Category: Climate Change

MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Joins Booker’s Marathon Floor Block to Condemn Trump Administration’s Attacks on the Environment, California’s Climate Action

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

WATCH: Padilla Joins Booker’s Marathon Floor Block to Condemn Trump Administration’s Attacks on the Environment, California’s Climate Action

WATCH: Padilla slams Trump Administration for gutting climate progressWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in holding the Senate floor to stand up to President Trump’s relentless attacks on the environment and attempts to roll back decades of California’s climate action. Booker broke the record for time holding the Senate floor to give voice to the millions of Americans being harmed and ignored by the Trump Administration. Padilla praised Booker for his passion and empathy while speaking on the floor to highlight the consequences of the President’s reckless actions for public health, disaster aid, and the climate crisis.
“Senator Booker has every right to be angry because of what’s going on. I know I’m angry with so much of what’s going on, and the American people have every right to be angry with what’s going on because none of what we’re seeing come out of the Trump White House is normal. But every day, this approach of ‘flooding the zone’ with more and more extreme actions runs the risk of making people grow numb to these attacks. And we certainly can’t surrender to the feeling of just being overwhelmed by their tactics.”
Padilla underscored the devastating impacts of climate inaction and pollution on California, emphasizing the catastrophic toll of the Los Angeles County fires and his own personal experience with toxic school bus emissions. Last month, Padilla and Booker joined federal officials for a tour and briefing on cleanup and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena.
“Growing up, I can tell you not just about the smell of diesel exhaust, which I’ll never forget, sitting on a school bus going to and from school. Or the regular days where school would be shut down early, we’d all be sent home because of the smog, toxic smog, in the air in the Greater Southern California area. These were concrete reminders of the real threat that emissions pose to our health.”
“California also knows the dangers posed by extreme weather. We know the droughts, we know the floods, and yes, all too often, we’ve come to know wildfires — devastating wildfires, like the ones we experienced in Los Angeles County at the beginning of this year.”
As Senator Padilla highlighted, California has long been at the forefront of fighting against pollution and climate impacts, from creating the first tailpipe emissions standards for passenger vehicles in 1966, to setting ambitious conservation goals, to establishing the first Earth Day. He criticized the Trump Administration’s attacks on California and the nation’s environmental progress, including the reversal of the endangerment finding, funding freezes of Congressionally appropriated project funds, and the roll backs of 31 critical environmental rules. He also slammed the Trump Administration for politicizing disaster aid, proposing to eliminate FEMA, implementing federal freezes on hazardous fuel removal and the hiring of seasonal firefighters, and illogically and irresponsibly opening up dams and flooding the Central Valley, claiming to “turn on the water” to fight the Los Angeles fires after they had already been contained.
“Earlier this month, the EPA, Trump’s EPA, announced that they would be rolling back more than 30 environmental rules. By doing so, they’re not just going to make Americans less healthy; they’re also going to hurt our economy, and it’s going to clear the way for China to become the world leader in green technology. So much for America First if they continue down that road.”
“They’re not just refusing to act or to help — they’re making matters worse for states like California and many others.”
Padilla concluded by stressing the importance of fighting against Trump’s anti-environment agenda, asking Senator Booker how young Americans can make their voices heard.
“So that’s what this fight is about. Our fight for the environment is about America’s health and safety. It’s about American jobs and it’s about America’s future.”
“For the next generation of Americans, for the young people who are tuning in and wondering, well what is it that I can do? Do I have a voice? Do I have any power? What would you say to them? How can they take action?”
Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks is available here.
Footage of his speech can be downloaded here.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Panasonic Energy Joins the Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership

Source: Panasonic

Headline: Panasonic Energy Joins the Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership

Osaka, Japan – April 2, 2025 – Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. (“Panasonic Energy”), a Panasonic Group Company, is pleased to announce that the company joined the Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership (“JCLP”)1, a coalition of companies aiming to realize a sustainable, decarbonized society, as a supporting member on April 1, 2025.
Since its establishment in 2022, Panasonic Energy has been committed to its mission of “Achieving a society in which the pursuit of happiness and a sustainable environment are harmonized free of conflict.” The Company aims to turn all of its sites into zero-CO2 factories2 by the fiscal year ending March 2029. It has been accelerating decarbonization efforts throughout the value chain in collaboration with its business partners. The JCLP’s philosophy and activity policy align with Panasonic Energy’s vision on sustainability. Panasonic Energy will deepen its knowledge through participating in JCLP activities, further promote decarbonization by leveraging the expertise gained, and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.
1: Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership (JCLP)This is a unique coalition of Japanese companies established in 2009 based on the recognition that the industrial sector should have a healthy sense of crisis and begin to take proactive action to realize a sustainable, decarbonized society. It aims to encourage members to become companies that are needed by society by leading the transition to a decarbonized society.URL: https://japan-clp.jp/en
2: Zero-CO2 factoriesFactories that have achieved virtually zero CO2 emissions by conserving energy, introducing renewable energy, and using credits, etc.

MIL OSI Economics –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Bram Abramson to The Canadian Independent Telecommunications Association

Source: Government of Canada News

Gatineau, Quebec
April 1, 2025

Bram Abramson, Commissioner for Ontario
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)

Check against delivery

Thanks for the introduction and the warm welcome. It’s been great to spend these last couple of days with you here in Gatineau on unceded, unsurrendered Algonquin Anishnaabeg territory.

So let me start by thanking the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation for having me as a guest, and for stewarding these lands and waters since time immemorial. And, also, by thinking the Canadian Independent Telecommunications Association for asking me to address all of you in closing this year’s event, and adding myself to a long-running historical chain.

Until I began preparing for this speech I don’t think I realized how long that chain extends back. CITA was founded at Toronto City Hall in the year 1905. That’s 120 years ago. Canadian Confederation was 38 years old. Five years later, when Ontario would begin regulating independent telephone systems under what was then the Ontario Railway and Municipal Board in 1910, they turned to CITA to help them compile a list of those systems.

A hundred and fifteen years later, there’s still a regulator in the room, and we’re still asking you for information.

In all seriousness, though, CITA and its members have an incredible history. It is told in books like the History of the Independent Telephone Industry that the Ontario government put out back in 1975, and some of the company-specific histories I’ve had the good fortune to have come across my desk—like Ann Judd’s history of what is now Bruce Telecom, from 1994, or in the 2011 book put out to celebrate the centenary of Hay Communications.

Those books tell the stories of municipalities, agricultural communities, local commissioners, and entrepreneurs who stepped up to create communications systems where none existed. They undertook difficult negotiations and made difficult decisions, showing nimbleness and resolve while remaining accountable to their communities and neighbours.

Those histories are still being written and, I have no doubt, will continue to be written for many years to come. You fill a critical niche in Canada’s telecommunications system by bringing services to those who need it in locations that would otherwise lack it.

And you have been making moves. You have built beyond your initial operating territories into competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) areas, to the point that some of you are bumping against one another. You have pushed out fibre to complement and, in very many cases, replace the twisted-pair copper that was your basic operating technology for so many years. You have looked beyond wireline service to get into broadband and mobile. You have cooperated in new ways. Mergers and acquisitions have proceeded apace. New investors and new owners are in the room.

In short, the game has changed. And you continue to change with it, operating efficiently to fill gaps while navigating regulatory environments – often without the financial backing or capex of our country’s largest companies. When services go down or need repair, your customers call you and your coworkers. Unless they run into you at the grocery store or the local coffee shop first.

That makes groups like CITA and ITPA all the more important. Together, you provide a voice before bodies like the CRTC, and ensure Canada’s independent telecommunications providers continue to take your seat at the policy and regulatory tables.

We at the CRTC recognize this critical role industry associations play on behalf of their members, as well as the role that members play in our collective effort to ensure all Canadians have access to high-quality and reliable telecom choices.

CRTC’s telecommunications work broadly

To that end, I’d like to update you on what we’ve been up to and where we’re headed at the CRTC. It hasn’t exactly been 115 years on my side: in fact, I am two years and a couple of months into my five-year term at the CRTC. But you won’t be surprised to hear we continue to be busy, too.

Early in 2023, the government directed us to renew our approach to telecommunications policy. The policy direction asked us to consider how our decisions can promote competition, affordability, reliability, and consumer interests. The message to us was loud and clear: CRTC decisions need to deliver affordable telecommunications services to Canadians through enhanced competition while also promoting continued investment.

I would like to tell you about some of the workstreams we have active towards achieving those objectives.

MVNO framework

To start, I know that a number of you in this room have been hard at work upgrading and expanding and, in some cases, building out from scratch your wireless services. And I know that there is great interest in what we call our Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or MVNO, regime.

In May 2023, we set the final rules that allow regional facilities-based mobile providers to compete as what we call MVNOs across Canada. Incumbent mobile carriers must share their networks with competitors, where those competitors have spectrum. With this access, competitors that have spectrum can offer services — including retail and wholesale services — more quickly in the regions of the country where they have that spectrum. And, indeed, we are seeing more and more agreements in place to enable regional competitors to act as “MVNOs.”

One aspect of our decision clarified how the requirement to hold spectrum in a region, in order to make use of a mandatory MVNO tariff in that region, interacts with geographic spectrum footprints. This includes the footprint for the Local Telephone, or TEL, spectrum licences that small incumbent local exchange carriers (SILECs) have held for many years. We clarified that what we call our MVNO regime is all about accelerating the ability to offer service where the operator has spectrum coverage but hasn’t yet built infrastructure. So the eligibility that arises from a TEL licence only applies within the TEL licence footprint – whether that footprint is wholly contained within a single Tier 4 service area, or bridges two of them.

Now, both our May 2023 decision and the 2022 decision that preceded it were careful to ensure that MVNOs have the right to provide both retail, as well as wholesale, services. In other words, although the CRTC did not directly mandate MVNO access outside of a spectrum footprint, the marketplace will now feature a larger number of players with the ability to provide that access.

At the same time, telcos that make use of mandatory MVNO agreements within their spectrum footprints have seven years to do so. That provides a window within which to build out networks within these regions, promoting investment.

Support structures and access

Another important consideration in building out wireless networks is where to put the antennas, and how to get backhaul to them.

That brings me to another of our workstreams, which relates to pole access. As many of you know, we issued decisions in recent years streamlining the approach to accessing large incumbent local exchange carriers’ (ILEC) communication poles, and then nailing down the tariffs by which to do so.

At the same time, we have been exploring whether these tariffs ought to give attachers the right to include wireless attachments to help deploy next generation 5G networks — in other words, whether the rules requiring communication pole owners to let third parties attach equipment to poles should be modified and, potentially, broadened. What types of facilities could be deployed on telco poles to support wireless networks? What would that mean for spare capacity, construction standards, and interference? What can we do at the Commission to streamline processes?

These are just a few of the questions we are considering. Because this is a matter before us, I cannot even hint at any possible outcome. What I can say is we plan to release a decision on this key issue soon. Any decision we make will continue to promote both greater competition and more investment in networks.

At the same time, we have long been active working with all stakeholders, including municipalities, telcos, and citizens, to help facilitate access to other civil works and supports needed to build out modern networks. To assist in this process, we convened parties between 2011 and 2013 to develop a model Municipal Access Agreement. Since then we have continued to adjudicate disputes around those agreements and related issues, and continue to have open files in this workstream.

We likewise set down fair access rules for communications service provider competition in multi-dwelling units, or MDUs, more than 20 years ago in 2003, further refining them in 2021. End-users have the right to access the network of their choice. Competitors have the right to install it. Adjudication between buildings and networks that cannot agree on terms continues to be yet another active workstream for us.

HSA

Now, what I have been talking about so far are ways to lower the expense of continued build-out of your wireless and wireline networks by addressing and targeting some of the hurdles to aid the rollout of deployment projects.

And while those are important initiatives to speed up that process, we have also been hard at work putting into action the frameworks for access to large incumbents’ access fibre, outside of SILEC footprints.

Let me explain.

In 2023 we launched a proceeding to review our wholesale high-speed access regime. In November of that year, we rolled out a practical way to buy and sell wholesale high-speed access over the fibre-to-the-home networks of large ILECs in Ontario and Quebec, where competitive choice had been declining most significantly. In August 2024 we then expanded that access across all of the large ILEC territories except Northwestel’s, which rolled out this past February.

At the same time, we are encouraging continued investments by large ILECs in their networks. For example, in that same decision, we exempted any new builds from having to sell wholesale access to competitors until 2029.

Broadband Fund

Of course, no matter how hard we work to foster competitive choice the last few households often remain the hardest ones to reach – as you know from working in your own communities.

The open data we publish tell us that 21.5 percent of households in rural areas do not have access to reliable connectivity that hits our 50/10 target.

In 2016, we decided to overhaul our program for ensuring basic telephone service to all Canadians, and move towards a competitively neutral Broadband Fund. We established the criteria for that fund in 2018, and launched three calls for applications – the first two in 2019, and then the third in late 2022.

Over the past year we have continued to commit funding from the third call—to Inuit communities in northern Quebec, to nearly 100 kilometres of major roads in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Ontario, and to roads and rural communities in the Yukon, B.C., and Manitoba. We have directed funding to more than 270 communities, including significant investments in the Far North and other traditionally underserved areas, across more than 60 projects.

Thirty-two of these projects are in the $1 to $10 million range. Seventeen of these projects come in at $1 million or below. Although we are encouraged to see that smaller providers have been able to successfully apply for funding, we know that we can do more to make it easier.

That’s why, we have continued to improve how we administer the Broadband Fund itself. Late last year we announced a number of changes in three broad areas — making it faster for you to submit an application and for us to evaluate it; helping Indigenous applicants; and making our mapping make more sense.

In terms of faster application and evaluation, we simplified some eligibility and assessment criteria, like the requirement to propose specific packages and rates, and collapsed the separate access and transport categories in order to simplify things. We have reduced the amount of information required at all stages of the funding process. We’ve consolidated separate reporting requirements.

In terms of reducing barriers for Indigenous applicants, we have made a number of changes, including on consultation, consent, outreach, and engagement, all en route to a stand-alone process we’re running to create a distinct Indigenous stream to the Broadband Fund process, and with the help of the Indigenous Relations Team we’ve stood up within the CRTC.

Finally, in terms of making our mapping make more sense, we’ve dropped the hexagons for a call-by-call approach, expanded how we define major transportation roads, and provided a way to identify the roads that provide key linkages between communities.

These improvements are part of our ongoing review of the Broadband Fund. I know that many in this room are deeply concerned about subsidized overbuilds that harm the business case for fibre you have already built or are engaged in building. I encourage you to continue to engage with the CRTC and its staff to ensure we continue to have a good understanding of your operations and your concerns. Any further changes we make will be focused on our overarching goal: to help close the remaining connectivity gaps across the country effectively and efficiently.

Fair marketplace

Next, I want to take a few moments to detail our work on consumer protections as part of a competitive marketplace.

Last fall, we published our Consumer Protections Action Plan, which summarizes our measures to ensure clear contracts, minimize bill shock, and promote transparency both in terms of how consumers are able to choose their provider, and in knowing what to expect from them.

For those of you that feel that sometimes consumers switch providers without having the full picture as to what they are signing up for, these measures matter. They include elements like the Internet Code that sets out the consumer rules of the road for broadband. And continued support for the CCTS, the complaints arbitrator that enforces the Internet Code and contract performance more broadly. And rules around cancellations taking effect in a timely manner, and that ensure that when consumers want to change providers they can ask their new provider to cancel the old service on their behalf—and that everything that needs to happen behind the scenes to make this happen proceeds properly. And then there’s the speed testing we conduct to check the quality of this customer service across the marketplace.

Rules like these protect more than just telecommunications customers. They also improve competition, ensuring consumers can make informed choices with a clear view of the prices they will pay over the life of the contract, even after sign-up specials expire; and what they will get for those prices.

Like the other workstreams I mentioned, there is always more to do here, too. We are currently engaged in a series of four consultations around making it easier to choose, change, and cancel a plan.

The first one is about clear rules for notifying customers when their plans or discounts are about to end. The second looks at fees that some service providers may charge when a subscriber cancels or changes a plan. The third consultation is around tools that providers give their subscribers to manage their plans, like online portals.

And the fourth is about whether service providers should have to provide information in a standardized way to make it easier for Canadians to compare plans. To take a well-known example — we are all used to seeing nutrition labels when we visit the grocery store. We are considering a set common look and feel for information on broadband services, so that it can be conveyed in a consistent manner from one provider to the next, just like the labels on your cereal boxes and granola bars.

We will also continue to build on the work of other government departments to help improve reliability and in particular, the impact on Canadians when there is an outage or disruption. As some of you are aware, we have an interim outage reporting framework in place. But we have also consulted on moving towards a more sustainable outage reporting framework are planning an upcoming consultation on clear communication with subscribers.

Please visit our website, and work with your trade associations and advisors, to stay up to date on these proceedings and on our progress with our consumer protection workstreams. As always, your input matters a great deal to what we do. When you intervene on the record of our proceedings, we’re able to take it into account and consider it in our final decision.

Security, reliability, and resiliency

One last thing. At the CRTC, we are part of a larger government effort to protect Canadians from spam and other electronic threats. We have all read the headlines over the last few years about botnets, which are networks of infected devices.

In 2022, we found that Canadians need better protections from botnets, which often are designed to steal personal and financial information, along with other malicious malware, and we decided to develop a framework for allowing Internet providers to responsibly block malicious traffic. We eventually tasked an industry steering committee to help develop standards consistent with our guiding principles for when such blocking is permitted: necessity, customer privacy, accountability, transparency and accuracy.

The working group filed its report with the CRTC. Our staff have been conducting a thorough analysis of the report and the comments filed in response to it. We will be publishing our decision this spring, so more to come on this front.

Late last year, everyone in our sector sat up straight and paid attention when public news stories about what Microsoft dubbed “Salt Typhoon” hacking into, and intercepting traffic on, the networks of several major U.S. telcos.

Virtually every regulated sector, from energy to rail to securities, has baseline cybersecurity requirements for sector companies. We know that this issue is top-of-mind for both government and the private sector. And I know that, in general, Canadian telcos are extensively involved in cybersecurity and in key working groups to cooperate on it.

We at the CRTC stand ready to do whatever part we’re called on to play to help ensure that the important goal of sector-wide baselines is achieved. At the same time, so many of the standards and certifications out there are so similar to one another. What standards are you able to meet, or certifications are you able to obtain, to help demonstrate and formalize your network hygiene? There are basic, practical steps telcos of all sizes can take to ensure they are fully secured.

Conclusion

I think that is a good place for me to wrap up today, as we have now come full circle. Everything I have discussed today comes back to the CRTC’s overarching goals for the telecommunications sector.

We want a telecommunications sector that works for telcos of all sizes, and provides all Canadians with high-speed, reliable and affordable services. One where real choice and robust competition leads to those lower prices, while at the same time encouraging investment in high-quality networks. Just as you steward your subscribers’ connections to the digital world, we at the CRTC are the stewards for the playing field on which you do it. And we are working hard to optimize the way that that playing field is structured.

So I’ll close with my usual message. Take a minute to get involved. To talk to us. To reach out to your regional CRTC Commissioner, wherever you may be in the country, to have your voice heard, and perhaps to have us out to see how your network works so that we can really understand what’s going on.

And, ultimately, to intervene in our proceedings, whether directly or through organizations like CITA or ITPA — or both — in order to continue to make sure that the rules and frameworks we develop and revise take your voices, experiences, situations, and concerns into account.

Thank you.

MIL OSI Canada News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to report on regenerative agricultural practices in the UK

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

April 2, 2025

A report published by the British Ecological Society looks at regenerative agricultural practices in the UK.

Prof Neil Ward, Professor of Rural & Regional Development, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, said:

“The press release is an accurate reflection of the main findings in the report. This is a good report. It has been produced by a large group of independent scientific experts and is based on a review of the state of the scientific evidence. It includes insights from interviews with eleven farmers and one independent agronomist.

“It comes from an ecological perspective. It has less to say about the economics of farming systems change, and the implications of farming systems change for greenhouse gas emissions and the prospects of the UK achieving net zero (despite the fact that agricultural practices will be important in the net zero transition).

“Regenerative agriculture is becoming increasingly popular as an idea among farmers and pressure groups. However, it remains loosely defined. This report provides some welcome new material to help improve the clarity of discussions around regenerative agriculture. One revealing comment is that regenerative agriculture is a direction of travel rather than an end-state.

“The report suggests that minimising the exposure of bare soil is an important principle in reducing the detrimental environmental impacts of contemporary farming.

“It also sees increasing diversity in crops grown as a central measure in reducing harmful environmental impacts.

“What the report does not do is shed light on the scale of the contribution regenerative agriculture could make to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is currently accounts for about 11% of UK GHG emissions, but as we decarbonise electricity generation and road transport, so the proportion of emissions that come from agriculture is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades.

“Changes to farming practice through regenerative agriculture, though welcome, will not be enough on their own to bring agriculture into line with the UK’s carbon budget and its net zero goal. That will require a significant change in what is produced and consumed. For example, the Climate Change Committee’s Seventh Carbon Budget, published in late February, suggested a 38% reduction in the number of sheep and cattle reared in the UK.

“This report helps sharpen and develop the working definition of regenerative agriculture, which has been open to broad interpretation. The model of farming it espouses is necessary to address UK farming’s biodiversity crisis, but not sufficient to adequately address the climate crisis too. That would require larger-scale change in the types of crops and animals produced.”

Dr Emma Burnett, Agriculture and Sustainability Researcher, Fielden Whisky and Honorary Research Associate, TABLE, University of Oxford, said:

“This report provides a good overview of regenerative agriculture, including both academic and practical perspectives. It captures the potential benefits and concerns, including regen ag’s appeal to a wide audience, the appetite from farmers to engage in regen ag, the potential for ‘no harm done’ on-farm changes, and the very real concerns about corporate capture and greenwashing.

“The report adds to the growing body of literature that treats regen ag as a serious player in sustainable food and farming. It highlights both the beneficial elements of regen ag, as well as areas where more data is required, or where the data conflicts with assumptions. The report takes a nuanced view of regen ag, identifying that although a whole systems approach may deliver the best outcomes, farmers can sometimes only engage in a subset of practices. It identifies objectives that farmers are likely to engage through regen ag, like reducing tillage or incorporating understories and cover cropping, and highlights whether those practices have evidence of payoff over time. It also provides policy recommendations for a range of actors, including national governments, the private sector, and third-party certification schemes.”

Prof John Quinton, Professor of Soil Science, Lancaster University, said:

“The report suggests that the evidence for minimising soil disturbance on regenerative outcomes is weak. This seems to have been based largely on its controversial role as a potential tool in sequestering carbon, which has been shown to be soil and climate dependent i.e. success depends on where are you in the world are and what soil you have. However, it is very clear that minimising soil disturbances an excellent way of reducing soil erosion by water and an even better way of stopping the movement on soils on hillslopes caused by tillage, which can lead to damaging thinning of soils, reducing water supply to crops during droughts, the later point being completely missed in the report. Where they work, reduced tillage systems are a great way to conserve the soil and the report is perhaps overly pessimistic about their potential.

“Residue management does not get mentioned in the report at all, which is an oversight given the important role that residue can play in protecting the soil surface, enhancing soil structure and reducing erosion. It also reduces water losses in times of drought which has been shown to help reduce air temperatures. There is also evidence showing benefits for carbon sequestration and soil biology.

“It is good to see the prominence given to maintaining a live vegetation cover through the winter. We have known for many years that vegetation protects the soil surface from rainfall, and the roughness it produces slows runoff controlling erosion and lowering the risk of muddy floods. We need to learn more about the relative benefits to soil functioning of returning more organic matter from both the above and belowground plant biomass to the soil, and how plant diversity impacts on this in different environments.”

‘Regenerative Agriculture in the UK – An ecological perspecitve’ was published by the British Ecological Society at 00:01 Wednesday April 2 2025.

Declared interests:

Prof Neil Ward “I am funded by UKRI to co-lead a large network of 3,000 researchers and practitioners working on the UK agri-food system and net zero (https://www.agrifood4netzero.net/). I do not have any conflicts of interest and have not worked with any of the authors of the report.”

Prof John Quinton “I have worked and published on soil erosion and its control for the last 30 years. In the 1990s directly on the impact of reduced tillage on carbon, nutrient losses, and soil erosion. I have worked on the impact of tillage on soil redistribution, water availability and crop yield and have had a series of PhD students working on plant diversity on cover crops. My work has been funded by the EU, Defra, NERC, BBSRC, EPSRC. In the late 90s early 00s I did some research on cover crops for Syngenta.”

For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker Leads SASC Hearing on Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Nomination

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today chaired a hearing examining the nomination of Lieutenant General (ret.) John D. Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In his opening statement, Chairman Wicker underscored the tremendous responsibility that Lt. Gen. Caine would have if confirmed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. As the Chinese Communist Party continues an expansive military buildup and the other three members of the Axis of Aggressors – Russia, Iran, and North Korea – continue to band together in opposition to the United States, Chairman Wicker noted that Lt. Gen. Caine will work to give strong and decisive military advice to President Trump.

Chairman Wicker also praised Caine’s diverse background as a former intelligence community liaison, defense technology innovator, as well as his experience both in the active-duty and national guard components of the Air Force. This track record would serve him exceptionally well as the President’s principal military advisor in a complex threat environment, Chairman Wicker argued.

As for the proper role of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs within the national defense decision-making complex ecosystem, Chairman Wicker noted that he had utmost confidence in Caine’s ability to remain nonpartisan and retain the trust of President Trump.

Read Senator Wicker’s hearing opening statement as delivered below.

This morning, the committee meets to consider the nomination of retired Lieutenant General Dan Caine for the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Caine has a tremendous responsibility before him. I believe President Trump has made an excellent choice in selecting him to meet the challenges, so I thank General Caine for his willingness to serve our country, especially in this hour of need.

We live in the most dangerous national security moment since World War II. An Axis of Aggressors, led by the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia, means us harm. This axis does not want this century to be an American-led century or a freedom-led century. Our adversaries have started two wars against Ukraine and Israel. They threaten to open a third front against Taiwan.

We must restore peace, and we can do that only through strength. Since his nomination was announced, some people have written that General Caine is unqualified. They point out that he has not served as a combatant commander, as a service chief, or as a vice chairman – roles which are contemplated in 10 USC 152.

I would suggest these same people read or reread the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. Those who read that law and then read General Caine’s resume will see that the architects of that legislation would conclude that their reforms were successful.

The driving force behind Goldwater-Nichols was to inspire and, in some cases, require jointness. So, let’s talk about jointness with regard to Lieutenant General Caine. They believe that when our military services work together, those services are greater than the sum of their parts. General Caine agrees, and his record reflects that.

He began his career as an Air Force fighter pilot in 1992. By the time he was done, General Caine had operated in every domain, and he had developed relationships with every service. That would not have been true 40 years ago. General Caine flew and commanded aircraft, but he’s also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, having helped in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the midst of a bird flu outbreak. At the White House, General Caine wrote early homeland security strategies. He deployed and commanded repeatedly to Iraq and Syria, serving within various special operations forces units. He ran our most secretive programs for all military services. General Caine worked extensively as the CIA’s senior military officer, again collaborating with every military service and combatant command.

It’s difficult to imagine a better joint and interagency background for a nominee of this position. Our threat environment is complex, and General Caine understands how the services can work together to meet today’s dangers. We have much work to do, as this committee knows. We need to grow our defense budget. We need to reform the Pentagon’s processes drastically.

If confirmed, General Kaine would play a significant role in providing military advice to the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States on both of those topics. In particular, the Chairman plays a significant role in the requirements process. I hope he will make a priority to modernize this critical aspect.

The statutory role of the chairman may be limited, but the position is explicitly the voice of the combatant commanders. That voice matters because the commanders are largely absent from our requirements and budgeting processes.

The Chairman can and should also be an advocate for a more agile planning process – one that considers the problems. And I’m going to use two big words here: the problems of simultaneity and protracted warfare – I guess that’s three big words and two big terms. These are technical terms for fairly straightforward facts. First, that our adversaries are likely to act against us in a coordinated fashion – simultaneity. And secondly, that once that war breaks out it tends to take on a life of its own – protracted warfare.

Lastly, a Chairman is responsible to deliver a serious, honest Chairman’s risk assessment to this committee as soon as possible. I look forward to General Caine’s thoughts on each of these points.

Based on my conversations with the nominee, and based on his actions in uniform, I’m confident that General Caine will give President Trump his best military advice. He will do so without bias, as he’s required to do. He would not consider whether the president may like or dislike that advice that’s exactly what a United States president deserves.

I’m convinced that General Caine sees this role as absolutely nonpartisan. We can argue politics up here on this dais, but I expect General Caine to stay out of it, no matter the subject.

I thank the nominee for his service and for appearing today, and I turn now to my friend and colleague Ranking Member Reed for his opening remarks.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SPC Tornado Watch 91 Status Reports

Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NASA History News and Notes–Spring 2025

Source: NASA

The NASA History Office brings you the new Spring 2025 issue of NASA History News & Notes reflecting on some of the transitional periods in NASA’s history, as well as the legacies of past programs. Topics include NASA’s 1967 class of astronauts, historic experiments in airborne astronomy, NASA’s aircraft consolidation efforts in the 1990s, lightning observations from space, the founding of the NACA, the DC-8 airborne science laboratory, and more!

Volume 42, Number 1Spring 2025

From the Chief Historian
By Brian Odom
In the first few months of 2025, NASA will celebrate several significant anniversaries, including the 110th anniversary of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) (March 3), the 55th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 13 (April 11), and the 35th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope (April 24). Celebrating these important milestones is a way for us as an agency and for the public to reflect upon where we have been and what we have accomplished and to think about what we might accomplish next. Continue Reading
The XS-11 and the Transition Away from Mandatory Jet Pilot Training for NASA Astronauts
By Jennifer Ross-Nazzal
Flying in space has been associated with pilots ever since 1959, when NASA announced its first class of astronauts, known as the Mercury 7. Part of being a professional astronaut meant you were a certified jet pilot. Even the scientist-astronauts, so named to differentiate them from the astronauts assigned to the Mercury and Gemini missions, selected in 1965 and in 1967, received pilot training. Until NASA better understood the impact of weightlessness on the human body, Robert R. Gilruth, head of the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, believed all astronauts should meet this qualification. But when five scientist-astronauts from the 1967 class had a rocky transition, leading them to resign—due to their disinterest in flying at the cost of their scientific training and no spaceflight opportunities—it eventually led NASA to rethink their idea of having all astronauts become jet pilots. Continue Reading

The High-Flying Legacy of Airborne Observation: How Experimental Aircraft Contributed to Astronomy at NASA
By Lois Rosson
In June 2011, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) chased down Pluto’s occultation of a far-away star. … SOFIA’s 2011 observation of Pluto followed up on a historic 1988 observation made by the airborne Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) that proved that Pluto had an atmosphere at all. The technical versatility of both flights, conducted from aircraft hurtling stabilized telescopes through the air, speaks to the legacy of airborne astronomical observation at NASA. But how did this idiosyncratic format emerge in the first place? Airborne astronomy, in which astronomical observations are made from a moving aircraft, was attempted almost as soon as airplanes themselves were developed. Continue Reading
NASA’s Tortuous Effort to Consolidate its Aircraft
By Robert Arrighi
Thirty years ago, on January 6, 1995, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin announced, “We’ve started a revolution at NASA. It’s real. We have a road map for change. We’ve already begun.” Thus began one of the agency’s most daunting endeavors, a top-to-bottom reassessment of NASA’s processes, programmatic assignments, and staffing levels. One of the most controversial aspects of this effort was the proposal to transfer nearly all of the agency’s research aircraft to Dryden Flight Research Center (today known as Armstrong). Continue Reading

The Space Between: Mesoscale Lightning Observations and Weather Forecasting, 1965–82
By Brad Massey
Skylab astronaut Edward G. Gibson looked down at Earth often during his 84 days on NASA’s first space station. From his orbital vantage point, Gibson took in the breathtaking views of our planet’s diverse landscapes. He also noted the interesting behavior of the planet’s most powerful electrical force: lightning. … Gibson’s words were of great interest to the lightning researchers affiliated with NASA’s Severe Storms and Local Research Program and others who believed observing Earth’s lightning from low Earth orbit generated valuable data that meteorologists could use to better forecast dangerous storm characteristics and behavior. With these motivations in mind, researchers created new Earth- and space-based experiments from the mid-1960s to the first Space Shuttle missions in the early 1980s that observed lightning on a regional level. Continue Reading
Adding Color to the Moon: Jack Kinzler’s Oral History Interviews
By Sandra Johnson
Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) Director Robert R. Gilruth placed a call to Jack Kinzler less than four months before the Apollo 11 launch. Gilruth asked him to attend a meeting with a high-level group of individuals from both MSC and NASA Headquarters to discuss ideas for celebrating the first lunar landing. Kinzler, in his capacity as the chief of the Technical Services Division, arrived ready to present his suggestions for commemorating the achievement. Continue Reading

The Founding of the NACA
By James Anderson
One hundred ten years ago this month, NASA’s predecessor organization, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), was founded. The date of the anniversary marks the passage of a rider to a naval appropriations bill that established the NACA for the modest sum of $5,000 annually. Telling the story of the NACA’s founding in this manner—using March 3, 1915, as the moment in time to represent the NACA’s beginning—is true, but it overlooks two crucial aspects of the founding. The founding was both a culmination and a turning point for science and aeronautics in the United States. Continue Reading
Remembering the DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory at NASA
By Bradley Lynn Coleman
The NASA History Office and NASA Earth Science Division cohosted a workshop on the recently retired NASA DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory (1986–2024) at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters Building in Washington, DC, October 24 and 25, 2024. The workshop celebrated the history of the legendary aircraft; documented DC-8–enabled scientific, engineering, education, and outreach activities; and captured lessons of the past for future operators. Continue Reading

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Resources to help Georgia Disaster Survivors Deal with Stress and Worry

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: Resources to help Georgia Disaster Survivors Deal with Stress and Worry

Resources to help Georgia Disaster Survivors Deal with Stress and Worry

Thursday, March 27 marked six months since Hurricane Helene struck Georgia, bringing destruction and disrupting the lives of millions of people across the state

Disaster anniversaries can bring up painful memories and cause feelings of anxiety, fear, anger and hopelessness

Survivors may also have nightmares or experience flashbacks or depression

FEMA encourages survivors to use these resources to help you get the support you need

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Disaster Distress Hotline The toll-free, confidential multilingual Disaster Distress Helpline is open to anyone experiencing emotional distress related to disasters

This includes survivors of disasters; loved ones of victims; first responders; rescue, recovery, and relief workers; clergy; and parents and caregivers

You may call for yourself or on behalf of someone else 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Call 800-985-5990, visit samhsa

gov/ or text TalkWithUs for English or Hablanos for Spanish to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor

988 Suicide & Crisis LifelinePeople can speak with a trained crisis counselor any time of day or night by calling or texting 988 or by visiting 988lifeline

org

Crisis Text LineThe Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, and provides access to free help, 24/7

Connect with a trained Crisis Text Line crisis counselor by texting HOME to 741741

The service can be accessed by text, chat or on WhatsApp

Visit crisistextline

org/ to learn more

National Alliance on Mental IllnessThe NAMI Helpline is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public

HelpLine staff and volunteers are experienced, well-trained and able to provide guidance

You can connect with a HelpLine Specialist by phone: 800-950-NAMI (6264)

You can also text HelpLine to 62640 or via chat at Chat with Us

Georgia Resources The Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) is a service of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

The line is staffed 24/7 by counselors who can connect callers with outpatient services, mobile crisis help, detoxification services, stabilization and more

GCAL is available to all Georgians

GCAL dispatches 24/7 Mobile Crisis Services to 159 counties in Georgia

This service sends a mental health professional to the home to assess people with urgent psychiatric needs

You may call on behalf of another person who needs help

The call center operates 24/7 and can screen and assess callers for intensity of service response

You can reach the line by calling 800-715-5225

Telephone interpreting services are provided to callers with limited English proficiency

Visit Georgia Collaborative to learn more

jakia

randolph
Tue, 04/01/2025 – 12:28

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: DECARBONIZATION IN THE STEEL SECTOR
Source: Government of India

Posted On: 01 APR 2025 4:30PM by PIB Delhi

The steps including adoption of green technologies, carbon capture and recycling initiatives taken by Government to decarbonize the steel sector in India areas under:-
1. Ministry has released the Taxonomy for Green Steel to provide standards for defining and categorizing the low emission steel.
2. Ministry of Steel has released a report titled “Greening the Steel Sector in India: Roadmap and Action Plan” in alignment with the recommendations of the 14 Task Forces constituted by this Ministry for this purpose which provides the future roadmap for green steel and sustainability, towards net-zero target by 2070. The report is available on Ministry of Steel’s website.
- III. Ministry of Steel has awarded 07 pilot projects for implementation of pilot projects for use of hydrogen in steel sector under National Green Hydrogen Mission launched by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.
- IV. National Solar Mission launched by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in January, 2010 promotes the use of solar energy and also helps to reduce the emission of steel industry.
1. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has formulated the Vehicle Scrapping Policy that includes a system of incentives/disincentives for creation of an ecosystem to phase out older, unfit polluting vehicles. Under the policy, MoRTH has issued rules for Registration and Functions of Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF), which provides the procedures and infrastructure facilities required for de-pollution and dismantling of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) for further recovery of metal and other materials under environmental regulations.
- VI. Ministry of Mines has brought out ‘National Non-ferrous Metal Scrap Recycling Framework, 2020’ to promote a formal and well-organized recycling ecosystem. The Framework lays down standard procedures for recycling and processing of scrap and developing a mechanism for facilitating the Metal scrap recycling activities.
1. Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has introduced the Environment Protection (End-of-Life Vehicles) Rules, 2025, which establishes a framework for managing End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) in an environmentally sound manner and mandates Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), requiring vehicle producers to meet annual scrapping targets based on the type of vehicle and materials recovered.
2. The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) has been notified by the Government (Ministry of Power) on 28^thJune,2023, which provides an overall framework for the functioning of the Indian Carbon Market.
CPSEs of Ministry of Steel are collaborating with eminent technology providers such as M/s BHP from Australia, M/s SMS from Germany, M/s Primetal Technologies from United Kingdom, M/s John Cockerill India Limited from Belgium, M/s Ram Charan Company Pvt. Ltd., Madras, National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCoE-CCU) of IIT, Bombay and Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd. to promote low carbon steel production.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries, Shri Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

*****

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan on brink of famine as fighting ravages Darfur, UN warns

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

1 April 2025 Humanitarian Aid

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is spiralling as rival militaries continue to battle for control of the country, with the UN expressing profound alarm on Monday over escalating hostilities, particularly in North Darfur.

Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned that “the humanitarian and security situation in Sudan remains dire and is worsening.”

He highlighted intense fighting around El Fasher, noting, “we are gravely alarmed by reports of intensified hostilities… including attacks in the past two days that resulted in civilian casualties.”

The plight of displaced persons is particularly acute. “Yesterday, reported shelling in the Abu Shouk displacement camp… killed and injured civilians,” Mr. Dujarric confirmed.

Famine taking hold

This camp is among the critical hotspots where famine is taking hold, alongside Zamzam and Al Salam, and areas in the Western Nuba Mountains, affecting approximately 640,000 people.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is making an urgent call for action to prevent widespread famine, especially as the lean and rainy season approaches. “It is critical that aid organisations have the safe and unimpeded access to people in need,” OCHA emphasised.

Currently, around 25 million Sudanese face acute food insecurity, a number expected to peak between June and September. Beyond immediate food aid, agricultural assistance is vital to boost local production.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) requires over $82 million to support 7.5 million farmers with seeds and essential resources before the planting season in June.

‘Time is running out’

“With the rainy season starting soon, and flooding along key routes likely to compound access challenges, time is running out,” Mr. Dujarric warned.

The conflict has devastated agricultural livelihoods, a lifeline for two-thirds of Sudan’s population. “The ongoing conflict in Sudan has shattered agricultural livelihoods… disrupted market access and left millions of farming families unable to plant or harvest,” he explained.

Destruction of infrastructure and forced displacement have worsened the crisis.

Economic decline and trade restrictions have driven up food prices sharply, limiting access to basic necessities, the UN Spokesperson added.

“OCHA stresses that timely support to Sudan’s farmers is essential – not only to avert famine…but also to restore livelihoods and build resilience.”

He underscored the UN’s position that civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be a target. “All parties must uphold their obligations… and take the utmost care to spare civilians.”

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Adoption of the ReFuelEU Aviation Act and the economic impact of mandatory minimum sustainable aviation fuel quotas in the air transport sector – E-000653/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
1. ReFuelEU Aviation[1] was overwhelmingly supported by the European Parliament[2] and the Council[3]. The Commission carried out an Impact Assessment before adopting the proposal which shows benefits through 250.000 net job creation and a new push for innovation and research[4]. Fuel costs derived from the 2% minimum share of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) will increase costs for airlines over the short term as SAF are currently more expensive than kerosene. However, SAF prices are expected to mean an overall cost increase for airlines of around 1% by 2029. SAF prices are expected to go down from the current levels over the medium term easing the upward pressure on costs. The EU SAF market for biofuels is growing faster and higher than the minimum legal requirements in ReFuelEU Aviation. The SAF Allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), and other tools offer financial support for the production and uptake of SAF[5]. This is allowing for the price increases to remain largely subdued over the short term. The increase in scale will lead to economies of scale, production efficiencies and industrial maturity that are expected to reduce the prices of SAF and consequently the relative price of blended SAF throughout the EU market.

