conclusões do Conselho extraordinário representam o reconhecer de uma estratégia europeia que, durante décadas, desenvolveu um modelo de segurança fraco e contraditório, uma Europa geopoliticamente relevante, mas sem os instrumentos de poder necessários para influenciar a sua própria vizinhança.
Andamos agora a correr para recuperar o tempo perdido.A segurança não é, tão‑só, mais uma política pública, mas a condição existencial de todas as políticas públicas.
O tempo da guerra é também distinto do tempo da burocracia em Bruxelas. Enquanto a Europa delibera, as linhas da frente movem-se, as capacidades industriais de defesa alteram-se, e as vulnerabilidades aprofundam-se.
Com o plano ReArm Europe, é inegável que se abre uma nova janela de oportunidade para a Europa. É mesmo tempo de mudar.
Thomas Bajada (S&D). – Sinjura President, aħna rridu l-paċi jew li tkompli l-gwerra? Bħala soċjalist u bħala rappreżentant minn pajjiż, Stat Membru newtrali, għandi inkwiet trawmatizzanti, li naħdmu biss li nikkreaw ekonomija ta' gwerra. Minn suq uniku Ewropew ta' popli, prodotti, servizzi u kapital, ninbidlu għal wieħed ta' munizzjon u armamenti li jeqirdu u mhux jgħaqqdu.
Iva, huwa ċarissimu li hemm bżonn u hemm biża' serju ta' invażjoni fit-territorju tal-Unjoni. Speċjalment issa bl-inċertezza li ġejjin min-naħa l-oħra tal-Atlantiku. U b'hekk nifhem li l-gvernijiet Ewropej iridu jingħaqdu fi sforzi konġunti fejn jidħol l-investiment personali tagħhom għad-difiża. Argument li jagħmel sens, però ma nistgħux nagħmlu dan askapitu tal-ambizzjonijiet u tat-tama taċ-ċittadini Ewropej. Ħbieb, fl-istess waqt u bl-istess saħħa, ejja ninvestu fin-nies, fil-ħajja tan-nies u mhux inaqqsuhom. Ejja ħa nibbażaw l-ekonomija Ewropea fuq il-benesseri u mhux fuq il-gwerra, fuq il-paċi u mhux fuq il-qerda.
(Ende der spontanen Wortmeldungen)
Maroš Šefčovič, Member of the Commission. – MadamPresident, MrPresident of the European Council, honourable minister, my dear colleague Commissioner Kos, honourable Members of the European Ϸվ, first and foremost, I really would like to thank you for all the interventions and debate, which for sure will enter into history as a debate, as a plenary, where we made a decisive step towards building common European defence.
The spirit of the consensus from the European Council – unprecedented and unthinkable just a few weeks ago – was felt, I would say, in most of the debate very strongly here as well, in this House of European democracy.
As many of you said, we have to think differently. Only in that way can we mobilise Europe's massive resources and start the deterrence build-up we need.
Many of you honourable Members were absolutely right to underscore that we cannot benefit from a peace dividend anymore. To the contrary, we must address the running security deficit. It's a huge task, and I would say that we must work on all levels – European, national. We have to bring together our industry, our economic stakeholders.
As you heard from President von der Leyen, the first-ever Commissioner for Defence, MrKubilius, who also joined our debate this morning, together with the whole College of Commissioners, will be working day and night to achieve these goals.
We all realise that a powerful Europe means just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Ukraine means stronger Europe.
My colleague, Commissioner Kos, here with us today, has moved cooperation with Ukraine to a new level. She works tirelessly to support Ukraine in the path towards European membership. And I agree with her that we have to underline that we are living in historic times and therefore extraordinary challenges require extraordinary answers.
As we discussed the last time in this plenary, new geopolitics and transactional fragmentation of the world means that size matters again. Therefore, enlargement of the European family, enlargement of democracy and enlargement of respect for our values are the best answers for today's unstable world. The Commission will work hard to achieve these goals.
Let me conclude by the words of MrGlucksmann, who said:
«C’est l’heure de la vérité pour l’Europe» –et je suis tout à fait d’accord avec lui.
Adam Szłapka, President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, President Costa, honourable Commissioners,honourable Members, thank you very much for your remarks and comments. It's clear for everyone that we are at a crucial juncture. The special European Council last week marked important progress, but we are aware that we have crucial work ahead of us, and an important part of that work must be carried out by the Council.
