As a start, I want to sincerely thank you, Roberta, for your remarkable leadership in ensuring the European Parliament’s steadfast support to Ukraine. That is very important. Ukraine’s victory is existential for European security, and we need to act like it. Both today and in the years to come.
The second important issue that we discussed today is Europe’s defence readiness. Russia has prepared for a long confrontation and so must we. This means that all European countries need to invest much more in defence capabilities and resilience so that Russia would not even dare to make the mistake and test our nerve.
We don’t have the luxury to wait for the next long-term budget. According to our calculations, at least 100 billion euros is required to remedy the existing urgent shortfalls. Issuing defence bonds would be an opportunity for fundraising at scale.
We also talked about increasing the competitiveness of the EU. The good news here is that raising our defence spending also strengthens Europe’s defence industry and creates new jobs, but this alone is not enough. We need to significantly cut administrative burden in all areas, simplify permitting, support clean industry, ensure secure and efficient cross-border connections and boost data economy.
Moreover, a strong Single Market is the basis for EU’s competitiveness. We need to restore a level playing field and the state aid race must end.
Finally, the European Parliament plays a crucial role in raising the ambition and making clear what is at stake. A lot of work is still underway, but I remain optimistic that our cooperation will be a fruitful one.
Thank you and thank you, Roberta!