2. 20 million EU ETS allowances worth around EUR 1.6 billion are supporting the decarbonisation by compensating for the price differential between SAF and kerosene in flights covered by the EU ETS . Other EU financial instruments are also supporting SAF production scale up such as the Innovation Fund and InvestEU. The Commission will present later in 2025 a Sustainable Transport Investment Plan as part of the Clean Industrial Deal[6] which will outline short and medium-term measures to further support SAF.

[1] https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-modes/air/environment/refueleu-aviation_en

[2] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230911IPR04913/70-of-jet-fuels-at-eu-airports-will-have-to-be-green-by-2050

[3] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/10/09/refueleu-aviation-initiative-council-adopts-new-law-to-decarbonise-the-aviation-sector/

[4] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12303-Sustainable-aviation-fuels-ReFuelEU-Aviation_en

[5] https://climate.ec.europa.eu/news-your-voice/news/adoption-eu-rules-ets-support-system-accelerate-use-sustainable-aviation-fuels-2025-02-06_en

[6] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/clean-industrial-deal_en
Last updated: 1 April 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
April 2, 2025

MIL-OSI Europe: Debates – Monday, 31 March 2025 – Strasbourg – Revised edition

Source: European Parliament

Verbatim report of proceedings

471k

884k

Monday, 31 March 2025 – Strasbourg

IN THE CHAIR: ROBERTA METSOLA
President

1. Resumption of the session

President. – I declare resumed the session of the European Parliament adjourned on 13 March 2025.

2. Opening of the sitting

(The sitting opened at 17:02)

3. Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting

President. – The minutes and the texts adopted of the sitting of 13 March 2025 are available.

Are there any comments? I see that is not the case. Therefore, the minutes are approved.

4. Composition of Parliament

President. – Following the election of Maximilian Krah to the German Parliament, Parliament takes note of the vacancy of his seat from 25 March 2025, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

5. Penalties

President. – Pursuant to Rules 10 and 183 and after taking into account the observations of the Member concerned, I have decided to impose a penalty on Grzegorz Braun. During Parliament’s solemn session of 29 January 2025, on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Mr Braun interrupted the minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and disrupted the ceremony with his improper behaviour, which inflicted severe damage on the dignity and reputation of Parliament. I have also taken account of the recurrent nature of Mr Braun’s disrespect of the standards of conduct.

This penalty consists of the forfeiture of his entitlement to the daily subsistence allowance for a period of 30 days, as well as a temporary suspension from participation in all the activities of Parliament for a period of 30 days on which Parliament meets in plenary, starting from 10 March 2025, without prejudice to his right to vote in plenary, and subject to strict compliance with the Members’ standards of conduct.

In addition, the penalty consists of Mr Braun’s suspension from participation in the next Parliament solemn session dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day scheduled in January 2026.

The Member concerned has been notified of these decisions and has not lodged an internal appeal with the Bureau pursuant to Rule 184. The penalty is therefore final.

A raíz de las conclusiones del Comité Consultivo sobre la Conducta de los Diputados y habida cuenta de las observaciones del diputado, he decidido imponer una sanción a Alvise Pérez, de acuerdo con el artículo 183 del Reglamento interno, por haber infringido las obligaciones de transparencia previstas en el artículo 4 del Código de Conducta. La sanción consiste en la pérdida del derecho a las dietas para gastos de estancia durante un período de dos días.

Mi decisión ha sido notificada al diputado, que no ha interpuesto un recurso interno contra la decisión ante la Mesa de conformidad con el artículo 184 del Reglamento interno. Por tanto, la sanción es definitiva.

6. Composition of committees and delegations

President. – The PfE and ESN groups have notified me of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees and delegations.

These decisions will be set out in the minutes of today’s sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

7. Negotiations ahead of Parliament’s first reading (Rule 72)

President. – The LIBE, AGRI and TRAN Committees have decided to enter into interinstitutional negotiations, pursuant to Rule 72(1) of the Rules of Procedure.

The reports, which constitute the mandates for the negotiations, are available on the plenary webpage and their titles will be published in the minutes of the sitting.

Pursuant to Rule 72(2), Members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold may request in writing by tomorrow, Tuesday 1 April, at midnight that the decisions be put to the vote.

If no request for a vote in Parliament is made within the deadline, the committees may start the negotiations.

8. Proposals for Union acts

President. – I would like to announce that, pursuant to Rule 47(2) of the Rules of Procedure, I have declared admissible a proposal for a Union act on amending Directive (EU) 2003/87/EC establishing a system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the European Union and introducing a mechanism of directly linking the cost of ETS allowances for companies to investments in clean technologies.

This proposal is referred to the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety, as committee responsible, and to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, for opinion.

9. Signature of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (Rule 81)

President. – I would like to inform you that, since the adjournment of Parliament’s session on 13 March, I have signed, together with the President of the Council, one act adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with Rule 81 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

The title of the act will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

⁂

I would also like to inform the House that I have received two requests for points of order.

I start by giving the floor to Villy Søvndal.

Mounir Satouri (Verts/ALE). – Madame la Présidente,

Mon rappel au règlement s’appuie sur l’article 40 et le respect des articles 2 et 6 du traité UE.

Cette semaine, Viktor Orbán a prévu d’accueillir Benyamin Netanyahou sur le sol européen. Je rappelle que M. Netanyahou fait l’objet d’une enquête et qu’il est visé par un mandat d’arrêt de la Cour pénale internationale – la CPI – pour crimes de guerre et crimes contre l’humanité. La Hongrie, en tant qu’État partie au Statut de Rome et membre de son Assemblée, ne peut que coopérer avec la CPI. Ne pas le faire, c’est piétiner délibérément nos engagements internationaux.

Je vous demande solennellement, Madame la Présidente, de rappeler à M. Orbán ses obligations: respecter le droit international et l’état de droit, et ne pas trahir les valeurs fondamentales de l’Union. Je vous demande également de rappeler à la présidente de la Commission son devoir d’activer le statut de blocage pour s’opposer à l’extraterritorialité des sanctions de M. Trump. La CPI est notre cour. La protéger, c’est défendre notre souveraineté.

10. Order of business

President. – We now come to the order of business. The final draft agenda, as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 26 March pursuant to Rule 163 has been distributed.

With the agreement of the political groups, I wish to put to the House the following proposals for changes to the final draft agenda.

First of all, today’s sitting, Monday, is extended to 23:00.

For Wednesday, the debate on the ‘European oceans pact’ is moved to the second point in the afternoon after the topical debate.

A Commission statement on the ‘Threat to freedom of expression in Algeria: the five-year prison sentence of French writer Boualem Sansal’, with one round of political group speakers, is added as the seventh point in the afternoon, before the debates under Rule 150. As a consequence, the sitting is extended to 23:00.

If there are no objections to this, then the changes are approved and we will move to changes requested by political groups.

First of all, for tomorrow – Tuesday. The Greens Group has requested that a Commission statement on the ‘Recent judgement by a French court on large-scale misuse of EU funds by former MEPs’ be added as the fourth point in the afternoon. As a consequence, the sitting would be extended to 23:00.

I give the floor first to Daniel Freund to move the request on behalf of the Greens Group.

Tomas Tobé, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Madam President, dear colleagues, as was mentioned, this court ruling came today, only a couple of hours ago. The EPP Group, we are clear in our commitments to the rule of law and democracy, and we fully support the work of our European courts.

Let me also point out that this week, here in Strasbourg, we will have a debate on transparency and anti-corruption policies in the European Union. But I do not think that this Parliament should make a habit of adding additional debates on specific court judgments, especially not on the same day that they have been made. I think this has been our position in the past. It will be our position also for the future. Therefore, we are against the Greens’ proposal.

President. – First I will ask Mr Freund, do you agree with the alternative proposal from the PfE Group? I see the answer is no.

So I will first put the request of the Greens Group to a vote by roll call.

(Parliament rejected the request)

Mr Garraud, do you want to keep your proposal?

I will now read the PfE Group’s proposal, which is: ‘Attacks on democracy and the will of the people in Europe’. I now put the request that I have just read out to a vote by roll call.

(Parliament rejected the request)

The agenda remains unchanged.

For Wednesday, The Left Group has requested that a Commission statement on the ‘EU’s response and preparedness for Trump’s tariffs on the European automotive industry’ be added in the afternoon after the debate on recent legislative changes in Hungary.

I give the floor to Martin Schirdewan to move the request on behalf of The Left Group.

Martin Schirdewan, im Namen der Fraktion The Left. – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Sie haben ja alle mitgekriegt, dass Donald Trump in der letzten Woche angekündigt hat, dass ab dem 2. April, also ab diesem Mittwoch, auf europäische Automobilexporte in die Vereinigten Staaten 25 % Strafzölle fällig werden. Diese Zölle treten also diesen Mittwoch in Kraft.

Nach der Ansicht meiner Fraktion ist es deshalb dringend notwendig, dass sich dieses Haus mit dieser Situation – mit dem durch Trump eskalierten Handelskrieg –, mit der Situation der europäischen Automobilindustrie und vor allem auch der Situation der Beschäftigten in der Automobilindustrie befasst.

Wir beantragen deshalb eine Änderung der Tagesordnung und schlagen vor, am Mittwochnachmittag eine Debatte hinzuzufügen, Herr Kollege; die nennt sich „Commission Statement on the EU’s response and preparedness for Trump’s tariffs on the European automotive industry“. So kann dann auch die Position der Abgeordneten dieses Hauses von der Kommission dabei berücksichtigt werden, wenn sie ihre Antwort hoffentlich klar und deutlich formuliert. Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung!

Jörgen Warborn (PPE). – Madam President, we, the EPP, will vote against this proposal from the Left. And the reason is that it is not only about the tariffs on cars at the moment. As you are aware, on Wednesday, Trump will announce even further tariffs on other products. And the Commission is, of course, expected to present its countermeasures in mid-April.

The most important aspect for us now is to respond to this trade conflict with President Trump in a unified way. However, we are still not in a position that we have clarity, and therefore we think we should have a broader debate on this topic for the May plenary, and that would give us time to analyse the situation fully, not least on the tariffs introduced this week, but also on the EU responses.

That is why we would like to vote no for this proposal from the Left.

(The sitting was briefly suspended)

IN THE CHAIR: NICOLAE ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ
Vice-President

11. Resumption of the sitting

(The sitting resumed at 17:20)

12. Guidelines for the 2026 budget – Section III (debate)

Andrzej Halicki, rapporteur. – Mr President, dear Mr Commissioner, it is nice to see two Polish names at the top of this very important debate.

As rapporteur on guidelines for the 2026 budget, I would like to start this procedure. This is the very initial step. The first meeting of the trilogue is planned on 8 April and then in the beginning of June, we can see the draft budget presented by the Commission, but first we have to adopt the text which was prepared for you.

Dear colleagues, after negotiations – and I would like to emphasise tough negotiations –between our political groups, I consider that we achieved a good and balanced text that respects the values and ideas of all political groups.

I consider that we managed to find a sustainable compromise text to underline our priorities such as defence, security, energy, competitiveness, agriculture, resilience, economy, effective response to crisis, health, enhancing democracy and also building a stronger Union in a changing world.

During the vote on Wednesday, we should endorse those guidelines and deliver a strong Parliament position. Those guidelines are also about our credibility as an institution. Let’s show to the Commission and to the Council that the European Parliament is a serious player, ready to defend the citizens’ priorities, to give them response to their expectations. Let’s prove that we are able to overcome our political differences, that we are united in our diversity for the common good.

As the last comment from my side before the vote, I would like to recall you that we are gathered in this House to defend the common good of all Europeans. We need to keep in mind that the adoption of guidelines is a very important step in the budgetary procedure and we should not let single issues and special interests hijack the whole process.

Please allow me to thank shadow rapporteurs of other political groups for their collaboration during the negotiations. It was very important that it was really team work and we had a good will to achieve this balanced text in the end. I would like to also thank all the Committee on Budgets’ staff, and also our assistants from all the groups, because this work was really brilliant.

Thank you very much, waiting for the voting on Wednesday, I hope we will not do the mistakes like the last years.

Piotr Serafin, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members of the European Parliament, let me first thank Mr Halicki – your rapporteur – and the Budget Committee for the draft guidelines for the 2026 budget.

In the current geopolitical context, a strong EU budget is a vital tool for the EU in view of the security and stability threats. As at the time when we face rising global tensions, the still ongoing Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and continuous security threats, Europe must find resources to defend itself, support our partners and invest in its own competitiveness.

A strong EU budget contributes to respond to these challenges, but it has its constraints. It is no secret that the limited resources in the final years of the MFF pose an additional challenge and put some restrictions on the level of our ambitions. We are all aware that the room for manoeuvre to respond to unforeseen events is still very limited, despite the revision of the MFF, which took place last year.

When it comes to the incoming negotiations on the 2026 budget, let me recall commitments on the application of the EURI cascade mechanism. It was agreed that the 50 % benchmark of financing the additional needs for the EURI line under step two should be targeted annually. We all know it’s going to be a challenge in these negotiations, and in this respect, the Commission will keep the Parliament updated throughout the budgetary procedure on the forecast of the additional needs for the EURI line with information on the NGEU borrowing costs, the expected RRF disbursements, as well as on available decommitments. The final needs for the 2026 budget will be known at the time of the presentation of the amending letter in early October 2025.

Now turning to the next steps, the first trilogue, as was said by Mr Halicki, will take place on 8 April. We will discuss your guidelines as well as those of the Council and agree on the calendar for the 2026 budgetary procedure. The Commission aims to adopt its statement of estimates in early June.

Honourable Members, I look forward to an open and constructive dialogue with you throughout the negotiations, and I’m fully committed to good cooperation and open exchanges, and I will work with both arms of the budgetary authority on this basis, in order to facilitate a timely agreement on the next year’s budget.

Michael Gahler, rapporteur for the opinion of the AFET Committee. – Mr President, colleagues, Commissioner, when it is for the Foreign Affairs Committee, of course, as the lead committee on external issues, when it is about war and peace in Europe, and it’s about defending our European way of life, this has to be reflected in the budget of the European Union as well.

And we address, of course, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. We address the situation in the Middle East. And as the Commissioner rightly said, we already reformed the Multiannual Financial Framework, we are grateful for that, for the EUR 50 billion Ukraine facility primarily last year – well, we ought to reform it already now and not wait till we are in the next financial framework.

But, the measure is taken by the Commission, when it comes to ReArm Europe, and you are aware of the position of the Parliament, that we are not happy about the legal base that has been chosen, because that excludes us, and insofar, we support the need to address the challenges that are on the agenda, but the legal base is not to our advantage.

Niclas Herbst, Verfasser der Stellungnahme des CONT-Ausschusses. – Herr Präsident! Ein herzliches Dankeschön auch an den Berichterstatter für die harte Arbeit: Das ist nicht einfach, die verschiedenen Punkte unter einen Hut zu bekommen. Ich glaube, das ist gut gelungen, und wir müssen jetzt auch einig nach vorne schauen. Ich möchte mich auch dafür bedanken, dass viele der Punkte aus der Haushaltskontrolle und auch aus unserer Prüfung in den Bericht Eingang gefunden haben. Das ist sehr, sehr wichtig, auch für die Zukunft.

Ich weiß natürlich, dass es auch einzelne Punkte gibt, die uns unterscheiden und die wir auch ansprechen müssen, die auch im Parlament geklärt werden müssen. Sei es bei der Frage: Wie gehen wir in Zukunft mit UNRWA um? Sei es bei der Frage: Wie stehen wir zu Mercosur? Sei es bei der Frage: Wollen wir bestimmte Beispiele zur Aufstachelung von Hass in palästinensischen Schulbüchern noch dulden, oder gehen wir dagegen auch finanziell vor? Das sind Dinge, die müssen hier im Parlament geklärt werden.

Aber im Vordergrund sollte auch stehen – und deshalb hoffe ich, dass es wenig key votes gibt und wenig rote Linien –, dass wir gemeinsam sehen, was wir hier mit dem Haushalt erreichen müssen. Ich glaube, dass auch die Kontrollrechte des Parlamentes in Gefahr sind und dass wir hier immer gut gefahren sind, wenn wir auch Einigkeit gezeigt haben. Da wünsche ich mir auch für die Zukunft weniger key votes, mehr Einigkeit: Das ist jetzt nötiger denn je.

Antonio Decaro, relatore per parere della commissione ENVI. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, userò questo minuto per parlarvi del programma LIFE, tra i più longevi e di successo dell’Unione europea.

Sebbene rappresenti soltanto lo 0,3 % del bilancio dell’Unione europea, i risultati prodotti attraverso ogni singolo progetto sono importantissimi. La commissione ENVI, che rappresento, nel suo parere ha ampiamente valorizzato gli effetti positivi del programma.

Solo nel mio paese, l’Italia, sono stati finanziati 1 077 progetti e investiti 2 145 milioni di euro; sono state avviate collaborazioni con start up innovative, imprese, università, centri di ricerca, agricoltori, autorità nazionali e locali. Sono proprio i comuni i maggiori beneficiari dei fondi di questa misura, perché è lì, nei comuni, che si cambia la vita dei cittadini.

Rivolgo quindi un appello a chi forse non ha mai letto i numeri del programma LIFE e a chi vorrebbe definanziarlo. Ogni progetto del programma LIFE è un investimento doppio: ci permette di investire sulle tecnologie verdi oggi, e sulla qualità della vita del pianeta di domani.

Borja Giménez Larraz, ponente de opinión de la Comisión TRAN. – Señor presidente, hablaré en nombre del señor Falcă, ponente de la opinión de la Comisión de Transportes y Turismo.

Para 2026, necesitamos un presupuesto de la Unión Europea más fuerte para el transporte. Debemos aumentar significativamente el presupuesto del Mecanismo «Conectar Europa» para financiar proyectos de infraestructura clave, en particular el transporte transfronterizo.

Es esencial invertir en trenes de alta velocidad, trenes nocturnos y corredores de mercancías. La ampliación de la capacidad ferroviaria desplazará más mercancías de las carreteras, reduciendo las emisiones y la congestión. La digitalización del transporte, las soluciones inteligentes y la simplificación de las normativas facilitarán los viajes transfronterizos y mejorarán el acceso a la financiación de la Unión Europea.

Dado el contexto geopolítico actual, es urgente restablecer la financiación de la movilidad militar. Debemos modernizar las conexiones de transporte entre la Unión Europea, Moldavia y Ucrania, especialmente las redes ferroviarias.

Por último, el turismo necesita modernización y apoyo, lo que incluye la reducción de las cargas administrativas para las pymes y la innovación digital para impulsar las economías locales.

Gabriella Gerzsenyi, a(z) REGI bizottság véleményének előadója. – Tisztelt Elnök Úr! Örömteli, hogy a költségvetés egyik pilléreként szerepel a jelentésben a kohéziós politika. Fontos, hogy a kohéziós politikára szánt összeg ne csökkenjen, és hogy a kohéziós politika hosszú távú célkitűzéseit se veszítsük szem elől. Fontos, hogy a “senkit ne hagyjunk hátra” alapelvet érvényesíthessük maradéktalanul.

Az is örömteli, hogy a jelentésben szerepel a magyaroknak különösen fontos közvetlen EU-s források említése. Ezt külön köszönjük! Sajnos ma Magyarországra nem jut el az EU-s források jelentős része. A kormány különösen az ellenzéki vezetésű településeket bünteti, ezáltal magyar emberek százezreit fosztja meg minőségi szolgáltatástól, egészségügytől, színvonalas oktatástól.

A Tisza párt mindent megtesz azért, hogy a kohéziós forrásokat hazahozza és egy élhető Magyarországot teremtsen 2026-tól.

Camilla Laureti, relatrice per parere della commissione AGRI. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, per milioni di agricoltori in tutta Europa, per promuovere sistemi sostenibili e per fornire cibo equo e di qualità a tutti, le politiche agricole di sviluppo rurale hanno un ruolo centrale.

Le sfide e le crisi che sta attraversando questo settore non ammettono una riduzione della dotazione finanziaria della PAC. Anzi, c’è bisogno di più fondi, almeno di adeguarli all’inflazione, che negli ultimi anni ha fatto perdere miliardi di euro.

Dobbiamo fare di più e fare meglio per il contesto internazionale, che ci impone di potenziare le politiche di promozione per i prodotti europei; per i cambiamenti climatici e la siccità, che richiedono misure di mitigazione e contrasto e strumenti di gestione della crisi; per lo spopolamento delle aree rurali e la chiusura delle aziende agricole, che esigono nuove misure per il rinnovo generazionale e per la creazione di posti di lavoro di qualità e dignitosi.

L’elenco sarebbe ancora lungo. Parliamo della cura, la cura delle nostre terre, del pianeta, la cura delle persone. Non possiamo permetterci né rallentamenti, né passi indietro.

Hélder Sousa Silva, relator do parecer da Comissão CULT. – Senhor Presidente, Senhor Comissário, caros colegas, as linhas orientadoras para o orçamento de 2026 refletem uma visão clara para o futuro da União Europeia. A inclusão da cultura e da educação nas diretrizes é um passo crucial, reafirmando o seu papel essencial na construção de uma Europa mais forte, mais conectada, mais conhecedora e mais preparada para os desafios globais que se avizinham.

A proteção e o reforço de programas como Erasmus+, Europa Criativa e o Corpo Europeu de Solidariedade são passos fundamentais para promover a inclusão, a formação de competências e o fortalecimento da nossa identidade comum. Estes programas desempenham um papel crucial não só no desenvolvimento dos nossos jovens, mas também em toda a sociedade.

É, por isso, vital garantir que o orçamento de 2026 assegure os recursos necessários para que possamos enfrentar os desafios futuros com confiança, com força, mas, acima de tudo, com união.

Karlo Ressler, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Mr President, dear Commissioner Serafin, dear colleagues, the annual budget for the next year is one of the final budgets in the multiannual financial framework.

With limited fiscal space, it is necessary, therefore, to set clear priorities. Among them, in the face of the deep growing geopolitical threats, must be the need to strengthen European defence and security policies, stronger investments in strategic capacities and Europe’s ability to respond to crises.

In addition, it is crucial to ensure continued support for an effective migration policy and the protection of our external borders. At the same time, we need to invest in productivity and competitiveness so that Europe remains a global leader, but also a safe and prosperous home for its citizens.

In this context, but also in the context of the negotiations on the MFF, the adoption of the guidelines carries significant political weight. In recent years, unfortunately, the Parliament did not always adopt its own guidelines. We all have, therefore, the responsibility not to allow such a signal of weakness to be repeated.

I welcome the proposal on the budgetary guidelines by Andrzej Halicki, our rapporteur, and I really welcome this responsible approach and hope that we will continue like this also with the vote this week.

Jean-Marc Germain, au nom du groupe S&D. – Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, chers collègues, dans un monde au bord de l’effondrement, où l’impérialisme surgit, où nos alliés s’éloignent de nous, où les inégalités se creusent, où la guerre est à notre porte, l’Europe s’érige en dernier vaisseau, qui trace son sillage d’humanisme, de paix et de prospérité. L’Europe doit continuer de montrer le cap, et pour cela elle a besoin de notre volonté commune. Mais elle a aussi besoin d’un budget.

Ce budget doit être au service de nos concitoyens. Il doit permettre, Monsieur le Commissaire, plus d’investissements pour répondre à l’urgence sécuritaire, à l’urgence climatique et à l’urgence sociale. Il doit refuser les coupes dans les politiques sociales et environnementales destinées à payer les intérêts de la dette engendrée par la COVID-19 et à financer les efforts de défense. Nous devrons trouver les ressources pour faire et l’un et l’autre. C’est le message clé de ce texte, que nous allons voter mercredi, et je veux en féliciter le rapporteur, M. Halicki, et les rapporteurs fictifs – M. Ušakovs, pour ce qui nous concerne.

Aujourd’hui, le compromis trouvé entre les quatre groupes de la coordination pro-européenne est menacé par l’introduction de débats qui n’ont rien à voir avec le budget – sur l’immigration, sur le financement de l’aide à Gaza. Les mêmes causes produisant les mêmes effets, ce budget est en danger – je vous le dis, il va droit dans le mur.

Chers collègues du PPE, vous vous apprêtez à voter des amendements qui sont inacceptables pour notre groupe. Rien ne serait pire que de voir le Parlement ne pas se montrer capable, en ces temps troublés, de définir ses orientations budgétaires. Nous nous sommes battus ensemble pour arriver à un compromis. Ce compromis est bon, il n’est pas trop tard. Hissons-nous à la hauteur de nos responsabilités historiques! Donnons un cap budgétaire à l’Europe!

Julien Sanchez, au nom du groupe PfE. – Monsieur le Président, je voudrais d’abord présenter mes condoléances à la France. Oui, après la Roumanie, l’état de droit est mort en France aujourd’hui, après qu’un juge a décidé de rendre inéligible, à la suite d’une cabale socialiste fomentée ici, la cheffe de l’opposition, créditée hier encore de 37 % des voix au premier tour de la présidentielle. Tout démocrate ne peut qu’être choqué de voir que l’inéligibilité de la seule candidate d’opposition crédible déclarée…

(Le Président interrompt l’orateur)

… les Français sont choqués et adhèrent nombreux à notre parti depuis cette décision. Nos idées montent, et vous ne pourrez rien y changer.

Revenons à ce Parlement. Nous y sommes la première délégation, tous pays confondus. J’ai quelques secondes pour vous parler des orientations pour le budget 2026. Force de proposition, le groupe des Patriotes pour l’Europe a fait un grand nombre d’amendements sur ce sujet, qui seront mis aux voix cette semaine.

Ce qu’il faut retenir de votre orientation, c’est l’aveuglement idéologique sectaire. Seule l’urgence climatique vous intéresse. Rien sur l’économie, la sécurité ou la crise migratoire. Alors que les flux irréguliers explosent, les frontières restent des passoires, mais vos orientations s’enferment dans le confort des instruments existants, dont l’inefficacité est pourtant notoire. Vous voulez aussi élargir encore l’Union européenne à des pays qui ne seront pas contributeurs nets. Vous voulez enfin créer de nouvelles ressources propres – impôts ou taxes.

Nous nous opposerons à toutes ces folies.

Ruggero Razza, a nome del gruppo ECR. – Signor Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, desidero anche io iniziare l’intervento riconoscendo al relatore al collega Halicki lo sforzo fatto per cercare di ricomprendere, in queste linee guida sul bilancio 2026, alcuni degli elementi essenziali più importanti che provenivano dalle proposte di tutti i gruppi politici, anche del nostro.

Ovviamente questo è un dibattito che interviene in un momento particolare, mentre è incerto il quadro della crescita economica per tutti e 27 i paesi dell’Unione europea, legato anche a questioni di natura geopolitica che incombono in questi mesi, e così sarà anche nei mesi a venire.

Non meraviglia quindi l’attenzione verso il tema della sicurezza e della difesa, che è considerato, anche in questa relazione al bilancio 2026, uno dei punti straordinariamente più importanti.

Così come condividiamo molto il lavoro sul tema della ricerca e dello sviluppo, sulla necessità di dotarsi di una sovranità nella produzione dell’energia, nella gestione dell’approvvigionamento del farmaco, nell’attenzione verso le piccole e medie imprese, anche nella forma del partenariato tra pubblico e privato; nel ribadire l’impegno per la politica agricola comune. Sono tutte questioni che certamente trovano spazio, così come il grande tema della lotta all’immigrazione.

C’è solo un dubbio, Commissario: che 200 miliardi di euro siano pochi per fare tutto questo. Anche su questo bisognerà riflettere.

Stine Bosse, on behalf of the Renew Group. – Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the world around us is changing rapidly. As we, the Members of this Parliament, work towards the next EU budget, we must make tough political decisions already today and act with responsibility.

Our clean industrial deal must succeed. This means massive investments in grids, in electrification and hydrogen. Public health is an investment, not a cost. It is the foundation of our security. And in the words of our Commissioner, what we can do better and cheaper together, we must.

Finally, Europe must rearm. We have no time to lose. We will need cool heads and warm hearts. Let us show that the majority of this Parliament is united. This week, as we vote on the guidelines, let’s build the foundation of a strong political agreement. We will need it in the years to come.

Rasmus Andresen, im Namen der Verts/ALE-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Für uns Grüne ist die Stärkung unserer Demokratie und der demokratischen Zivilgesellschaft eines der Schwerpunktthemen für den Haushalt 2026. Deshalb beobachten wir mit Sorge, wie inzwischen die Legitimität der demokratischen Zivilgesellschaft von weiten Teilen – nicht nur hier im Haus, sondern auch global – angegriffen wird.

Wir sehen, dass Donald Trump gegen Unternehmen und Universitäten vorgeht, die andere Werte vertreten, als er das tut. Wir sehen, dass Viktor Orbán unabhängigen Journalisten und Menschenrechtsorganisationen vorwirft, vom Ausland gekauft zu sein. Aber wir erleben auch, dass konservative Parteien wie z. B. die CDU/CSU-Fraktion im Deutschen Bundestag mit einem Fragenkatalog das demokratische Engagement von Zivilgesellschaft untergraben will.

Wenig überraschend trifft es bei diesen Fragen immer Organisationen, die eine andere Meinung haben als diejenigen, die sie angreifen. Und genau dasselbe, nämlich unliebsame Organisationen mundtot zu machen, das erleben wir jetzt auch durch Angriffe der CDU/CSU auf das LIFE-Programm und auf Umweltschutzorganisationen hier im Haus.

Lassen Sie es mich ganz klar sagen: Steuergeld muss natürlich rechtmäßig ausgegeben werden. Aber wir haben das Vertrauen in den Rechnungshof oder aber auch in die EU-Kommission, die mehrfach deutlich gemacht hat, dass die Vorwürfe aus Reihen der CDU/CSU gegenüber diesen NGOs unhaltbar sind.

Wir wünschen uns hier breite Mehrheiten für den Haushalt, und wir stehen auch dazu. Aber dann muss man auch sich gemeinsam mit den anderen demokratischen Fraktionen hier im Haus bei solchen Themen verhalten und darf sich nicht von den Rechtsextremen treiben lassen.

João Oliveira, em nome do Grupo The Left. – Senhor Presidente, Senhor Comissário, um orçamento é sempre um teste que permite separar as intenções políticas reais das proclamações políticas vazias de conteúdo. A discussão das orientações para o orçamento da União Europeia para 2026 é um desses testes.

As alterações que apresentámos dão uma resposta clara: é possível termos um orçamento que dê centralidade às soluções para os problemas dos povos. Por isso, apresentámos propostas que dão resposta ao aumento do custo de vida e apoiam a convergência no progresso económico e social. Propostas que promovem o pleno aproveitamento das capacidades produtivas de cada país, o investimento nos setores produtivos e a criação de emprego com direitos. Propostas que preveem o financiamento adequado ao combate à pobreza, nomeadamente à pobreza infantil, ao investimento público, ao reforço da capacidade de resposta dos serviços públicos, designadamente na saúde, na educação e na segurança social, ao acesso a uma habitação digna e a preços acessíveis para todos. Propostas para a defesa da paz, do respeito pela Carta das Nações Unidas e dos princípios do Direito Internacional e do reforço da ajuda pública ao desenvolvimento de outros países e povos.

As propostas que apresentámos são essenciais para reverter orientações que vão num sentido errado, no sentido do militarismo e da corrida aos armamentos, no sentido do favorecimento das grandes empresas e das multinacionais – sob o pretexto da competitividade –, no sentido do desprezo pelos problemas que atingem os povos, as suas condições de vida e o seu futuro.

O desafio que deixamos a este Parlamento é o de que se utilize o orçamento da União Europeia para aquilo em que ele pode ser útil aos povos e ao seu futuro e não para os prejudicar.

Alexander Jungbluth, im Namen der ESN-Fraktion. – Sehr geehrter Herr Präsident! Der Haushaltsplan sieht sich anscheinend als Heilsbringer, doch in Wahrheit versteckt sich hinter den bunten Parolen Chaos und Versagen. Die EU hat sich auf einen falschen Weg begeben, auf dem man die Augen vor den wahren Problemen verschließt. So bezieht man sich in den Leitlinien ausführlich auf den Angriffskrieg Russlands gegen die EU, man spricht von einer vermeintlichen Verteidigungsfähigkeit, Klimawandel, Biodiversität. Das ist alles Ihr Programm, aber es sind nicht die Hauptprobleme unserer Bürger.

Eine von der EU verursachte Energie- und Wirtschaftskrise, unkontrollierte Zuwanderung und der Verlust der Meinungsfreiheit – das ist das, was die EU-Bürger beschäftigt.

Und lassen Sie mich eine Sache noch zur EVP sagen. Was mich gerade doch zum Schmunzeln gebracht hat, war Herr Simon von der CDU. Herr Simon hat doch gerade tatsächlich gesagt, mit Schulden könne man keine Probleme lösen, man solle doch auf Haushaltsdisziplin achten. Jene CDU, die im dreistelligen Milliardenbereich jetzt Schulden in Deutschland machen will, in einem Maß, wie es sich die Sozialisten niemals getraut haben, die erzählen uns hier jetzt etwas von Haushaltsdisziplin, davon, dass man Schulden doch zurückzahlen müsse. Das ist an Lächerlichkeit kaum zu überbieten. Sie haben alle Werte verloren. Die CDU ist im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes wertlos.

Siegfried Mureşan (PPE). – Mr President, dear colleagues, Mr Jungbluth, our duty here in the European Parliament is to protect the citizens of Europe. And I am afraid that your speech here does not provide any additional protection, any additional certainty and any additional security to the people of Europe. This is the difference between pro-Europeans and between sceptics, extremists and anti-Europeans.

We want to we want to solve problems here. We want to strengthen Europe. You want to weaken Europe and to just want to create problems.

What is our approach for next year? Under the leadership of Andrzej Halicki, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for the budget 2026, we are putting forward clear priorities for the budget of the European Union for next year. Security, strategic autonomy, food security and economic resilience should be our priorities. We want to make our economy stronger, more competitive, more resilient so that we can together invest more in the security of our citizens, in defending our countries, in protecting our external borders, in overcoming the multiple risks that we are facing.

Autocrats around the world are cooperating more and more. Russia is not the only country that is trying to weaken our cyber security. That is challenging the security at our external borders. And we need to provide a clear answer.

And what Andrzej Halicki is putting forward is an approach based on the priorities of all pro-European groups. We believe this has to be supported, and we believe that particularly in the area of security, defence, protecting the citizens, we will have to do more, faster and for a longer period of time. We are starting with the budget of 2026, and we believe that these will be our priorities for the foreseeable future.

Congratulations to the rapporteur.

Sandra Gómez López (S&D). – Señor presidente, señor comisario, la guerra ha vuelto a nuestras fronteras. Rusia no solo ataca a Ucrania, ataca la idea que representa Europa: democracia, libertad y derechos. Por eso el futuro de Europa también se juega en otros países. Rusia busca desestabilizar a nuestros vecinos orientales y del sur. Y no solo lo hace con tanques, lo hace con desinformación, con chantaje energético y con financiación de actores antidemocráticos.

Al mismo tiempo, los Estados Unidos dudan y en esa duda Europa tiene que decidir: o asume su papel en el mundo o lo perderá. No podemos depender de terceros para defender nuestros valores ni nuestra seguridad. Pero eso no solo se hace invirtiendo más en defensa, se hace también invirtiendo más en cooperación y en políticas de vecindad. Y por eso necesitamos en este presupuesto más recursos para todo ello. Porque apostar por nuestra vecindad no solo es un gesto de caridad, es un acto en defensa propia.

Proteger nuestros países vecinos es proteger Europa. Y apostar por ello no es un gasto, es una inversión en paz, en estabilidad y en democracia.

Bogdan Rzońca (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! Chcę powiedzieć bardzo wyraźnie, że ta propozycja jest lepsza, którą przygotował pan poseł Halicki niż w poprzednich latach. My patrzymy na realność gospodarki europejskiej i widać tutaj poważną zmianę, z czego się cieszymy. Cieszymy się, że nasze poprawki ECR zostały uwzględnione, bo zawsze mówimy tutaj, ktokolwiek reprezentuje ECR, że trzeba wspierać wspólną politykę rolną, dopłaty bezpośrednie, młodych rolników, bo to jest nasza przyszłość. Są uwzględnione średnie i małe przedsiębiorstwa, to także nasza ważna pozycja. Popieramy fundusz Erasmus+ dlatego, że młodzi ludzie powinni mieć możliwość kształcenia się. No i oczywiście też popieramy wszystko, co się dzieje w obszarze transportu i energii, ten aspekt jest po prostu tu uwzględniony.

Także popieramy infrastrukturalne rozwiązania. W tym wypadku przypomnę, że trzeci raz zgłaszamy teraz poprawkę dotyczącą płotów, fences, kiedyś to było fences, teraz są bariery na granicy, ale jest to uwzględnione, trzeba to powiedzieć, te fizyczne zapory na granicy są uwzględnione, wobec tego, to też nas cieszy, bo Europa musi być przede wszystkim bezpieczna, więc także tę sytuację widzimy.

Na pewno zauważenie kwestii mieszkaniowych, trudności związanych z mieszkalnictwem i odzwierciedlenie tego w budżecie też jest istotne. No i oczywiście, chociaż nie popieramy, nie popieramy wspólnej armii europejskiej, to wiadomo, to jednak te wszystkie działania, które są zawarte w tym dokumencie, naszym zdaniem zasługują na poparcie i ja tak zagłosuję. Więc myślę, że po prostu wszystkie te zapisy, także związane z mechanizmem obronnym, z tym, co się wiąże z ochroną ludności, bo mamy też katastrofy w Unii Europejskiej, jest odzwierciedlone w budżecie, więc to zasługuje na naszą uwagę i poparcie.

Lucia Yar (Renew). – Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, just last night, I returned from Kyiv, where I witnessed first-hand the looming threat that Russia poses to all of Europe. And believe me, we cannot afford to ignore the growing risks of further aggression further.

It is crucial that we make security a top priority in our 2026 budget guidelines and negotiate it resolutely with Member States. I want to thank the rapporteur and the shadow rapporteurs for placing defence at the forefront of next year’s budget, because the war on our doorstep is real. And the only way to safeguard Europe’s future is through collective defence and unwavering support for Ukraine.

Strengthening our military capabilities, investing in defence technologies and showing solidarity with Ukraine are all essential. Their fight is our fight. And by securing Ukraine, we protect the entire European Union. Now, more than ever, we must ensure our resources are focused on defending peace and strengthening Europe.

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea (PPE). – Señor presidente, señor comisario, los presupuestos son la plasmación concreta y precisa de las prioridades políticas, de las respuestas a los retos y de las soluciones a los problemas. Los presupuestos son imprescindibles para el adecuado funcionamiento de las instituciones. Sin ellos, la acción política se limita a las promesas vacías, a la falsa retórica y a los artificios contables. Sin presupuestos, ni hay prioridades ni hay política.

Si queremos en Europa apostar por la competitividad, la defensa, la seguridad, la cohesión, la PAC, la investigación o el Erasmus+, necesitamos un presupuesto. Por ello, quiero poner en valor el procedimiento presupuestario que tenemos en la Unión Europea y el trabajo de su ponente, el señor Halicki.

Lamentablemente, no podemos decir lo mismo en España, en mi país, donde el Gobierno se niega a cumplir el mandato constitucional de presentar los presupuestos por segundo año consecutivo. Es una anomalía democrática absolutamente inconcebible en un Estado de la Unión Europea y quiero denunciarla públicamente aquí.

Giuseppe Lupo (S&D). – Signor Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, il futuro dell’Europa dipende dalla sua capacità di investire e di rilanciare la competitività in modo strategico e inclusivo.

Per il 2026 sarà fondamentale avere un bilancio forte e concentrare i fondi europee su aree chiave che possano garantire un vero cambiamento.

In primo luogo, i giovani: investire in istruzione e formazione, in particolare per l’occupazione giovanile e delle donne, è essenziale per lo sviluppo delle aree svantaggiate dell’Unione europea, come la Sicilia e la Sardegna.

È necessario rafforzare gli investimenti per la salute e la ricerca, per gli aiuti umanitari tagliati dall’amministrazione Trump, per aiutare le popolazioni colpite da guerre, carestie e calamità naturali – come recentemente, purtroppo, in Birmania.

Vogliamo un’Europa che investe sul futuro, che investe sui giovani; un’Europa che sia più equa, coesa e prospera.

Tobiasz Bocheński (ECR). – Szanowny Panie Przewodniczący! Przez świat przetacza się wiatr zmian i zagrożeń. U progu Unii Europejskiej toczy się wojna. Wszyscy jesteśmy świadkami rewolucji technologicznej, która dzieje się na naszych oczach. Raport Draghiego pokazał, że gospodarka Unii Europejskiej wymaga gruntownych zmian, a te zmiany muszą rozpocząć się od odbiurokratyzowania i deregulacji, która powinna się odbyć. I niewątpliwie widzimy interesującą i ciekawą dyskusję wokół tych kwestii w Unii Europejskiej. Wytyczne dla budżetu 2026 i to, co przedstawił sprawozdawca, zasługuje na naszą uwagę, ponieważ pokazuje zmiany, ale jednocześnie ma też wiele wad, o których warto powiedzieć.

Nie ma radykalnego odejścia od głupiej polityki Zielonego Ładu, który niszczy naszą gospodarkę i sprawia, że nie będziemy konkurencyjni wobec Unii, wobec Stanów Zjednoczonych i Chin. To wymaga głębszego przemyślenia i głębszych korekt niż te, które są zaproponowane i zmierzają wszak w lepszym kierunku niż w latach poprzednich.

