Full text of the Eu Commission President’s speech in front of the EU Parliament’s plenary session, ahead of the discussion of a motion of censure.
President Metsola,
Honourable Members,
Every month, we meet here in this Plenary to debate the issues that matter the most to Europeans. The daily struggles of workers and families worried about the cost of living. The support we can give to small business owners trying to take their company to the next level. Or the need to provide real security as conflict and war rages across the world. And we will do so again in this Plenary session. So today we can all make our own judgements about the merits of the motion in front of us. And each of us can come to our own conclusions about its real intentions. But what we have just heard from Mr Piperea was clear for all to see. It is taken right from the oldest playbook of extremists. Polarising society and eroding trust in democracy with false claims about election meddling. Attempting to rewrite the history how Europe successfully overcame a global pandemic together – from vaccines to NexGenEU. Spinning debunked conspiracies
about text messages. There is a choice here. We can follow Mr Piperea down his world of conspiracies and alleged sinister plots by – what he calls – “Brussels”, or we can clearly call this out for what it is; another crude attempt to drive a wedge between our institutions, between the pro-European, pro-democratic forces in this House. We can never let that happen, and we never will.
But I also want to thank Mr Piperea. Because I believe it is vital that we have this debate here this evening. Because facts matter. Truth matters. But also because I recognise that there are Members who may not have signed this motion – but who do have legitimate concerns about some of the issues it raises. That is fair enough. It is part of our democracy, and I will always be ready to debate any issue that this House wants – with facts and with arguments. This is also why I am here today with my entire College to front up to those questions.
So, Honourable Members, let me go straight into it. As a lot of this seems to go back to the pandemic, allow me to start by taking you back to the very beginning. None of us will ever forget the tragic images of military trucks rolling through Bergamo at night, piled up with dead bodies. Or when lockdowns were imposed. Borders were closed. And crucial health and protective equipment was fought over. I remember all of those times when it could feel like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. But I have also not forgotten what we achieved together. How a vaccine was developed in record time thanks to European science. How we ramped up industrial production after a slow start. How every Member State was given the same access to life saving vaccines. How every citizen – whether from a country big or small, east or west, north or south – was given the same chance. This is the Europe of solidarity that I love – and that is that Europe that extremists hate.
We all remember how we protected workers – through SURE. Or got our economies moving again thanks to Green Lanes or the digital certificate. And of course, we all remember the historic day we launched NextGenerationEU to inject EUR 800 billion in our economies to invest in everything from health and education, clean tech to digital tech, SMEs to established industries. No one thought we could ever pull it off, or that it would ever be agreed. But we did it together. And this, Honourable Members, is the true story of the pandemic. Not what the authors of this motion are trying to make of it. We should all be deeply proud of it. And we can never let extremists and conspiracists rewrite this story.
Honourable Members,
I bring you back to these moments because you cannot find them anywhere in the motion in front of us. And yet they are the essential backdrop to what we are discussing here today. Because they show the unique and unprecedented nature of the situation we were in. How Europe came together after Member States gave us a mandate to act. How it was this Parliament that immediately ensured the continuation of Plenary debates to keep our European democracy active. Thanks to this we had many debates in this House in the most difficult of moments. And these were so important. Because it meant that at every step of the way, we discussed openly and transparently with this House, with Member States, with European citizens. It was all out there in the public domain. So yes, it is no secret that I was in contact with top representatives of the companies producing the vaccines that would get us out of this crisis. Of course I was, just as I sought advice from the best epidemiologists and virologists in the world. Or was in touch with UN organisations and NGOs. But the implication that these contacts were somehow inappropriate or against the European interest is – by any measure – simply wrong.
So let me set the facts straight once again. Contract negotiations were conducted by Commission and Member States together. Every single contract negotiated was examined in detail in the capitals before being signed by each of the 27 Member States. There were no secrets, no hidden clauses, no obligations to buy for Member States. Indeed, all 27 Member States decided to buy their vaccines on their own will. So any claims that any Member State did not know about the contracts, about the prices or the amounts – is dishonest. In fact, let us call it by its name – it is simply a lie.
Honourable Members,
The wider point I want to make today is that this Commission will always be ready to work with you and be transparent with you. This is why, for example, I came to the Conference of Presidents to justify and explain the exceptional use of Article 122 for SAFE – our emergency defence spending proposal. This is exactly what I promised in my Guidelines. The point is I am committed to working with this House every step of the way. And I want to say that I hear your concerns loud and clear. And I will always be ready to be open about our work and find common solutions with the pro-European, pro-democracy forces in this House. Because this spirit of compromise is what democracy is about. But we should be under no illusions about the threats our democracy faces. We have entered into an age of struggle between democracy and illiberalism. We see the alarming threat from extremist parties who want to polarise our societies with disinformation. There is no proof that they have any answers, but there is ample proof that many are supported by our enemies and by their puppet masters in Russia or elsewhere. These are movements fuelled by conspiracies, from anti-vaxxers to Putin apologists. And you only have to look at some of the signatories of this motion to understand what I mean. But the real question here is what do we do about it? I believe it is up to us to come together, find balanced compromises and deliver for people. Because the rise of illiberal and populist politics does not happen in a vacuum. So the answer can never be to complain about how people voted. It must always be to show that we understand and that we will address their legitimate concerns. And this is what this Commission and this Parliament has been laser focused on doing since the very first day the College took office.
Thanks to this team behind me, this College that you elected, we are delivering on the ambitious programme that this House voted on. Whether making historic steps forward on defence and security. Or boosting our competitiveness through the Clean Industrial Deal. Attracting the best researchers in the world to Choose Europe. Whether supporting Ukraine and preparing the ground for a future enlargement. Or protecting our farmers and our fishers – as well as the land and ocean they rely on. Whether addressing climate change, the housing crisis or focusing on the skills and education young people need. Today, and also in our long-term budget. Or simplifying the business environment of our companies – while staying true to standards that make our Union strong. And always protecting the rule of law and the core values of our Union. That is what really matters to the people of Europe. That is what they want us to discuss here in this House. So let us not play the game of the extremists. Let us stand up for Europe and let us deliver for Europeans.
Honourable Members,
I want to finish by addressing all the pro-Europeans, pro-democracy forces in this House. I know that we do not always agree on every detail of every proposal this College has made. And I cannot promise that we will always agree on everything in the future. But what I can promise is that we will always be ready to work for compromise and work for unity. When the Commission sits down with the US to negotiate on trade and tariffs, Europe must show strength. When we stand up for Ukraine’s future, Europe must show strength. Or when we go to China to defend our interests – Europe must show strength. And Honourable Members, this strength only comes through our unity. So let us come together. And let us keep delivering for Europe.
Long live Europe.