The Council is ready to do its job and follow up on the special European Council conclusions with the urgency that the moment requires, namely in the setting-up of the necessary instruments to bolster security in the European Union, and the ramping-up of the European defence, technological and industrial base.
Let me address the call of some MEPs on frozen assets. There will be a debate on it tomorrow. Last year, G7 leaders agreed to use the revenues from the immobilisation of Russian assets in the EU for repaying loans to Ukraine granted by the EU and G7 in the amount of USD50billion. The Council will consider all possible solutions in coordination with our international partners.
Thank you very much for this debate and thank you very much for your attention.
António Costa, President of the European Council. – MadamPresident, honourable Members of the European Commission, Minister Szłapka, Members of the European Ϸվ, thank you for this opportunity for this democratic dialogue. Allow me to give five short remarks.
First, peace without defence is an illusion. We need to invest more, better and faster in our own defence. It is what we are doing and we need to do more, to invest more, to invest together, to develop common projects for sure. Last week we made a decisive step, but not the last one. We need to continue and we will continue.
Second, defence is broader than ReArm. We need to invest in our strategic autonomy to reduce our dependencies on energy, to secure supply chains, to fight disinformation and protect the integrity of our democratic process and to keep our borders under control.
Third, the European Union and the Member States do not need to choose to invest in peace or to invest in health systems, education or housing. ReArm and the escape clause provide additional funds for defence. Strengthening our societies, protecting our citizens and boosting our economies is essential to strengthening our defence.
Fourth, this war is not only about Ukraine. In fact, this war is about international law: a rules-based international order. Protecting the universal values enshrined in the United Nations Charter – sovereignty, territorial integrity, self-determination, respect of international recognised borders – is essential in Ukraine, as it is essential in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the Kingdom of Denmark or in Cyprus. So we need to stand for the international law, because international law must be a must win this war.
A last remark: we need to invest more in diplomacy. We need to engage with partners around the world and widen a global network with, of course, our transatlantic partners and beyond – by enlargement, by trade – and stand for a multilateral system, and champion global causes like climate change, fighting poverty or engaging to develop the pact for the future.
These five remarks synthesise what we need to continue to do to ensure our security and to contribute to support for Ukraine for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.
President. – The debate is closed.
Thank you very much for this interesting debate and for the time discipline. It's really remarkable. We are perfectly on time, so I will suspend for a very short moment until all colleagues have arrived, and then we will continue.
Schriftliche Erklärungen (Artikel 178)
Kinga Gál (PfE), íá. – Három éve dúl a pusztító háború Ukrajnában és Európa hatalmas árat fizet érte. Mielőbbi fegyverszünetre és béketárgyalásokra, tartós békére van szükség, nem pedig több fegyverszállításra, több háborúra. Itt az ideje, hogy az Európai Unió vizsgálja felül hibás Ukrajna-stratégiáját. Európának a béketeremtésre kellene összpontosítania ahelyett, hogy még több pénzt küldene Ukrajna katonai megerősítésére és a háború folytatására.
Most, hogy az Egyesült Államok is visszavett a háború támogatásából, Európában is vissza kellene térni a józan ész talajára, változásra van szükség az EU háborúval kapcsolatos stratégiájában.
A megváltozott világpolitikai helyzetben ugyanakkor kulcsfontosságú, hogy Európa meg tudja védeni magát és többet tegyen saját békéjének és biztonságának garantálásáért. De az Unió védelmi képességei megerősítésének kérdése nem köthető az Ukrajnának nyújtott további katonai segítséghez. Ezeknek különálló kérdéseknek kell maradniuk.
A védelem területén támogatjuk azt az elképzelést, hogy Európának képesnek kell lennie arra, hogy megvédje magát. De a döntéshozatalnak tagállami hatáskörben kell maradnia. Miközben támogatjuk a tagállamok közötti ipari együttműködést és a közös programokat, ellenzünk minden olyan föderalista túlkapást, túlterjeszkedést a Bizottság részéről, amely aláássa a nemzeti szuverenitást.
(Die Sitzung wird anlässlich der Feierlichkeiten zum Internationalen Frauentag unterbrochen.)