Janusz Lewandowski (PPE). – Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! Uzgadniamy priorytety Parlamentu na rok 2026. Pozycja Parlamentu, czyli siła negocjacyjna, powinna być solidnie wsparta przez głosowanie większościowe w środę. To jest ważne, dlatego że Parlament ma realny wpływ na budżety roczne w ramach codecision, a szczególnie teraz mamy ogromne problemy, żeby w ciasnych ramach wieloletnich ram finansowych 2021–2027 znaleźć solidną odpowiedź finansową na nowe wyzwania, nowe zagrożenia.

Dlatego uciekamy się do rozwiązań pozabudżetowych, takich jak NewGenerationEU czy nowa inicjatywa SAFE z gwarancją budżetową, ale opartych na artykule 122, który praktycznie eliminuje Parlament. Dlatego tak ważne jest, aby ta karta przetargowa Parlamentu obroniła się w głosowaniu w środę. To będzie nasz egzamin ze sztuki zawierania kompromisów na tym forum. Idąc poza budżety roczne, jesteśmy coraz bardziej ciekawi, co nam komisarz Serafin wyszykuje w budżetach po roku 2027.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Gabriel Mato (PPE). – Señor presidente, cuando hablamos de los próximos presupuestos, como canario, no puedo dejar de llamar la atención sobre la importancia del POSEI y la necesidad de adaptarlo a la situación actual. Por eso hay que celebrar que se haya incluido nuestra enmienda en el informe sobre las orientaciones generales para la preparación del presupuesto 2026. La ficha financiera del POSEI lleva trece años sin actualizarse y es el momento de que la modifiquemos para reflejar el aumento de costes derivado de la inflación y el aumento de los precios de la energía, y así asegurarnos de que la agricultura en Canarias siga gozando del necesario apoyo de la Unión.

Pero más importante aún, y mirando más allá de 2026, las negociaciones para el próximo marco financiero plurianual comenzarán pronto y debemos garantizar que todos los agricultores de la Unión reciben apoyo económico, especialmente los de las regiones ultraperiféricas. El Parlamento está haciendo su parte; incluso la Comisión Europea ha reconocido que estas regiones requieren de un compromiso firme por parte de la Unión. Ahora les toca a España y al resto de Estados miembros asegurarse de que este compromiso no es en vano.

Desde el Partido Popular Europeo vamos a seguir luchando para mejorar el apoyo financiero al sector agrícola canario, ahora y más allá de 2027, reafirmando nuestro compromiso con el sector agrario, con el POSEI y con su…

(el presidente retira la palabra al orador)

Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, domnule comisar, stabilirea direcțiilor prioritare pentru bugetul pe 2026 este extrem de importantă. De ce? Nu putem să avem bani în perioada următoare mai mulți, dacă nu îi investim acolo unde poate să ne aducă bani mai mulți, și anume în cercetare, în inovare, în IMM-uri, pentru a putea să dezvoltăm locuri de muncă bine plătite.

Nu putem să avem economie competitivă dacă nu avem oameni bine pregătiți profesional – iată de ce trebuie să avem buget pentru educație –, dacă nu avem oameni sănătoși – iată de ce trebuie să avem bani pentru sănătate – și dacă nu avem oameni bine plătiți. Deci, domnule comisar, spuneați că trebuie să găsim resurse suplimentare. De unde le găsim? Eu cred că le găsim dacă investim bine, dacă investim în coeziune, dacă investim în toate zonele geografice, să nu mai avem zone rămase în urmă. Și da, dacă avem o economie performantă. Dar mai este o problemă, dacă știm să ne apărăm piața internă, pentru că în prezent avem concurență neloială și distrugem locuri de muncă. Prioritățile pentru 2026 ale bugetului sunt extrem de importante și depinde de noi să le facem bine.

Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR). – Mr President, the European Union is facing many challenges, both from outside and within our borders.

If we want to provide a safe and competitive Europe for the next generation, we must change our priorities.

Our economic competitors are celebrating massive investments into new technologies, while overregulation and high costs keep European companies in a chokehold.

The numbers don’t lie. Our economic growth has fallen behind. A lot must change.

It is time to reconsider ideological green goals, and instead shift our full focus towards creating a mighty Europe that allows our businesses to thrive instead of transferring factories to China.

We have to take these steps if we want to ensure our resilience in times of a crisis.

And all of my colleagues: look around, the crisis is already here.

Let’s act accordingly.

Marc Botenga (The Left). – Monsieur le Président, je vais aborder un élément qui n’a pas été abordé et qui a fait la Une des différents journaux: c’est le fait que, comme chaque année, il y a une augmentation de salaire pour les commissaires européens, et notamment pour la présidente de la Commission européenne, Mme von der Leyen. Je me rappelle que, quand j’ai débarqué ici il y a quelques années, elle était à environ 30 000 euros par mois. Quand je racontais cela aux gens, ils me disaient: «Non?! C’est pas possible?!» Aujourd’hui, apparemment, elle va dépasser les 34 000 euros par mois.

Cela fait très longtemps que nous, députés du groupe The Left, demandons une réduction de moitié des salaires des commissaires européens, afin qu’ils se rendent un peu compte des priorités des gens. Parce qu’évidemment, cela a une incidence sur les choix budgétaires que nous faisons. Il est facile, après, de dire, quand on gagne autant, que l’on va prendre de l’argent du Fonds de cohésion, destiné aux citoyens européens, pour le donner à l’industrie militaire.

Ma question, aujourd’hui, c’est: «Y a-t-il un plafond?» Nous en sommes à 34 000 euros par mois pour la présidente de la Commission européenne. Y a-t-il vraiment un plafond? Je pense, chers collègues, que ce plafond, nous devons l’imposer, pour avoir une Europe qui serve les intérêts des gens et non de quelques riches seulement.

Nina Carberry (PPE). – Mr President, Commissioner, firstly, congratulations to the rapporteur Mr Halicki on a well‑crafted, forward‑looking report.

The 2026 budget will be a vital tool to strengthen Europe’s agriculture, fisheries, research and education sectors. But it must also rise to the challenge of new and fast‑evolving priorities. To boost its competitiveness, Europe must innovate more and faster. That means greater financial backing for SMEs, simplifying their reporting obligations and lowering barriers to the single market, our greatest asset. I also welcome the clear focus on fighting disinformation, promoting gender equality and investing in healthcare and humanitarian aid. Let’s make sure the 2026 budget delivers for all Europeans.

Hildegard Bentele (PPE). – Mr President, dear colleagues, we urgently need new guidance in this budget on EU funding for UNRWA, the unique agency for Palestine, which now operates in Gaza without effective international oversight since Israel has cut off contact to UNRWA on the basis of a Parliament’s decision end of January.

Mr Germain, Madam Gómez López, there is a serious risk that EU-funded humanitarian aid is being diverted to Hamas, an EU-listed terror organisation that has executed the attacks on 7 October, that controls the territory, that has deeply infiltrated local institutions and the education system, and that bluntly denies Israel’s right to exist.

There is evidence that humanitarian aid intended for the civilian population in Gaza is diverted. Former hostages testified that Hamas captors consumed UNRWA-branded food while they starved. UNRWA facilities have been linked to Hamas tunnels used for hiding escape routes and torture.

Most importantly, UNRWA has failed to reform. The Colonna report of 2024 clearly states that UNRWA educational materials still include hateful and anti-Semitic content, strongly disregarding the opinion of…

(The President cut off the speaker)

Lukas Sieper (NI). – Mr President, dear people of Europe, in a time of war, inflation and political fragmentation, this Parliament is doing something remarkable. We are looking beyond the crisis.

The 2026 guidelines invest in security and competitiveness, in climate protection, yes, and they also invest in Europe’s soul, because hidden between figures and margins lies a historic promise. The vision of a truly united Europe with funding for enlargement, for neighbourhood stability, for institutional readiness. We are saying to the people of the Balkans, you belong!

(The speaker spoke in a non-EU language)

Because we are not whole until our flag shines over Pristina, over Sarajevo and over Tirana. And that’s why, even in dark times, we keep building the light. That’s what this budget says. That’s what Europe stands for.

Γεώργιος Αυτιάς (PPE). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, κύριε Επίτροπε, κύριε Serafin, ως Έλληνας ευρωβουλευτής αισθάνομαι ιδιαίτερη χαρά γιατί —εκτός του ότι είστε φίλος της Ελλάδας— συμπεριλάβατε την εισήγηση του κυρίου Halicki και του κυρίου Mureșan —εξαίρετων συναδέλφων— στο να θωρακιστούν τα σύνορα της Ευρώπης. Και γνωρίζετε πολύ καλά ότι και τα ελληνικά σύνορα είναι ευρωπαϊκά, και ότι έζησε η Ευρώπη εκείνη τη δύσκολη νύχτα στον φράχτη του Αιγαίου απίστευτες καταστάσεις. Με απόλυτη σαφήνεια, ο κύριος Halicki, ο κύριος Mureșan και ο κύριος Ressler έδωσαν μεγάλη μάχη για τις φυσικές καταστροφές, ώστε γρήγορα να έρχονται οι αποζημιώσεις. Kαι το τρίτο και καλύτερο: μέτρα για τις κοινωνίες. Να στηρίξουμε τις κοινωνίες που μας έφεραν εδώ με μέτρα για τη στέγαση, για μισθούς, για συντάξεις, για πρόνοια, όπως ακριβώς είπαν. Και να ξέρετε κάτι: οι λαοί μας δεν θα ξεχάσουν ποτέ αυτήν την προσφορά.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Piotr Serafin, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I believe that this debate confirms that the guidelines prepared by the rapporteur are a balanced document which can count on a broad support in this House, which is, to be frank, also a good news from the perspective of the Commission, because, as it has been stated by a few of the speakers, at the current moment, full of uncertainties and chaos, the European Union and also the European Parliament should contribute to the stability and predictability.

The successful adoption of the guidelines and later on of the annual budget could be an important factor, passing the message also to the Europeans that we provide the stability and predictability in those difficult times.

What I will take also from this debate is that indeed there is a need to look for the balance. Defence and security are going to play an important role in the years to come, but we should not forget – and that is what the guidelines also remember – that we are not going to have defence and security without a strong and competitive economy.

And what is also reflected in those guidelines is that we need not only defence and security, not only competitiveness, but we cannot forget also about the cohesion of the Union and about the need to provide food security. And these are the elements that we should keep in mind, and we will keep it in mind. And I can assure you, on behalf of the Commission, that we will play our role in ensuring the successful negotiations of the budget for 2026.

Andrzej Halicki, rapporteur. – Mr President, colleagues, thank you very much. All colleagues really engaged in the process.

I would like to emphasise that, first of all, to have the strong position of the Parliament, we have to have the text. And of course, I’m also listening to your remarks. All the opinions are very important. I would like to protect this balanced text because this is the effect of the teamwork based on – I can say generally – five political groups together. So, it is good to have the majority on Wednesday.

And, of course, we still have 93 amendments. So, from different point of views, we can improve the text. But in this moment, I would like to ask you, and also say very openly, even one better amendment adopted from one side can spoil the whole process we achieved during the negotiations. And we have to be very careful because we are living in very tough times.

And the question concerning security: yes, of course this is the priority number one. But to achieve the result, we have to have our common strong position. And without these guidelines, our position will be weaker. So having in mind that the negotiations are just starting, I would like to ask you for responsibility and understanding.

Thank you very much once again for the teamwork and the tough work which was done, also with your assistance together during last months. Thank you and see you on Wednesday.

President. – Thank you very much, Andrzej. We keep our fingers crossed for your report.

The debate is closed.

13. Savings and investments union (debate)

Maria Luís Albuquerque, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, thank you for the opportunity to join you today to outline the main elements of the savings and investments union. The EU has major investment needs, and the world around us is changing dramatically. Furthermore, our economy is underperforming, so we cannot afford to maintain this status quo.

At the same time, the EU has enormous potential and the means to secure its economic future. If we fail to act, if we do not respond urgently and collectively to the threats and changes around us, we risk letting our citizens down and losing our place as a leading global voice.

I have seen unprecedented political attention on SIU and this is welcomed. We need to keep the momentum going. My vision for a successful SIU is one where: households have more opportunities to build wealth and save for the big events in life; there is a faster growing economy with more and better jobs; and there are enough funds flowing for our companies, especially those which are critical for our strategic priorities.

To ensure we succeed, we must act swiftly and decisively. We must see real change in the overall single market, but also in individual Member State markets. And most importantly, we must put our citizens first. By prioritising household wealth creation, we can bring new opportunities and spark a wave of economic growth across Europe.

We cannot do this alone: EU institutions, Member States, the private sector and civil society need to work together. It’s a shared responsibility. The SIU is an enabler to finance our common priorities as outlined in the Competitiveness Compass and will mainstream simplification, burden reduction and digitalisation.

The communication the Commission adopted on 19 March sets the SIU over four strands. First, citizens and savings. Currently, our citizens hold too much of their savings in deposits. These are liquid and safe and help finance the European economy through banks, but they also yield limited returns. Citizens could get higher returns by investing in capital markets. However, those who invest often find it easier to do it in foreign markets. This means that our businesses have fewer European financing options. Our savers lack EU investment opportunities, and our businesses struggle to access the capital they need.

We must fix this mismatch. We will take action to make investing in the EU easier and more beneficial for those who want to invest and choose to do it. The savings and investments account will help in that regard.

We will also work in the area of supplementary pensions, examining the Directive on institutions for occupational retirement pensions, the Regulation on the pan-European personal pension product. Furthermore, we will work on pension dashboards and pension tracking based on best practices. We will further issue recommendations on auto‑enrolment.

Second, investment and financing. More diversified sources of finance, including cross-border help to companies of all types and sizes to grow and create jobs. We will therefore take measures to stimulate equity investments by institutional investors. We will also explore ways to leverage on publicly financed projects by the EIB Group or promotional banks, to attract private money into strategic projects. Moreover, we will revise the legislation on European venture capital funds and we will review the EU rules on securitisation. Differences in national taxation procedures can create administrative burden and barriers, so this is also something that we will address.

On integration in scale, too often European firms cannot profit from the scale and synergies of the single market because it remains fragmented. This is a huge competitive disadvantage for the EU. We will therefore present proposals to remove barriers to cross-border operations of market infrastructures, asset management and distribution of funds. This will enable market participants to grow efficiently across the EU and to lower costs of financial services for businesses and citizens.

Fourth, efficient supervision in the single market. We also need strong supervision. All market participants must be treated the same way, no matter where they are located in the EU. We need the European supervisory authorities to reinforce supervisory convergence and to identify and dismantle divergent national practices. We will present proposals to achieve a more unified supervision, including by transferring certain supervisory tasks to EU supervisors.

And finally, on banking. Europe’s capital and banking markets are deeply connected, and the savings and investments union recognises just that, but linking the two closely, capital and banking markets. However, Europe’s banking sector also remains deeply fragmented. We need large and diversified banks at the single market scale, not just at national scale. I intend to encourage banks to make better use of the single market and call on all stakeholders to support the completion of the banking union. I am now looking forward to this debate.

Markus Ferber, im Namen der PPE-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, Frau Kommissarin, liebe Kolleginnen, liebe Kollegen! Europa steht vor großen Herausforderungen. Hohe Investitionen müssen in Verteidigung, in Digitalisierung, für den Klimaschutz getätigt werden. Gleichzeitig haben wir geopolitische Spannungen, die auf unsere Wirtschaft drücken, und die öffentlichen Kassen sind weitgehend leer. Deswegen wird die Aktivierung von privatem Kapital immer wichtiger, und ich glaube, das ist der richtige Zeitpunkt, dieses Thema zu adressieren.

Wir brauchen eine tiefere Integration der europäischen Kapitalmärkte. Wenn wir eine leistungsfähige europäische Wirtschaft wollen, dann brauchen wir auch leistungsfähige europäische Kapitalmärkte. Es darf nicht sein, dass europäische Unternehmen für Aktiengänge lieber nach New York gehen. Es kann nicht sein, dass europäische Unternehmen, wenn sie Geld auf dem Kapitalmarkt aufnehmen, lieber nach London gehen, und dass für europäische Sparer die attraktivsten Angebote auch auf der anderen Seite des Atlantiks liegen. Eine wirkliche Spar‑ und Investitionsunion zu schaffen, ist nicht nur dafür entscheidend, unseren Wohlstand zu sichern, es ist auch eine geostrategische Frage.

Die Notwendigkeit für eine tiefere Integration der europäischen Kapitalmärkte sollte deswegen eigentlich jedem klar sein; trotzdem treten wir seit zehn Jahren auf der Stelle. Die Probleme sind hinlänglich bekannt: Steuersysteme harmonisieren, beim Insolvenzrecht vorankommen, besser abgestimmte europäische Finanzaufsicht, um nur ein paar wenige Stichworte zu benennen.

Wir haben kein Erkenntnisdefizit, wir haben ein Handlungsdefizit, und es sind die, die nicht da sind – die Mitgliedstaaten –, die bisher alles ausgebremst haben: Jede Initiative wurde von den Mitgliedstaaten blockiert. Es ist traurig zu sehen, dass auch heute niemand von den Mitgliedstaaten hier im Plenum des Europäischen Parlaments ist.

Die Kommission hat einen richtigen Impuls gegeben. Wir sind bereit, das zu unterstützen – ich hoffe, der Rat auch.

Aurore Lalucq, au nom du groupe S&D. – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, notre épargne finance aujourd’hui les États-Unis. Trois cents milliards d’euros par an: telle est notre participation au financement de l’économie d’un gouvernement qui n’est malheureusement plus notre allié, qui cherche à étouffer notre agriculture, notre viticulture ou encore notre industrie à travers des droits de douane aussi arbitraires qu’injustes.

Combien de temps allons-nous encore être assez bêtes pour financer l’économie du gouvernement Trump? Rapatrier notre épargne est évidemment un enjeu économique – vous l’avez parfaitement dit, Madame la Commissaire – car elle pourrait nous aider à investir dans l’industrie, le réarmement ou la transition écologique, à un moment où l’Europe vit au-dessous de ses moyens.

C’est aujourd’hui, surtout, un enjeu politique. Aussi soutenons-nous pleinement le projet de la Commission européenne, avec peut-être quelques nuances – pour ma part, j’estime que la question de la titrisation est hors-sujet. Nous pouvons peut-être aller plus loin en demandant aux gestionnaires d’actifs d’investir un minimum dans l’Union européenne.

Je partage la conclusion de M. Ferber: il est temps que les États membres arrêtent de bloquer ce projet, et leur absence aujourd’hui est assez significative.

Enikő Győri, a PfE képviselőcsoport nevében. – Tisztelt Elnök Úr! Brüsszel hibás gazdaságpolitikájának kiigazításához az első lépés a versenyképesség javítása. Ehhez pedig beruházásra van szükség, de nem hitelből. Patriótaként nem fogjuk hagyni, hogy adósságba rángassák a jövő nemzedékeit.

A tőkepiac mélyítése és a magántőke mozgósítása jó irány. Az állampolgárok és a vállalkozások számára is könnyen hozzáférhetővé kell tenni a tőkepiacot ‑ ahogy az a budapesti nyilatkozatban is szerepel.

De néhány megjegyzés: az első, hogy Európa kockázatvállalási kedve sosem lesz akkora, mint Amerikáé. Teljes kulturális váltást szorgalmazni illúzió, ehelyett üzletbarát környezetet kell kialakítani itt, ami itt tartja és mozgósítja a megtakarításokat. Kevesebb és észszerűbb szabály: ez a kulcs. A második, hogy a közös tőkepiac minden tagállam számára fontos, hogy azonos lehetőségeket biztosítson. A harmadik: a megtakarítások és a beruházások összekapcsolását a piacra kell bízni, politika és ideológia nélkül.

A Bizottság ne akarjon diktálni, építsen a tagállami jó gyakorlatokra és véleményekre. Ne központosítson, hanem szinergiára törekedjen. Tartsa tiszteletben a tagállami hatásköröket, különösen felügyeleti és adózási kérdésekben. Mi, patrióták továbbra is a piac igényein alapuló, igazságos üzleti környezetért fogunk küzdeni.

Giovanni Crosetto, a nome del gruppo ECR. – Signor Presidente, signora Commissaria, onorevoli colleghi, le ragioni che ci spingono ad accelerare sull’Unione del risparmio e degli investimenti le conosciamo: abbiamo una propensione al risparmio nell’eurozona più che doppia rispetto a quella degli Stati Uniti.

Di questo risparmio soltanto il 30 % viene investito, mentre il 70 % rimane sui conti correnti, anche per via del nostro sistema bancocentrico, che vede i finanziamenti arrivare per il 70 % dalle banche e solo per il 30 % dai mercati.

Dovremmo però, Commissaria, iniziare a parlare di alcune soluzioni, come ad esempio la modifica del trattamento prudenziale degli investimenti bancari nell’equity delle banche, o come la modifica dei requisiti di capitale che ostacola tutto il mondo e il settore delle cartolarizzazioni.

Oppure, anche, come la modifica delle aspettative della vigilanza che, se non verranno allineate con il nuovo pacchetto omnibus, non consentiranno al settore finanziario di valutare le esposizioni delle imprese ai rischi del cambiamento climatico; o, infine, come la modifica – o sarebbe meglio dire eliminazione – di feeder.

Lei, Commissaria, sa che domani inizia un trilogo importante perché, così come è scritto, consentirebbe ai paesi terzi di accedere ai nostri dati finanziari, senza tra l’altro la reciprocità, compromettendo fortemente la nostra competitività.

Se vogliamo ottenere la competitività e completare l’Unione del risparmio e degli investimenti, noi dovremmo cercare di ridurre, se non eliminare, tutte quelle regolamentazioni che sono eccessive, se non dannose.

Damian Boeselager, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, thank you, Commissioner, for the presentation of the report. I have to say, these are not normal times. In normal times, maybe it would have been fine to propose a patchwork of ideas on how we can become a bit more unified in our financial markets.

But we have seen a situation where European competitiveness is at risk with the tariffs that come from the US. We have also seen a situation where still the S&P 500 has seen a 5 % decline year to date since January, and indices like the DAX are actually improving by around 15 %.

So, we have a huge potential now to really build European competitiveness. But for that, we cannot just do a little patchwork of ideas, but we have to do an actual Union. We have to do something that is worth being called a Union.

For that we need two things: we need national leaders to change how they decide about European fiscal and financial rules – and this is something that also ECB President Lagarde has asked for this morning, we need to wake up, we need fundamental change – and we need more investment in our innovation capacity. And here in this proposal I do see too little of that.

Gaetano Pedulla’, a nome del gruppo The Left. – Signor Presidente, signora Commissaria, onorevoli colleghi, l’Unione dei risparmi e degli investimenti, al di là del titolo del progetto, pure condivisibile, nasconde un pericolo fortissimo per i cittadini europei.

Per aumentare l’equity necessario agli investimenti industriali, compresi quelli più incerti, start-up e piccole imprese, si semplifica la possibilità di impiegare le grandi masse monetarie collocate dai risparmiatori nei depositi bancari, spostando così il rischio di tali investimenti dal sistema finanziario al mercato del risparmio.

Un mercato che vale 10 trilioni di euro, frutto del lavoro e dei sacrifici dei cittadini: soldi che la Commissione dovrebbe considerare sacri.

Nei giorni scorsi ci siamo confrontati in commissione ECON con la Presidente Lagarde, che ha assicurato un elevato sistema di controllo da parte della Banca centrale europea, ma, nell’attuale contesto geopolitico ed economico, è inaccettabile più che mai scaricare nuovi rischi sui risparmiatori. A maggior ragione se gli obiettivi di questa iniziativa puntano ad aumentare la competitività del sistema europeo, usando più tra tutte la leva del riarmo e dell’industria militare.

In questo modo la vostra Commissione avrà ingannato due volte i risparmiatori: la prima, mettendo a maggior rischio i loro investimenti; la seconda, amplificando a loro insaputa il finanziamento di una pericolosa economia di guerra.

E per la mia parte politica, il Movimento 5 Stelle, è inammissibile che persino le nuove norme per i risparmiatori rischino di finanziare la guerra.

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea (PPE). – Señor presidente, señora comisaria, se estima que, en la Unión Europea, el 70 % de los ahorros están en las cuentas bancarias y, en los Estados Unidos, al revés, el 70 % de los ahorros están invertidos en los mercados de capitales. Además, lo estamos oyendo aquí: los emprendedores europeos no encuentran la financiación para poner en marcha sus proyectos o para hacerlos crecer. Y un número muy importante se va fuera de la Unión Europea, en gran parte a los Estados Unidos.

Tenemos un Consejo que no nos permite avanzar, un Consejo que es incapaz de dar una solución a este problema. Tenemos una Comisión que ofrece una propuesta —que ha detallado muy bien la comisaria— de una hoja de ruta sobre cómo de verdad conseguir que en la Unión Europea se quiten las barreras y se consiga tanto atraer inversión como que la inversión fluya entre los Estados miembros. Pero no hay voluntad política por parte del Consejo. Y hay que denunciarlo.

Fui la ponente del informe sobre la unión de los mercados de capitales hace cuatro años y, en mi intervención cuando votamos ese informe, alcé mi voz en nombre de este Parlamento pidiendo que hubiera ambición política por parte también de la Comisión, pero principalmente del Consejo, para avanzar.

La situación cuatro años después no ha cambiado por parte del Consejo y es lamentable que no estén aquí hoy, como ha dicho mi compañero Marcus Ferber. Y es lamentable escuchar ahora que proponen que haya dos velocidades para conseguir estos objetivos. No podemos perder el tiempo y necesitamos reaccionar ya.

Eero Heinäluoma (S&D). – Mr President, the lack of a real internal market for financial services equals a tariff of more than 100 %, as calculated by the IMF. This is a tariff we Europeans put on ourselves. It makes the EU citizens remain champions in sticking to savings with low returns.

To turn this around, we need three main changes: firstly, CMU, SIU, the name does not matter. What matters are real structural changes. We cannot stick to the status quo out of fear for change. Structural deficiencies in the system need to be addressed properly and not paid off by promising tax incentives.

Secondly, to increase trust in the system, let’s stop producing underperforming products, let’s stop selling promo talks for advice, and let’s stop charging unsustainable inducements.

Finally, more trust is needed and there is also room for risk‑taking for consumers if there is transparency and financial literacy.

Only if we make these changes, the SIU can become a success and turn the EU savers into EU investors.

Ľudovít Ódor (Renew). – Mr President, Commissioner, the diagnosis is clear. Europe has a lot of savings on the one hand, and the desperate need for investments on the other. And there is no functional bridge between the two sides. Deep and liquid capital markets, more risk‑taking and equity investments are absolutely necessary to harness the full potential of an economy with 450 million people.

Attempts to create a capital market union have yet failed. What will be different with the new acronym SIU? Two things come to my mind.

The first one is the perspective. Capital market union is a very technical term with no appeal to citizens, businesses or entrepreneurs. Savings and investments are more understandable, but focus on citizens’ financial wealth and financing Europe’s global competitiveness is an even better alternative.

Second, urgency. In times of gloomy global outlooks, trade wars and protectionism, Europe needs to mobilise all its internal sources of growth. In my view, compared to the current plan, we should be even more ambitious and we should work all together.

Λευτέρης Νικολάου-Αλαβάνος (NI). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, αυτή η Ένωση στοχεύει στην αρπαγή αποταμιεύσεων του λαού, συνταξιοδοτικών ταμείων, για το φαραωνικό σχέδιο των οκτακοσίων και πλέον δισεκατομμυρίων της πολεμικής οικονομίας και τη στήριξη της ανταγωνιστικότητας ευρωενωσιακών ομίλων απέναντι στην Κίνα και στη Ρωσία, αλλά και στις ΗΠΑ.

Η ιστορία επαναλαμβάνεται. Ο ιδρώτας και οι κόποι των εργαζομένων γίνονται προσάναμμα για να τραβήξουν κεφάλαια που δεν ενεργοποιήθηκαν στην πράσινη και την ψηφιακή μετάβαση, και η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση επιδιώκει να αξιοποιηθούν μπροστά στη διαφαινόμενη καπιταλιστική κρίση, κλιμακώνοντας την πολεμική προετοιμασία. Οι λαοί έχουν σκληρή πείρα από τα ευρωενωσιακά μέτρα που σήμερα παίρνουν τη μορφή «περισσότερα όπλα, χαμηλότεροι μισθοί, χαμηλότερες συντάξεις», όπως υπογράμμισε ο επικεφαλής του ΝΑΤΟ.

Οι εργαζόμενοι έχουν χρέος να δυναμώσουν την πάλη τους ενάντια στα σχέδια που ενισχύουν τους λίγους και τα μεγάλα συμφέροντα, εκτοξεύουν την εκμετάλλευση και τσαλαπατούν το εισόδημα και τα κοινωνικά δικαιώματά τους. Να αγωνιστούν με γνώμονα τις δικές τους σύγχρονες ανάγκες, κόντρα στην πολεμοκάπηλη και επικίνδυνη στρατηγική της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, των μονοπωλίων και των αστικών κυβερνήσεων.

Lídia Pereira (PPE). – Senhor Presidente, Senhora Comissária, começava esta intervenção apenas lamentando a falta de comparência do Conselho, aqui nesta Câmara, para debater um assunto tão importante como a União de Mercados de Capitais, a União da Poupança e dos Investimentos. Tenho a certeza de que, se fosse um debate sobre defesa, teríamos aqui a representação necessária e este é também um dos temas que será central, um pilar essencial no investimento que devemos fazer em defesa.

Mas a proposta que hoje discutimos é mesmo a União da Poupança e dos Investimentos, é bem-vinda e responde a um cenário que não podemos ignorar.

As poupanças dos europeus fogem da Europa para outros países no mundo.

As nossas empresas – sobretudo as startups – têm de procurar financiamento fora de portas para conseguirem crescer.

E a fuga de capitais é acompanhada, muitas vezes, pela fuga de cérebros.

E, portanto, é prioritário travar esta fuga e atrair mais investimento, com mais inovação e mais oportunidades.

E como é que fazemos isso?

Primeiro: terminar o processo de integração bancária, assegurando mais proteção para os consumidores.

Segundo: harmonizar regras para criar um verdadeiro mercado europeu de capitais, um mercado onde seja fácil a qualquer pessoa aforrar ou investir, com supervisão europeia transparente e eficaz, com menos burocracia e menos dificuldades no acesso ao capital.

E terceiro: com uma aposta decisiva na literacia financeira. As pessoas, os europeus, para utilizarem o mercado de capitais têm de o compreender. Para que cada um acredite e confie nesse mercado, apenas com mais preparação e com mais informação teremos mais capital disponível para investir nas empresas europeias e mais dinheiro no bolso das famílias.

E para terminar, Senhora Comissária, apoiamos a União da Poupança e dos Investimentos e estamos preparados para trabalhar e torná-la uma realidade.

(A oradora aceita responder a uma pergunta «cartão azul»)

João Oliveira (The Left), Pergunta segundo o procedimento «cartão azul». – Senhor Presidente, Senhora Deputada Lídia Pereira, os planos da Comissão nesta matéria são planos perigosos e a Senhora Deputada, de resto, não fez referência a um dos aspetos mais perigosos destes planos e é precisamente sobre isso que lhe quero fazer várias perguntas, que têm que ver com a mobilização de recursos para financiar a economia a partir dos sistemas públicos de Segurança Social, favorecendo o negócio dos sistemas privados de pensões à custa dos sistemas públicos de Segurança Social, não apenas com a utilização dessas verbas, mas, naturalmente, com a criação de um campo de negócio nessa área.

E a pergunta que lhe faço é esta, Senhora Deputada: considerando os escândalos das falências de fundos de pensões privados pelo mundo inteiro e dos prejuízos para os trabalhadores, a Senhora Deputada acha mesmo que este é um caminho seguro para garantir os direitos dos trabalhadores?

Lídia Pereira (PPE), Resposta segundo o procedimento «cartão azul». – Senhor Deputado, agradeço-lhe a pergunta e digo-lhe que aquilo que acho verdadeiramente perigoso é que, daqui por umas décadas, o modelo social europeu esteja em causa e que não seja possível pagar as pensões a pessoas da minha geração, da nossa geração.

E, para isso, esta União da Poupança e dos Investimentos é tão necessária.

Temos de encontrar formas alternativas de financiamento dos sistemas de Segurança Social e, para garantirmos a sustentabilidade dos sistemas de Segurança Social, este tema, este debate é central para garantirmos que as novas gerações têm um futuro na sua reforma.

Angéline Furet (PfE). – Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, l’union de l’épargne et des investissements, sous des airs technocratiques de bon sens économique, cache en réalité un projet de dépossession de notre souveraineté financière, de notre modèle social et de la maîtrise de notre épargne.

Ce projet, porté par Bruxelles, impose des transferts massifs de compétence en matière de fiscalité, de régulation et même de financement des secteurs stratégiques. Le plan d’épargne retraite paneuropéen, par exemple, menace frontalement notre assurance-vie et notre PER, piliers de l’épargne populaire française. Pendant que l’on promet aux PME un accès facilité au capital, ce sont surtout les investisseurs étrangers qui, demain, dicteront leurs conditions, au détriment de notre tissu productif local. Quant à nos territoires ruraux, ils risquent une fois de plus d’être laissés pour compte.

Le Rassemblement national dit non à cette Europe technocratique et oui à une Europe des nations libres, maîtresses de leur destin financier. Nous exigeons un référendum sur toute avancée concernant ce projet.

Gilles Boyer (Renew). – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, les rapports dont nous disposons – ceux de MM. Draghi, Letta et Noyer – proposent tous des mesures concrètes pour bâtir une véritable union de l’épargne et des investissements, une véritable union des marchés de capitaux, pour financer nos transitions écologique et numérique ainsi que notre défense européenne, mais aussi pour renforcer notre autonomie stratégique.

Pourtant, dès qu’il s’agit de finaliser l’union bancaire ou de renforcer la supervision européenne, les résistances nationales refont surface et ralentissent les avancées. Nous sommes donc nombreux à attendre des propositions fortes de la part de la Commission concernant l’union de l’épargne et des investissements, à commencer par la révision des règles de titrisation, en vue de créer un levier de financement supplémentaire au service de nos priorités politiques. Ces propositions fortes, Madame la Commissaire, nous serons ici nombreux à les accompagner.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Ralf Seekatz (PPE). – Herr Präsident! Wenn 70 % der Ersparnisse auf Sparkonten liegen, haben wir sehr viel ungenutztes Potenzial, das unseren Bürgern und unserer Wirtschaft zugutekommen könnte. Private Spareinlagen sollten in innovative europäische Unternehmen fließen, vor allen Dingen auch in die KMU, in die kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen, die das Rückgrat unserer Wirtschaft sind. Ein besserer Verbriefungsmarkt oder ein europäisches Sparprodukt könnten zur Vertiefung der Kapitalmärkte beitragen.

Daher brauchen wir auch die Kleinanlegerstrategie. Nur wenn Anleger auch Vertrauen in die Kapitalmärkte haben, können wir das dringend notwendige Kapital für unseren erheblichen Investitionsbedarf auch erschließen. Es ist nicht gut, dass die Kommission überlegt, die Kleinanlegerstrategie zurückzuziehen, obwohl wir auf einem guten Weg sind.

Die SIU ist ein wichtiger Schritt. Wir brauchen mehr Anreize, und wir brauchen einen Plan, wenn wir international weiter wettbewerbsfähig sein wollen.

Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, doamnă comisară, stimați colegi, n-am reușit să facem piața de capital și rebotezăm acum. Ați venit cu o nouă denumire, foarte prost explicată. Știți, doamnă comisară, și ați auzit și aici, în țara mea, oamenii deja se tem, vor să-și ia banii din bancă, pentru că ei au înțeles că da, Comisia Europeană le ia banii pentru investiții, banii privați.

Doamnă comisară, în primul rând trebuie să clădiți încredere. Un cetățean, un întreprinzător – și vin din lumea lor, de acolo, din lumea afacerilor – investește dacă are încredere. Trebuie să clădim această încredere, să facem investiții în Uniunea Europeană, să nu scoatem banii să-i ducem în alte state, să nu plece cetățeni bine instruiți în altă parte.

Așadar, acest proiect nu poate să fie clădit decât dacă comunicați bine, explicați bine proiectul și atât cetățeanul, cât și întreprinzătorii vor veni cu banii privați în proiecte strategice. Altfel, va fi din nou un eșec și nu realizăm ceea ce ne dorim de fapt: să avem o politică comună în piața de capital, să putem să avem legi comune pentru tot ce se întâmplă în domeniul fiscal, să avem o impozitare comparabilă în statele membre, pentru că avem o piață internă, dar totul pleacă de la încredere, doamna comisară. S-a comunicat extrem de prost acest proiect. Toată lumea se teme și nu știe cum să-și protejeze acum banii privați, fie ei la cetățean sau la întreprinzători.

IN THE CHAIR: CHRISTEL SCHALDEMOSE
Vice-President

João Oliveira (The Left). – Senhora Presidente, Senhora Comissária Maria Luís Albuquerque, a concentração bancária em megabancos não serve os interesses dos depositantes, tal como a privatização ou a destruição da Segurança Social pública não serve os interesses dos trabalhadores.

A Segurança Social pública é uma garantia para os trabalhadores quanto à sua proteção social, incluindo quanto às suas pensões atuais e futuras. É preciso defendê-la, reforçá-la, incluindo financeiramente.

Favorecer o negócio dos fundos privados de pensões, fragilizando a Segurança Social pública, deixa os trabalhadores e os pensionistas desprotegidos. Permitir que o dinheiro da Segurança Social possa ser lançado na roleta da especulação dos fundos de pensões é o mesmo que destapar um ralo por onde se vai escoar o dinheiro das futuras pensões.

Veja-se o que tem acontecido em sucessivas falências de fundos privados de pensões por todo o mundo.

O futuro constrói-se com o reforço da Segurança Social pública e não com a sua destruição ou privatização.

Michał Szczerba (PPE). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Pani Komisarz! Polska prezydencja promuje bezpieczeństwo, również bezpieczeństwo w wymiarze inwestowania. Unia, którą Pani Komisarz zaprezentowała, te rozwiązania, te priorytety przede wszystkim dają bezpieczeństwo inwestowania, inwestowania z oszczędności, często z oszczędności, które pochodzą z dorobku i pracy całego życia.

Stąd też tak bardzo ważny jest również nadzór nad rynkiem kapitałowym. Umożliwi on również mniejsze ryzyko, ale z drugiej strony pozwoli na inwestowanie środków w najbardziej potrzebne sektory. I takim sektorem, który ja dostrzegam, są innowacje, ale również bardzo ważnym sektorem, na który zwraca uwagę polska prezydencja – są kwestie obronne. To są również potencjalnie duże wpływy dla funduszy emerytalnych. One się również przełożą na wyższe emerytury dla Europejczyków.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Maria Luís Albuquerque, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members. I will try for this closing to touch on the topics that you have raised.

First, I’d like to say that I felt there is significant support for the savings and investments union, and I would like to again explain that the SIU is not a rebranding of the CMU. We are talking of a broader project. The savings and investments union has the citizens at its core. We are trying to help our citizens make the best of our savings.

At the same time, we are working to get the necessary investment into our economy because if our companies get the funding they need to grow and be more competitive, then they will create better jobs and they will have better pay, which will again benefit the citizens.

By leaving most of their savings in bank accounts, inflation will eat up the value, so those hard earned savings will, when they need the money, actually buy much less than they do today. This is something that we should not lead our citizens to do. We do want them to have higher returns.

It’s true that it is about trust in the markets and we do know that there were unfortunately too many events where people did lose money in the markets. But that is why we have a reinforced supervision and that is why we will also continue to work on that to guarantee the quality and the delivery of our supervision. For that, as was also mentioned here, financial literacy is key. For that I would appeal to the Members of this House to support us in that effort.

It is not helpful to say that capital markets are gambling. It is not helpful to say that we are taking money out of people’s accounts. It is not helpful to say that we are robbing people because none of that is true and that is not helping people to make the best decisions for themselves, which is the goal of this project.

We are talking about using capital markets to direct savings into investments. Investments are necessary in our economy, in the priorities, but it will be people’s decisions. The Commission will not force private money into anything in particular. We will try to take the barriers out of the market to foster investment and people will put their money where the business case is. We are not going to tell people where to put their money and obviously the Commission does not intend – would never – take the money out of people’s accounts against their will. We will give them better opportunities, that’s the intention.

When it comes to pensions and the pension system, we know the demographic trend in Europe is very negative and that is why we worry about pension systems. That is why we worry that public pensions alone may not be able to guarantee our pensions going forward. I’m not talking about me, I’m close enough to the retirement age. I’m talking about the younger generations that actually need us to take the right decisions, to make sure that they will have pensions.

And we also need, obviously, to have innovation, to allow innovation to come into our market, to allow existing incumbent entities to be more open to competition, to be more open to innovation, so that better services at better costs can be provided. When we worry about our strategic autonomy, about the fact that our savings are going abroad, we need to guarantee here in Europe the same things that attract our money elsewhere. We need a big capital market with scale, with liquidity, with efficiency. We need to address the issues that have been so detrimental for investing in Europe.

This is what the savings and investments union is about. It’s a strategic enabler to be deployed across the economy. It’s to the benefit of all and it does have the citizens at its core. That is our main concern: for us to have efficient capital markets that can give people the best possible yield and return for their savings.

But we also obviously need to get the support of everyone. As I said in my introductory remarks, this is a shared responsibility. It is up to the Commission to put the proposals on the table; it is up to the Parliament, you represent the people, to be there to discuss with us and to support this project; and it’s obviously also up to the Council to support this project and to understand that we are facing different times.

We are no longer competing against each other, we are competing against external jurisdictions. It’s only by staying together and sticking together that we actually have a chance to succeed and to give our citizens what they really deserve, because we should never forget – and maybe we don’t say it enough – that it is all about our citizens. That’s why you are here, that’s why the Commission is what it is: to deliver the best future for our citizens.

President. – The debate is closed.

14. Composition of committees and delegations

President. – I have an announcement. The non-attached Members have notified the President of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees and delegations.

These decisions will be set out in the minutes of today’s sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

15. European Cultural Compass as a driving force for economic competitiveness and resilience (debate)

Glenn Micallef, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, my aim is to deliver a cultural compass for Europe in 2025, a meaningful and new strategy that we’ll shape together. A bold and ambitious political initiative, empowering culture and creativity, enabling healthy democracies and open societies, strengthening Europe’s security, Europe’s preparedness and our democratic values. And unlocking the potential of the EU’s cultural and creative sectors to adapt, to innovate and to drive Europe’s competitiveness and societal resilience.

Ladies and gentlemen, the European Union is a global cultural powerhouse, a global actor promoting worldwide the role of culture and mutual understanding. Culture shapes how people perceive the world. It is Europe’s beating heart, our lifeblood, bridging divides and uniting us, reinforcing our democratic principles, and empowering our regions and our communities.

But the cultural and creative industries also employ 8.7 million people in the European Union. That is almost as many as there are people employed by the agricultural sector, from music to performing arts, books to publishing museums, theatres and libraries, architecture and design, among others. These represent more than 2 million cultural enterprises in Europe, and they generate annually around EUR 200 billion in value added to our business economy.

Then there are our initiatives, like the European Capitals of Culture. They need no introduction or no explanation on their value added or their contributions to our societies and our economies. Their positive effects speak for themselves. But beyond all these numbers, culture is also indispensable to our well-being and our quality of life. With a strong positive impact on our health. It is an integral part of our European way of life.

However, honourable Members, we live in a time of profound transformations. This is a pivotal moment for our European Union and especially for our democracies. Artistic and cultural freedoms are increasingly under attack. Geopolitical tensions and conflicts continue to grow. Disinformation and foreign interference threaten to pull us apart. Economic and geographic inequalities need our urgent attention, and Europe’s competitive edge has continued to slip. This calls for fresh innovation to boost inclusive growth, but also to secure our sustainable prosperity, to create wealth, to create employment and further prosperity. And to step up our efforts to address global and societal challenges like climate change.

In all this, the cultural sector has a strong role to play in these societal transformations. A pivotal role to play. But for that to happen, the right conditions need to be in place.

First, artistic freedom remains the essential precondition for the creation and enjoyment of our culture. Fundamental principles and core values, such as the freedom of artistic expression and creation, will guide the cultural compass.

Second, there can be no art or culture without people. This is a strategic investment in our democracy and in our values culture must pay the rent. Improving living and working conditions for professionals working in the arts and cultural and creative sectors is an investment in people, ensuring they can make a good livelihood and safeguarding the future of culture itself.

Third, arts and culture are also important players and strongly impacted by other major, overarching societal transformations like the global race for technology and artificial intelligence. This comes with both opportunities and disruptions. We must follow these developments closely to ensure that our cultural and creative sectors are empowered, especially by securing fair remuneration and safeguarding of their rights.

This context calls for joining forces to shape a holistic strategic response together to harness the power of the arts, culture and cultural heritage, to foster innovation, to foster economic prosperity, to foster social cohesion and to foster regional development. What we need is a paradigm shift, one that places culture at the centre of EU policymaking across different sectors and industries, from competitiveness to defence, security and resilience, from regional and health policy to the rule of law.

In this respect, ladies and gentlemen, two weeks ago I launched a consultation process on the cultural compass. Together the views and experiences of Europe’s artists, cultural workers and creatives. I was pleased to see the engagement of the European Parliament and the Polish Presidency of the Council. And I was truly encouraged to see the sector’s strong support outlining our shared objectives for this initiative. The message was clear we need a European culture compass, starting with a structured and strategic dialogue with the culture sector and complemented by a strong Creative Europe programme to implement it.

Soon I will also launch a call for evidence to further gather the views of our cultural and creative sectors of Member States and of citizens. The latter, which are the consumers of our culture, are also quite important to me. But I also firmly believe that we must join forces. We must join forces to send a strong message. We must join forces to illustrate why the European Union and its Member States should support, invest and spend more on culture. This is why I stand before you today, providing direction, coherence and a new level of ambition, providing direction.

To achieve this, I intend to put forward a joint declaration bringing together the three main institutions under one strong political commitment, a commitment endorsing our principles, a commitment reinforcing the central position that culture holds for our societies and our people. Where the Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States are equal partners in shaping our vision for the future.

This collaborative approach is my political vision and my promise to you today, because a strategy’s true worth lies not only in the vision and the goal it sets, but in the momentum that we built together. For this to materialise, the full and assertive co-ownership of all EU institutions is essential. This is no small task, but it is possible. If we work together we can make it possible. I count on your full support and I look forward to your contributions here today.

Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski, w imieniu grupy PPE. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Panie Komisarzu! Prace nad Europejskim Kompasem Kultury trwają. Mówił o tym pan komisarz. Oczekiwania na nowe narzędzia, ramy strategiczne są ulokowane nie tylko w środowiskach artystycznych, i to chciałem podkreślić. Trzeba pamiętać, że sektor kultury w Europie to około 8 mln zatrudnionych i 200 mld EUR przychodów. Jest szansa, że opracowanie powstanie do końca bieżącego roku, jak powiedział o tym przed chwilą pan komisarz. By jednak mieć satysfakcję, a zwłaszcza wysoką efektywność wykorzystania potencjału przemysłów kreatywnych, muszą być spełnione dodatkowe warunki.

Po pierwsze, potrzebne jest wzmocnienie finansowe, zwłaszcza takich programów jak Erasmus+ czy Kreatywna Europa. Mamy tych programów, instrumentów około 20, ale wymieniłem szczególnie te dwa, bo one mają szczególne znaczenie. Po drugie, wsparcie programów edukacyjnych, kształcenia samych artystów, ale także dalsze wysiłki związane z likwidacją rozmaitych barier w dostępie do kultury. Po trzecie, dostrzeżenie zagrożeń, szans i właściwe odniesienie się do nowych projektów z wykorzystaniem sztucznej inteligencji. Właściwe wdrażanie stosownego aktu wymaga precyzji, dobrego tempa i adekwatności. I na koniec, dostrzeżenie apeli samych środowisk artystycznych, ich krytycznych uwag odnoszących się do praw autorskich i chronienia autentycznej ich twórczości.

Musimy zwrócić uwagę na potrzeby wsparcia dla ludzi świata kultury, jeśli chodzi o ich mobilność i tworzenie nowoczesnych warsztatów pracy. Nie zapomnijmy także o samej promocji. Mamy tu w Europie tak wiele tak cennych obiektów, utworów, rozmaitych dzieł, by z nich skorzystać i ekonomicznie, i na prestiżu.

Hannes Heide, im Namen der S&D-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, Herr Kommissar! Die Europäische Union ist existenziell gefährdet. Der Angriff auf unsere Demokratie und europäischen Werte erfolgt von innen und außen. Gerade deshalb ist es notwendig, Kultur zu stärken und unsere Gesellschaft vor illiberalen, autoritären Tendenzen zu schützen.

Der Kultur- und Kreativsektor trägt 5,5 Prozent zur Gesamtwirtschaftsleistung der Europäischen Union bei und beschäftigt über 7,5 Millionen Menschen. Creative Europe ist allerdings das einzige direkte Kulturförderprogramm der Europäischen Union. Der Kultur- und Kreativbereich ist im Vergleich zu anderen Sektoren unterfinanziert. Der neue mehrjährige Finanzrahmen muss sicherstellen, dass Creative Europe ein starkes, eigenständiges Programm bleibt und das Budget deutlich aufgestockt wird.

Der Kulturkompass ist jedenfalls ein optimales Instrument, die drängenden Herausforderungen wie faire Arbeitsbedingungen für Kulturschaffende, die Potentiale des Kultur- und Kreativsektors zu nützen oder den Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz ambitioniert und erfolgversprechend anzugehen. Nirgendwo sonst ist der sozio-ökonomische Effekt so groß wie bei der Förderung im Kulturbereich. Wenn wir den Kultur- und Kreativsektor voranbringen, dann bringen wir die Europäische Union insgesamt vorwärts.

Ивайло Вълчев, от името на групата ECR. – Г-жо Председател, новата стратегия “Културен компас” наистина е шанс за един силен, свързан и иновативен културен сектор в Европейския съюз. Но за да бъде успешна тази стратегия, трябва да поставим правилните принципи.

Трябват ни реалистични, работещи програми и стимули, лишени от всякаква идеология, които да насърчават творците и да привличат инвестиции. Държавите членки трябва да бъдат активно ангажирани, но да помним, че културата е национална ценност и не може, и не бива да се диктува от Брюксел. Никаква намеса, само подкрепа и обмен на добри практики.

Да помним също, че технологиите и изкуственият интелект могат да подобрят ефективността, но творчеството винаги ще принадлежи на хората. Нека да създаваме условия за растеж, за международни връзки, за културно разнообразие, но без да жертваме свободата на изразяване. Нека да градим, без да налагаме.

Laurence Farreng, au nom du groupe Renew. – Madame la Présidente, Monsieur le Commissaire, promouvoir notre culture, c’est aussi nous défendre et nous imposer. Notre boussole culturelle, c’est notre boussole de souveraineté. Alors que les attaques contre notre modèle européen se multiplient, ne cédons pas aux menaces américaines. Abandonner notre régulation du numérique et ne pas défendre bec et ongles la reconnaissance du droit d’auteur face à l’intelligence artificielle seraient des fautes historiques, le coup de grâce pour le secteur culturel et, au-delà, pour notre civilisation. Alors soyons intransigeants!

Par ailleurs, Monsieur le Commissaire – je connais votre engagement –, donnons une vision! Les consultations, c’est bien, mais donnons une vision! En promouvant le multilinguisme pour la circulation des œuvres, en donnant un statut protecteur aux artistes, en renforçant les coproductions dans tous les arts – de l’audiovisuel au théâtre –, en donnant la main aux villes et aux collectivités locales pour créer ensemble et au plus près des citoyens, et pour valoriser leur patrimoine local et leur culture locale. Il n’y aura pas d’Europe demain sans culture européenne.

Nela Riehl, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Commissioner, dear Glenn, I thank you for your statement and your great commitment to making this a very co-creative process. I really appreciate that, and I believe we are on the right track, but let’s not underestimate the challenge we face here. There is a hybrid war knocking at our doors. Storytelling, clicks on social media and censorship are weaponised against civilians.

To withstand this, we need vibrant civil societies. We need feelings of belonging together and courage to speak back. This is what culture is actually for.

We need a European agenda for culture to protect our pluralistic democracies and societies. The culture sector needs security when it comes to plannability, freedom of expression, access and representation.

Let’s commit to improving the condition for cultural workers. We now have the opportunity to set very clear guidelines.

First, we need to guarantee artistic freedom. The European Media Freedom Act has been a great success in preserving journalists’ independence, and now we need the same level of legislation to protect freedom of expression for artists and creators.

Second, we need solid and sustainable funding for the cultural sector. As we are now discussing the next MFF, let’s secure at least 2 % of the overall budget for culture. This is a matter of preparedness, of resilience and of defence.

Lastly, we need a European strategy on cultural relations and to understand Europe as a global cultural actor, not with a paternalistic worldview, but as a key to foreign policy based on mutual respect. Let’s make this happen.

Νίκος Παππάς, εξ ονόματος της ομάδας The Left. – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, κύριε Επίτροπε, ο πολιτισμός δεν αποτελεί απλά πυξίδα για την Ευρώπη. Είναι η ψυχή της. Μας ενώνει, μας διδάσκει και μας βοηθάει να ονειρευτούμε και να χτίσουμε ένα καλύτερο μέλλον. Δυστυχώς όμως, στις μέρες μας, οι αξίες που εκπροσωπεί, όπως η ελευθερία, η ποικιλομορφία, η διαφορετικότητα και ο διάλογος απειλούνται. Ακραίες φωνές επιδιώκουν να διχάσουν αντί να ενώσουν.

Για παράδειγμα, στη χώρα μου, βουλευτής του Κοινοβουλίου βανδάλισε έργα και εικόνες μέσα στην Εθνική Πινακοθήκη. Άλλοι ακραίοι προπηλακίζουν και απειλούν ηθοποιούς στις παραστάσεις τους, στα θέατρα.

Η ελευθερία της έκφρασης όμως δεν είναι διαπραγματεύσιμη. Είναι το θεμέλιο της δημοκρατίας και της καλλιτεχνικής δημιουργίας. Οφείλουμε λοιπόν να προστατεύσουμε τους καλλιτέχνες, τους επαγγελματίες στον χώρο του πολιτισμού και τους θεσμούς από τη λογοκρισία, την πολιτική πίεση και την επαγγελματική επισφάλεια.

Ο πολιτισμός δεν είναι πολυτέλεια. Είναι ανάγκη για τη δημοκρατική ανθεκτικότητα. Είναι δικαίωμα για όλους. Καθώς διαμορφώνουμε, λοιπόν, την πολιτισμική πυξίδα της Ευρώπης, ας μην προσεγγίσουμε τον πολιτισμό μόνο ως εργαλείο για την ανταγωνιστικότητα. Ας διασφαλίσουμε, πρώτα από όλα, ότι θα υπερασπίζεται την ελευθερία και τη δημιουργικότητα ως κοινή μας κληρονομιά.

Hélder Sousa Silva (PPE). – Senhora Presidente, Senhor Comissário, caros colegas, com esta bússola cultural da Comissão Europeia, penso que a Europa esteja finalmente a perceber que a cultura não é um luxo só acessível a algumas elites, mas sim um verdadeiro motor de competitividade. O setor cultural e criativo representa 4,2 % do PIB da União Europeia e emprega 3,7 % de mão de obra.

Mas o seu impacto vai muito além dos números. A cultura é um pilar da nossa coesão e da nossa segurança. Numa altura em que a desinformação é uma ameaça crescente à estabilidade das nossas democracias, a cultura oferece uma defesa essencial, formando um público crítico e capaz de distinguir entre factos e manipulação.

Contudo, não podemos esquecer o contexto geopolítico em que nos inserimos. Em tempos turbulentos, a cultura também é um instrumento de política externa. Ao projetar os nossos valores no mundo, fortalecemos a nossa posição enquanto europeus.

E se queremos uma União Europeia mais competitiva, mais coesa e mais segura, precisamos de uma verdadeira estratégia cultural que não fique apenas no papel e que vai desde a Europa Criativa até ao Erasmus+, sem que ninguém fique para trás. Temos de nivelar por cima no setor cultural europeu e a bússola cultural é isso mesmo.

Sem cultura, não há verdadeiramente União Europeia.

Sabrina Repp (S&D). – Frau Präsidentin, Herr Kommissar! Kultur lebt nicht nur in den Metropolen, sondern in den Regionen, in kleinen Orten, in engagierten Initiativen. Genau dort fehlen aber häufig Räume, Mittel und Sichtbarkeit. Darum ist die Initiative des Kulturkompasses umso wichtiger. Kultur ist dabei mehr als Kunst und Unterhaltung: Sie ist ein Bindeglied; sie schafft Begegnung, Verständnis und Gemeinschaft. Sie ist ein Raum, in dem Unterschiede keine Trennung bedeuten, sondern uns bereichern.

In einer Zeit, in der Polarisierung und Ausgrenzung zunehmen, ist es umso wichtiger, diesen verbindenden Charakter der Kultur zu stärken. Sie gibt uns die Chance, Brücken zu bauen – zwischen Generationen, zwischen Ländern, zwischen Lebensrealitäten.

Dabei muss Kultur für alle zugänglich und erreichbar sein. Deshalb brauchen wir zielgerichtete Förderung für strukturschwache Regionen, vereinfachten Zugang zu Fördermitteln und vor allem echte Beteiligung vor Ort. Nur so wird Kulturpolitik mehr als ein Kompass. Sie wird eine gemeinsame Bewegung, die Europa spürbar macht – nah, bunt und lebendig.

Nikos Papandreou (S&D). – Mr President, Commissioner, thank you very much for bringing us into this discussion at an early stage so we can form the cultural compass together. In the last term, there was something called the Commissioner for European Way of Life. And when I first heard that, I actually smiled. But now I think it’s more important than ever.

And the European way of life includes… and I have to mention a few people, like Almodóvar, who makes us happy and sad, Pina Bausch from Solingen, who is a mortal, but when I saw her in Epidaurus in Greece, she looked like a goddess, and also Marina Abramović, Serbian. Perhaps they’ll be part of the EU soon, too. So this is what I think of when I think of culture, and now that we’re being attacked from within and from without, it’s even more important. So I support your effort very much. And, you know, our group here S&D is on your side.

Giusi Princi (PPE). – Signora Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, parlando di cultura il pensiero mi porta inevitabilmente alla mia Calabria, terra dal potenziale straordinario, perché, se la ricchezza della Magna Grecia che la caratterizza incontrasse le tecnologie digitali, potrebbero davvero nascere delle opportunità dirompenti.

È questa l’alchimia che vogliamo: trasformare le eredità culturali e storiche dei territori in occasioni concrete di sviluppo.

È la cultura che ci definisce come europei, perché ogni euro investito in cultura ne genera 2,7 di valore aggiunto nei territori.

Ma senza investimenti strategici questo potenziale resterà inespresso. La bussola della cultura deve allora tradursi in azioni concrete: fondi per l’imprenditoria culturale, incentivi fiscali, formazione innovativa.

La scelta è ora! La posta in gioco è il futuro delle nostre regioni, della nostra economia, delle nuove generazioni, della nostra stessa idea di Europa.

Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus (S&D). – Panie Komisarzu! Bardzo doceniam fakt, że rozpoczynamy pracę nad tą strategią. Ona jest kluczowa i ważna, ponieważ żyjemy w kluczowych i wyjątkowych czasach. Tak jak Pan Komisarz przed chwilą powiedział, sektor kultury w czasach, które teraz mamy, potrzebuje naprawdę bardzo dużych wyzwań i mam nadzieję, że będzie w związku z tym bardzo ambitna legislacja, która pomoże w swobodzie wyrazu artystycznego, w inwestycjach w ludzi. Polska prezydencja ma to na swoich sztandarach. Mam nadzieję, że to się uda.

Sztuczna inteligencja, której się bardzo obawiamy, a która nie może zaszkodzić artystom i musi chronić ich prawa autorskie. Dziękuję, że o tym dyskutujemy. Dziękuję, że o tym rozmawiamy, i powinniśmy jako Europejki i Europejczycy być dumni z tego, czym jest Europa, jakie ma dziedzictwo, jaką ma kulturę. Mam nadzieję, że nam się to uda, ale oczekuję ambitnych planów i ambitnych ustaw w tej kwestii.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Francisco José Millán Mon (PPE). – Señora presidenta, Europa es un continente de cultura, especialmente de patrimonio cultural, una auténtica seña de identidad. Los países de la Unión son los que acogen el mayor número de sitios reconocidos por la Unesco como Patrimonio Mundial. Espero que la brújula cultural, señor comisario, dedique un lugar importante a la preservación del patrimonio cultural europeo, que debe ser una prioridad de todas las administraciones concernidas, incluida la europea.

En cuanto a la financiación europea para la preservación de este patrimonio, creo que, frente a la fragmentación de esta financiación hoy, sería útil que estudiáramos la conveniencia de crear un fondo específico europeo que contribuya a la protección de nuestro patrimonio cultural.

Y quiero subrayar también la necesidad de que la Unión incremente su cooperación con las llamadas rutas culturales europeas, un programa del Consejo de Europa muy exitoso desde 1987, cuando los Caminos de Santiago se declararon primera ruta cultural europea. Desde entonces y hasta hoy, son ya cuarenta y siete los itinerarios culturales reconocidos. Estos itinerarios contribuyen a la preservación del patrimonio y son testimonio de una comunidad cultural de base, que está en el fundamento del proceso de integración.

Ľubica Karvašová (Renew). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, kultúra tvorí podstatnú časť európskej ekonomiky. Deväť miliónov pracovných miest, dvesto miliárd eur obratu. Preto podporujem váš zámer a vítam túto debatu. Pri vládach so sklonmi oslabovať demokraciu ale kultúra trpí ako prvá. Zažíva snahy o vládnutie a to zhoršuje nielen jej kvalitu, ale aj celú našu konkurencieschopnosť.

No čo s tým? Ako ste povedali, chrániť slobodu tvorby, podporovať medzinárodnú spoluprácu umelcov tak, ako po tom volá aj celoeurópska iniciatíva Resistance Now: Free Culture. Žiaľ, na Slovensku – no nielen – je realita taká, že dnes vidíme politické zásahy. Vidíme útoky na umelcov, vidíme finančné škrty či dosadzovanie nekompetentných manažérov do národných ikon, kultúrnych inštitúcií, divadiel a galérií a takisto aj v kultúre v regiónoch. Preto potrebujeme tri veci, pán komisár.

Prvá: presadzovať väčšiu ochranu slobody tvorby po vzore európskeho zákona o slobode médií. Po druhé, silný program pre mobilitu umelcov typu Erasmus, a posledná – podporu regiónov a kultúry v regiónoch.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Glenn Micallef, Member of the Commission. – Thank you, dear colleagues, for your constructive engagement in today’s discussion, which is very valuable in our work to design this bold and ambitious initiative.

Our aim is to ensure that the Union continues to be a global cultural powerhouse, a global leader in the cultural sector, because we are united in our view – also in the discussions that we have had today – that culture has an undeniable power to build bridges.

So now it’s the time to be more vocal. It’s time to be more assertive and to reaffirm our shared values – what we stand for as the European Union. You have all been clear on this. We need to be coherent. We need to be ambitious. And we need to guide our actions in the cultural field, which are right now dispersed over a number of instruments.

What we need is to find ways to enable the cultural sector to reach its full potential, to shore up our competitiveness and our societal resilience, to safeguard our democracy and our values. This is what will unite us in these incredibly and increasingly challenging times. Times where what we cherish the most – our values – seem to be called into question every day.

I find myself very much reassured by your support, by your comments and by your engagement on this initiative, as well as by your willingness to contribute to this compass that will try to make the cultural and creative sectors more resilient and more competitive.

This is a promising sign, signalling our intent to step up our action together to put culture, to put our shared values at the heart of our work, as well as our identities as Europeans.

I look forward to working with you to make this vision a reality, and I thank you for your commitment to take our work together forward.

President. – The debate is closed.

16. Situation of European academics and researchers in the US and the impact on academic freedom (debate)

Ekaterina Zaharieva, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members of the European Parliament, thank you for the opportunity to address the situation of our academics and researchers in the United States.

At the European Commission, we have been closely following recent developments across the Atlantic. As you are aware, the new administration has drastically cut federal research spending. Heavy staff and budget cuts have been announced for major federal science agencies. Overheads on federal grants could be dropped from 60 % to 15 %. We note with concern that some of these measures are targeting specific universities and scientific fields. These include climate science, vaccine research, as well as studies focused on women and minorities.

Meanwhile, across US states, over 150 bills were proposed to limit what universities can teach. Twenty-one have already become laws. At the same time, let me stress that this trend is not limited to the United States. Academic freedom is under pressure globally, as scientists worldwide are increasingly instrumentalised.

As the birthplace of enlightenment and the scientific revolution, Europe has a historical responsibility to defend academic freedom. While we are not immune to challenges, we remain a global leader in academic freedom. In 2020, we reaffirmed our commitment to freedom of scientific research with the Bonn Declaration. This commitment runs through our policies from Horizon Europe to our Pact for Research and Innovation.

At the same time, we cannot afford complacency. This global landscape is an opportunity to show the world that Europe will remain a safe space for science and research. Without freedom, knowledge cannot truly grow. The increasing number of countries associated to Horizon Europe also fosters our global engagement for academic freedom.

Let me be clear: I believe that Europe can and should be the best place to do science and research in the world – a place that attracts and retains researchers, both international and European, in particular those who are in search of a safe and supportive research environment. To ensure that Europe can be that place, we must enhance our ‘pull factor’. We must offer the best opportunities for scientists and researchers.

The European Commission is proposing concrete steps in this direction. First, by building on our strengths. To ensure that science remains free from interference across the Union, we will enshrine freedom of scientific research into EU law. This is in line with Parliament’s resolution on January 2024. We also improve the attractiveness and the access to our cutting-edge research infrastructure, notably in the upcoming strategy on research and technology infrastructures that we are preparing.

Second, we must make research careers attractive. Poor working conditions for researchers drives brain drain. This is why, under our Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, this year we are launching a new Choose Europe pilot. It will provide higher allowances and longer recruitment periods for top PhD researchers who choose Europe to pursue their career.

In parallel, we will increase the support we provide to European Research Council grantees who relocate to Europe. This is already a possibility today, as grantees moving to Europe can benefit from an additional EUR 1 million top-up. We will increase this to EUR 2 million already this year. We are also examining further measures for 26-27, with a new report on this in due course.

Third, we must make our frameworks simpler and more cohesive. The future European research area act will coordinate research strategies, because 27 excellent but fragmented research strategies do not make a good European one. I have recently received a letter signed by 13 Member States asking to coordinate the measures that are being taken at national and European level, which shows how necessary this coordination effort is.

We further enhance cooperation of our universities in the European university alliances. Pooling resources is key to achieve the necessary scale for top research and education. Also, a new visa strategy will be developed later this year. It will examine how the current rules are fit for purpose to attract top researchers, together with students and skilled workers from beyond our borders.

Honourable Members, to conclude, let me highlight the importance of close cooperation with this House and with all Member States to making this vision a reality. I also want to stress the role that our regions, our cities, our universities and research organisations have to play. Their work is what makes Europe not only a global scientific powerhouse, but also a model for a certain European way of life that the whole world admires.

Together we can keep Europe at the forefront: a home for our two million researchers, one quarter of the world’s total, and a competitive, safe destination for global talent.

Wouter Beke, namens de PPE-Fractie. – Voorzitter, “alles dat werkelijk groots en inspirerend is, is gecreëerd door individuen die in alle vrijheid kunnen werken,” aldus Albert Einstein.

Albert Einstein, en met hem vele anderen, onder wie de denkers van de Frankfurter Schule en Hannah Arendt, ontvluchtten in de jaren dertig het nazisme en fascisme in nazi-Duitsland en trokken naar de Verenigde Staten om daar in alle vrijheid en ruimte hun academische ideeën te kunnen ontwikkelen.

Vandaag de dag zien we het omgekeerde: de regering-Trump hakt fors in op de financiering van onderzoek. Zij perkt bovendien de academische vrijheid in en verzwakt het maatschappelijk debat. Als gevolg hiervan gaan steeds meer Amerikaanse onderzoekers op zoek naar nieuwe toevluchtsoorden.

Dit biedt voor de Europese Unie een unieke kans om zich te profileren als vrijhaven voor internationaal talent en de innovatiekloof te dichten. Om de achterstand op dit gebied te overbruggen, moeten we de basis van innovatie versterken met de wetgevingshandeling inzake de Europese onderzoeksruimte, die voorziet in betere toegang tot onderzoeksinfrastructuur en een strategie voor het wegnemen van belemmeringen voor start-ups en scale-ups. Door de onderzoeksmiddelen te verdubbelen en de Clean Industrial Deal aan te nemen, kunnen we ambitieuze wetenschappers aantrekken om hier de technologieën van de toekomst te komen ontwikkelen.

De huidige bezuinigingen en het klimaat van onverdraagzaamheid in de Verenigde Staten bieden voor Europa een gouden kans. Laten we investeren in onderzoek, onderwijs en aantrekkelijke loopbanen, zodat de Europese Unie opnieuw een baken wordt voor de wetenschappers van morgen.

Laten we de Einsteins terughalen naar Europa!

Marcos Ros Sempere, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, los enemigos de la libertad siempre atacan primero a la investigación y a la educación. Siempre atacan primero a los que quieren encender las luces del progreso en nuestra sociedad. Nos quieren mantener en la oscuridad del oscurantismo. Esto es lo que ocurre en los Estados Unidos con los recortes masivos en investigación y en enseñanza.

Y, en esta situación, la Unión Europea tiene que ser el faro del conocimiento, el faro que marque el camino en defensa de la libertad académica, en defensa de un pilar fundamental de la democracia. Debemos reforzar nuestras universidades. Debemos facilitar la acogida de investigadores afectados. Debemos consolidarnos como tierra de pensamiento libre. Más asociaciones internacionales, más financiación, más atracción de talento extranjero. Unas alianzas de universidades europeas fuertes que sean ejemplo.

Debemos mostrar a los investigadores afectados en los Estados Unidos que aquí la libertad es un pilar inquebrantable, un faro contra el oscurantismo.

Malika Sorel, au nom du groupe PfE. – Chers collègues, Madame la Commissaire, les attaques de l’administration américaine contre la science et la liberté académique ont conduit à des licenciements massifs de chercheurs, et le climat pousse les autres à s’autocensurer.

Les répercussions sont internationales. Des projets de recherche collaborative sont concernés. Comme l’exprime très bien Luc Ferry, ancien ministre français de l’éducation et de la recherche, la science est intrinsèquement démocratique, et c’est pourquoi nous devons nous inquiéter.

Nous assistons à deux attaques symétriques: d’un côté, le wokisme et le politiquement correct, qui ont sévi durant des décennies, y compris dans nos pays, et de l’autre un mouvement de réaction qui entend couper les vivres à des organismes de recherche sous prétexte qu’ils ont pu pactiser avec le wokisme.

Que faire? Il nous faut repenser au rapport de Mario Draghi sur la compétitivité. Chers collègues, nous devons absolument tirer profit de cette fenêtre d’opportunité, d’autant plus que nous observons que des flux financiers se détournent des États-Unis au profit de l’Union européenne. Accueillons les chercheurs américains aptes à favoriser l’innovation et à booster notre croissance, et mettons sur pied des programmes de retour pour nos propres talents.

Fernand Kartheiser, au nom du groupe ECR. – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, ceux qui reprochent au président Trump de vouloir restreindre la liberté académique peuvent aussi verser dans l’exagération. Si la liberté de critiquer la politique israélienne doit être préservée, la lutte contre l’antisémitisme et la violence sur les campus universitaires est justifiée.

De même, il faut rétablir la qualité de l’enseignement et de la recherche en écartant des pseudo-sciences, comme par exemple la théorie du genre. En promouvant la méritocratie, on rétablit la justice et l’équité. Les Américains ne favorisent plus certaines personnes en raison de leurs caractéristiques physiques.

Au lieu de critiquer cette approche, nous devrions l’adopter. Faisons de nos universités et de nos instituts de recherche des hauts lieux de l’excellence intellectuelle et de la liberté académique, tout comme le font actuellement les États-Unis.

Malheureusement, la réalité est autre. Les universités européennes perdent en attractivité. Certains de nos États membres sont très mal classés dans l’indice de liberté académique. Les pressions exercées sur des professeurs ou des chercheurs sont de plus en plus fréquentes. Des conférences, par exemple sur le sexe biologique en sciences naturelles, ont dû être annulées. Souvent, ces pressions sur les chercheurs sont exercées par les universités elles-mêmes, ce qui est totalement inacceptable.

Compte tenu de ces évolutions, l’écart entre les États-Unis et l’Europe risque de se creuser. Des deux côtés de l’Atlantique, tout doit être fait pour soutenir et défendre tant la liberté d’expression que la liberté académique.

Laurence Farreng, au nom du groupe Renew. – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, «la liberté, c’est la liberté de dire que deux et deux font quatre. Lorsque cela est accordé, le reste suit». Cette citation de Georges Orwell a une résonance particulière, aujourd’hui, dans l’Amérique de Donald Trump. La recherche de la vérité, la science se fondant sur des faits: tout cela est balayé sur l’autel de l’idéologie trumpiste.

Depuis deux mois, pour les universités américaines, ce ne sont que fonds gelés, licenciements, intimidations. Et les trumpistes vont plus loin dans la dystopie. Pollution, femme, victime, handicap, racisme, égalité, changement climatique, santé mentale: voici quelques mots parmi la centaine à avoir été censurés par l’administration Trump. Autant de mots que les scientifiques ne peuvent plus utiliser dans leurs projets de recherche. Les États-Unis, jusqu’alors eldorado des chercheurs du monde entier, sont devenus un repoussoir.

L’Union européenne a bien sûr une place à prendre dans cette reconfiguration. Elle doit devenir un phare pour la liberté académique, un nouveau pôle d’attraction des scientifiques internationaux. Cela doit se traduire par un plan ambitieux et par des investissements de long terme pour nos universités.

Alexandra Geese, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, the English newspaper The Guardian put it in a nutshell: when the physicists need burner phones, that’s when you know that America has changed. And they do need burner phones; a French scientist was recently prevented from entering the United States because US Border Patrol agents read his phone and found a personal opinion about Trump’s science politics.

The National Science Foundation is scouring thousands of research projects for dozens of newly prohibited words, and notified scientists to halt work that doesn’t adhere to Trump’s censorship. One word on that list is ‘women’. The US prohibits public research about women. Let this sink in.

‘Free speech is in retreat,’ said Vice President J.D. Vance in Munich. Yes, it is – but not in Europe, in the US. But for Europe, this is a very special moment and also a special chance, because when Europe wasn’t free, the US boosted their research, offering sanctuary to European scientists. And now it’s our turn. Let us massively step up our programmes to welcome all scholars and scientists who want to research here. Let us turn Europe into the global sanctuary of academic freedom.

Mario Furore, a nome del gruppo The Left. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, la libertà accademica è sotto attacco, non solo in regimi autoritari, ma anche in paesi che si definiscono democratici.

Pensate che negli Stati Uniti i recenti ordini esecutivi della nuova amministrazione Trump hanno congelato miliardi di dollari per la ricerca e censurato ambiti del sapere, quali il cambiamento climatico e le questioni di genere, e tutto questo perché siamo ostaggio di un’ideologia.

E oggi qui denunciamo un fatto gravissimo: un ricercatore francese, in viaggio per una conferenza in Texas, è stato bloccato ed espulso dagli USA dopo che, al controllo doganale, sono stati letti i suoi messaggi critici verso Trump. Un atto di repressione politica mascherato da sicurezza nazionale.

L’Academic Freedom Index mostra un declino inquietante e l’Italia, purtroppo, non è immune, perché assistiamo a ingerenze politiche e precarietà strutturale che minano l’autonomia dei nostri atenei.

Chiediamo all’UE di non restare in silenzio e di impegnarsi più a fondo per la libertà accademica.

Adrián Vázquez Lázara (PPE). – Señora presidenta, según el ranking de Shanghái sobre calidad universitaria, tan solo una de las treinta mejores universidades del mundo se encuentra en la Unión Europea. Por el contrario, diecinueve de esos treinta principales centros de enseñanza e investigación, es decir, un 63 %, están en los Estados Unidos.

La carrera por la competitividad y la innovación es una carrera de fondo. Muchas de las empresas tecnológicas que hoy dominan el mercado fueron en su día proyectos surgidos en entornos universitarios. Europa no puede quedarse atrás: debe apostar con firmeza, primero, por retener el talento —algo que no hemos hecho muy bien en los últimos años, porque muchísimos europeos están en universidades y empresas estadounidenses— y, segundo, por atraer el talento a nuestros centros académicos. Una universidad europea que aspira a competir en la esfera internacional es el mejor reflejo de una Unión Europea comprometida con su futuro.

Ahora creo que es el momento para lograrlo. El Departamento de Educación estadounidense ha reducido su plantilla en aproximadamente un 50 % en tan solo dos meses de la Administración Trump. A esta decisión, Europa puede ofrecer libertad académica, puede ofrecer un estilo de vida atractivo para cualquier investigador y debería ofrecer mucha más financiación.

Estamos en una posición privilegiada para liderar la investigación en la próxima década, y muchos de los académicos que buscan salir de los Estados Unidos son europeos que buscan hoy más que nunca volver. Por eso, señora comisaria, yo la invito a hacerse una ronda por las universidades estadounidenses y que les convenza y traiga el mayor número de europeos de vuelta a su casa.

Nicola Zingaretti (S&D). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, benissimo lottare come europei, finalmente, per la libertà della scienza, che è vulnerabile ovunque e in qualsiasi momento.

Donald Trump ha effettuato gravi tagli nel campo dell’educazione, ha licenziato metà dei funzionari del dipartimento e ha ridotto i finanziamenti alle università; noi sappiamo che gli Stati Uniti sono stati un pilastro della ricerca mondiale, che ha garantito progresso per tutto e per tutti.

Per questo l’attacco di Trump ci riguarda: è un attacco all’educazione, alla ricerca e anche un attacco alla libertà intellettuale. È un rischio per il progresso del mondo.

L’Unione europea e gli Stati Uniti rappresentano quasi il 50 % dei fondi globali per la ricerca e l’innovazione e ora noi europei abbiamo una responsabilità fondamentale: dobbiamo agire subito, per supportare le nostre università nel creare un boom di attrattività.

Accendiamo dunque la forza dell’Europa per attrarre i giovani, gli scienziati, i ricercatori, i docenti e per difendere il nostro futuro insieme.

Christophe Grudler (Renew). – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, avec M. Trump, les chercheurs américains vivent un véritable cauchemar: budgets coupés, bourses supprimées, licenciements abusifs… Beaucoup envisagent de quitter leur pays. Ces attaques ne sont pas seulement financières, elles sont idéologiques. C’est une censure de la recherche sur le climat, sur la santé, sur les technologies de pointe, sacrifiée sur l’autel du populisme.

Nous revoilà à l’époque de Galilée, où la science doit plier face au dogme d’un seul homme. L’Europe doit recueillir ces talents et devenir le bastion mondial de l’excellence scientifique et de la liberté académique. Offrons à ces chercheurs un avenir avec des financements et des perspectives. Les 22 millions d’euros annoncés pour le projet pilote sont une bonne chose, mais cela ne suffira pas. Il faut aller plus loin et chercher d’autres financements, publics comme privés.

Dear American researchers, European research needs you now.

Anna Strolenberg (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, a society that silences academics is a society in decline. A society that censors research on climate change and gender is a society in decline. Academic freedom is not a privilege; it’s a condition to do your job.

So, to all European leaders, to the European Commission, I have a message. We can feel sorry for all those academics in the US, or we can provide them with something better: a place where research is valued, a place where academic freedom is protected.

Attracting this talent is in our own interest. If not, we will become a society – a continent – of the past. We will become the backseat drivers. So we need this talent.

Today I read Europe needs to revive its hunger to attract talent, and this is true. We have to revive our hunger to become the frontrunners in research and innovation. So let’s triple our research budgets, let’s create easy visas for those researchers, and let’s take away hurdles for start-ups. Let’s make Europe the home for academic freedom where all talent counts.

Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (PPE). – Stany Zjednoczone, ze Statuą Wolności, w obszarze nauki mogą stać się zaprzeczeniem własnych kluczowych idei. Ingerencje najpierw słowne, potem finansowe, a w finale regulacje dotyczące ograniczeń w badaniach nie płyną dziś z Kremla, lecz z Białego Domu. Amerykańskie uczelnie zaczynają być pouczane, ograniczane w tematach prac, a Departament Edukacji podpisem prezydenta został zniesiony. Wobec ponad 40 uczelni, w tym takich jak Yale, prowadzone są postępowania – uwaga – o naruszenie praw obywatelskich.

Są dwa szczególnie wrażliwe obszary, swoiste barometry wolności. To świat kultury i świat nauki. Nie chcę dokonywać dalszych ocen polityki kluczowego przecież państwa na świecie. Dziś raczej chcę pozytywnie się odnieść do pierwszych propozycji naszych europejskich uczelni. Zapraszamy na Stary Kontynent i badaczy, i naukowców, i studentów. Zagwarantujemy im wolność akademicką, warunki do poszukiwania najlepszych rozwiązań, zarówno by dbać o postęp w medycynie, jak i by monitorować zmiany klimatyczne.

Lina Gálvez (S&D). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, la libertad académica lleva años disminuyendo de la mano de las propuestas antiliberales y también de la mercantilización del conocimiento.

Pero ahora, además, con la llegada de la Administración Trump, la censura, la narrativa anticientífica y la cancelación de la financiación de muchos proyectos de investigación y programas académicos han puesto a la comunidad científica de los Estados Unidos en un contexto de falta de libertad, sobre todo en áreas de conocimiento como el medio ambiente o los estudios de género, que están siendo desmanteladas.

En este contexto, la fuente de competitividad de los Estados Unidos, que siempre ha sido su capacidad de atracción de talento, puede desaparecer.

Así que Europa debe activar y dotar el programa propuesto por Manuel Heitor, conocido como «Choose Europe», para recuperar y atraer el talento mediante una mejor financiación, facilitando visados y fortaleciendo las colaboraciones internacionales.

Pero no solo: la defensa de la democracia, la igualdad y los Estados del bienestar pueden y deben ser el plus que aporte a Europa a nuestra apuesta para atraer los mejores talentos como fuente de competitividad y riqueza en el más amplio sentido del término.

Dan Barna (Renew). – Doamnă președintă, două personaje din istoria umanității au destine ce sunt astăzi foarte actuale. Giordano Bruno, ars pe rug pentru crima de a spune că Universul este infinit, și Galileo Galilei, scăpat de rug, dar închis pe viață pentru crima de a afirma că Pământul se învârte în jurul Soarelui. 400 de ani mai târziu, astăzi, în Statele Unite, universități sunt amenințate că pierd finanțarea, programe de cercetare sunt întrerupte pentru că nu convin unei dogme, oameni de știință ajung să se teamă de poliția gândurilor sau a cuvintelor.

Europa este acum singurul și cel mai puternic garant al libertății, atâta timp cât administrația actuală a SUA tocmai experimentează aplicația „Inchiziția ideologică 2.0”. Ceea ce părea de neimaginat acum câteva luni este o realitate pe care o trăim. Europa a devenit refugiu al libertății academice. Există deja inițiative de azil științific în Franța, Belgia sau Olanda și trebuie salutate, dar nu este de ajuns. Comisia Europeană trebuie să prezinte și să implementeze de urgență un program de atragere a oamenilor de știință din Statele Unite. Spiritele libere trebuie să aibă un cămin.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR). – Madam President, during the latest years we have witnessed a huge threat to academic freedom. When woke, DEI and critical race theory flooded the great intellectual institutions of the West, this body was silent as a crypt.

Here are a few examples.

Mandatory critical-race-theory training that sought to indoctrinate students into rejecting their unconscious thoughts and behaviours towards minority groups – where was the outrage?

A bloated DEI bureaucracy demanding teachers to sign diversity statements in prestigious American universities like Harvard and MIT – where was the outrage?

A study on the ineffectiveness of puberty blockers going unpublished because of politics – where was the outrage?

Actually, you wanted this to continue, and now you are outraged when a lot of people are saying to all this, ‘No, thank you.’

Κώστας Παπαδάκης (NI). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, καταγγέλλουμε τις διώξεις, τις ποινές, τις απειλές σε ακαδημαϊκούς, ερευνητές και φοιτητές στις ΗΠΑ αλλά και στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, επειδή εκφράζουν αταλάντευτα την αλληλεγγύη τους στον αγωνιζόμενο παλαιστινιακό λαό, και καταδικάζουν τη γενοκτονία του κράτους του Ισραήλ με τη στήριξη των ΗΠΑ, της ΕΕ και του ΝΑΤΟ. Η προσπάθεια τρομοκράτησης της καταστολής απέτυχε γιατί οι λαοί βρίσκονται στη σωστή πλευρά της ιστορίας, στηρίζουν τον αγώνα των Παλαιστινίων για να τερματιστεί η ισραηλινή κατοχή, για ελεύθερη ανεξάρτητη πατρίδα, για την επιστροφή όλων των προσφύγων στις εστίες τους και την απελευθέρωση όλων των κρατουμένων.

Σήμερα είναι ανάγκη να κλιμακωθεί ο αγώνας των σπουδαστών, των πανεπιστημιακών, καθηγητών και ερευνητών ενάντια στα προγράμματα του ΝΑΤΟ, στις έρευνες διπλής χρήσης, ενάντια στη συνεργασία με τις ισραηλινές και άλλες βιομηχανίες του πολέμου, ενάντια στη χρηματοδότησή τους από προγράμματα όπως το Horizon Europe ή το σύμφωνο έρευνας και καινοτομίας. Να αντισταθούμε στη μετατροπή των πανεπιστημίων σε εξάρτημα της πολεμικής οικονομίας της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, της όξυνσης, κλιμάκωσης και επέκτασης της ιμπεριαλιστικής πολεμικής εμπλοκής στην Ουκρανία, τη Μέση Ανατολή και τον Ινδοειρηνικό.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Ekaterina Zaharieva, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, thank you very much again for this debate and thanks for sharing your insights. I took careful note of them, and I am pleased that your interventions in general highlight broad political support for research and science.

Supporting our researchers and scientists, whether in Europe or abroad, is something that cuts across national and party lines, and we should support these initiatives as policymakers.

In the coming months, we will implement the measures that I presented to you at the beginning of this debate, and we will also explore additional ideas, also benefiting from this debate today.

What is really important is that we will continue to defend academic freedom and independence of European universities and academia, because when we defend academic freedom, we invest in the future. Without independent research, we risk losing the trust in science, which is really very dangerous.

Our approach must be pragmatic and in line with our interests, but we will also continue to be partners, to focus on partnership, not in unfair competition. We will continue cooperating openly with our partners, including with the United States, building bridges through science, even when politics sees wars.

Honourable Members, in times of uncertainty, researchers at home and abroad are looking at Europe – not only for stability, but for leadership based on our European values. To them today I want to say: Europe sees you. Europe is ready to support you. Europe is your home.

President. – Thank you very much, Commissioner. The debate is closed.

17. Need to ensure democratic pluralism, strengthen integrity, transparency and anti-corruption policies in the EU (debate)

Ekaterina Zaharieva, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, democracy is a fundamental value of European Union, together with respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights. The functioning of the Union is founded on representative democracy which supports decision‑making and which is close and accountable to the citizens. Representative democracy is grounded in free and fair elections, trusted democratic institutions and an open and plural democratic process.

Democratic pluralism requires that the democratic process be open, contestable and acceptable to all citizens equally. Decision‑making, which is reasoned, transparent and accountable, and for citizens to have access to reliable information from a plurality of sources, including as provided on the basis of journalistic and scientific standards.

The Commission supports democratic pluralism in the EU. The Commission is therefore stepping up its engagement in favour of democracy, notably with the preparation of the European Democracy Shield, a key initiative announced in the political guidelines for this mandate. The Democracy Shield will provide a strategic framework to safeguard and strengthen democracy in the EU, aiming to reinforce public trust in democracy and democratic institutions. It will be underpinned by several concrete initiatives.

The Shield will cover several areas, namely: first, foreign interference, information manipulation and disinformation; second, the fairness and integrity of elections and the strengthening of democratic frameworks; third, societal resilience and preparedness; and, last, citizens’ participation and engagement.

Citizens’ trust in national and European democratic institutions is linked to overall trust in democracy. Democratic resilience at national and at European level are mutually reinforcing. European democracy must be more participative and more vibrant. The role of free, independent and pluralistic media in this context cannot be restated enough.

While preparing the Democracy Shield, the Commission will follow a ‘whole of society’ approach. We will consult broadly with stakeholders. The public consultation has been launched today for a duration of eight weeks. We will step up our work on defending all parts of our democracy. We will protect our free media and civil society. The rule of law and the fight against corruption will remain at the heart of our work. We will continue to make best use of all our tools, including enforcement.

Integrity and transparency are key. As the Commission President explained in her political guidance, there is an urgent need to impose transparency on foreign funding of our public life as common law. Parliament is currently considering a proposal from the Commission on interest representation, on which rapid progress should be made in order to further enlarge our EU toolbox with common EU proportionate standards.

There is also work to do closer to home, to live up our values and to ensure that citizens see us upholding the laws we make. As part of the Commission’s commitment to transparency, Commissioners, their cabinet members and all Commission staff holding management functions publish information and minutes on meetings held with interest representatives. Meetings related to law or policy formulation or implementation in the EU can only take place if the interest representatives are registered in the EU Transparency Register.

On corruption: corruption is a threat to the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights. It is a hidden crime with no obvious single victim. Its harm is felt in the erosion of the integrity of our institutions, and its cost is borne collectively by taxpayers. Europeans consider corruption to be unacceptable. It is not acceptable to give money, give a gift, do a favour to get something from the public administration. Corruption undermines trust in the administration, alienating citizens from democracy, reducing compliance with law and obstructing the state from providing help when help is needed. And it’s expensive.

Every year, corruption is estimated to cost the EU up to 6 % of its GDP. This is why it is so important that we step up our efforts to tackle it. In 2023, the Commission proposed to update the EU anti-corruption rules. The directive is now being negotiated. The Commission welcomes the Parliament’s ambition and values the positive progress made by the co‑legislators in the latest trilogue. It calls on the co‑legislators to agree on an ambitious outcome.

I can assure you that this Commission is very committed to ensure democratic pluralism and strengthen integrity, transparency and anti-corruption policies in the EU. I remain fully available to hear your views as we work together to achieve this common goal. Thank you very much for your attention.

Loránt Vincze, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Madam President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Parliament is under attack. We face external enemies who would like to see a weakened parliament. But there are also internal interests that oppose a strong, influential and increasingly relevant parliament.

The EPP Group fully supports the ongoing judicial investigations and upholds the presumption of innocence for all individuals involved. The reputation of Parliament and several of its Members was tarnished three years ago. Yet there are still no indictments against any Members.

Now, again, colleagues who signed a letter requesting 5G services in rural areas saw their names published in the press, even though they have not yet been questioned by the authorities. The headlines against them amount to public executions. This is unacceptable. We must defend the free mandate of the Members.

The Belgian authorities must conduct their own investigation properly, without leaking partial information to the press or making ambiguous statements. The judicial saga surrounding Qatargate and the handling of the current investigation into Members by the Belgian authorities raised a number of questions. Therefore, the EPP Group calls for a hearing in the LIBE Committee, with the participation of the relevant Belgian authorities.

Some colleagues will use this momentum as an argument to push for the implementation of the ethics body agreement. Colleagues, an outsourced ethics body cannot prevent wrongdoing or corruption, but it would compromise the independence of our Parliament. We must get it right. Parliament must withdraw from the ethics body and establish a firm, clear, robust and efficient internal mechanism to strengthen its integrity.

Juan Fernando López Aguilar, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, esta legislatura del Parlamento Europeo arranca como todas, obligada a aprender de sus experiencias, y particularmente de las malas. Lo hace con un compromiso de reforzar su integridad, su transparencia y su rendición de cuentas. ¿Por qué? Porque en la legislatura pasada tuvimos una mala experiencia con el llamado «Qatargate», que obligó a este Parlamento Europeo a tomar muy en serio la obligación de reforzar sus estándares de dación de cuentas y de transparencia.

Exactamente por eso, negociamos y acordamos con el resto de las instituciones europeas, de acuerdo con la base jurídica que presta el artículo 295 del Tratado de Funcionamiento y el artículo 13 del Tratado de la Unión Europea, un acuerdo interinstitucional. Por tanto, ya está en plazo de cumplir el mandato adquirido por este Parlamento Europeo de reformar su Reglamento interno para poner de una vez en marcha un órgano ético que incorpore representantes de las instituciones, pero también cinco expertos independientes. Ellos ayudarán a compartir buenas prácticas y a elevar ese estándar de dación de cuentas del Parlamento Europeo.

Esto se suma a la Directiva sobre la lucha contra la corrupción, que ya está en avanzada negociación con el Consejo, y a la Comisión Especial sobre el Escudo Europeo de la Democracia, que lanza un mensaje a los ciudadanos. No podemos perder la oportunidad de decir que tenemos que reformar el Reglamento del Parlamento Europeo, sin arrastrar los pies, para poner definitivamente en pie el órgano ético. Cuanto antes mejor.

Fabrice Leggeri, au nom du groupe PfE. – Madame la Présidente, la démocratie, c’est le droit des peuples à choisir librement leurs dirigeants. Mais, en France, ce droit vient d’être bafoué. Marine Le Pen, cheffe de l’opposition et favorite de l’élection présidentielle, a été condamnée à l’inéligibilité avec exécution immédiate. Alors qu’il n’y a dans cette affaire ni corruption ni enrichissement personnel, le tribunal a pris une décision politique qui prive les Français de leur choix.

L’état de droit suppose un droit au recours. Ici, la peine s’applique immédiatement, avant même tout jugement définitif. C’est une dérive sans précédent. L’Union européenne, toujours prompte à donner des leçons de démocratie, restera-t-elle silencieuse face à cette instrumentalisation de la justice? Nous ne laisserons pas la démocratie être confisquée.

Mariusz Kamiński, w imieniu grupy ECR. – Szanowna Pani Komisarz! Opinia publiczna po raz kolejny zbulwersowana jest informacjami dotyczącymi afer korupcyjnych związanych z instytucjami unijnymi. Tym razem mamy do czynienia z nielegalnym lobbingiem na rzecz chińskiej firmy Huawei. Tak jak w przypadku wcześniejszych afer zamiast rzetelnej informacji, propozycji konkretnych rozwiązań na przyszłość mamy ogólnikową debatę o niczym. Establishment europejski nauczył się działać w cieniu, poza realnym nadzorem obywateli, w atmosferze bezkarności. Niedawno dowiedzieliśmy się od szefowej Prokuratury Europejskiej, że raport Olaf dotyczący udziału w aferze katarskiej wysokiego urzędnika Komisji Europejskiej był przed nią ukrywany. Urzędnik ten, mimo dostępnych dowodów, nadal pracuje w instytucjach unijnych. Komisja Europejska dalej milczy na temat zarzutu prania brudnych pieniędzy przez komisarza Reyndersa, do czego miało dochodzić podczas sprawowania przez niego funkcji.

Trwające prace nad tzw. dyrektywą antykorupcyjną nie rozwiążą problemu korupcji w instytucjach unijnych, ponieważ dyrektywa adresowana jest do państw członkowskich. Można jednak za pomocą prostych rozwiązań zwiększyć przejrzystość działań Komisji Europejskiej. Wprowadźmy jawne, szczegółowe, składane pod rygorem odpowiedzialności karnej oświadczenia majątkowe dla komisarzy i dla wysokich rangą urzędników unijnych. Niech pokażą obywatelom, jakie mają majątki i jakie są źródła jego pochodzenia. Dość korupcji w Brukseli. Czas działać.

Sandro Gozi, au nom du groupe Renew. – Madame la Présidente, chers collègues, respectons l’accord conclu sur l’organe chargé des questions d’éthique. Pacta sunt servanda. Je m’adresse au groupe PPE, au groupe ECR et au groupe des Patriotes pour l’Europe: il est temps de mettre fin à vos manœuvres d’obstruction. Avançons enfin sur la transparence et sur le rôle du Parlement dans l’organe chargé des questions d’éthique!

Cet organe n’impose aucune limite excessive à notre liberté de mandat en tant que représentants élus. Toutes les décisions prises concernant l’établissement des normes communes le seront par consensus. Rien ne nous sera imposé sans notre consentement. Notre responsabilité est claire: renforcer la transparence pour restaurer la confiance. Les soupçons de corruption qui pèsent sur notre Parlement doivent être traités avec rigueur.

Par ailleurs, je suis d’accord avec le représentant du PPE lorsqu’il affirme qu’il y a un point essentiel à ne jamais oublier, c’est que nous ne sommes ni des procureurs ni des juges, pas plus que ne l’est la presse. Ne mélangeons donc pas tout. Les enquêtes judiciaires suivent leur cours. Dans une démocratie, l’état de droit commence par la présomption d’innocence. Mes chers collègues, on ne protège pas la présomption d’innocence en s’opposant à plus de transparence.

Tenir parole aujourd’hui sur l’organe interinstitutionnel chargé des questions d’éthique, c’est nous renforcer demain. C’est renforcer notre intégrité et notre crédibilité, mais aussi nous donner les moyens de défendre la dignité de chaque membre de cette institution.

Daniel Freund, im Namen der Verts/ALE-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Wieder wurden Türen versiegelt, wieder wurden Büros durchsucht, und wieder besteht der Verdacht, dass Europaabgeordnete sich haben schmieren lassen. Luxusreisen hier, Fußballtickets dort und dafür dann Gefälligkeiten für Huawei. Man hat ein gewisses Déjà Vu – wir haben das alles bei Kartar-Gate schon mal sehr ähnlich gesehen, und dabei wollten wir doch genau das verhindern. Wir wollten, dass die Regeln zur Korruptionsbekämpfung, zur Lobbykontrolle in diesem Haus endlich durchgesetzt werden. Denn genau deswegen passieren diese Korruptionsskandale ja: weil immer noch zu viele glauben, dass sie am Ende damit durchkommen und selbst wenn man geschnappt wird, es keine Strafen gibt.

Ein unabhängiges Gremium, das Ethikgremium, war die zentrale Antwort dieses Hauses auf Katar-Gate. Um genau diese Probleme zu beheben, die Selbstkontrolle im Parlament ein Stück weit zu öffnen, die offensichtlich nicht funktioniert, haben wir dieses Gremium geschaffen. Vor über zehn Monaten schon ist die Einigung mit acht EU‑Institutionen ratifiziert worden, und passiert ist seitdem nichts.

Wenn man jetzt mal guckt: Warum passiert nichts? Dann liegt das eben an der EVP, besonders an CDU/CSU. Ihr Vizepräsident beruft das erste Treffen nicht ein, zusammen mit den Rechtsaußenparteien haben Sie im Haushaltsausschuss dafür gestimmt, dass das Parlament seine Rechnungen einfach nicht mehr bezahlt, was das Ethikgremium angeht. Was ist denn das für ein Verständnis vom Rechtsstaat? Einfach die Rechnungen nicht zu bezahlen – das ist unfassbar!

Also wenn Sie das Ethikgremium nicht wollen, wenn Sie die Regeln nicht wollen, dann sagen Sie das offen. Treten Sie da aus, aber blockieren Sie nicht einfach alles, was irgendwie mit Transparenz und Integrität zu tun hat.

Manon Aubry, au nom du groupe The Left. – Chers collègues, entre les élus corrompus qui s’en mettent plein les poches en acceptant les cadeaux des lobbyistes et ceux qui détournent de l’argent public, comme Marine Le Pen, franchement, il y a de quoi dégoûter les gens de la politique.

Ceux qui prônaient «Tête haute, mains propres!» ont aujourd’hui la tête baissée et les mains sales. Ceux qui demandaient l’impunité zéro pour les délinquants se retrouvent pris à leur propre jeu et la main dans le sac. Ceux qui étaient les premiers à voler au secours de Viktor Orban en appellent soudainement à l’état de droit. J’avoue qu’il est assez savoureux d’entendre l’extrême droite parler d’état de droit. Vous demanderez certainement encore à votre copain Elon Musk de voler à votre secours?

Mais en réalité, le problème est encore plus large. En France, dans mon pays, 26 ministres sont impliqués dans des affaires depuis 2017, et au Parlement européen les scandales se succèdent les uns après les autres, sans que cela suscite la moindre émotion.

Deux ans après les valises de billets du Qatar, place maintenant aux cadeaux luxueux et aux virements bancaires de la multinationale Huawei, que vous n’osez même pas citer dans le titre de ce débat. C’est le retour des perquisitions, des bureaux scellés et des enquêtes révélant des pratiques mafieuses. Ce n’est pas une série Netflix, c’est juste l’état de notre démocratie.

Et que s’est-il passé entre ces deux affaires? Rien. Tout juste quelques mesurettes. Circulez, il n’y a rien à voir. Tout le monde ici se tient par la barbichette pour se protéger et, surtout, ne rien changer.

Mais vous pourrez compter sur mon groupe et moi pour continuer à dénoncer ces magouilles et tout changer, de la cave au grenier. Il est temps de faire le ménage et d’enfin faire primer l’éthique sur le fric.

Marcin Sypniewski, w imieniu grupy ESN. – Patrzę na wasze działania i temat debaty i czuję się, jakby już był „Prima Aprilis”. Pluralizm, transparentność i walka z korupcją to ważne i potrzebne idee. Szkoda tylko, że Komisja Europejska i Parlament Europejski postępują dokładnie odwrotnie. Mówicie o pluralizmie i o demokracji, a kibicujecie usuwaniu z wyborów liderów sondaży, nie dopuszczacie prawicowych grup do prowadzenia komisji czy obrad parlamentu. Nawet podczas węgierskiej prezydencji posuwaliście się nawet do drobnych złośliwości jak dzieci w przedszkolu, nie szanując i nie zachowując neutralności.

Mówicie o transparentności, ale obywatele nie mają żadnego wpływu na działania Unii Europejskiej tak naprawdę. A przewodnicząca Komisji Europejskiej toczy boje o ukrycie smsów, w których negocjowała z Pfizerem umowę na szczepionki. Mówicie o walce z korupcją, podczas gdy znowu pod waszym nosem wybucha kolejna afera korupcyjna. To wszystko skutek nadmiaru władzy urzędników. Przecież ludzie, którzy do tego doprowadzili, nagle się z tego nie wycofają. Prawdziwa zmiana, prawdziwa transparentność będzie wtedy, jak odbierzemy władzę urzędnikom i oddamy ją obywatelom. Niech żyje wolność!

Javier Zarzalejos (PPE). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, el Parlamento Europeo es una institución muy importante pero no es una isla. Hablamos de los problemas que afectan a la transparencia en el Parlamento Europeo pero no podemos olvidarnos del contexto, y ese contexto hoy exige que la Unión Europea sea cada vez más visible y tenga una intervención creciente en las políticas contra la corrupción.

En primer lugar, porque hay demasiados Gobiernos que en la Unión Europea están luchando para zafarse de controles democráticos, demasiados Gobiernos que proponen leyes ad hoc para interferir en los procesos judiciales que afectan a corruptos, demasiados Gobiernos que hacen un uso partidista de la fiscalía.

En segundo lugar, porque Europol nos está advirtiendo día tras día, informe tras informe, de un riesgo creciente de infiltración de la delincuencia organizada en la economía real. Y eso tiene una traducción, que es la corrupción: corrupción de los servidores públicos, corrupción de nuestras empresas, corrupción de los legisladores.

Y, en tercer lugar, porque con estas premisas se está intentando generar una cultura de impunidad y, por eso, nosotros, desde el Grupo del Partido Popular Europeo, y representando además también a una voz muy mayoritaria del Parlamento, nos hemos opuesto a los indultos, a las amnistías a los corruptos, a reformas legislativas que suprimen o aligeran la penalización de los delitos de corrupción.

Ese tiene que ser un compromiso —insisto— creciente y visible de la Unión Europea.

Chloé Ridel (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, on pensait avoir retenu les leçons du «Qatargate», mais non: c’est le retour des scellés au Parlement européen. L’enquête autour de l’affaire Huawei révèle que des députés auraient accepté entre 1 500 et 15 000 euros pour signer un courrier favorable à Huawei, qui qualifiait la régulation européenne de la 5G de racisme technologique contre la Chine. Côté Huawei, on assume. D’ailleurs, on paye même pour des amendements, disent-ils.

Je n’ai pas de mots assez forts pour exprimer mon dégoût face à la corruption et à la cupidité de certains députés de cet hémicycle. Ils entachent l’image de notre institution et sapent encore un peu plus la confiance que les gens accordent à leurs représentants politiques.

Dans cette affaire, la corruption arrive par un ancien assistant parlementaire parti travailler chez Huawei. Pourrait-on savoir en toute transparence combien d’anciens collaborateurs, députés, commissaires sont partis travailler chez Huawei? Ensuite, nous voulons que le nouvel organe de l’UE chargé des questions d’éthique, qui semble tant déranger la droite et l’extrême droite de cet hémicycle, soit enfin créé. Enfin, il faut donner les moyens aux règles que nous nous fixons d’être appliquées. Il faut donc renforcer la justice et le Parquet européen en étendant enfin son domaine de compétence aux affaires de corruption.

(L’oratrice accepte une question carton bleu)

João Oliveira (The Left), Pergunta segundo o procedimento «cartão azul». – Senhora Presidente, Senhora Deputada Ridel, cada vez que há um problema de corrupção, há uma tentação de pôr todo o Parlamento e todos os deputados sob suspeita. De resto, uma situação que é aproveitada pela extrema-direita para fazer o seu circo.

E a pergunta que lhe quero fazer é esta: a senhora deputada não considera que, perante qualquer circunstância de suspeita de corrupção, quem deve estar no banco dos réus é o poder económico, são as multinacionais e quem serve essas multinacionais a partir do poder político? Em vez de se lançar lama e suspeição sobre toda a gente, não devíamos concentrarmo-nos naqueles que são verdadeiramente os promotores e os beneficiários da corrupção, que são os grandes interesses económicos?

Chloé Ridel (S&D), réponse carton bleu. – Je ne suis pas totalement en désaccord avec vous, mais la corruption a toujours besoin d’au moins deux personnes, d’au moins deux parties pour advenir – ici les multinationales d’un côté, vous avez raison, et les représentants politiques de l’autre.

Il faut donc que nous soyons irréprochables et capables de résister au lobbying des multinationales – qu’il s’agirait d’encadrer davantage, d’ailleurs –, et même au-delà, puisque cette affaire nous montre que, derrière la multinationale Huawei, il y a l’État chinois. Il faut donc que nos règles de transparence prennent aussi en compte le pouvoir d’influençage des États étrangers.

Je maintiens par ailleurs mon propos, et je le redis: toute affaire de corruption, même si elle ne concerne que quelques élus de cet hémicycle, entache l’image de l’ensemble de notre institution.

Csaba Dömötör (PfE). – Tisztelt Elnök Asszony! Rendben, akkor beszéljünk az átláthatóságról! A Bizottság eurómilliókkal finanszíroz olyan civilnek mondott szervezeteket, amelyek valójában politikai tevékenységet végeznek.

De ha valaki egy átfogó adatbázist szeretne ezekről, akkor hiába keresné. Mindezek miatt adatigényléssel fordultunk a Bizottsághoz. Egy egyszerű listát kértünk: mely NGO-kat finanszíroznak, milyen célból és mekkora összeggel?

Megérkeztek a válaszok. A bizottság nem hajlandó kiadni ezeket a listákat. Azzal érvelnek, hogy túl tág a kért adatok köre, azzal hogy minden fenn van a neten – ami nem igaz egyébként –, és nem konkrét szerződéseket kértünk, hanem információt, ami egy abszurd érvelés.

A szerződések száma úgy tudjuk, hogy meghaladja a tízezret. Talán nem mindenki tudja, de pár EP képviselő itt ebben a házban, a Költségvetési ellenőrző bizottságban megkapta a listákat, de azt mondták nekik, hogy ezeket nem hozhatják nyilvánosságra. Miért? Mit titkolnak?

A Patrióta frakció ezt nem hagyja annyiban, ha kell, perre is visszük ezt az egészet. Addig is annyit mondunk: ha akarnak valamit tenni a politikai korrupció ellen, akkor kezdjék odahaza, hozzák nyilvánosságra a támogatott szervezetek listáját.

(A felszólaló hajlandó válaszolni egy kékkártyás kérdésre)

Csaba Dömötör (PfE), kékkártyás válasz. – A magyar miniszterelnök minden bizonnyal arra utalt, hogy politikai okokból egyre több esélyes jelölt indulását próbálják meg ellehetetleníteni. És nem csak Franciaország az egyetlen ilyen ország. A példákat hosszasan tudnánk sorolni.

Nos, ami a magyarországi helyzetet illeti. Az a helyzet, hogy Magyarországon intenzív viták vannak azzal kapcsolatban, hogy a magyar állam kikkel köt szerződést, kiket támogat. Ennek az az oka, hogy Magyarországon az ilyen szerződések nyilvánosak, a minisztériumok az ilyen szerződéseket rendszeresen közzéteszik.

Ezzel szemben az Európai Bizottság azt a listát sem teszi közzé, hogy kiket támogat és mekkora összeggel, és amikor arról van szó, hogy vitázni kellene Reynders biztos korrupciós botrányáról, akkor azt nem engedik napirendre.

Stefano Cavedagna (ECR). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, ero indeciso se intervenire al dibattito di quest’oggi, perché mi sembra largamente una farsa per quello che sta accadendo.

Si parlerebbe di pluralismo democratico e di politiche anticorruzione in Europa. Eppure, qualche settimana fa, sono state annullate le elezioni in Romania: un candidato è stato escluso dalla corsa, quando era peraltro primo tra tutti i sondaggi. Vi sembra per voi questo pluralismo democratico?

Il commissario Breton, qualche settimana fa, è entrato nelle elezioni tedesche dicendo che, se fosse stato eletto un partito che a lui non piace, probabilmente avrebbe chiesto di annullare queste elezioni. È per voi questa una scelta di pluralismo democratico?

In Francia, Marine Le Pen oggi viene dichiarata ineleggibile per cinque anni senza avere un grado definitivo di giudizio, quindi neanche la sua possibilità di fare appello o ricorso alla sentenza che è arrivata, eppure già la sentenza politica è definitiva. È per voi questa una scelta di pluralismo democratico?

E allora no, parliamo di corruzione! La corruzione, purtroppo, è troppo spesso all’interno di questi palazzi; lo abbiamo visto col caso del Qatargate – a dire il vero per colpa, largamente, di deputati che fanno parte dell’area di sinistra. Soldi per dire che le donne sono rispettate in Qatar.

Noi lavoriamo per un’Europa diversa, dove non ci sia corruzione, ci sia libertà e non si abbia paura di quello che scaturisce dalle elezioni democratiche.

Nikola Minchev (Renew). – Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, pluralism is the lifeblood of a real democracy. Without pluralism, there is no democracy. But in order to preserve it and strengthen it, we need to emphasise the importance of media freedom and media pluralism. They are essential to our democracies. They are enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. They are key to holding power to account and to helping citizens make informed decisions.

On the anti-corruption agenda, regrettably, we have seen in EU Member States how brokers of influence in the judiciary, brokers of employment in the judiciary, brokers of justice pull the strings in the shadows of a nominally functioning judiciary. This is intolerable. We should be very clear: impaired independence equals no independence; selective justice equals no justice.

A key issue remains the lack of consistent results in cases of corruption at the highest levels of power. However, the EPPO is now investigating a potential such case in Bulgaria, and I urge both this House and the Commission to closely monitor this case.

Reinier Van Lanschot (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, dear colleagues, the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the European Parliament: for over 12 years, Marine Le Pen and 24 others systematically stole more than EUR 4 million from the EU. They used it to grow their far-right party in France. Today they faced justice.

It’s a great day. Not because a far-right politician can no longer run for the French presidency, but because an independent judge was able to rise above all the political considerations to make sure no one is above the law. In today’s world, where more and more wannabe dictators attack judges, it shows that the separation of power still stands strong, and that in Europe the law applies to everyone equally.

But every time there is a scandal – a Qatar-, Huawei- or Le Pen-gate – our Parliament becomes more famous for its weakest links, and I’m sick of it. So to my colleagues on the right who block new transparency rules, I say: Do not stop these rules. Stop corruption instead!

Konstantinos Arvanitis (The Left). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, καταρχήν σήμερα ακούσαμε εδώ ότι αμφισβητείται και η γαλλική δικαιοσύνη. Στο Ευρωκοινοβούλιο τελικά ποτέ δεν πλήττεις. Και στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, μόλις έφυγε η σκόνη από το Qatargate· και θυμίζω για κάποιους που το έχουν ξεχάσει ότι ήταν εμπλεκόμενες χώρες, υπάλληλοι, ευρωβουλευτές, καθώς και η Αντιπρόεδρος. Ήρθε δυναμικά το σκάνδαλο της κινεζικής τηλεφωνίας, και πριν καλά καλά αρχίσουμε να συζητάμε, μας ήρθε και ένα νέο κακό: η απόφαση του γαλλικού δικαστηρίου για την κυρία Λεπέν, την οποία προσπαθούν κάποιοι να δικαιολογήσουν.

Σαν πολλές δεν είναι αυτές οι συμπτώσεις ή τα ατυχή γεγονότα για το σύστημα; Ποιες είναι αυτές οι δυνάμεις, οι οποίες στην αρχική ανάγνωση συμφωνούν στην ανάγκη ουσιαστικών μέτρων θωράκισης, αλλά στην πορεία ξεχνούν; Σας θυμίζω ότι στο προηγούμενο σκάνδαλο Qatargate η Αριστερά είχε κάνει συγκεκριμένες και ρεαλιστικές προτάσεις. Σας καλώ να ξαναδιαβάσετε παραδειγματικά τον κώδικα. Είχαμε ζητήσει να απαγορεύεται στους πρώην ευρωβουλευτές αμέσως μετά τη θητεία τους να εργάζονται σε σχετικά λόμπι. Ούτε αυτό έγινε. Και δεν το λες και επανάσταση! Εμείς θεωρούμε λοιπόν ότι το σύστημα είναι σάπιο, υπάρχει δυσοσμία και πρέπει να αλλάξει. Ας ανοίξετε τουλάχιστον κάποιο παράθυρο, έτσι για τα προσχήματα.

IN THE CHAIR: SOPHIE WILMÈS
Vice-President

Mary Khan (ESN). – Frau Präsidentin! Stellen Sie sich vor, Viktor Orbán würde mit einem abgewählten Parlament die Verfassung ändern. Stellen Sie sich vor, er würde eine halbe Stunde nach der Wahl sämtliche Wahlversprechen brechen, die er eine Stunde zuvor noch gegeben hat. Und stellen Sie sich vor, Viktor Orbán würde seinen Mitbürgern das Wahlrecht entziehen, wenn sie sich regierungskritisch äußern – was wäre hier los in diesem Haus! Ein Aufschrei, Revolution, Tränen auf allen Bänken, Sanktionen wären längst beschlossen, denn die Demokratie sei in Gefahr.

Genau das passiert gerade in Deutschland. Ein abgewähltes Parlament verändert das Grundgesetz, verschuldet Generationen und hebelt demokratische Prinzipien aus, und hier im Haus – Schweigen. Weil es Ihrer Agenda dient, weil es nicht die falschen Parteien trifft, sondern genau die Stimmen, die Sie mundtot machen wollen. Wieder einmal zeigt sich: Die EU liebt die Demokratie und ihre Bürger nur, wenn sie links und bunt sind.

Katarína Roth Neveďalová (NI). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, tak počúvam, tak tu počúvame rôzne veci, ktoré sa tu rozprávajú, ale ja si myslím, že čo je najdôležitejšie je nastaviť znova dôveru v inštitúcie aj EÚ, nie ďalšími orgánmi, ale tým, že budeme dôkladne vyšetrovať to, čo sa stalo, a že jednotlivci, ktorí sú zodpovední, sa dočkajú spravodlivosti. A to znamená aj pri Pfizergate a pri smskách pani predsedníčky Európskej komisie.

Nepotrebujeme ďalšie orgány. Potrebujeme, aby fungovalo to, čo funguje, a musíme to všetko brať ako individuálne zlyhania. Ja nechcem, aby sme my ako európska inštitúcia hovorili, že teraz to je všetko zlé, a preto potrebujeme všetko prekopávať, lebo naozaj je to individuálne zlyhanie. A takisto nie sme my ani prokurátori, ani sudcovia, ani kati, aby sme hovorili, čo sa má stať, a nechajme to všetko na vyšetrenie zodpovedných orgánov. Nenaháňajme bosorky, dodržujme pravidlá, neosočujme sa navzájom, ale robme si svoju prácu a kontrolujme hlavne Európsku komisiu.

Myslím si, že nie nové európske orgány pre etiku by mali byť v tomto Parlamente, ale mali by sme napríklad dôslednejšie sledovať to, čo sa deje v Európskej komisii, ktorí ľudia sú za čo zodpovední a takisto hlavne ako fungujú mimovládky v Európskej únii, ktoré získavajú peniaze z európskych zdrojov a nie sú ochotné informovať o svojej činnosti. To je to, kde by sme mali začať, nielen zelené mimovládky, ale napríklad aj taká Transparency International.

Romana Tomc (PPE). – Gospa predsednica! Spoštovana gospa komisarka. Ko govorimo o demokraciji, integriteti in preglednosti in o boju proti korupciji, ne morem mimo slovenskega primera.

(Predsedujoča je prekinila govornico in pojasnila, da ni na voljo tolmačenja v angleščino.)

Ko govorimo o demokraciji, integriteti, preglednosti in boju proti korupciji v Evropski uniji, ne moremo mimo slovenskega primera.

Dragi kolegi! Slovenski parlament ne deluje po načelu demokracije, ampak izrablja svojo premoč za utišanje opozicije. Predsednica izreka opomine. Koalicija enostavno odvzame besedo opozicijskim poslancem, kadar jim kaj ni všeč, kar govorijo. Veliko pove tudi dejstvo, da je velika večina sej parlamenta sklicanih izredno, zakoni pa se sprejemajo po hitrem postopku.

Imamo odlično zakonodajo s pomočjo… zakonodajo s področja korupcije, vendar korupcija še vseeno cveti, je prisotna v velikem obsegu. To zaznava tudi OECD. Seveda z vladnimi politiki in predsednikom vlade na čelu.

Sprašujem se, seveda, kolegi, kdaj bo Evropska komisija, kdaj bodo naše institucije delovale z istimi merili za vse države.

Nikola Bartůšek (PfE). – Paní předsedající, dámy a pánové, Pfizergate, korupční skandál Huawei, tajné smlouvy o rozdělení peněz pro média, podplácení neziskových organizací – to jsou konkrétní korupční skandály, které otřásly tímto Parlamentem i Evropskou komisí. Jak můžeme brát prohlášení o potřebě větší integrity, transparentnosti a boji proti korupci vážně? Demokratický pluralismus, který dnes vyzýváme, ve skutečnosti v této instituci neexistuje. Byl nahrazen ideologickým diktátem a vymezováním se proti těm, kteří si dovolí mít vlastní názor. Tváříte se, že hájíte demokracii a přitom umlčujete miliony voličů jen proto, že nezapadají do jediné povolené šablony. A když už se mluví o transparentnosti: Kde jsou smlouvy s Pfizerem a SMS, které rozhodly o zakázce za miliardy? Proč bylo několik týdnů před volbami rozděleno přes 100 milionů eur médiím? Evropští občané si zaslouží znát pravdu. Chtějí, aby Evropská unie byla prostor spravedlnosti, ne pokrytectví. Pokud to s bojem proti korupci a demokracií myslíte opravdu vážně, začněte prosím u sebe a přestaňte vylučovat ty, kteří chtějí Evropu bezpečnější, suverénnější a skutečně demokratickou.

Luis-Vicențiu Lazarus (NI). – Doamnă președintă, doamnă comisar, am reținut două idei importante din discursul dumneavoastră și anume că democrația reprezentativă este bazată numai pe alegeri libere și că cetățenii trebuie să se informeze – chiar e dreptul lor – dintr-o pluralitate de surse. Și dacă v-aș spune că exact în România, țara de unde vin eu, aceste două principii fundamentale nu sunt respectate nicidecum!?

Pentru că, așa cum probabil știți, România este țara care a realizat ceva spectaculos: în 1989, a reușit să-și achite toate datoriile. Astăzi, după 35 de ani – și ea era o dictatură – de democrație avem 210 miliarde datorii. Cum s-a ajuns la această situație? Din cauza politicienilor corupți, mincinoși și care, desigur, nu au respectat nimic, nici măcar democrația.

Deci ce democrație era aceasta? Nu era o democrație, era o dictatură cu mănuși. Era o dictatură care, atunci când a văzut că pierde alegerile, a anulat alegerile, a interzis candidații, și-a dat mănușile jos, a făcut praf Constituția și a luat poporul la pumni, în sensul că a trimis organele de coerciție dimineața să aresteze oameni și să îi percheziționeze, pentru că au avut tupeul să-și aleagă pe cineva care chiar câștigase alegerile.

Sven Simon (PPE). – Madam President, colleagues, the European Union was founded on the rule of law, which means there are clear rules on how to deal with crimes. The following order needs to be applied: suspicion, investigation, Indictment and then, if necessary, conviction.

We often follow the process in the reversed order. But the fight for the rule of law can only be successfully waged if it is carried out using constitutional means. This includes the presumption of innocence, the separation of powers, and the immunity of Members of Parliament, which should be lifted in a legally sound procedure if there is cause to do so.

Where the rule of law is applied, it is also clear which institutions prosecute crimes: the police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and, at the European level, OLAF and EPPO. Parliament must cooperate with these authorities and, if necessary, initiate its own investigations. However, this must also be done with within the framework of legal procedures.

In another case, the European Court of Justice has just confirmed that we have some catching up to do in our own House when it comes to legal procedures. Today, we discuss allegations again, although I would like to know what actually happened to the allegations of the past – Kaili, Krah, von der Leyen. Always the same pattern: accusation, arrest and then what is the outcome of this allegation?

By the way, the current case, like all the others, has nothing to do with morals or ethics. The accusation here is a criminal offence. And, as I said, we have OLAF, EPPO and the national authorities to investigate. They should now do their work and while they do, we should do our best to avoid giving the impression that the European Union is a corrupt institution. It is not.

(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question)

Daniel Freund (Verts/ALE), Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Herr Simon, Sie haben jetzt gerade viel vom Rechtsstaat gesprochen. Gehört zum Rechtsstaat aber nicht auch, dass man sich an eine Vereinbarung zwischen acht EU‑Institutionen, die geschlossen und ratifiziert ist, hält? Gehört zum Rechtsstaat nicht auch, dass man eine Rechnung, die aus dieser Abmachung resultiert, dann auch bezahlt? Ist denn dann im Rechtsstaat nicht der Weg, dass man, wenn man eine Vereinbarung nicht mag, einen Antrag stellt, dieses Abkommen zu verlassen, anstatt auf merkwürdigste Weise sich einfach nicht an geltendes Recht zu halten?

Thierry Mariani (PfE). – Madame la Présidente, la veille du 1er avril la Commission a décidé d’organiser un débat sur le pluralisme démocratique. Franchement, vous avez le goût de l’humour et du calendrier: commencez d’abord par réagir au scandale de la condamnation de Marine Le Pen.

Je m’étonne que la Commission, toujours prompte à dénoncer les abus du monde, soit aussi silencieuse quand le marteau de l’injustice frappe, sur notre continent, pour empêcher la démocratie de s’exprimer. En France aujourd’hui comme hier en Roumanie ou aux États-Unis, la justice est devenue l’outil favori d’une oligarchie qui agit contre les peuples. En France, elle vient de bâillonner la voix de 11 millions de Français, alors que tous les sondages sérieux placent Marine Le Pen largement en tête de la prochaine élection présidentielle. Il s’agit d’un assassinat politique pur et simple, d’une grave entrave à la vie démocratique, et dont le retentissement européen est certain.

Nous voyons d’ailleurs que Bruxelles pose un regard malicieux sur toutes ces condamnations puisqu’elles sont ses assurances-vie. Arrêtez d’applaudir les censeurs du peuple et occupez-vous des vrais tricheurs, ceux de votre majorité, ceux du «Qatargate». Vous parlez de pluralisme démocratique? Moi, je vois un totalitarisme qui avance.

András László (PfE). – Azért nem kicsit ironikus, amikor a brüsszeli elit a demokrácia, az átláthatóság és a korrupció miatt aggódik. Vegyük őket sorra! Demokrácia: már a sokadik népszerű jobboldali politikust próbálják jogi úton ellehetetleníteni, most éppen Marine Le Pent. Miért? Mert patrióta, mert ellene megy a globalista elitnek, és azért, mert ő a legesélyesebb elnökjelölt. Átláthatóság: az Európai Bizottság még mindig nem hozta nyilvánosságra sem a vakcinaszerződést, sem az azt előkészítő sms-eit Ursula von der Leyennek. Korrupció: Amerikában a legnagyobb korrupciós rendszert leplezik éppen le, ami a USAID köré épült fel.

Viszont az ál-NGO-k és a balliberális média finanszírozásában az EU is nyakig benne van. A baloldal pedig hisztérikusan reagál, ha a magukat civilnek hazudó szervezetek finanszírozását valaki számon kéri. A néppárti, szocialista vagy épp liberális képviselők és európai biztosok korrupciós ügyeiből pedig már annyi van, hogy felsorolni sincs idő.

Változás kell Brüsszelben! A korrupt, globalista elitet a patrióták fogják lecserélni.

Catch-the-eye procedure

João Oliveira (The Left). – Senhora Presidente, a raiz da corrupção está na natureza da política que é feita e nos interesses que serve.

Uma política que esteja ao serviço dos trabalhadores e dos povos não dá espaço à corrupção. Pelo contrário, é a política que serve os interesses económicos e as multinacionais que é a raiz da corrupção, da promiscuidade, do tráfico de influências, das ligações entre o poder político e o poder económico que minam os fundamentos da democracia e a credibilidade das suas instituições.

A resposta a dar à corrupção não pode ser o lançamento da suspeita generalizada, como se todos os eleitos e responsáveis políticos tivessem as mesmas opções e comportamentos. Esse é um discurso errado, que é o discurso que serve à extrema-direita. Não, os políticos não são todos iguais. Há uns que se colocam ao serviço do poder económico e das multinacionais, incluindo a extrema-direita.

Por muito que tentem disfarçar, a extrema-direita é a tropa de choque do poder político corrupto ao serviço dos grupos económicos e das multinacionais. E vamos continuar a denunciá-los e a dar-lhes combate.

A resposta a dar à corrupção tem de ser essa: a da denúncia do combate a quem desvirtua o voto do povo para se pôr ao serviço do poder económico.

Fidias Panayiotou (NI). – Madam President, hello friends, I’m quite proud to say that the European Parliament is very transparent. And you can all, all the people, the European citizens and everyone in the world, they can go in the website and they can find our salaries, they can find how much budget we are allowed to use, how much money we can spend, and this is very good. It builds trust and it’s transparent. And it also builds expectations for the citizens.

But I’m unhappy because the European Commission doesn’t have the same procedure. When you go to the Commissioners, you cannot see the salaries of the staff, how much budget they have and all this stuff. So this is not as transparent the European Commission. So I encourage the European Commission to be like the European Parliament, a lot more transparent, because this will build a lot of trust. I love you all.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

President. – Thank you, Commissioner. The debate is closed.

18. Common data platform on chemicals, establishing a monitoring and outlook framework for chemicals (short presentation)

Dimitris Tsiodras, rapporteur. – Madam President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, the ‘one substance, one assessment’ approach, comprising three legislative reports, is not just a technical reform; it is a fundamental shift in how we assess chemical safety.

This approach ensures faster and more effective protection for our citizens and the environment, while supporting industry innovation and competitiveness. It constitutes a significant step towards a stronger, more transparent and more efficient chemicals policy in the EU.

These three pieces of legislation will ensure that the relevant regulatory actions will be faster, simpler and more transparent. They will increase the predictability to stakeholders while safeguarding the protection of intellectual property rights. At the same time, they will ensure that citizens and the environment are better protected from hazardous chemicals.

We have worked hard to strike the right balance, simplifying procedures, reducing administrative burdens and streamlining assessments while maintaining scientific rigour. This common data platform will serve as a one-stop shop for chemical data from various sources, enhancing transparency and accessibility as well as reducing duplication. We have ensured that the platform streamlines independent scientific work and academic research while centralising hazard information.

Additionally, we promote the reuse of existing data to reduce costs, minimise administrative burdens and limit reliance on animal testing. At the same time, we must guarantee the protection of intellectual property rights and commercially sensitive data. Aiming for maximum transparency, we must also adhere to the principle of ‘as open as possible, as closed as necessary’, ensuring that companies can continue investing in research and innovation without the risk of unfair competition. The regulatory framework must not impose unnecessary burden on businesses, particularly SMEs, nor expose proprietary data in ways that could undermine European industry.

Let me be clear, the common data platform is a major step forward in assessing chemical safety and reinforcing consumer protection. It will centralise scientific information, benefiting both public health and industry.

We also support the harmonisation of chemical assessments across different agencies. This package strengthens cooperation, increases efficiency, enhances predictability and eliminates costly duplications, benefiting both EU citizens and businesses.

Of course, challenges remain. And that is why we continue to refine the text in the context of the very collaboration with the political groups, the European Commission and the Council.

Dear colleagues, by adopting these measures, we will strengthen protection for citizens and the environment while maintaining Europe’s leadership in innovation and sustainability. I am confident that, with our collective commitment, we can achieve this ambitious, necessary goal. I strongly urge you to vote in favour of this report so that we can deliver a stronger, smarter and more sustainable EU chemicals policy.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Christophe Clergeau (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, je crois qu’avec ce rapport – et je remercie M. Tsiodras pour le très bon travail qui a été fait collectivement – nous avons fait deux pas importants: l’un qui nous permettra de disposer d’une base de données complète pour procéder à l’évaluation des risques chimiques, et l’autre vers une ouverture de cette base de données à des données provenant non seulement des industriels, mais aussi des autorités nationales, du monde de la recherche et de la société civile. Ce sera très important tant pour l’évaluation des risques que pour la protection de la santé.

Mais ce ne sont que deux premiers pas. Il nous reste beaucoup d’autres choses à faire. Une des priorités absolues, Madame la Commissaire, doit être de renforcer les moyens de l’Agence européenne des produits chimiques, non seulement au moyen de financements privés, mais aussi avec le budget propre de la Commission européenne, de sorte que l’Agence puisse faire son travail dans les meilleures conditions.

D’autres étapes seront nécessaires à ce que nous puissions disposer de données encore plus complètes et à ce que nous puissions enfin croiser les données sur les produits chimiques et celles sur la santé humaine. Ainsi pourrons-nous comprendre l’explosion des maladies chroniques que nous observons actuellement et mieux protéger la santé des Européens.

Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR). – Madam President, I stand here as a voice for citizens like those in Finland, who value their country’s independence.

These proposals – centralising chemical data collection, reassigning tasks to the EU level, and thus empowering the European Chemicals Agency over local actors – strip away control from Member States.

Member States, with their unique industries and features, deserve to make their own decisions – not to follow a one-size-fits-all EU uniform that fits no one properly.

We have seen enough to say that EU centralisation often ignores local needs, adds bureaucracy and takes power away from where it should be: close to the people.

I urge you to protect national sovereignty and reject those measures that undermine Member States’ rights to govern themselves.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Jessika Roswall, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, thank you for inviting me to give this short presentation on the one substance, one assessment package. And while we have, Madam President, three presentations on the agenda this evening, I will cover all my main points in this initial statement.

This is clearly a package that contributes to our simplification agenda. The three legislative proposals on the package consolidate scientific and technical work on chemicals in the EU agencies. They also improve cooperation and ensure that agencies can use all data available to them in the safety assessment of chemicals. This package is part of the one Substance, one assessment. It will improve the efficiency and the coherence of safety assessments of chemicals in the benefit of all. Our objective is to simplify procedures and ensure predictability for authorities and stakeholders. Most importantly, we want to protect citizens and the environment from hazardous chemicals.

I welcome Parliament’s strong interest in this legislative package, and thank you, honourable Member Tsiodras, for the important work and constructive discussions on this report. Many of the proposed amendments bring clarification, which we welcome. We are also happy to see that you addressed the comments made by the European Data Protection Supervisor to better safeguard the protection of personal data. At the same time, we believe there are some points that require further discussion.

On the regulation establishing a common data platform on chemicals, your amendments propose a substantial broadening of the scope. You also suggest implementing the system within eight years, compared to the ten years initially proposed by the Commission. While we appreciate the ambition and acknowledge the importance of the proposed amendments, we would like to highlight that an expansion of the scope would have notable implications on the capacity and resources of the European Chemicals Agency. At the same time, they have a lot of tasks already. That was also a question from Mr Clergeau, regarding the capacities of the ECHA Committee, and that will be addressed in a special proposal for the basic regulation, which is under preparation as we speak.

Concerning the directive amendment, the Restricting of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, we take note of your proposal to adopt a delegate act on exemptions within six months of receiving the European Chemical Agency’s opinion. In the light of the number of exemptions typically typically processed and procedural requirements for adopting delegated acts, we note that six month deadline will be difficult to accommodate in practice, so we should avoid putting such short deadlines.

The proposal to review the list of restricted substances at least every 36 months would also be difficult to align with in current practice, as each review currently requires close to that timeline to complete.

Dear President, honourable Members, the Commission stands ready to support co-legislators to reach an agreement on this package. The changes proposed by the Council are largely in line with the Parliament’s amendments. I’m therefore hopeful that a political agreement can be reached within a swift manner.

I would like to renew my commitment as to act as an honest broker and help to reach the necessary compromises.

President. – Thank you. The debate is closed. The vote will be held tomorrow.

19. Re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency (short presentation)

Δημήτρης Τσιόδρας, εισηγητής. – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, αύριο ψηφίζουμε, αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι, μια κρίσιμη οδηγία που θα ενισχύσει σημαντικά τον ρόλο του Ευρωπαϊκού Οργανισμού Χημικών Προϊόντων (ECHA) στη διασφάλιση της ασφαλούς διαχείρισης των χημικών ουσιών στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση. Ο επαναπροσδιορισμός των επιστημονικών και τεχνικών αρμοδιοτήτων αποτελεί ένα βήμα προς μεγαλύτερη αποδοτικότητα, διαφάνεια και επιστημονική εγκυρότητα στις αξιολογήσεις και τη διαχείριση των χημικών ουσιών, ώστε να ανταποκρίνεται στη φιλοδοξία μας για μια ασφαλέστερη και πιο ανταγωνιστική Ευρώπη.

Πιστεύω ότι συμμερίζεστε την άποψή μου ότι ο ECHA χρειάζεται έναν βασικό κανονισμό λειτουργίας, ώστε να διασφαλιστεί η καταλληλότητα και η ικανότητά του να υλοποιήσει τους στόχους της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης για την ασφαλή διαχείριση των χημικών ουσιών, τη δημόσια υγεία και περιβαλλοντική προστασία, υποστηρίζοντας παράλληλα την ανταγωνιστικότητα της βιομηχανίας. Ένα σαφές νομικό πλαίσιο θα επιτρέψει στον Οργανισμό να ενσωματώσει ομαλά και αποτελεσματικά τις νέες και διευρυμένες αρμοδιότητες του.

Ωστόσο, πρέπει να αναγνωρίσουμε τον σημαντικό αντίκτυπο που θα έχει αυτή η μεταρρύθμιση στη λειτουργία του ECHA. Θα απαιτηθεί αναδιάρθρωση των αρμοδιοτήτων του, ώστε να μπορεί να διαχειριστεί τον αυξημένο φόρτο εργασίας, χωρίς να τίθεται σε κίνδυνο η ποιότητα, η ακρίβεια και η έγκαιρη ολοκλήρωση των αξιολογήσεων των επιστημονικών επιτροπών που εποπτεύει.

Η επιτυχία αυτής της πρωτοβουλίας εξαρτάται από προσεκτικό σχεδιασμό και επαρκείς πόρους. Για αυτόν τον λόγο, στην πρόταση συμβιβασμού που συμφωνήσαμε, επεκτείνουμε τη μεταβατική περίοδο προσαρμογής στους 18 μήνες αντί των 12 μηνών που προέβλεπε αρχικά η πρόταση της Επιτροπής. Αυτή η προσαρμογή είναι ιδιαίτερα σημαντική, καθώς δεν υπάρχουν ακόμη διαθέσιμοι χρηματοδοτικοί και ανθρώπινοι πόροι για τις πρόσθετες αρμοδιότητες του ECHA, μέχρι την έγκριση και έναρξη ισχύος του νομικού κειμένου. Μια μεγαλύτερη μεταβατική περίοδος θα επιτρέψει στον Οργανισμό να προσαρμοστεί σταδιακά, να αποφύγει αναταράξεις και να διατηρήσει υψηλής ποιότητας αξιολογήσεις.

Επιπλέον, η Επιτροπή πρέπει να παρακολουθεί τακτικά τον φόρτο εργασίας και τους πόρους του ECHA. Δεδομένων των πρόσθετων αρμοδιοτήτων που του ανατίθενται μέσω αυτής της πρότασης, είναι απαραίτητο η Επιτροπή να αξιολογεί τις ανάγκες του Οργανισμού και, όπου απαιτείται, να προτείνει νομοθετικά μέτρα για την προσαρμογή των πόρων του και τη βελτίωση της διακυβέρνησης των επιστημονικών του επιτροπών, διασφαλίζοντας την αποτελεσματική λειτουργία του.

Αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι, αυτή η πρόταση, ύστερα από πολύ εντατική διαβούλευση, έχει αποσπάσει ευρεία υποστήριξη από τις πολιτικές ομάδες, αντιπροσωπεύει μια καλά ισορροπημένη και βιώσιμη λύση για το μέλλον, και παρέχει ένα σαφές πλαίσιο για τον διευρυμένο ρόλο του ECHA στο ρυθμιστικό πλαίσιο των χημικών ουσιών στην ΕΕ. Με τη βελτίωση της διαδικασίας λήψης αποφάσεων, την ενίσχυση του ρυθμιστικού πλαισίου και την εφαρμογή επαρκών μεταβατικών μέτρων, διασφαλίζουμε τη δημόσια υγεία, προστατεύουμε τους πολίτες και το περιβάλλον, και ταυτόχρονα στηρίζουμε την ανταγωνιστικότητα της ευρωπαϊκής βιομηχανίας. Σας καλώ, λοιπόν, να υποστηρίξετε αυτή την πρόταση ως μέρος του πακέτου «one substance, one assessment».

Catch-the-eye procedure

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

President. – Thank you, Commissioner. The debate is closed. The vote will be held tomorrow.

20. Re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks and improving cooperation among Union agencies in the area of chemicals (short presentation)

Δημήτρης Τσιόδρας, εισηγητής. – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, με το τρίτο νομοθετικό κείμενο του πακέτου «one substance, one assessment» κάνουμε ένα ουσιαστικό συμπληρωματικό ρυθμιστικό βήμα προς τη βελτίωση της ασφάλειας των χημικών ουσιών, την προστασία του περιβάλλοντος και την ενίσχυση της ανταγωνιστικότητας της ευρωπαϊκής βιομηχανίας. Αυτή η πρόταση αποτελεί ορόσημο για τη διασφάλιση εναρμονισμένων και επιστημονικά τεκμηριωμένων αξιολογήσεων, καθώς και της αποτελεσματικής συνεργασίας μεταξύ των ευρωπαϊκών οργανισμών που ασχολούνται με τα χημικά.

Ένα από τα βασικά σημεία αυτού του κανονισμού είναι η εναρμόνιση στη διαχείριση και αξιολόγηση των χημικών ουσιών μεταξύ των διαφορετικών ευρωπαϊκών οργανισμών. Με την απλοποίηση των διαδικασιών και την εξάλειψη περιττών επικαλύψεων, μπορούμε να αυξήσουμε την αποδοτικότητα, να ενισχύσουμε την προβλεψιμότητα και να μειώσουμε το διοικητικό βάρος. Αυτό δεν θα ωφελήσει μόνο τους πολίτες της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, διασφαλίζοντας υψηλότερα πρότυπα ασφάλειας, αλλά θα βοηθήσει και τις επιχειρήσεις, παρέχοντας μεγαλύτερη σαφήνεια και σταθερότητα στις διοικητικές διαδικασίες.

Ωστόσο, κατά τη διαδικασία επαναπροσδιορισμού των αρμοδιοτήτων, πρέπει να διασφαλίσουμε ότι κανένας μεμονωμένος οργανισμός, όπως ο ECHA, δεν θα επιβαρυνθεί με πρόσθετες υπερβολικές ευθύνες. Η ανακατανομή των αρμοδιοτήτων μεταξύ των διαφόρων οργανισμών πρέπει να είναι ισορροπημένη, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη την εξειδίκευση και τα επιμέρους καθήκοντα που τους έχουν ανατεθεί. Αυτό θα διατηρήσει την επιστημονική αριστεία, ενώ παράλληλα θα αποτρέψει καθυστερήσεις στις αξιολογήσεις και τη λήψη αποφάσεων.

Στο πλαίσιο αυτής της πρότασης, συμφωνήσαμε ότι σε περίπτωση σημαντικών επιστημονικών αποκλίσεων σε γνωμοδοτήσεις, ειδικά όταν εμπλέκεται εθνική αρχή, πρέπει να υπάρχει δομημένος μηχανισμός συνεργασίας. Οι ευρωπαϊκοί οργανισμοί και οι εθνικές αρχές πρέπει να είναι υποχρεωμένοι να συνεργάζονται είτε επιλύοντας τις διαφορές τους είτε δημοσιεύοντας ένα κοινό έγγραφο που αποσαφηνίζει τις επιστημονικές αβεβαιότητες. Η διαφάνεια πρέπει να είναι στο επίκεντρο αυτής της διαδικασίας, διασφαλίζοντας ότι όλες οι σχετικές επιστημονικές συζητήσεις είναι δημόσιες και προσβάσιμες. Σε περιπτώσεις όπου εντοπίζονται αποκλίσεις και απαιτούνται επιπλέον πληροφορίες, είναι κρίσιμο να καθοριστεί μια σαφής διαδικασία και ρεαλιστικά χρονικά περιθώρια για την παροχή των απαραίτητων δεδομένων.

Αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι, αυτός ο κανονισμός αποτελεί ένα σημαντικό βήμα προς μια πιο συνεκτική, αποτελεσματική, προβλέψιμη και επιστημονικά τεκμηριωμένη πολιτική των χημικών ουσιών στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση. Ενισχύει τη συνεργασία μεταξύ των σχετικών οργανισμών, διασφαλίζει δίκαιη κατανομή των αρμοδιοτήτων τους, και προάγει τη διαφάνεια και την εμπιστοσύνη του κοινού στη διαδικασία λήψης αποφάσεων. Σας καλώ να στηρίξετε και αυτόν τον κανονισμό, ώστε να ενισχύσουμε περαιτέρω το ρυθμιστικό μας πλαίσιο για την ασφάλεια των χημικών ουσιών, να προστατεύσουμε τη δημόσια υγεία και το περιβάλλον, και να παρέχουμε στις επιχειρήσεις ένα σαφέστερο και πιο προβλέψιμο ρυθμιστικό περιβάλλον.

Catch-the-eye procedure

Christophe Clergeau (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, ce texte, qui vient s’ajouter aux deux précédents, est là aussi un premier pas. On voit bien que nous nous trouvons confrontés à un problème, plus large, de renforcement de la coopération entre les agences de sécurité sanitaire au niveau européen – et le cadre législatif qui était proposé ne permettait pas d’aller très loin dans ce domaine; on a fait le maximum. Il s’agit également de trouver la bonne adéquation entre les objectifs que l’Europe fixe à ces agences, les moyens dont elles disposent, la manière dont elles coopèrent avec les États membres et le degré de leur coopération.

Je suis persuadé qu’il nous faudra, dans les mois qui viennent, revenir sur ces sujets de manière beaucoup plus approfondie, en vue de refonder le système des agences européennes et de le projeter vers l’avenir, pour véritablement donner à ces agences les moyens de prendre à bras-le-corps les missions qui sont les leurs, si nous voulons réellement nous saisir des enjeux de santé des populations et de protection de l’environnement.

M. Url vient régulièrement expliquer à la commission de l’environnement que, à l’Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments, il n’a pas les moyens nécessaires pour se charger de la question des pesticides. On voit aujourd’hui les limites de l’ECHA face à la question des produits chimiques.

Il va falloir faire beaucoup plus que ce que ces trois textes ont proposé, même s’ils sont très positifs et que nous avons essayé de les améliorer.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Jessika Roswall, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, in addition to my previous remarks, the ECHA agency will be equipped with an operational budget, which can be used for exceptional assessment, which require external input.

In general, consulting external experts is not unusual for committees and can provide additional expertise from inside others of our sectors.

Madam President, honourable Members, all stakeholders will benefit from the ‘one substance, one assessment’ initiative. Citizens and the environment will benefit from better protection from hazardous chemicals as a result of a more efficient and effective assessment process.

Companies will benefit from more harmonised and transparent processes across legislation, from a reduced number of bodies involved in safety and risk assessment, as well as from a strengthened certainty regarding the validity of assessment.

Finally, national and EU authorities will benefit from improved efficiency of delivery of assessments and improved public trust and acceptance of regulatory decisions. That’s why I’m looking forward to working together with both the co-legislators on this.

President. – Thank you very much. The debate is closed. The vote will be held tomorrow.

21. One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Maria Walsh (PPE). – Madam President, as we sit here in Parliament tonight, thousands of workers in the pharmaceutical and medtech sectors, many in the west of Ireland, are sitting at home facing 48 hours of deep uncertainty.

Ireland is arguably the single most exposed EU Member State to a transatlantic trade war. In 2023 alone, we exported around 36 billion worth of pharmaceuticals and chemicals to the United States, while the jobs of 50 000 Irish workers are dependent on the sector.

However, it is for the sake of the European economy as a whole that our attention must be on reaching a negotiated agreement with the US. A trade war is not a fait accompli. The EU successfully avoided tariffs in 2018. We must do the same again this year.

To put in terms familiar to President Trump, for the next 48 hours, workers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic will be watching closely, focused on the real art of the deal. Ultimately, we must ensure that through strong actions and careful words, trade remains a bridge, not a battleground.

Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis (S&D). – Madam President, we are now starting discussions on the 2026 budget and upcoming new MFF, the budget of our Union. Unfortunately, the budget for the EU4Health programme, a key component of the European Health Union, was reduced by EUR 1 billion following the last MFF revision. This is completely unacceptable.

We are now facing a range of new challenges, including the urgent need to strengthen our security, defence and so on. For this, we need the strongest, most resilient, autonomous and biggest European Union budget based on consistent and stable own resources.

Health, security and the European Health Union are priorities that must be adequately funded to prevent premature deaths, create a strong and resilient workforce and society, and invest in human capital. Let us work together to ensure that we have the European Union own resources to achieve those goals.

Anne-Sophie Frigout (PfE). – Madame la Présidente, dans quel pays une chaîne de télévision se fait-elle fermer parce qu’elle ne plaît pas à la bien-pensance? Dans quel pays la candidate en tête dans tous les sondages vient d’être rendue inéligible à l’élection présidentielle de 2027 à la suite d’un coup d’État juridique sans précédent. Ce pays, c’est la France, pays des Lumières, patrie des droits de l’homme.

Aujourd’hui, Marine Le Pen est empêchée de se présenter à la présidentielle de 2027. Une sentence des plus arbitraires, qui choque même nos opposants les plus farouches. Car, tenez-vous bien, les juges justifient cette exécution provisoire par l’existence «supposée» d’un risque de récidive, empêchant toute possibilité de faire appel avant l’élection. Ils tentent en réalité de museler ceux qui commettraient le crime de ne pas penser comme eux.

Comment l’Union européenne peut-elle prétendre donner des leçons de démocratie à la Hongrie ou à la Roumanie alors que, sous ses yeux, une décision sans précédent vient bouleverser le processus démocratique en France. Alors que l’état de droit n’a jamais été autant mentionné, la démocratie n’a jamais été autant bafouée. C’est une atteinte aux valeurs, celles que nous sommes censés défendre ici.

(La Présidente retire la parole à l’oratrice)

Jana Toom (Renew). – Madam President, colleagues, I’m speaking today on behalf of my voters. Last Wednesday, the Estonian Parliament amended the Constitution and cancelled the rights of third-country citizens and stateless people to vote in local elections.

This threat existed for 30 years. The blow was aimed mostly at citizens of Russia and Belarus with a permanent residence permit, using the war of Russia against Ukraine as a pretext. The population of Estonia is 1.3 million; the Members of Parliament decided that 140 000 people are a ‘fifth column’, without charge or trial, collectively. The punishment: no democratic representation at all.

These people are not new migrants. They are Estonians in all but their passports. Most of them took Russian passports to legalise themselves after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The barriers of obtaining Estonian citizenship were and remain too high. These people are law-abiding taxpayers that have lived in Estonia for decades or since birth. It is their homeland. Teachers, doctors, engineers, old folks – even the security police doesn’t see them as a security risk.

It is a purely political decision in order to change the results of the local elections that will be held in autumn. Given the fragile security situation in Europe, such a step is stupid but also dangerous.

(The President cut off the speaker)

Daniel Buda (PPE). – Doamnă președintă, stimați colegi, febra aftoasă, în principal o boală a vacilor, apare după 35 de ani în Europa și face ravagii în sectorul zootehnic. Primul focar a fost identificat în Germania în urmă cu trei luni, iar recent cazuri similare au fost identificate în Slovacia și Ungaria, nu departe de granița cu România.

Fermierii au avut deja pierderi de sute de milioane de euro, fie urmare a mortalității, fie a pierderilor de venit. Previziunile sunt sumbre, deoarece boala se răspândește cu viteza luminii. Fermierii riscă să ajungă în imposibilitatea de a salva animalele, iar cei din sectorul vegetal, de a nu mai avea cum să își vândă producția. Comisia trebuie să găsească urgent mecanismele pentru despăgubirea fermierilor afectați.

În același timp, executivul european trebuie să vină cu o comunicare publică adecvată și eficientă cu privire la măsurile luate pentru prevenirea bolii, dar și identificarea unui vaccin eficient, concomitent cu elaborarea unui plan clar de acțiune stabilit cu statele membre. Atrag atenția că securitatea alimentară poate fi serios afectată de această boală, care se comportă ca o adevărată armă biologică.

Marie Dauchy (PfE). – Madame la Présidente, aujourd’hui la justice est utilisée comme une arme politique. Le procès de Marine Le Pen, à deux ans de la présidentielle, n’a rien de neutre. Il ne vise pas la vérité, il ne vise pas la justice: il vise à faire taire la première opposante politique. Les réquisitions sont disproportionnées. Le calendrier parle de lui-même. Derrière tout cela, il y a la main de Bruxelles, toujours prête à s’attaquer à ceux qui défendent leur peuple.

Peut-on encore parler de démocratie quand on cherche à écarter une candidate par la voie des tribunaux plutôt que par la voix du peuple? Il ne s’agit pas que d’une femme, mais de 13 millions de Français.

Ce n’est pas une première: en Roumanie, à quelques semaines de l’élection présidentielle, les mêmes méthodes ont été utilisées pour disqualifier l’opposition nationale. Aujourd’hui, ce scénario se répète en France. Il s’agit d’une dérive grave, dangereuse, d’un pouvoir qui a peur de perdre et qui instrumentalise la justice pour se protéger.

Mais les Français ne sont pas dupes. Nous défendrons Marine Le Pen, nous défendrons la démocratie et nous rendrons la parole au peuple. Car, si l’Union européenne continue de piétiner les libertés fondamentales, alors oui, elle s’effondrera et elle l’aura bien cherché.

Ciaran Mullooly (Renew). – Madam President, the Gaeltacht areas of Ireland are not only geographical regions, they are part of the island’s heritage. They’re the beating heart of the Irish language.

Mar a deir Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich: An teanga, sin í croí ár ndúchais.

Unfortunately, a mix of bad planning or no planning at all, combined with Airbnb-style corporate acquisitions, have seen an influx of non-Irish speakers coming in, causing a dramatic shift in the linguistic balance.

If planning continues to be granted without restrictions and there is no positive discrimination towards Irish speakers, there is a real risk now of losing the Irish language forever in locations like Galway, Kerry and Donegal.

Commissioner, our new European Parliament Special Committee on Housing must look at this. We need positive planning policies that favour the natives, and we must ensure young people with fluent Irish are not priced out of their communities. The Irish language has survived through war, famine and numerous ways of immigration. For it to finally die due to planning laws would be a tragedy.

João Oliveira (The Left). – Senhora Presidente, trouxemos hoje a este Parlamento Europeu uma importante proposta para o prolongamento do prazo de implementação dos fundos do PRR, dos fundos do Plano de Resolução e Resiliência. E porquê? Porque estes fundos são fundos importantes ao dispor dos Estados-Membros, que devem ser plenamente aproveitados para que os Estados-Membros possam, a partir deles, projetar o desenvolvimento e a resposta que é necessário dar aos seus problemas nacionais.

E fizemos esta proposta, partindo da constatação que tem sido feita, nomeadamente pelo Tribunal de Contas Europeu, que estes fundos não estão a ser utilizados, que há uma boa parte de dificuldades que têm que ver com a própria regulamentação do Mecanismo de Recuperação e Resiliência e também com dificuldades nacionais. Mas que o problema do prazo, que acabará em agosto de 2026, é um dos estrangulamentos com que estamos confrontados.

O facto de o prazo dos fundos do Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência estar fixado para agosto de 2026 significa que muitos Estados não aproveitarão esses fundos ou utilizá-los-ão erradamente, como está neste momento apontado para Portugal, depois da segunda reprogramação que foi feita pelo Governo.

E, por isso, propomos a extensão do prazo para 2028, numa proposta que, estamos convictos, será aprovada por este Parlamento.

Alexander Sell (ESN). – Frau Präsidentin! Schuldenbremse, Grenzschließung, Heizungsgesetz: Friedrich Merz hat im Wahlkampf nie gelogen, sondern immer die Wahrheit gesagt. Für diese Aussage könnte ich in Deutschland bestraft werden, denn, ich zitiere: „Die bewusste Verbreitung falscher Tatsachenbehauptungen ist durch die Meinungsfreiheit nicht gedeckt.“ Das ist kein schlechter Aprilscherz, sondern ein Satz aus den Sondierungspapieren von CDU und SPD. Als Bundeskanzler will Friedrich Merz sicherstellen, dass in Deutschland immer die Wahrheit gesagt wird – das heißt z. B., Schulden müssen Vermögen genannt werden. Wer das nicht tut, macht sich in Deutschland bald strafbar, weil Desinformation und Fake News unsere Demokratie gefährden – so sieht das die deutsche Bundesregierung.

Vor 400 Jahren hat Galileo Galilei behauptet, dass sich die Erde um die Sonne dreht. Für diese Verbreitung von Fake News wurde er zu Hausarrest verurteilt, weil der Papst der Meinung war, dass sich die Sonne eben um die Erde dreht. Heute wissen wir: Die Wahrheit lässt sich nicht aufhalten, auch wenn Friedrich Merz die Wahrheit Lüge nennt. Am Ende werden die Lügner immer überführt, denn Lügen haben kurze Beine.

Thierry Mariani (PfE). – Madame la Présidente, c’est officiel: de Paris à Bucarest en passant par la Republika Srpska, l’Union européenne accompagne la mort démocratique de l’Europe. La condamnation, injuste et totalitaire, de Marine Le Pen fait tristement écho à celle de Milorad Dodik, président de la République serbe de Bosnie. À travers lui, la Republika Srpska est attaquée judiciairement et politiquement.

Milorad Dodik, qui a été élu démocratiquement, vient d’être condamné à un an de prison et à six ans d’inéligibilité dans un procès politique téléguidé depuis l’extérieur. À ce stade, la justice de Bosnie-Herzégovine n’est plus indépendante: elle est un instrument de répression entre les mains de Sarajevo, un instrument qui agit sous la pression de Christian Schmidt, haut représentant international, qui se conduit comme un gouverneur colonial en annulant des lois et en violant la volonté populaire exprimée dans les urnes.

Évidemment, Bruxelles laisse se dérouler cette farce autoritaire, orchestrée contre un président légitimement élu, prouvant par là même que son indignation est sélective et qu’elle piétine le droit des peuples à disposer d’eux-mêmes – en particulier celui des Serbes.

La Republika Srpska et son peuple ne méritent ni l’ignorance ni l’humiliation, mais le respect.

Michał Dworczyk (ECR). – Pani Przewodnicząca! W ostatnich tygodniach Komisja Europejska zaprezentowała szereg inicjatyw w dziedzinie bezpieczeństwa i obronności: białą księgę, program ReArm Europe czy rozporządzenie Safe. Nie możemy też pomijać programu na rzecz europejskiego przemysłu obronnego EDIP. Po lekturze tych dokumentów ewidentne jest, że Komisja stawia w centrum swoich propozycji wspólne zamówienia i obowiązkowy komponent europejski. Obie te kwestie oczywiście są ważne w dłuższej perspektywie, jednak dzisiaj nie żyjemy w abstrakcyjnej przyszłości, tylko w realnym i niebezpiecznym tu i teraz. Dlatego priorytety wsparcia powinny być inne.

Po pierwsze – bezpośrednie zaangażowanie w ochronę wschodniej granicy NATO i Unii Europejskiej. Po drugie – poziom wydatków na obronność względem PKB. I po trzecie – realna pomoc udzielana walczącej Ukrainie, zarówno militarna, jak i logistyczna. Są to kryteria fundamentalne i oczywiste. Tymczasem priorytety wyznaczone przez Komisję, zamiast wzmacniać bezpieczeństwo Europy, praktycznie przekładają się na korzyści dla dużych koncernów zbrojeniowych i ich rekordowe wyniki są tego dowodem. Dlatego zachęcam zarówno Komisję, jak i posłów do tego, by w trakcie prac nad EDIPem i przyszłymi projektami dokonać koniecznej korekty priorytetów.

Barry Cowen (Renew). – Madam President, in two days’ time, the Trump administration will impose tariffs that threaten the future of the European economy, not just for months, but possibly for years to come. Europe must respond firmly, but strategically. Our counter-tariffs, when they arrive in mid-April, must be measured and considered.

It’s inevitable during this consultation period that individual Member States, their governments and sector representatives will make the case for their right to be shielded from such tariffs. I personally, for example, have made representations to the Commission on behalf of several Irish industries. But when the time comes, it’s vital that we unite. In times of crisis, the strength of the EU has always been its unity.

We are all now well aware that the EU exports EUR 157 billion more in goods to the US, while the US has a EUR 109 billion surplus in services. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, one that tariffs will only damage.

As such, if and when the time comes, we must engage with the Trump administration transactionally, exploring American LNG purchases, for example, and security commitments, as part of a solution to avoid all-out trade war.

All in all, let’s make sure the EU’s response is measured and politically precise. The goal must be to bring the US back to the table because, as we all know, a trade war serves neither them nor us.

Ana Miranda Paz (Verts/ALE). – Um queijo. Um queijo protegido, único, tradicional, sustentável. Produz-se num território ameaçado por um projeto altamente contaminante, que o Governo galego quer fazer, da empresa portuguesa Altri, que mesmo Portugal rejeitou. Querem trocar vacas por eucaliptos, queijos por celulose, granjas por fumo.

Com o mais alto risco a nível europeu para uma iniciativa europeia num contexto verde, os fundos europeus não podem vir para este tipo de projetos que contaminam, que destroem as granjas, que destroem também esta produção protegida de queijos.

Um queijo é o símbolo de um país, do meu país: a Galiza.

Rudi Kennes (The Left). – Madam President, last week, the workers of the catering services in Parliament protested because management outsourced their work to private companies, and the way these companies treat them is simply not worthy of an institution that always complains about labour rights violations, but only abroad.

Catering is currently outsourced to a British multinational. How do multinationals win these contracts? They place the lowest bid – which means low salaries and bad services. Today it is the catering, yesterday it was the creche, tomorrow the cleaning and also now the teachers.

They all described a shocking situation: precarious contracts, huge workloads, low pay, high turnover and no certainty. These people are desperate, tired and feel humiliated. The EU should give a good example and not give contracts to these kind of industry cowboys.

We want to see these services insourced, permanent good jobs, good pay and good working conditions. We will support these workers and their unions until they get what they deserve.

Valérie Deloge (PfE). – Madame la Présidente, face aux défis économiques et géopolitiques qui menacent notre continent, la Commission européenne a trouvé une réponse déconcertante: un kit de survie pour tenir soixante-douze heures en cas de crise. Plutôt que de mettre fin au pacte vert, qui étrangle nos agriculteurs, Bruxelles préfère entretenir un climat de peur. Au lieu de renforcer notre économie et notre souveraineté, elle infantilise les citoyens avec des recommandations dignes d’un scénario hollywoodien.

La guerre n’est pas un jeu. Jordan Bardella l’a rappelé: nous voulons une Europe de la paix, de la sécurité et de la souveraineté. Pourtant Bruxelles s’acharne à affaiblir nos nations pour imposer son fédéralisme. Nos agriculteurs, étouffés par des normes économiques absurdes, et nos entreprises, soumises à la concurrence déloyale, sont aujourd’hui en mode survie. Un véritable kit de survie, c’est une économie forte, une industrie compétitive et des frontières protégées.

Je voulais aussi apporter tout mon soutien à Marine Le Pen, honteusement condamnée pour des raisons politiques. C’est un jour triste pour la démocratie, mais ce n’est qu’une question de temps avant que nous arrivions au pouvoir pour donner aux peuples européens la voix qu’ils méritent.

Fernand Kartheiser (ECR). – Madam President, the statement concerns the review of the Digital Services Act. Article 91 of the DSA provides for a review of the Act by November 2025, regarding the designation of very large online platforms, their scope and the DSA’s compatibility with various legal instruments. The DSA has been heavily criticised not only by the current US administration, but also by European politicians and human rights defenders, who have alerted and documented the far‑reaching impact of the DSA on fundamental rights, in particular the right to free speech. In this context, a well‑rounded review process is strongly needed.

Can the Commission clarify the review process under Article 91 of the DSA and, in particular, the roles played by Parliament and the Council? Is the Commission envisioning amendments to the DSA and, if so, which ones?

Nicolae Ştefănuță (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, I have a message to every European: when they spit on our European values, we do not apologise for them, we do not explain ourselves for them – instead, we pick them up and put them in an even shinier place for everyone to see.

I’m so tired of us being always in a defensive mode, as if we apologise for something, as if we look for a world that isn’t there anymore.

For today’s world, Europe needs again the path of unity, of standing together, of strength. We need to be adults responsible for ourselves.

We don’t need to point to the outside. We need to look inside and really work hard. This continent will prevail because it is what humans have aspired to for so many centuries.

Do I need to remind the House that this continent only had peace when it was together? For the rest of its historic millennia, it only had war if it was not united.

It is time to make Europe believe in itself again. It is time to have a more united Europe again!

Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă (NI). – Doamnă președintă, ceea ce s-a întâmplat astăzi în Franța, prin condamnarea lui Marine Le Pen și condamnarea acesteia de a nu mai putea candida ca președinte, este o urmare firească a interdicției mele din 5 octombrie 2024, făcută de Curtea Constituțională, numai că eu nu eram condamnată de nimeni și pentru nimic, ci doar pe articole din ziar.

Dacă atunci ați fi avut interesul să reacționați, acum nu mai eram în situația în care Europa a instaurat o dictatură și v-o spun ca avocat: nu există o astfel de posibilitate să o facă o Curte Constituțională. Ați călcat în picioare drepturile și libertățile fundamentale ale drepturilor omului, ați călcat în picioare principiul:

Liberté, fraternité, égalité, elles sont mortes!

Deci nu mai există nici libertate, nici egalitate, nici fraternitate. Ați distrus întreaga Europă și vă certați cu toată lumea, inclusiv cu Trump. Ori vă revizuiți atitudinea, ori va trebui să ne reluăm noi toate drepturile și libertățile fundamentale înapoi, indiferent cum vom putea.

Ştefan Muşoiu (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, dragi colegi, asistăm în ultimii ani la un proces mult prea rapid de maturizare a propriilor noștri copii, cauzat de utilizarea rețelelor de socializare de la vârsta de 5 ani. Este alarmant. La fel de alarmant este și că aproape 50 % dintre copii petrec peste 6 ore pe zi online, conform unui studiu realizat recent.

Însă și mai îngrijorător este faptul că aceste deprinderi nocive, combinate cu conținuturi inadecvate, cu presiunea validării și cu temerile privind excluderea socială, le provoacă tot mai mari dificultăți emoționale copiilor. Expunerea timpurie și necontrolată la aceste platforme poate duce la fragilizarea emoțională, la izolare socială, la anxietate severă și inclusiv la tentative de suicid.

Așadar, este nevoie de o gestionare adecvată a timpului și a conținutului din online accesibil copiilor. Trebuie să prevaleze aceste obiective, iar modelul spaniol privind limitarea folosirii tabletelor și a altor dispozitive digitale la maxim 2 ore pe săptămână de către elevii din școala primară, devine crucial pentru viitorul copiilor.

President. – That would be the last speaker for the one‑minute speeches for this plenary sitting.

Thank you, Commissioner Roswall, for having stayed until the end and taken the floor on each occasion you were given.

22. Agenda of the next sitting

President. – The agenda for the next sitting, which is tomorrow, Tuesday 1 April at 9.00, has been published and is available on the European Parliament website.

23. Approval of the minutes of the sitting

President. – The minutes of this sitting will be submitted to Parliament for its approval tomorrow, at the beginning of the afternoon.

24. Closure of the sitting

(The sitting closed at 22.29)

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 2, 2025

MIL-Evening Report: Australians want nature protected. These 3 environmental problems should be top of the next government’s to-do list
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University

Christina Zdenek

Australia is a place of great natural beauty, home to many species found nowhere else on Earth. But it’s also particularly vulnerable to introduced animals, diseases and weeds. Habitat destruction, pollution and climate change make matters worse. To conserve what’s special, we need far greater care.

Unfortunately, successive federal governments have failed to protect nature. Australia now has more than 2,000 threatened species and “ecological communities” – groups of native species that live together and interact. This threatened list is growing at an alarming rate.

The Albanese government came to power in 2022 promising to reform the nation’s nature laws, following a scathing review of the laws. But it has failed to do so.

If re-elected, Labor has vowed to complete its reforms and introduce a federal Environment Protection Agency, in some other form.

The Coalition has not made such a commitment. Instead, it refers to “genuine conservation”, balancing the environment and the economy. They’ve also promised to cut “green tape” for industry.

But scientific evidence suggests much more is required to protect Australia’s natural wonders.

Fighting invaders

Labor has made a welcome commitment of more than A$100 million to counter “highly pathogenic avian influenza”. This virulent strain of bird flu is likely to kill millions of native birds and other wildlife.

The government also provided much-needed funding for a network of safe havens for threatened mammals. These safe-havens exclude cats, foxes and other invasive species.

But much more needs to be done. Funding is urgently needed to eradicate red imported fire ants, before eradication becomes impossible. Other election commitments to look for include:
- increased biosecurity funding, to prevent new incursions
- long-term investment in eradicating major pests and weeds from key sites
- support for research into new tools to control invasive species such as feral cats, for which no broad-scale solution is currently possible
- no reversal or weakening of policies aimed at curbing invasive pests such as feral horses in national parks
- new laws to ensure threat abatement plans must be implemented
- adequate funds to manage invasive species across the expanded protected areas system to meet the key global commitment to nature conservation
- national coordination and leadership to stop the indiscriminate use of poisons that can spread through ecosystems and food-chains, killing non-target animals such as owls, quolls, Tasmanian devils, reptiles and frogs.
Stopping land clearing and habitat destruction

The states are largely responsible for controlling land clearing. But when land clearing affects “matters of national environmental significance” such as a nationally listed threatened species or ecological community, it becomes a federal matter.

Such proposals are supposed to be referred to the federal environment minister for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

But most habitat destruction is never referred. And if it is, it’s mostly deemed “not a controlled action”. That means no further consideration is required and the development can proceed.

Only about 1.5% of the hundreds of thousands of hectares of land cleared in Australia every year is fully assessed under the EPBC Act.

This means our threatened species and ecological communities are suffering a “death by a thousand cuts”.

How do we fix this? A starting point is to introduce “national environmental standards” of the kind envisaged in the 2020 review of the EPBC Act by Professor Graeme Samuel.

A strong Environment Protection Agency could ensure impacts on biodiversity are appropriately assessed and accounted for.

Habitat destruction at Lee Point, Darwin.
Martine Maron

Protecting threatened species

For Australia to turn around its extinction crisis, prospective elected representatives and governments must firmly commit to the following actions.

Stronger environmental law and enforcement is essential for tackling biodiveristy decline and extinction. This should include what’s known as a “climate trigger”, which means any proposal likely to produce a significant amount of greenhouse gases would have to be assessed under the EPBC Act.

This is necessary because climate change is among the greatest threats to biodiversity. But the federal environment minister is currently not legally bound to consider – or authorised to refuse – project proposals based on their greenhouse gas emissions. In an attempt to pass the EPBC reforms in the Senate last year, the Greens agreed to postpone their demand for a climate trigger.

Key threats to species, including habitat destruction, invasive species, climate change, and pollution, must be prevented or reduced. Aligning government policies and priorities to ensure environmental goals aren’t undermined by economic and development interests is essential.

A large increase in environmental spending – to at least 1% of the federal budget – is vital. It would ensure sufficient support for conservation progress and meeting legal requirements of the EPBC Act, including listing threatened species and designing and implementing recovery plans when required.

Show nature the money!

Neither major party has committed to substantial increases in environmental spending in line with what experts suggest is urgently needed.

Without such increased investment Australia’s conservation record will almost certainly continue to deteriorate. The loss of nature hurts us all. For example, most invasive species not only affect biodiversity; they have major economic costs to productivity.

Whoever forms Australia’s next government, we urge elected leaders to act on the wishes of 96% of surveyed Australians calling for more action to conserve nature.

Read more:
Protecting salmon farming at the expense of the environment – another step backwards for Australia’s nature laws

Euan Ritchie receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action. Euan is a Councillor within the Biodiversity Council, a member of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Australian Mammal Society, and President of the Australian Mammal Society.

John Woinarski is a Professor at Charles Darwin University, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, co-chair of the IUCN Australasian Marsupials and Monotremes Specialist group, a councillor with the Biodiversity Council, and a member of the science advisory committee of Zoos Victoria and Invertebrates Australia. He has received funding from the Australian government to contribute to the management of feral cats and foxes.

Martine Maron has received funding from various sources including the Australian Research Council, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, and the federal government’s National Environmental Science Program, and has advised both state and federal government on conservation policy. She is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, a councillor with the Biodiversity Council, and leads the IUCN’s thematic group on Impact Mitigation and Ecological Compensation under the Commission on Ecosystem Management.

– ref. Australians want nature protected. These 3 environmental problems should be top of the next government’s to-do list – https://theconversation.com/australians-want-nature-protected-these-3-environmental-problems-should-be-top-of-the-next-governments-to-do-list-253336
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Tillis Urges USDA to Quickly Distribute Disaster Relief to Assist Farmers, Rural Communities in Recovery

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Thom Tillis recently sent a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to work with Congress to quickly distribute the more than $23 billion Congress passed in December to assist farmers, ranchers and rural Americans in responding to devastating natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. In the letter with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the Senators note that the assistance is sorely needed as farmers and ranchers across the country struggle to address the fallout of several billion-dollar natural disasters.

“These funds will benefit producers in every State—the natural disasters that struck farms and ranches in 2023 and 2024 affected a wide range of crops, livestock, and on-farm infrastructure,” the senators wrote. “In North Carolina, Hurricane Helene is estimated to have caused almost $5 billion in agricultural losses, and in New Hampshire, a disastrous freeze in 2023 damaged apple and peach trees, as well as other crops, with growers seeing as high as 100 percent crop losses for the year.”

“As you know, this program is intended to serve both producers with and without crop insurance, and reach small, diversified operations,” the senators continued. “The supplemental provides targeted funds for small farm states, and it also specifically directs the Secretary to offer technical assistance to interested non-insured producers to help them apply for funding made available.”

“As the Department implements all of the disaster assistance programs, we stand ready to assist you in this effort to advance our shared priority of helping farmers and rural communities recover and thrive,” the senators concluded. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

This letter follows a bipartisan, bicameral letter sent on March 10^th to Secretary Rollins, urging the immediate distribution of $23 billion in aid Congress passed in December for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

Read the full letter HERE.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Leads Legislation to Fix Tax Code and Support Financial Security for Iowa Families

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) introduced the Secure Family Futures Act to apply ordinary treatment of debt investments for insurance companies, which in turn, would help secure life insurance policies – at a lower cost – for American families.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) is an original cosponsor.

“Our tax code needs to support the financial security of our families and help Iowans save for the future. But current tax law doesn’t recognize how insurance companies are able to meet their obligations to their policy holders, putting unnecessary costs on life insurance and the financial security it brings to families across America,” said Rep. Feenstra. “We need to fix this misalignment in our tax code so that life insurers can continue to offer affordable policies to Iowa families without facing burdensome hurdles. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, I’m proud to lead the charge to repeal capital treatment for debt investments and help every Iowa family achieve financial security and prepare for tomorrow.”

“Investments in bonds are investments into American businesses and our communities,” said Rep. Sewell. “The Secure Family Futures Act is a major step that will ensure such investments provide returns to policyholders while simultaneously improving our economy through job growth and innovation.”

“Insurance products are helping Americans navigate historic fires, floods, and other storms. Aligning tax treatment for bonds held by insurance companies with the banking industry will help give insurers fair tax treatment as they work to pay out claims to their clients,” said Rep. Mike Flood. “Thanks to Congressman Feenstra and Congresswoman Sewell for helping lead this effort and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House on this issue that’s critical to keeping insurance affordable for working Americans.”

“Life insurers protect families and help fuel the American economy, investing $8 trillion in businesses, infrastructure, job creation and more that put life into communities nationwide. These investments secure life insurers’ financial guarantees while providing essential capital that keeps America thriving. At the same time, the returns help make life insurance more affordable and accessible,” said American Council of Life Insurers President and CEO David Chavern. “Rep. Feenstra’s bill supports these important societal needs and will greatly benefit people in Iowa and across the country. It makes crucial updates to the tax treatment of life insurers’ bond investments that will drive more economic growth and help more Americans and businesses secure their financial futures.”

“MetLife applauds the bipartisan introduction of the Secure Family Futures Act. We believe this bill would improve the financial resilience of families and remove a barrier to more investments in the U.S. economy,” said Kenneth LaGuardia, Global Tax Director of Metlife. “The Secure Family Futures Act fixes an inconsistency in the current tax code impacting the tax treatment of insurers’ debt investments and their role in the operations of insurance companies. Similar to other financial institutions, we believe these debt investments should be considered as inventory and part of an insurer’s ordinary course of business. The Secure Family Futures Act would fix this outdated tax treatment and apply equal tax treatment to insurance companies.”

Iowa’s life insurance industry supports nearly 54,000 jobs, $66 billion in investment, and $4.6 billion in benefits paid to Iowa families.

Full legislative text can be found HERE.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Conference places the spotlight on ocean sustainability

Source: South Africa News Agency

As the current holder of the G20 Presidency, South Africa is leading global efforts for ocean sustainability, particularly focusing on advancing sustainable ocean initiatives in Africa.

The country is hosting the 14th International Conference on Southern Hemisphere Meteorology and Oceanography (ICSHMO), which is currently underway in Cape Town.

This premier scientific gathering, being held in Africa for the first time since 1997, brings together renowned meteorologists, oceanographers, and climate scientists to address the unique atmospheric and oceanic challenges of the southern hemisphere.

The five-day event, which kicked off on Monday, is hosted by the National Research Foundation (NRF) through the South African Environmental Observation Network, with support from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI).

The conference shows South Africa’s growing influence in global climate science.

Opening the conference, the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Nomalungelo Gina, emphasised the urgent need for scientific collaboration to combat the escalating threats of climate change.

“The world is experiencing intensified heatwaves, prolonged droughts, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events that disrupt economies, displace communities, and strain infrastructure,” the department said.

South Africa has witnessed the devastating impact of climate change in repeated floods and recurring droughts.
These events highlight the pressing need for enhanced climate prediction, risk management, and adaptation strategies, all key topics at ICSHMO 2025.

The Deputy Minister stressed the importance of turning scientific knowledge into tangible, actionable solutions.
Through the NRF, the country continues to support cutting-edge research in marine and coastal science, weather forecasting, and climate adaptation, to inform global policy and action.

Gina welcomed the integration of ICSHMO with the Ocean20 initiative, a flagship programme introduced under Brazil’s G20 Presidency, which is designed to promote sustainable ocean governance, and reiterated South Africa’s commitment to leveraging science, technology, and innovation for sustainable development.

The Deputy Minister stressed the importance of equitable access to artificial intelligence, big data and remote sensing technologies, which were transforming climate science, enabling more accurate forecasting, early warning systems, and disaster preparedness.

Collaboration and knowledge-sharing were key to building a more stable and resilient global future, especially for nations that were most vulnerable to climate change.

A group of learners from Luhlaza and Usasazo high schools in Khayelitsha attended the conference and had a special interaction with Gina on the benefits of science for society.

During the opening session, Kenya’s representative for the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Patricia Nying’uro, highlighted the critical role of indigenous knowledge in promoting sustainability. She stated that the extensive knowledge accumulated by indigenous communities over centuries should be utilized to enhance climate action efforts.

NRF CEO, Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, said the conference would provide a vital platform for advancing scientific collaboration, sharing cutting-edge research, and addressing the pressing challenges of climate variability and change in the southern hemisphere.

“The insights and discussions over the next few days will undoubtedly contribute to shaping policies and strategies that enhance climate resilience in our region and beyond,” he stated. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Fischer, Congressional Delegation Announce Military Service Academy Days Across Nebraska
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

Today, U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and U.S. Representatives Mike Flood (NE-01), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Adrian Smith (NE-03) announced that their staff will hold Service Academy Days in Bellevue, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha, Grand Island, and Lincoln.

The events inform high school students about the process to apply for a congressional nomination to one of our nation’s military service academies. Service academy representatives will be on hand to answer questions.

“Home to Offutt Air Force Base and Camp Ashland, Nebraska has long been the home of our nation’s exceptional service members. To continue our state’s proud tradition of military service, I’m happy to host Academy Days for high school students and their parents to learn more about how to apply for nominations to one of our prestigious Military Service Academies,” said Senator Fischer.

“Nebraska has a strong tradition of supporting our military. Each year, I honor that tradition by nominating outstanding young Nebraskans to attend our United States service academies. I encourage high school students from across our state to attend Academy Days and learn more about the nomination process,” said Senator Ricketts.

“America’s Military Service Academies are training a new generation of young leaders who are stepping up to serve in our nation’s Armed Forces. Academy Days hosted by the Nebraska delegation will provide in depth briefings on how nominations work. I strongly encourage any young Nebraskan who has an interest in attending one of the academies to join our offices to learn more and get all your questions answered before diving into the application process,” said Representative Flood.

“As a veteran who served nearly 30 years in the Air Force, I cannot share enough how much my military career meant to me and these academies help our youth get a start on their own exciting and fulfilling careers. I encourage our high school students to check out each of the academies and wish them the best as they start their application process,” said Representative Bacon.

“Nebraska has many bright young people who are willing to serve and would make outstanding cadets at our country’s service academies. It is an honor to partner with our congressional delegation and connect our state’s leading students with a first-rate education, leadership opportunities, and training for service,” said Representative Smith.

The event includes representatives from the Nebraska chapters of the service academy alumni associations and Nebraska service academy parent clubs.

All high school students, parents, and guidance counselors who have an interest in the nation’s service academies are welcome and no preregistration is required. The targeted audience is freshman through juniors.

To learn more, please contact Kevin Huebert, Senator Fischer’s Director of Military and Veterans Affairs, at (402) 391-3411.

Please click here or see below for dates, locations, and more information:
- April 5
Bellevue, NE 68005
- May 3
Norfolk, NE 68701
- May 10
North Platte, NE 69101
- May 17
Omaha, NE 68111
- August 9
- August 23
MIL OSI USA News –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: RAF 60 Second Update26 Mar 2025
Source: United Kingdom – Royal Air Force

Say goodbye to Puma with us, in the latest 60 Second Update from RAF Benson. In this episode:
- After 54 years in service, on 31 March, Puma helicopters from RAF Benson will no longer be conducting routine operations. The event will be marked by a farewell flight from Benson on Wednesday 26 – Thursday 27 March.
- Things get chilly for RAF Typhoons on Exercise Snowrider in Finland alongside the Finnish Air Force, where the jets practised flying from icy runways.
- The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight confirm that they will be flying Merlin engine fighters this display season, with a full display schedule expected in April.
[embedded content]

Thanks for watching and see you next time!
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Puma’s final flypast27 Mar 2025
Source: United Kingdom – Royal Air Force

The flight was organised to honour its remarkable service.

On 26 March RAF Benson waved off Puma helicopters for the last time as they embarked on their farewell flight around the UK. The Puma helicopter has been the work horse of the Royal Air Force for over five decades.

Introduced into service in 1971, the Puma quickly became a key asset, known for its agility, speed, and versatility. Over the years, it has been deployed in various Operations and humanitarian missions.

In recent history it has seen service in Kenya 2009 to 2011 where they supported UK exercises and in Afghanistan 2015 to 2021. It has also provided support in the Caribbean as a part of Operation RUMAN after Hurricane Irma in September 2017. During COVID it took part in Operation RESCRIPT in 2020, providing vital aid to those in need. Up until March 2025, it has been involved in enduring operations in Cyprus and Brunei.

“This flight route is via various locations of significance.

“Each place reflects the rich history and contributions that the Puma has made during its time in service. The aircraft has been a cornerstone of global Defence Operations for more than five decades. We want to celebrate its contribution to supporting our people around the world over the past 54 years.”

Wing Commander Nick Monahan
Officer Commanding 33 Squadron & Puma Force Commander

To name a few, the Farewell Tour took the Puma to several key locations:
- RAF Benson: The home base for the Puma fleet, RAF Benson, has been the heart of operations and training for these helicopters. The farewell flight’s first and final stop was a tribute to the countless hours of service and training conducted here.
- Northern Ireland: The Puma played a crucial role during the Troubles, providing essential support and transport. The visit to Northern Ireland was a poignant reminder of the helicopter’s contributions to peacekeeping efforts.
- Kensington Palace: To honour Prince Michael of Kent’s distinguished connection to RAF Benson and the Puma fleet.
- Cranwell, Halton, Honington, Shawbury and Stanta training area: All sights of significance for the Aircrew that have intertwined history with the Helicopter.
- Boscombe Down and Airbus Kidlington: Sites for significance for the maintenance and operational capabilities of the fleet.
As the helicopter flew over these historic sites, it symbolised the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter for the RAF. The Puma’s drawdown marks the transition to newer technologies, but its legacy will continue to inspire future generations of aviators. For those who have flown and engineered her for over 50 years this is a poignant moment and a chance to reflect on their dedication and service.

The farewell flight was not just a goodbye but a celebration of the Puma’s remarkable journey and the countless lives it touched and saved over its distinguished career.

“We recognise and celebrate the dedication of everyone who has served on or supported Puma operations over the last five decades”

Wing Commander Alice Tierney
Station Commander, RAF Benson
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The last surviving Battle of Britain Pilot, John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC, passes awayJohn “Paddy” Hemingway, the last surviving pilot of the Battle of Britain, has sadly passed away at the age of 105.17 Mar 2025

Source: United Kingdom – Royal Air Force

John “Paddy” Hemingway, the last surviving pilot of the iconic Battle of Britain, passed away peacefully on 17 March 2025 at the age of 105.

Paddy Hemingway, one of a number known as ‘the Few’ and revered figures in British aviation history, played a crucial role in defending the United Kingdom against Nazi oppression during the summer of 1940. His courage in the face of overwhelming odds demonstrated his sense of duty and the importance of British resilience.

Eighty-five years ago, a nineteen-year-old Royal Air Force Pilot Officer from Ireland, flew his Hurricane in the skies over France, providing fighter cover (strafing attacks, air patrols and dogfights) to the British Expeditionary Force and other allied troops as they retreated to the beaches of Dunkirk in the face of overwhelming Nazi Blitzkrieg attacks. It became known as the ‘Battle of France’.

When the invasion of France commenced in May 1940, Paddy, a pilot with No. 85 Squadron, found himself locked in a bitter contest with the Luftwaffe. In an eleven-day period the squadron accounted for a confirmed total of 90 enemy aircraft; there were many more claims that could not be substantiated. On 10 May, Paddy was recorded as destroying a He-111, the following day he downed a Do-17 but his Hurricane aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire, and he had to make a forced landing. As the Germans advanced, it was clear the airfields would be overrun and the remaining pilots, aircraft and crews returned to the UK.

No. 85 Squadron, under a new commanding officer, Peter Townsend, became one of the front-line squadrons of the 11 Group (Fighter Command) response to the daily attacks from Nazi aircraft, which came to be known as the ‘Battle of Britain’. Paddy’s logbook records, almost nonchalantly, the daily sorties he and the other pilots undertook in defence of the United Kingdom. In August 1940, during hectic dogfights, Paddy was twice forced to bail out of his Hurricane, landing in the sea off the coast of Essex and in marshland on the other occasion.

Towards the end of the October 1940, the strain of fighting and loss of comrades was beginning to take its toll on Paddy. He was particularly troubled by the loss of his dear friend ‘Dickie’ Lee DSO, DFC in August 1940, saying in later years that his biggest regret was the loss of friends.

On 1 July 1941, Paddy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and in September that year, he was Mentioned in Dispatches. His journey to London to receive his DFC from The King began with him escaping from a wrecked Blenheim aircraft which crashed on take-off.

This wasn’t the last of his aircraft related misfortunes. In 1941, serving with No. 85 Squadron, based at RAF Hunsdon, in a Havoc night fighter, Paddy had to bail out at 600 feet due to instrument failure in bad weather, breaking his hand on the tail section. Paddy’s parachute failed to open properly, and he was saved further injury as the chute caught on the branches of a tree. In 1945, whilst serving in the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces with 324 Wing, he was forced to bail out a fourth time. While attacking enemy forces near Ravenna in April 1945, his Spitfire was hit multiple times by anti-aircraft fire. He parachuted into enemy territory and managed to contact Italian partisans, who helped him return to his squadron.

John Allman ‘Paddy’ Hemingway was the last Battle of France and Battle of Britain (last of “The Few”) pilot. He never saw his role in the Battle of Britain as anything other than doing the job he was trained to do. He didn’t see it as an epoch-making moment in the history of the RAF or the United Kingdom.

Paddy always had a twinkle in his eyes as he recalled the fun times with colleagues in France and London. This quiet, composed, thoughtful and mischievous individual may not have wanted to be the last of ‘The Few’, but he embodied the spirit of all those who flew sorties over this green and pleasant land. His passing marks the end of an era and a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom during World War II.

“It is with great sadness that I heard of the passing of John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway today. I am thankful that I was able to meet and spend time with him in Dublin, most recently in January this year. Paddy was an amazing character whose life story embodies all that was and remains great about the Royal Air Force. In his youth he travelled from Ireland to join the RAF and following the outbreak of World War II, was assigned to No. 85 Squadron in France, where he is recorded as destroying two enemy aircraft during the Battle for France, as well as flying supporting missions during the Battle of Dunkirk. He eventually retired from the RAF in 1969 as a Group Captain. Throughout his life he inspired those he knew and served with. My thoughts are with his family and all those who cared for him over the past few years.

“This was a generation who understood the importance of service and comradeship. A generation who believed that with hard work, clarity of purpose and a determination to succeed, they would not lose. Their efforts and the efforts of all our personnel past & present are the bedrock on which the Royal Air Force maintains the security of the UK at home and abroad. Their sense of duty and willingness to put others before themselves should inspire those who will build the next generation Air Force.”

Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton
Chief of the Air Staff

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Op Chessman – RAF Typhoons arrive in Poland for Enhanced Air Policing mission26 Mar 2025

Source: United Kingdom – Royal Air Force

RAF Typhoons of II Army Cooperation (AC) Squadron from RAF Lossiemouth have landed in 22nd Air Base in Malbork, Poland for Operation Chessman.

They have arrived ahead of enhanced Air Policing missions as part of NATO’s commitment to maintaining regional security and airspace integrity.

This deployment highlights the UK’s dedication to supporting NATO allies, and promoting the collective security of Europe.

“The arrival of our Typhoon aircraft here at Malbork marks a proud moment for our team as we prepare to take on this vital NATO mission. It is a privilege to be in Poland, a country with which the United Kingdom shares a long and storied history of friendship and cooperation, that predates the NATO Alliance. This enduring bond, forged through shared values and mutual respect, reinforces the importance of NATO’s collective purpose and strengthens the foundation of our partnership.

“We are here to defend and deter, standing ready to protect against any threat, whilst reassuring our allies of the UK’s commitment to NATO and the region. Additionally, we strive to foster partnership, advance interoperability, develop trust, and reinforce collaboration and unity among our NATO member partners. Together, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to NATO’s collective defence, safeguarding the skies and fortifying bonds among our allies.”

Wing Commander Christopher Jacob
Commanding Officer, 140 Expeditionary Air Wing

140 EAW deployment is part of NATO’s ongoing air policing program, which safeguards allied airspace in areas with limited local air defence resources. This mission serves as a reminder of the UK’s unwavering commitment to NATO’s collective defence and the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the region.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government urged to act as Scotland goes wrong way on fuel poverty

Source: Scottish Greens

01 Apr 2025 Climate

The SNP must recommit to the Heat in Buildings Bill to ensure warmer, greener homes and cut bills.

More in Climate

The Scottish Government must re-commit to its Heat in Buildings Bill and focus on improving the energy efficiency of our homes and changing to clean heating systems, says Scottish Green Co-leader Patrick Harvie.

Mr Harvie’s comments come amidst speculation that the Bill, which was originally scheduled to be introduced last November, is to be watered down or dropped entirely. This follows a Ministerial statement on fuel poverty that showed Scotland is going in the wrong direction.

Mr Harvie said:

“The cost of living crisis hasn’t gone away, with the UK Government cutting social security and the Scottish Government approving rent hikes. This would have been a great time to show real leadership in cutting energy bills. But that leadership is sadly lacking.

“The Statement on fuel poverty shows that Scotland is moving in the wrong direction. The Minister recognises that the energy crisis of recent years and the rise in fuel poverty are directly driven by volatile fossil fuel prices.

“Yet this Statement is coming just two days before the SNP are expected to dilute, delay or even scrap the Heat in Buildings Bill, which is the only serious proposal they had to end Scotland’s over-reliance on gas for heating.

“The Greens have long tried to push the Government to go further and faster on fuel poverty and green heating. Even if they had taken the actions we called for back in 2009, when the budget fell because of their lack of ambition on energy efficiency, people would have been better protected from the recent price hikes.

“For a brief period, the SNP seemed to accept that failure on both fuel poverty and climate change meant they had to go further and faster. Now, they are admitting that fuel poverty is on the rise, but at the same time actually slowing down the action that’s needed.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 2, 2025

MIL-OSI: Greenbacker delivers 2024 results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Key Takeaways

Amid challenging market conditions, including inflationary pressures and macro uncertainty, Greenbacker announces decrease in NAV.
Charles Wheeler retires as CEO; Dan de Boer assumes position of interim CEO; Robert Brennan appointed Chairman of the Board.
Company institutes additional cost saving measures, including 10% reduction in workforce; operating expenses expected to reduce by $12 million, or 20%, by 2026.
Board of Directors authorizes review of strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value.
Total operating revenue in 2024 increased by 16% year-over-year, to $210 million.
Operating fleet grew by 8%, with 22 new solar energy assets in operation representing 117 MW of additional power production capacity.
Annual power production increase of 23% driven by new solar assets combined with Company’s milestone wind repowers.
Greenbacker’s fleet of clean energy assets generated 2.7 billion kilowatt-hours of power, enough to power 250,000 US homes.

NEW YORK, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC (“Greenbacker,” “GREC,” or the “Company”), an energy transition-focused investment manager and independent power producer, has announced financial results for 2024, including year-over-year increases in annual revenue, operating capacity, and clean energy generation.¹

Market conditions, inflationary pressures, and re-underwriting process determined adjusted NAV

With the renewable energy sector at a critical juncture, during 2024 Greenbacker initiated a detailed, multi-quarter re-underwriting process prior to releasing its December 31, 2024 net asset value (“NAV”), in which the Company evaluated the expected future performance of the assets in its portfolio relative to their historical performance, while also taking into account the impact of current market conditions. As a result, GREC adjusted its aggregate NAV as of December 31, 2024 to $5.03 per share, a 35.5% decrease relative to the September 30, 2024 NAV of $7.81 per share.

Several factors contributed to the Company’s NAV revision. Inflationary pressures, supply chain imbalances, and increasing insurance costs due to heightened climate risk contributed to a significant increase in operating costs. New clean energy generation projections from independent engineers based on recent industry data have provided additional insight, replacing earlier projections that had been obtained during a period with limited historical data available and diverged relative to actual production. Additionally, there continues to be uncertainty around potential changes to the Inflation Reduction Act and the threat of additional tariffs, both of which are impacting the near-term outlook for renewables.

These headwinds contributed to a challenging market environment and downward pressure in renewable energy asset pricing across the sector, which Greenbacker saw reflected through both market sale processes and a comprehensive asset-by asset-review.

At the project level, the Company continues to maintain financial stability, resulting in strong financial coverage ratios. Additionally, at the firm level, Greenbacker continues to maintain sufficient overall liquidity and receive ongoing support from its leading project financing partners.

Organizational restructuring executed to increase operational efficiencies

Greenbacker is announcing an organizational restructuring designed to streamline operations, reduce costs, and better position the Company to capitalize on future market opportunities and deliver value to shareholders.

As part of these changes, Charles Wheeler is retiring from his role as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chairman of the Greenbacker Board of Directors (“Board”), effective April 1, 2025. Chief Investment Officer and Head of Infrastructure Dan de Boer has been named interim CEO, effective April 1, 2025, and Director Robert Brennan has been appointed Chairman of the Board. The Greenbacker Board is considering both external and internal candidates for the role of a permanent CEO, which is expected to be confirmed no later than the end of Q2 2025. Wheeler will continue to serve as a member of the Board until the earlier of December 31, 2025 and the date on which a permanent replacement CEO has been appointed.

Wheeler, who is also one of Greenbacker’s Co-Founders, spoke about his retirement and Greenbacker’s future:

“14 years ago, with a group of like-minded individuals, I created Greenbacker with the goal of providing an investment vehicle that would enable ordinary American investors to participate in the renewable energy revolution. We’ve built Greenbacker into a business that is contributing to the transition to clean energy with hundreds of projects representing more than 3.6 gigawatts² of clean power generation capacity across the country.

Given current market conditions, changes are needed to best position Greenbacker to benefit from future market opportunities. I believe that Dan and Greenbacker’s other leaders are the right team to guide us through this period while promoting our mission to empower a sustainable world.”

De Boer has been with Greenbacker since 2023 and brings nearly two decades of experience in private equity and renewable energy investing, with prior leadership roles and positions at Allianz Capital Partners, Onyx Renewable Partners within Blackstone Energy Partners, and D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments.

In addition to restructuring the leadership team, the Company has progressed several cost savings initiatives, including a reduction of approximately 10% of its workforce, effective March 31, 2025. Greenbacker anticipates that the reduction in force and other operational efficiency efforts that began in mid-2024 will reduce overhead expenses by $12 million, or 20%, by 2026.

“We want to recognize the impact that this decision has on the careers and lives of the individuals at Greenbacker,” said interim CEO, Dan de Boer. “We value our people and employed care and thoughtfulness as we attempted to balance our business requirements with any adverse impact to our team. While difficult, we believe that taking these measures will better position the firm to achieve long-term growth.”

Additionally, the Company has identified opportunities to recycle capital within the portfolio by pursuing targeted non-core asset sales.

Annual total operating revenue topped $210 million, as Company continued to move assets into operation, contributing to year-over-year production increase of 23%

During 2024, Greenbacker increased total operating revenue³ by $29 million, or 16% year-over-year, to over $210 million.

Revenue from the sale of clean energy within Greenbacker’s independent power producer (“IPP”) business segment totaled $185.2 million in 2024, of which $155.0 million, or approximately 84%, came from the Company’s long-term power purchase agreements (“PPAs”).

For 2024, the net loss attributable to Greenbacker was $(242.3) million and Adjusted EBTIDA⁴ was $59.8 million, representing year-over-year changes of (205)% and 88%, respectively. The net loss was primarily the result of goodwill impairment charges, driven by a deterioration in macroeconomic conditions, as well as by depreciation, amortization, and other impairment charges in the period.

GREC increased its operating fleet size by 8% in 2024, which included placing 22 new solar energy assets into operation, accounting for 117 MW of additional power production.⁵ Additionally, the three wind assets strategically taken offline during portions of 2023 for repowering (i.e., retrofitting with new, more efficient equipment) had all returned to full operation producing power by early 2024.

In total, GREC’s new operating solar assets and repowered wind portfolio drove an annual power production increase of 23% year-over-year,⁶ as the Company’s fleet of clean energy assets generated 2.7 billion kilowatt-hours of power, enough to power over 250,000 US homes.⁷

GREC Operating Fleet	2024	2023	YoY Increase (total)	YoY Increase (%)
Clean power produced by solar assets (MWh)	1,504,580	1,256,183	248,397	20%
PPA revenue generated by solar assets ($M)	$ 87.8	$ 74.1	$ 13.6	18%
Clean power produced by wind assets (MWh)	1,236,431	978,236	258,195	26%
PPA revenue generated by wind assets ($M)	$ 65.8	$ 53.9	$ 11.9	22%
Total clean power generated by wind and solar assets (MWh)	2,741,011	2,234,419	506,592	23%
Total PPA operating revenue generated by wind and solar assets ($M)	$ 153.5	$ 128.0	$ 25.5	20%

^{Some figures may not add to stated totals due to rounding. Total clean power generated does not include power generated from biomass facility during 2023 and a portion of 2024, nor does it include assets in which the Company holds a preferred equity position.}

Greenbacker secures nearly $1 billion financing for largest solar farm in New York State; completes $437 million financing for milestone wind repowers; and completes targeted non-core asset sale

Throughout 2024, Greenbacker made substantial progress on one of its core objectives: securing the capital necessary for the construction of its remaining pre-operating assets—and converting those projects into revenue-generating operating assets selling electricity. The Company also continued to receive robust support from its project finance partners, enabling it to reach significant milestones over the year.

In particular, Greenbacker secured nearly $1 billion in financing for the acquisition, construction and operation of its 674 MW Cider solar farm, the largest solar energy project in the state of New York to date. Cider also represents both Greenbacker’s largest clean energy asset to date and the largest project financing in Company history (for which it was awarded Proximo Infrastructure’s 2024 Solar Deal of the Year).

The construction financing represented $869 million from six of the world’s top financial institutions, including ongoing Greenbacker partners MUFG, KeyBanc Capital Markets and Wells Fargo, as well as first-time partnerships with ING Capital LLC, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A., New York Branch and Societe Generale. The Company also closed on an $81 million development loan with Voya Investment Management, its first partnership with the global investment manager.

Greenbacker additionally completed $437 million in financing for its wind repower portfolio. GREC was able to create additional value from existing assets by updating the turbine blades, hubs, and nacelles at three wind projects in its Midwestern fleet. To finance the repowering, the Company collaborated with lending partner Bayerische Landesbank to secure $81.5 million in construction bridge loan facilities, as well as long-term debt and tax equity financing from Huntington National Bank, via sales leasebacks totaling $355.7 million.

Also in 2024, Greenbacker completed the sale of its 54 MW Panther Creek pre-operating wind asset to an affiliated sustainable infrastructure-focused platform. The asset sale illustrated GREC’s ability to develop large clean energy assets through late-stage development, a key component of its go-forward strategy, while its affiliate platform viewed the project as an opportunity to add a fully developed, high cash-yielding asset, in line with its investment mandate.

Long-term contracted cash flows with investment-grade counterparties

As of December 31, 2024, the Greenbacker operating fleet represented approximately 1.6 gigawatts of total clean power generation and storage capacity, spanning over 30 states, territories, districts and provinces. Due to its size and geographic footprint, GREC’s operating fleet was listed among Solarplaza’s 2025 Top 50 Operating Solar Portfolios in North America.

At the end of 2024, over 93% of Greenbacker’s entire portfolio of operating and pre-operating clean energy projects were currently, or will be when completed, selling power to investment-grade counterparties, including utilities, municipalities, and corporations, under long-term power purchase agreements (“PPAs”). The portfolio had approximately 17.4 years of contracted cash flows associated with these PPAs.

Review of strategic alternatives

In addition to the other measures to reduce costs, operate more efficiently, and promote a path to better outcomes for its investors, the Greenbacker Board has authorized the Company to conduct a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives.

In regard to this review, the Board will consider a full range of operational and financial alternatives. A strategic review may result in Greenbacker securing additional capital to continue executing on its business plan: acquiring, owning, and operating a fleet of sustainable infrastructure assets that the Company efficiently manages to create both value and potential liquidity options for its shareholders.

“During 2024, Greenbacker closed on the Cider deal, completed our milestone wind repowers, and brought 117 MW of additional capacity online, showcasing how we can utilize additional capital while continuing to deliver on our core focus,” de Boer said. “We believe current valuations in the renewables sector do not align with the supportive fundamentals driving the energy transition, leading to a compelling inflection point for renewable infrastructure investment. In short: we believe this is one of the better times to be investing in the energy transition.”

Company’s investments produce power, abate carbon emissions, conserve water, and support green jobs

As of December 31, 2024, Greenbacker’s clean energy assets had cumulatively produced more than 11 million MWh of clean power since January 2016, abating over 7 million metric tons of carbon⁸ and saving nearly 8 billion gallons of water.⁹ Greenbacker’s fleet of operating and pre-operating projects currently support, or are expected to support, thousands of green jobs.¹⁰

Additional information regarding the Company’s impact can also be found in Greenbacker’s latest impact report.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those that relate to our search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer, our strategy and initiatives and our expectations for growth, within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ from the predicted results, performance or achievements include, among others, difficulties or delays we encounter in identifying a permanent Chief Executive Officer; our ability to execute on, and achieve the expected benefits from, our operational and strategic initiatives; our inability to realize the expected reduction in overhead expenses as a result of our reduction in force; volatility of the global financial markets and uncertain economic conditions, including changes in interest rates, inflationary pressures, recessionary concerns or global supply chain issues; public response to and changes in the local, state and federal regulatory framework affecting renewable energy projects; risks associated with changes in the fair value of our investments and the methods we use to estimate the fair value of our assets; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in our most recent Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with or furnished to the SEC. Although Greenbacker believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. Greenbacker undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained herein to conform to actual results or changes in its expectations.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to evaluating the Company’s performance on a U.S. GAAP basis, the Company utilizes certain non-GAAP financial measures to analyze the operating performance of our segments as well as our consolidated business. Each of these measures should not be considered in isolation from or as superior to or as a substitute for other financial measures determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, such as net income (loss) or operating income (loss). The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures to supplement its U.S. GAAP results in order to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting its operations.

Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure, as well as for internal planning purposes. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to management and investors in providing a measure of core financial performance adjusted to allow for comparisons of results of operations across reporting periods on a consistent basis, as it includes adjustments relating to items that are not indicative on the ongoing operating performance of the business.

Adjusted EBITDA is a performance measure used by management that is not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation from or as superior to or as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Additionally, our calculations of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Funds From Operations (FFO)
FFO is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure to analyze net earnings from operations without the effects of certain non-recurring items that are not indicative of the ongoing operating performance of the business. FFO is calculated using Adjusted EBITDA less the impact of interest expense (excluding the non-cash component) and distributions to tax equity investors under the financing facilities associated with our IPP segment.

The Company believes that the analysis and presentation of FFO will enhance our investor’s understanding of the ongoing performance of our operating business. The Company considers FFO, in addition to other GAAP and non-GAAP measures, in assessing operating performance and as a proxy for growth in distribution coverage over the long term.

FFO should not be considered in isolation from or as a superior to or as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

General Disclosure
This information has been prepared solely for informational purposes and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security, or to participate in any trading or investment strategy. The information presented herein may involve Greenbacker’s views, estimates, assumptions, facts, and information from other sources that are believed to be accurate and reliable and are, as of the date this information is presented, subject to change without notice.


GREENBACKER RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share data)
	December 31, 2024			December 31, 2023

Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	120,057		$	96,872
Restricted cash, current		38,403			85,235
Accounts receivable, net		27,103			23,310
Derivative assets, current		17,632			24,062
Other current assets		28,586			62,429
Total current assets		231,781			291,908
Noncurrent assets:
Restricted cash		3,128			5,568
Property, plant and equipment, net		2,232,486			2,133,877
Intangible assets, net		362,352			453,214
Goodwill		—			221,314
Investments, at fair value		74,136			94,878
Derivative assets		98,495			118,106
Other noncurrent assets		242,667			140,740
Total noncurrent assets		3,013,264			3,167,697
Total assets	$	3,245,045		$	3,459,605
Liabilities, Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests and Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	$	69,464		$	79,288
Shareholder distributions payable		—			7,606
Contingent consideration, current		15,293			16,546
Current portion of long-term debt		88,901			82,855
Current portion of failed sale-leaseback financing and deferred ITC gain		45,868			69,436
Other current liabilities		8,767			7,997
Total current liabilities		228,293			263,728
Noncurrent liabilities:
Long-term debt, net of current portion		1,001,654			935,397
Failed sale-leaseback financing and deferred ITC gain, net of current portion		201,601			169,829
Contingent consideration, net of current portion		300			42,307
Deferred tax liabilities, net		35,316			58,696
Operating lease liabilities		196,911			108,406
Out-of-market contracts, net		180,640			194,785
Other noncurrent liabilities		59,261			53,492
Total noncurrent liabilities		1,675,683			1,562,912
Total liabilities	$	1,903,976		$	1,826,640
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$	1,851		$	2,179
Redeemable common shares, par value, $0.001 per share, nil and 873 outstanding as of 2024 and 2023, respectively		—			1
Redeemable common shares, additional paid-in capital		—			7,245
Equity:
Preferred shares, par value, $0.001 per share, 50,000 authorized; none issued and outstanding		—			—
Common shares, par value, $0.001 per share, 350,000 authorized, 199,326 and 197,749 outstanding as of 2024 and 2023, respectively		199			198
Additional paid-in capital		1,773,758			1,770,060
Accumulated deficit		(584,733	)		(306,525	)
Accumulated other comprehensive income		34,937			45,932
Noncontrolling interests		115,057			113,875
Total equity		1,339,218			1,623,540
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	$	3,245,045		$	3,459,605


GREENBACKER RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
	Year ended December 31,
		2024			2023
Revenue
Energy revenue	$	185,225		$	159,301
Investment Management revenue		18,757			13,490
Other revenue		6,085			8,434
Contract amortization, net		(14,301	)		(8,060	)
Total net revenue	$	195,766		$	173,165

Operating expenses
Direct operating costs		124,681			105,586
General and administrative		52,552			60,617
Change in fair value of contingent consideration		(39,348	)		(603	)
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		81,953			125,743
Gain on deconsolidation, net		(5,622	)		—
Impairment of goodwill		221,314			—
Impairment of long-lived assets, net and project termination costs		88,410			59,294
Total operating expenses		523,940			350,637

Operating loss		(328,174	)		(177,472	)

Interest expense, net		(7,612	)		(20,328	)
Change in fair value of investments, net		(14,701	)		932
Income from sale-leaseback transfer of tax benefits		22,764			—
Other income (expense), net		2,436			(267	)

Loss before income taxes		(325,287	)		(197,135	)
Benefit (expense) from income taxes		19,378			21,548
Net loss	$	(305,909	)	$	(175,587	)
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests		(63,609	)		(96,116	)
Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC	$	(242,300	)	$	(79,471	)

Earnings per share
Basic	$	(1.22	)	$	(0.40	)
Diluted	$	(1.22	)	$	(0.40	)

Weighted average shares outstanding
Basic		199,313			199,293
Diluted		199,313			199,293


GREENBACKER RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
	Year ended December 31,
		2024			2023
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net loss	$	(305,909	)	$	(175,587	)
Adjustments to reconcile Net loss to Net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation, amortization and accretion		96,254			133,803
Gain on deconsolidation, net		(5,622	)		—
Impairment of goodwill		221,314			—
Impairment of long-lived assets, net		74,782			59,294
Loss on sale of Illinois Winds LLC		12,656			—
Share-based compensation expense		378			11,248
Changes in fair value of contingent consideration		(39,348	)		(603	)
Amortization of financing costs and debt discounts		6,261			6,711
Amortization of interest rate swap contracts		(1,055	)		6,750
Change in fair value of interest rate swaps, net		(44,748	)		(17,763	)
Gain on interest rate swaps, net		(1,356	)		(2,428	)
Change in fair value of investments		14,701			(932	)
Deferred income taxes		(19,378	)		(21,548	)
Interest expense on failed sale-leaseback financing and deferred ITC gain		7,549			—
Income from sale-leaseback transfer of tax benefits		(22,764	)		—
Other		3,565			5,743
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable		(4,864	)		(2,959	)
Current and noncurrent derivative assets		52,602			56,696
Other current and noncurrent assets		9,416			(10,661	)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		14,164			14,891
Operating lease liabilities		(1,543	)		(1,290	)
Other current and noncurrent liabilities		420			1,036
Net cash provided by operating activities		67,475			62,401

Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Purchases of property, plant and equipment		(287,822	)		(360,650	)
Net deposits returned (paid) for property, plant and equipment		8,155			8,138
Proceeds from sale of Illinois Winds LLC		36,563			—
Purchases of investments		(734	)		(5,298	)
Return of capital on investments		6,775			3,906
Loans made to other parties		(19,742	)		—
Receipts from notes receivable		46,204			30,725
Net cash used in investing activities		(210,601	)		(323,179	)

Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Shareholder distributions		(37,196	)		(87,597	)
Return of collateral paid for swap contract		—			1,735
Repurchases of common shares		(6,428	)		(82,719	)
Shares withheld related to net share settlement of equity awards		(1,880	)		—
Deferred shareholder servicing fees		(3,150	)		(3,486	)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests		110,216			144,895
Distributions to noncontrolling interests		(17,850	)		(17,498	)
Proceeds from borrowings		404,580			425,532
Payments on borrowings		(320,174	)		(351,764	)
Proceeds from failed sale-leaseback		111,453			240,969
Payments on failed sale-leaseback		(87,089	)		—
Payments for loan origination costs		(34,698	)		(11,447	)
Other capital activity		(745	)		(865	)
Net cash provided by financing activities		117,039			257,755
Net decrease in Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash		(26,087	)		(3,023	)
Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash at beginning of period*		187,675			190,698
Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash at end of period	$	161,588		$	187,675

*Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash as of May 18, 2022 includes all consolidated subsidiaries of the Company upon the change in status.

Non-GAAP Reconciliations

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure as well as for internal planning purposes. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to management and investors in providing a measure of core financial performance adjusted to allow for comparisons of results of operations across reporting periods on a consistent basis as it includes adjustments relating to items that are not indicative of the ongoing operating performance of the business.

The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before: (i) interest expense; (ii) income taxes; (iii) depreciation expense; (iv) amortization expense (including contract amortization); (v) accretion; (vi) impairment of long-lived assets; (vii) amounts attributable to our redeemable and non-redeemable noncontrolling interests; (viii) unrealized gains and losses on financial instruments; (ix) gains and losses for asset dispositions; (x) other income (loss); and (xi) foreign currency gain (loss). Additionally, the Company further adjusts for the following items described below:

Share-based compensation is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA as it is different from other forms of compensation as it is a non-cash expense and is highly variable. For example, a cash salary generally has a fixed and unvarying cash cost. In contrast, the expense associated with an equity-based award is generally unrelated to the amount of cash ultimately received by the employee, and the cost to the Company is based on a share-based compensation valuation methodology and underlying assumptions that may vary over time;
The change in fair value of contingent consideration, which is related to the Acquisition, is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA, if any such change occurs during the period. The non-cash, mark-to-market adjustments are based on the expected achievement of revenue targets that are difficult to forecast and can be variable, making comparisons across historical and future quarters difficult to evaluate;
Beginning 2024, start-up costs associated with new investment strategies is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. The Company evaluates new investment strategies on a regular basis and excludes start-up cost from Adjusted EBITDA until such time as a new strategy is determined to form part of the Company’s core investment management business.
Beginning 2024, placement fees, including internal sales commissions, related to fundraising efforts based on the capital raised, are excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. By excluding these fundraising-related fees from Adjusted EBITDA, we focus on core operational performance, separate from capital raising efforts, which might vary significantly from period to period.
Other costs that are not consistently occurring, not reflective of expected future operating expense and provide no insight into the fundamentals of current or past operations of our business are excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. This includes costs such as professional services and legal fees, and other non-recurring costs unrelated to the ongoing operations of the Company.

FFO

FFO is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure to analyze net earnings from operations without the effects of certain non-recurring items that are not indicative of the ongoing operating performance of the business.

FFO is calculated using Adjusted EBITDA less the impact of interest expense (excluding the non-cash component) and distributions to Tax Equity Investors under the financing facilities associated with our IPP segment. The Company excludes these distributions as these are not recorded within Adjusted EBITDA and is therefore not a component of our earnings from operations.

The Company believes that the analysis and presentation of FFO will enhance our investors’ understanding of the ongoing performance of our operating business. The Company considers FFO, in addition to other GAAP and non-GAAP measures, in assessing operating performance and as a proxy for growth in distribution coverage over the long-term.

Adjusted EBITDA and FFO should not be considered in isolation from or as a superior to or as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

The following table reconciles Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC to Adjusted EBITDA and FFO:

	Three months ended December 31,						Year ended December 31,
(in thousands)		2024			2023			2024			2023
Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC	$	(176,623	)	$	(15,822	)	$	(242,300	)	$	(79,471	)
Add back or deduct the following:
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests		(14,635	)		(30,307	)		(63,609	)		(96,116	)
Benefit (expense) from income taxes		(16,799	)		(7,393	)		(19,378	)		(21,548	)
Interest expense, net		(27,546	)		28,240			7,612			20,328
Depreciation, amortization and accretion⁽¹⁾		25,310			15,589			97,056			134,647
EBITDA	$	(210,293	)	$	(9,693	)	$	(220,619	)	$	(42,160	)
Share-based compensation expense		(12,602	)		1,255			378			11,248
Change in fair value of contingent consideration		(35,584	)		3,500			(39,348	)		(603	)
Change in fair value of investments, net		15,357			(2,200	)		14,701			(932	)
Income from sale-leaseback transfer of tax benefits		(22,764	)		—			(22,764	)		—
Other income (expense), net		(1,808	)		512			(2,436	)		267
Gain on deconsolidation, net		100			—			(5,622	)		—
Loss on asset disposition		12,932			—			12,932			—
Impairment of goodwill		221,314			—			221,314			—
Impairment of long-lived assets, net and project termination costs		55,700			8,632			88,410			59,294
Non-recurring professional services and legal fees		1,560			468			8,654			3,388
Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses⁽²⁾		2,491			—			4,150			1,250
Adjusted EBITDA	$	26,403		$	2,474		$	59,750		$	31,752
Cash portion of interest expense		(7,828	)		(7,869	)		(30,217	)		(27,473	)
Distributions to tax equity investors		(4,327	)		(2,449	)		(18,848	)		(15,748	)
FFO	$	14,248		$	(7,844	)	$	10,685		$	(11,469	)

(1) Includes contract amortization, net in the amount of $4.9 million, $5.8 million, $14.3 million, and $8.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which are included in Contract amortization, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations; also includes certain other amortization costs included in Direct operating costs and General and administrative on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2) Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses for 2024 include start-up costs which primarily include salaries and personnel related expenses of incremental employees hired in advance to launch new investment strategy initiatives. Given the nature and scale of the related costs and activities, management does not view these as normal, recurring operating expenses, but rather as non-recurring investments to initially develop our new funds. Therefore, we believe it is useful and necessary for investors to understand our core operating performance in current and future periods by excluding the impact of these start-up costs as incurred. Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses for 2024 also include placement fees, including internal sales commission.

Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2024 has not been adjusted for the charges of $16.6 million incurred as part of a settlement agreement with a third-party vendor due to the termination of the existing purchase contract in order to acquire the solar panels needed for our development and construction pipeline from a different vendor with significantly better economic proposition due to reduced expected cash outlays.

The following table reconciles total Segment Adjusted EBITDA to Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC:

	Three months ended December 31,						Year ended December 31,
(in thousands)		2024			2023			2024			2023
Segment Adjusted EBITDA:
IPP Adjusted EBITDA	$	26,532		$	6,721		$	81,197		$	62,180
IM Adjusted EBITDA		3,033			1,601			2,051			(2,674	)
Total Segment Adjusted EBITDA	$	29,565		$	8,322		$	83,248		$	59,506

Reconciliation:
Total Segment Adjusted EBITDA	$	29,565		$	8,322		$	83,248		$	59,506
Unallocated corporate expenses		(3,162	)		(5,848	)		(23,498	)		(27,754	)
Total Adjusted EBITDA		26,403			2,474			59,750			31,752

Less:
Share-based compensation expense		(12,602	)		1,255			378			11,248
Change in fair value of contingent consideration		(35,584	)		3,500			(39,348	)		(603	)
Gain on deconsolidation, net		100			—			(5,622	)		—
Loss on asset disposition		12,932			—			12,932			—
Impairment of goodwill		221,314			—			221,314			—
Impairment of long-lived assets, net and project termination costs		55,700			8,632			88,410			59,294
Depreciation, amortization and accretion⁽¹⁾		25,310			15,589			97,056			134,647
Non-recurring professional services and legal fees		1,560			468			8,654			3,388
Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses⁽²⁾		2,491			—			4,150			1,250
Operating loss	$	(244,818	)	$	(26,970	)	$	(328,174	)	$	(177,472	)

Interest expense, net		27,546			(28,240	)		(7,612	)		(20,328	)
Change in fair value of investments, net		(15,357	)		2,200			(14,701	)		932
Income from sale-leaseback transfer of tax benefits		22,764			—			22,764			—
Other income (expense), net		1,808			(512	)		2,436			(267	)
Loss before income taxes	$	(208,057	)	$	(53,522	)	$	(325,287	)	$	(197,135	)

Benefit from income taxes		16,799			7,393			19,378			21,548
Net loss	$	(191,258	)	$	(46,129	)	$	(305,909	)	$	(175,587	)

Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests		(14,635	)		(30,307	)		(63,609	)		(96,116	)
Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC	$	(176,623	)	$	(15,822	)	$	(242,300	)	$	(79,471	)

(1) Includes contract amortization, net in the amount of $4.9 million, $5.8 million, $14.3 million, and $8.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which are included in Contract amortization, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations; also includes certain other amortization costs included in Direct operating costs and General and administrative on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2) Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses for 2024 include start-up costs which primarily include salaries and personnel related expenses of incremental employees hired in advance to launch new investment strategy initiatives. Given the nature and scale of the related costs and activities, management does not view these as normal, recurring operating expenses, but rather as non-recurring investments to initially develop our new funds. Therefore, we believe it is useful and necessary for investors to understand our core operating performance in current and future periods by excluding the impact of these start-up costs as incurred. Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses for 2024 also include placement fees, including internal sales commission.

About Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company
Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC is a publicly reporting, non-traded limited liability sustainable infrastructure company that both acquires and manages income-producing renewable energy and other energy-related businesses, including solar and wind farms, and provides investment management services to other renewable energy investment vehicles. We seek to acquire and operate high-quality projects that sell clean power under long-term contracts to high-creditworthy counterparties such as utilities, municipalities, and corporations. We are long-term owner-operators, who strive to be good stewards of the land and responsible members of the communities in which we operate. Greenbacker conducts its investment management business through its wholly owned subsidiary, Greenbacker Capital Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. We believe our focus on power production and asset management creates value that we can then pass on to our shareholders—while facilitating the transition toward a clean energy future. For more information, please visit https://greenbackercapital.com.

About Greenbacker Capital Management
Greenbacker Capital Management LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser that provides advisory and oversight services related to project development, acquisition, and operations in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability industries. For more information, please visit www.greenbackercapital.com.

Greenbacker media contact
Chris Larson
Media Communications
646.569.9532
c.larson@greenbackercapital.com

____________________________________________
^{¹ The financial and portfolio metrics set forth herein are unaudited and subject to change. Data as of December 31, 2024. Total assets and megawatts statistics include those projects where we have contracted for the acquisition of the project pursuant to a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (“MIPA”).}
^{² Includes pre-operating and operating assets across combined GREC and GREC II portfolios. Data as of December 31, 2024.}
^{³ Total operating revenue excludes non-cash contract amortization, net.}
^{⁴ Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure, as well as for internal planning purposes. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to management and investors in providing a measure of core financial performance adjusted to allow for comparisons of results of operations across reporting periods on a consistent basis, as it includes adjustments relating to items that are not indicative on the ongoing operating performance of the business. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for additional discussion. Adjusted EBITDA is unaudited. See the Company’s 10-K filed with the SEC for additional financial information and important related disclosures.}
^{⁵ Data as of December 31, 2024. Total assets and megawatts statistics include those projects where we have contracted for the acquisition of the project pursuant to a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (“MIPA”). The financial and portfolio metrics set forth herein are unaudited and subject to change}
^{⁶ Does not include power generated from biomass facility during 2023 and a portion of 2024, and also does not include assets in which the Company holds a preferred equity position}
^{⁷ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
⁸ Data is as of December 31, 2024. When compared with a similar amount of power generation from fossil fuels. Carbon abatement is calculated using the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator which uses the Avoided Emissions and generation Tool (AVERT) US national weighted average CO₂ marginal emission rate to convert reductions of kilowatt-hours into avoided units of carbon dioxide emissions.}
^{⁹ Data is as of December 31, 2024. Water saved by Greenbacker’s clean energy projects is compared to the amount of water needed to produce the same amount of power by burning coal. Gallons of water saved are calculated based on Operational water consumption and withdrawal factors for electricity generating technologies: a review of existing literature – IOPscience, J Macknick et al 2012 Environ. Res. Lett. 7 045802.}
^{¹⁰ Data is as of December 31, 2024. Green jobs calculated using The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) State Clean Energy Employment Projection Support, nrel.gov.}

The MIL Network –

April 2, 2025

MIL-OSI Global: Planned blackouts are becoming more common − and not having cash on hand could cost you

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Are you prepared for when the power goes out? To prevent massive wildfires in drought-prone, high-wind areas, electrical companies have begun preemptively shutting off electricity. These planned shutdowns are called public safety power shutoffs, abbreviated to PSPS, and they’re increasingly common. So far this year, we’ve seen them in Texas, New Mexico and California.

Unlike regular power failures, which on average last only about two hours while a piece of broken equipment is repaired, a PSPS lasts until weather conditions improve, which could be days. And these shutoffs come at a steep price. In 2010 alone, they cost California over US$13 billion. A 2019 analysis of shutoffs in Placer County, California, found that they harmed 70% of local businesses.

I am a business school professor who studies how people pay for things, including during emergencies. As I point out in my new book “The Power of Cash: Why Using Paper Money is Good for You and Society,” many people have abandoned paper money and switched to electronic payments such as credit cards and mobile apps. This can become a big problem during an emergency, since these systems need electricity to operate. The switch to electronic payments is making the world less resilient in the face of increasing numbers of major natural disasters.

So if a public safety power shutoff strikes and you don’t have any cash, you may be doubly vulnerable. On the other hand, keeping cash can protect you – and not just you and your family, but also local businesses and your community. After all, keeping the economy moving during shutoffs reduces the financial damage they cause.

Why do they keep turning off the power, anyway?

It’s all about risk.

The world has experienced a number of very destructive wildfires recently. In 2025, large parts of Los Angeles burned to the ground, with over 18,000 buildings destroyed or damaged. In 2023, wildfires in Hawaii killed over 100 people. Massive wildfires have also occurred recently in South Korea, Portugal and Australia.

Governments, people whose houses burned and insurance companies are all looking for someone to blame and pay for the damage. Climate change, which is increasing the world’s average temperatures and drying out trees and grass, is setting the conditions. Since Mother Nature cannot be sued, utilities make handy scapegoats with deep pockets. Electrical utilities are sued because their power lines, transformers and other equipment often start blazes.

So to prevent lawsuits as well as fires, power companies are increasingly turning off the power when the conditions are ripe for a catastrophic blaze. There’s no uniform set of standards for when to impose a shutdown, but in general, power companies do it when there are hot, dry and windy conditions. For example, a PSPS is triggered in Hawaii if there’s a drought, wind gusts are over 45 miles per hour and relative humidity is under 45%.

Power shutoffs are a relatively new idea. They were proposed in California in 2008 and first allowed in 2012.

Since then, power companies across the entire western U.S. from Texas to Hawaii have adopted these plans. Shutoff plans also stretch from southern border states such as Arizona to northern border states such as Idaho and Montana.

Shutting off the power is a huge problem, since it causes massive disruption to communities. People depend on power to run medical equipment, work and keep communities safe. Even people with a desperate need for electricity, such as those on medical life support, are not immune to a safety shutoff.

How to prepare for a PSPS

As the world warms, the chance of being caught in a preemptive power shutoff increases. What can you do to minimize the impact?

Having solar panels won’t protect you: Utilities shut off customers with solar panels to block those panels from pushing power onto the grid, since the whole goal is to shut off the grid. The only way for you to still have power is to buy a battery storage system and a transfer switch, which allows you to take your system completely off the grid. But this is very expensive.

Getting a portable generator is only a partial solution for a multiday shutoff, since most last only six to 18 hours on a single tank of gas. Plus, generators run very hot, which creates its own fire risk.

Another way to minimize the impact of both a power shutoff and a wildfire is to create a small disaster relief kit, or “go bag.” Creating one is relatively inexpensive. It should contain key items such as water, your medicines, some shelf-stable food – and importantly, some cash. Even some government websites forget to mention this.

It’s also important to use paper money before a shutoff happens. I have all too frequently seen gas station attendants, supermarket checkout clerks and restaurant servers have no idea how to handle cash.

Recently at my local supermarket, for example, I paid with a $20 bill. The cashier had to ask another employee which kinds of coins to use to make change. If people don’t know how to handle cash during normal times, it ceases to be useful during emergencies.

As the world warms, public safety power shutoffs will occur more frequently. The shutoffs clearly highlight the trade-off between economic and social disruption versus preventing dangerous wildfires. These shutoffs show there are no easy solutions – only hard choices.

There are a few sensible and easy steps to take to reduce the impact of these shutoffs. One is to understand that during one of the very moments you might really need to spend money, modern payment systems fail. Holding and frequently using old-fashioned cash is a simple and low-cost way to protect yourself and your family.

Jay L. Zagorsky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Planned blackouts are becoming more common − and not having cash on hand could cost you – https://theconversation.com/planned-blackouts-are-becoming-more-common-and-not-having-cash-on-hand-could-cost-you-253319

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: GLACIAL LAKE OUTBURST FLOOD MITIGATION

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 01 APR 2025 3:51PM by PIB Delhi

Strengthening of Early Warning Systems is prerequisite for preparedness measures and is the most important element of entire cycle of disaster management.

The Prime Minister has enunciated ten-point agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) during the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) held in New Delhi in November 2016. The all-inclusive agenda includes the following: –

“Leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of disaster risk management efforts.” and “Build on local capacity and initiative to enhance disaster risk reduction”.

The Government effectively deploys technologies for improved early warning and forecasting of disaster in the vulnerable areas. Central Government has designated nodal agencies for early warning of different natural disasters.

To promote the use of modern technologies and to strengthen the early warning system for natural disasters, Ministry of Earth Sciences has

launched a Multi-faceted transformative approach namely “Mission Mausam” for the period 2024-2026 with the goal of making India a “weather-ready and climate smart” nation.

Under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) Early Warning Systems have been installed in the Coastal States, which have proved to be of great help in alert dissemination to the coastal community during recent cyclones.

‘Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) based Integrated Alert System’ has been initiated with an outlay of Rs. 354.83 Crore, for dissemination of geo targeted early warnings/alerts related to disasters to the citizens of India for all 36 States/UTs using various disseminating medium like SMS, TV, Radio, Indian Railways, Costal Sirens, Cell broadcast, Internet (RSS feed & Browser Notification), Satellite Receiver of GAGAN & NavIC etc., through integration of all alerting agencies, [India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Water Commission (CWC), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Defence Geo-informatics Research Establishment (DGRE), Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Forest Survey of India (FSI)].

In CAP system, the alerts related to various disasters are generated by Alert Generating Agencies like IMD, CWC, INCOIS, DGRE & FSI and moderated by SDMAs of concern States/UTs. The alerts are sent to geo targeted areas in regional languages. There is a web-based dashboard to disaster managers for approving/editing alerts and choosing media for dissemination. The system has been used successfully in recent disasters. More than 4500 crore SMS alerts have been disseminated so far using CAP.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has also initiated a project for Pan India, end-to-end secure and foolproof Disaster Grade Cell Broadcasting System (CBS) to improve faster dissemination of alert / early warning messages to the citizen.

Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), Chandigarh under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also the nodal agency for studying and developing avalanche mitigation technologies. DGRE has installed 72 Snow Meteorological Observatories and 45 Automated Weather Stations (AWS).

India Metrological Department (IMD) issues regular and precise weather forecasts & warning bulletins including for cyclones to all the affected/ likely affected States/ UTs.

IMD uses a suite of quality observations from Satellites, Radars and Conventional & Automatic Weather Stations for monitoring of cyclones developing over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. It includes INSAT 3D, 3DR and SCATSAT satellites, Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) along the coast and coastal Automated Weather Stations (AWS), High wind speed recorders, Automatic Rain Gauges (ARGs), Meteorological buoys and ships.

NDMA also conducts capacity building programmes, organizes awareness workshops and fosters community-based risk reduction strategies and also trainings for monitoring and alert mechanism to ensure last mile connectivity.

Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) monitors the glaciers and provides comprehensive analysis of factors that trigger hazards and its associated downstream risks to significantly enhance early warning capabilities and disaster preparedness.   WIHG has prepared glacial lake

inventories for Uttarakhand (2015) and Himachal Pradesh (2018), identifying 1,266 lakes (7.6 km²) in Uttarakhand and 958 lakes (9.6 km²) in Himachal Pradesh.

Central Water Commission (CWC) monitors 902 Glacial lakes and water bodies, to enable the detection of relative change in water spread areas of Glacial lakes and water bodies as well as identifying those ones which have expanded substantially during its monitoring months.

Central Government has approved National Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Risk Mitigation Project (NGRMP) for its implementation in four states namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand at a financial outlay of Rs. 150.00 crore.

NGRMP is aimed at reducing the risks associated with glacial lake outburst floods, particularly in regions that are highly susceptible to such natural disasters. The objectives of NGRMP project are:

(i)      Prevent loss of life and reduce economic loss and damage to critical infrastructure due to GLOF and similar events.

(ii)     Strengthen the early warning and monitoring capacities based on last mile connectivity.

(iii)    Strengthen scientific and technical capabilities in GLOF risk reduction and mitigation at local levels through strengthening of local level institutions and communities.

(iv)    Use of indigenous knowledge and scientific cutting-edge mitigation measures to reduce and mitigate GLOF risk.

NGRMP, approved by the Government, has one of its components as GLOF monitoring and Early Warning Systems (EWS) including remote sensing data, community involvement for monitoring, alerting / dissemination.

Two Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) have been installed in Sikkim with further deployments of EWS planned in collaboration with C-DAC, ISRO and Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad to provide early warning to local communities in case of any GLOF event.

CWC has finalized the criteria for Risk Indexing of Glacial Lakes offering a structured approach for identifying and ranking such lakes based on their likelihood of failure and potential damage they could cause in the event of GLOF.

A Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction (CoDRR) under NDMA involving representatives from six Himalayan States / Union Territories and other Stakeholders, has identified a set of high risk glacial lakes for sending expeditions to directly assess these lakes and prepare comprehensive mitigation strategies in terms of setting up EWS / other structural and non-structural measures.

Subsequent to Teesta-III Hydroelectric dam collapse in October, 2023, CWC has decided to review the design flood of all the existing and under construction dams vulnerable to GLOFs to ensure their adequate spillway capacity for a combination of Probable Maximum Flood / Standard Probable Flood and GLOF. Further, GLOF Studies has been made mandatory for all new dams planned having Glacial Lakes in their catchments.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Shri Nityanand Rai in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

***

RK/VV/ASH/RR/PR/PS

(Release ID: 2117268) Visitor Counter : 67

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Last Day to Apply for FEMA Individual Assistance and SBA Disaster Loans

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2

strong>LOS ANGELES – Today is the last day to apply for FEMA disaster assistance and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, nonprofits and businesses impacted by the January wildfires in Los Angeles County.
The deadline for FEMA Individual Assistance and SBA disaster loans is tonight at 11:59 P.M. PT, Monday, March 31.
Apply for FEMA Individual Assistance:

Online at DisasterAssistance.gov (fastest option).
On the FEMA App (available at the Apple App Store or Google Play).
On the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. If you use a relay service, give FEMA your number for that service. Assistance is available in multiple languages. Lines are open Sunday–Saturday, from 4 a.m.- 10 p.m. Pacific Time.
Visit a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). To find a DRC near you, visit the DRC Locator. Addresses are also listed below:

UCLA Research Park West 10850 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 Open Mon. – Sat.: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Altadena Disaster Recovery Center540 West Woodbury Rd. Altadena, CA 91001 Open Mon. – Sat.: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For an American Sign Language video on how to apply, visit FEMA Accessible: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance
Apply for an SBA Low-Interest Disaster Loan:

Online at sba.gov/disaster
At SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955. People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability may dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.
By emailing DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov, where you can get information or request a loan application.
At a Disaster Recovery Center or Business Recovery Center, where you can submit a completed application, or SBA representatives can help you apply. To find a BRC near you, go to Appointment.sba.gov.

Applications for disaster loans may be submitted online using the MySBA Loan Portal at https://lending.sba.gov or other locally announced locations.

The Right of Entry (ROE) form deadline has been extended – submit an ROE form to LA County by April 15:

Follow FEMA online, on X @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol, on FEMA’s Facebook page or Espanol page and at FEMA’s YouTube account. For preparedness information follow the Ready Campaign on X at @Ready.gov, on Instagram @Ready.gov or on the Ready Facebook page.
California is committed to supporting residents impacted by the Los Angeles Hurricane-Force Firestorm as they navigate the recovery process. Visit CA.gov/LAFires for up-to-date information on disaster recovery programs, important deadlines, and how to apply for assistance.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Global Assessment Report (GAR) 2025

Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

Disasters, pandemics, and other shocks are becoming more frequent, more intense, and more unpredictable. At the same time, the costs of responding and rebuilding are rising faster than many countries can manage. To avoid falling deeper into debt and disruption, we need a new kind of financial system, one that is ready before the crisis starts, and flexible enough to support recovery after.

This section explores how governments, businesses, and financial institutions can work together to build that system. It looks at how public and private money can be combined to fund resilience, how better data and regulation can reduce risk, and how financial tools, from insurance to social protection, can help people and economies bounce back stronger.

Each part offers practical ways to shift from a system that reacts to disasters, to one that plans, protects, and invests in long-term resilience.

5.1 Scaling Up Blended Finance

Most countries do not have enough public money to meet their growing disaster and climate risks. But private investors are often hesitant to put money into high-risk areas. Blended finance helps solve this problem by using public or development funding to reduce risk and attract private capital.

Platforms like GAIA (Global Action on Investment for Adaptation <<https://www.greenclimate.fund/project/fp223>>) aim to make this easier. [add link] GAIA works to bring governments, private investors, and communities together to support projects that reduce disaster risk, protect ecosystems, and build long-term resilience. These platforms make it easier to fund solutions in places that need them most, but that investors might otherwise avoid.

Blended finance is not just about funding projects. It is about changing how and where money flows, so that resilience becomes part of every investment decision.

5.2 Corporate Climate Risk Disclosures

Businesses face growing risks from climate change and disasters, but many still do not fully understand or report them. This creates blind spots for investors, insurers, and regulators. One important step is to make climate risk disclosure part of standard business reporting.

Mandatory reporting systems, like those being adopted in the European Union and other regions, help companies identify their exposure to climate risks. This includes physical risks, like floods or heatwaves, and financial risks, such as supply chain disruptions or energy price shocks.

When risks are made visible, businesses are more likely to act early. Investors can make better decisions, and regulators can help reduce systemic financial risks across the economy.

5.3 Expanding Regional Insurance Mechanisms

For many small or vulnerable countries, the cost of disasters is too big to manage alone. Regional insurance pools allow countries to share the risk and access quick funding after a shock. These systems are especially useful for small island states and low-income countries with limited financial reserves.

Two leading examples are: [links to those initiatives in the web]

These mechanisms help countries access payouts quickly after hurricanes, earthquakes, or floods. This reduces pressure on public budgets and speeds up recovery. Countries pay into the pool, and when disaster strikes, they get fast, rules-based support. Check how regional insurance helped Dominica recover more quickly from one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Caribbean.

Case study: [CCRIF payout after Hurricane Maria in Dominica]

5.4. Unlocking Green Resilience Bonds

Green bonds are already used to fund projects that reduce emissions or support clean energy. But they can also support disaster resilience. When these bonds include components like flood protection, climate-smart agriculture, or heat-resilient infrastructure, they become powerful tools for long-term risk reduction.

Some governments and financial institutions are now designing green resilience bonds that combine climate and disaster goals. These bonds allow investors to support both environmental and social outcomes.

For example, Costa Rica issued green bonds with a focus on nature-based solutions and climate adaptation. These projects aim to both cut emissions and reduce the impacts of floods and droughts.

Case study: [Costa Rica’s green bond program]

5.5. Adaptive Social Protection for Disaster Recovery

Social protection systems, like cash transfers, food assistance, or public works programs, can be powerful tools for resilience, especially when they are flexible. When designed to scale up during shocks, they can protect people from falling into poverty after a disaster.

This is called adaptive social protection. It links disaster early warning systems with financial systems that can respond quickly to changing needs. For example, a drought warning might trigger extra cash support for farmers before their crops fail.

Like in the Philippines, a national social protection program was adapted to respond to typhoon impacts. It helped deliver assistance more quickly and reach the most vulnerable communities during emergencies.

Case study: [Philippines’ shock-responsive social protection system]

5.6. How Central Banks Can Support Resilience Finance

Central banks play a key role in keeping economies stable. As climate risks grow, they can also help make financial systems more resilient. This means looking at how disasters affect inflation, lending, and investment flows, and adjusting policies to support preparedness.

Central banks can include disaster and climate risks in their stress tests and financial supervision. They can also support green finance guidelines, invest in resilience bonds, or offer incentives for banks that support risk reduction projects.

Bangladesh’s central bank created a special refinancing scheme to support solar energy, flood-resilient housing, and climate-smart farming. This shows how monetary policy can support resilience at the local level.

Case study: [Bangladesh Bank’s green refinancing program]

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Sint Maarten Trust Fund

Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

Mission

In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island of Sint Maarten. The World Bank estimated the damages and losses caused by Hurricane Irma to Sint Maarten to be $2.73 billion. Ninety percent of all infrastructure was affected, with tourism-the country’s biggest industry taking a huge hit.

Due to Sint Maarten’s location and dependence on tourism, it is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, which may happen more frequently due to climate change. Sint Maarten needs to be prepared.

The Sint Maarten Reconstruction, Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund was launched in April 2018 as a tripartite partnership between the government of the Netherlands, government of Sint Maarten, and the World Bank to help the country rebuild stronger and more sustainably to support longer-term development priorities.

The current fund portfolio is US$519 million, with recipient-executed projects addressing the country’s most critical needs-strengthening institutions, building capacity, making infrastructure climate-resilient, and improving social and economic cohesion.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 2, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Where the Land Meets the Sea

Source: Government of India

Where the Land Meets the Sea

Mangroves as Guardians of Life and Livelihoods

Posted On: 01 APR 2025 2:36PM by PIB Delhi

As the morning tide gently laps against the shores of Navghar, Vandana Patil steps onto the damp earth of her village’s coastline. She recalls a time when the sea was generous, offering abundant crab and fish catch. But over the years, that generosity faded. “Earlier, we used to see unpredictable crab and fish catch and had to rely on other sources of livelihoods,” she says, her voice carrying the weight of years spent worrying about an uncertain future.

The culprit was clear: the unchecked destruction of mangroves. The towering green guardians of the coastline had been silently disappearing, their roots no longer anchoring the land, their dense canopies no longer sheltering marine life. With every tree lost, so too was a piece of the community’s livelihood. Yet, many in Navghar remained unaware of the deep connection between the mangroves and their survival.

Change arrived in the form of a far-reaching initiative. The Government of India, in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund and UNDP, launched a project to enhance climate resilience in India’s coastal communities. This initiative, operational across three coastal states-Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha focused on conserving and restoring marine ecosystems, including mangroves, while creating climate-resilient livelihoods.

Navghar became a symbol of this transformation. In 2021, the project formed a Mangrove Co-Management Committee, bringing together village members, the Gram Panchayat, and women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Their mission was twofold: protect the mangroves and revive local livelihoods. Women, often the most affected by economic instability, were placed at the forefront.

Through structured training, they learned sustainable crab farming techniques, creating new livelihood groups like Healthy Harvest and Wild Crab Aqua Farm. These groups now farm mud crabs over two acres of coastal land while ensuring the protection of mangroves from illegal cutting. The impact was immediate.

“Through our campaigns and drives, we have raised awareness about mangroves and their link to healthy fish catch and livelihoods,” explains Rohan Patil, president of the committee. “People no longer see them as just trees—they see them as protectors.”

By 2023, the once-barren coastline had transformed. The mangroves stood tall, shielding the land from erosion and storms, while the waters teemed with life again. The benefits extended beyond the environment. “The project helped us a lot,” Vandana shares. “Earlier, women worked only seasonally. Now, we have employment throughout the year. Besides, earlier we had to travel far and wide for crab farming; now, we can do it locally.”

What is Mangrove?

A mangrove is a salt-tolerant plant community found in tropical and subtropical intertidal regions. These ecosystems thrive in high-rainfall areas (1,000–3,000 mm) with temperatures ranging from 26°C to 35°C. Mangrove species are adapted to survive in waterlogged soils, high salinity, and frequent tidal surges. They serve as crucial biodiversity refuges and act as bio-shields against extreme climatic events. Additionally, rural populations depend on mangroves for biomass-based livelihoods.

India’s Progress in Mangrove Conservation

India has made significant strides in mangrove conservation through a combination of robust regulatory frameworks and targeted promotional initiatives. As per the India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR-2023), India’s total mangrove cover stands at 4,991.68 sq. km, constituting 0.15% of the nation’s geographical area. There has been net increase of 363.68 Sq.km (7.86%) in Mangrove cover area of the country in 2023 as compared to 2013 and net increase of 509.68 Sq.km (11.4%) between 2001 and 2023.

West Bengal holds the largest share of the country’s mangrove forests, accounting for 42.45% of the total cover, followed by Gujarat (23.32%) and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (12.19%). Notably, Gujarat has recorded an impressive increase of 253.06 sq. km in mangrove cover between 2001 and 2023, attributed to large-scale plantations, community participation, and public-private partnerships.

Key Regulatory Measures

India has implemented a series of stringent legal frameworks to ensure mangrove protection:

Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, categorises mangroves as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs), restricting activities within a 50-metre buffer zone where mangrove cover exceeds 1,000 sq. m.
Mandates compensatory replantation at a 3:1 ratio if mangroves are affected by development.
Additional protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Indian Forest Act, 1927, and Biological Diversity Act, 2002, among others.

Key Promotional Initiatives and Achievements

Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI):
- Launched on 5 June 2023 to promote restoration and afforestation across 540 sq. km in 9 coastal States and 4 Union Territories.
- Implementation through convergence funding with the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
- For FY 2024–25, ₹17.96 crore has been allocated to Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal, and Puducherry for the treatment and restoration of 3,836 hectares of degraded mangroves.
National Coastal Mission – Conservation of Mangroves and Coral Reefs:
- Financial assistance for the conservation of 38 mangrove sites and 4 coral reef sites across the country.
- Operates on a 60:40 cost-sharing model between the Centre and States.
- ₹8.58 crore released to seven coastal States during 2021–23 for mangrove conservation.
GCF-ECRICC Project (Green Climate Fund – Enhancing Coastal Resilience of Indian Coastal Community):
- Active since 2019 in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
- Aims to restore and conserve 10,575 hectares of mangroves.
- As of 2024, 3,114.29 hectares have been successfully restored.

Why Mangroves Matter

Mangroves: Nature’s Carbon Vault

As per World Wildlife Fund mangroves store 7.5–10 times more carbon per acre than tropical forests. Their loss contributes to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. These coastal forests hold over 21 gigatons of carbon, 87% of which is locked in the soil beneath their roots. Restoring just 1.6 million acres of lost mangrove forests could capture an additional 1 gigaton of carbon.

A Tidal Shift Towards Sustainability

Navghar’s transformation reflects a broader movement sweeping across India’s coastline where communities are not just adapting to change but actively shaping it. The revival of mangroves, once overlooked and degraded, now stands as a testament to collective action and inclusive development.

Through the integration of science, policy, and grassroots participation, India is forging a path where ecological restoration directly uplifts local economies. Women like Vandana Patil are no longer passive witnesses to environmental loss but active custodians of their natural heritage, securing livelihoods while nurturing resilience.

This shift marks more than environmental progress. It signals a future where nature-based solutions become central to climate action and communities, once vulnerable, emerge as champions of sustainable change.

References

Click here to see PDF

Santosh Kumar/ Sarla Meena/ Anchal Patiyal

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 2, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: New sections of GreenWay in Kai Tak open today (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

A spokesman for the Development Bureau said today (April 1) that two new sections of the GreenWay in the Kai Tak Development are open to the public. Located at Shing Fung Road Park and the Kai Tak Promenade adjacent to the To Kwa Wan Typhoon Shelter respectively (please refer to the location map), each section is approximately 1 kilometre long, offering the public scenic views of the harbour along the Greenway.

The newly opened sections are about 6 metres wide, with ground markings, signs and speed-reducing rumble strips in place to ensure safe use for both pedestrians and cyclists. Moreover, bicycle parking spaces are available, and there is a barrier-free walkway running alongside the GreenWay for pedestrians, offering an additional option for the public. Banners listing relevant rules have also been placed on-site. At the initial stage after the opening, ambassadors will be present at the GreenWay to provide appropriate reminders to users.

â€‹The GreenWay was planned and designed by the Civil Engineering and Development Department, while the sections opened today are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The remaining sections of the Greenway will be opened progressively in alignment with the implementation programme of infrastructure projects and open spaces in the area. For more details about the opened sections and the GreenWay, please refer to the location map and thematic website (www.kaitakgreenway.hk/en).

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 2, 2025

Category: Climate Change

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MVNO framework

Support structures and access

HSA

Broadband Fund

Fair marketplace

Security, reliability, and resiliency

Conclusion

April 2, 2025

Famine taking hold

‘Time is running out’

Fighting invaders

Stopping land clearing and habitat destruction

Protecting threatened species

Show nature the money!

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Where the Land Meets the SeaMangroves as Guardians of Life and Livelihoods

Where the Land Meets the Sea

Mangroves as Guardians of Life and Livelihoods