Elisabetta Gualmini
Member of the European Parliament · Renew · IT
“Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, in Europa siamo già alla terza ondata di super caldo e siamo solo all'inizio di luglio, quindi i dati sul cambiamento climatico sono indiscutibili e chi oggi si esercita nel negazionismo è semplicemente pazzo.”
“Serve un approccio di ecologia integrale – quello che già Papa Francesco indicava – dove si danno risposte integrate soprattutto a chi è più vulnerabile. L'Europa ha fatto molto: prenda in mano il timone e soprattutto si porti dietro tutti, e non solo alcuni. 3-0086-0000”
“Madam President, I wrote my PhD dissertation in Wolfsburg in the mid-1990s, on the introduction of flexibility and the four-day workweek at Volkswagen. It was a cyclical crisis that eventually seemed to be overcome.”
“So we have the paradox that Germany invested in China hoping to compete with China, but now it will be China that will eventually save Germany buying German enterprises. So what now? The crisis cannot fall on the shoulders of the workers. It is up to Europe to find a strategy. 2-0052-0000”
“Mr President, first of all, dear Commissioner, you have noticed that basically all women have spoken in this debate, except for three courageous colleagues, and except for, for a short time, a colleague of ours whose question was really not so clear to me.”
“Madam President, Commissioner, this is a war started by one man – Vladimir Putin. No one else. A man who wants to decide the destiny of independent nations and even their right to exist.”
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Every one of 25 lines we hold for Elisabetta Gualmini, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“Serve un approccio di ecologia integrale – quello che già Papa Francesco indicava – dove si danno risposte integrate soprattutto a chi è più vulnerabile. L'Europa ha fatto molto: prenda in mano il timone e soprattutto si porti dietro tutti, e non solo alcuni. 3-0086-0000”
“Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, in Europa siamo già alla terza ondata di super caldo e siamo solo all'inizio di luglio, quindi i dati sul cambiamento climatico sono indiscutibili e chi oggi si esercita nel negazionismo è semplicemente pazzo. Quindi, devono stare fuori dalla politica quelli che negano il cambiamento climatico, perché il nostro dovere è rispondere ai bisogni dei cittadini. E vedo, comunque, che i banchi vuoti dell'estrema destra vanno in questa direzione. Il punto, oggi, è quello delle nuove diseguaglianze che si stanno creando: diseguaglianze nell'accesso al raffreddamento, diseguaglianze nelle fasce di età, diseguaglianze anche sul piano dei migranti – stanno aumentando i migranti climatici – quindi, c'è un forte nesso tra giustizia ambientale e giustizia sociale.”
“So we have the paradox that Germany invested in China hoping to compete with China, but now it will be China that will eventually save Germany buying German enterprises. So what now? The crisis cannot fall on the shoulders of the workers. It is up to Europe to find a strategy. 2-0052-0000”
“Madam President, I wrote my PhD dissertation in Wolfsburg in the mid-1990s, on the introduction of flexibility and the four-day workweek at Volkswagen. It was a cyclical crisis that eventually seemed to be overcome. Today we are talking of a genuine collapse, and the alarm is broader in scope because we are talking of the breakdown of the German social and economic model, the one based on co-determination, high wages, cooperation between capital and labour, and collaborative innovation. 'People's cars' are no longer selling for a variety of reasons. An obsessive push towards electrification without having the necessary infrastructure – how can you fix a goal without the means to reach it? – and the shift in lifestyles and so on and so forth.”
“So first of all, we have to implement the Directive on work-life balance, and we have to target the next European budget for the gender gap in caregiving. (The speaker declined to take a blue-card question from Cristian Terheş) 3-0353-0000”
“Mr President, first of all, dear Commissioner, you have noticed that basically all women have spoken in this debate, except for three courageous colleagues, and except for, for a short time, a colleague of ours whose question was really not so clear to me. But, in any case, until you know that the issue of caregiving, and the gender gap relating to that, is only a topic discussed by women, and not an utmost priority in the policy agenda of political institutions, we will have a problem. We will have a problem. Because the second issue is that we know, of course, the statistics. So the diagnosis is very clear. We have more than 50 million people providing informal, unrecognised care. But now it is time to act.”
“We need Zelenskyy's heroism and resistance against tyranny and despotism. Let me finish by saying that I felt ashamed when Ukrainian flags were rejected in Italy during the Liberation Day from Nazi fascism, because today the real resistance and fight for freedom is the one going on in Ukraine. 2-0491-0000 VORSITZ: KATARINA BARLEY Vizepräsidentin 2-0492-0000 Spontane Wortmeldungen 2-0493-0000”
“Madam President, Commissioner, this is a war started by one man – Vladimir Putin. No one else. A man who wants to decide the destiny of independent nations and even their right to exist. The recent attacks in Odesa targeting infrastructure and residential buildings tell us that civilian deaths have increased in Ukraine over the last year. Fake news spread by Putin that Russia only hits military targets is, of course, a huge lie, huge propaganda. Come on! Let me be very clear. Firstly, we will never give up on the pursuit of truth and accountability. If you are responsible for an atrocious war, you must bear the responsibility for it, and we need a special tribunal for Russia's war crimes. Secondly, we will go on helping Ukraine because we need Ukraine more than Ukraine needs us.”
“The clauses and conditions are stronger: the suspension clause, the sunset clause, the safeguard on imports and the sunrise clause. We are passionate Europeans. We are passionate pro-European politicians. We will be vigilant. We will never be idiotic servants of an autocratic leader. 2-0030-0000”
“Mr President, I would say to Mr Trump: we've been patient in front of your erratic and despotic behaviour. We were patient when you started a war without knowing how to finish it. We've been patient as you use trade policy as a weapon to take revenge and threaten countries and people who simply annoy you. We were patient when you called us free riders and parasites, and we were patient when your VP told us that, in Europe, democracy is failing. What? Come on! But now, of course, we cannot cut trade relationships with the United States, and we must provide certainty to our companies and citizens. So we have to move forward with the agreement on duties. But let me be really clear: we have suspended it twice and we are not afraid to suspend it again.”
“Ricordiamoci che i servizi di inclusione non sono un accessorio e non sono un lusso individuale: spetta a noi, alla politica, studiare politiche integrate, sistematiche e strutturate per dare dignità e indipendenza a ognuno di noi e, quindi, costruire una società veramente inclusiva. 3-0514-0000”
“Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, la società “buona”, per Amartya Sen, è quella che risponde alle aspettative minime di ognuno di noi, quella che mette al centro l'individuo, la sua libertà e le sue reali opportunità. Negli ultimi anni, la Strategia europea per i diritti delle persone con disabilità, AccessibleEU e la Carta europea sulla disabilità, ci hanno fatto fare dei passi in avanti verso un'inclusione vera. Ma oggi noi vogliamo capire esattamente quali finanziamenti ci saranno per la disabilità nel prossimo QFP. Vogliamo capire la tempistica dell'implementazione delle norme che già sono esistenti. Perché, guardate, il lavoro non è mai finito e il limite non è la disabilità in sé ma il limite nasce da come la società è organizzata e dagli sforzi che noi dobbiamo fare.”
“Noi oggi dimostriamo che l'Unione europea c'è sempre stata. E basta con le balle e le fake news sull'assenza dell'Europa: l'Europa c'era a sostenere la resistenza ucraina, c'è oggi con lo stop ai ricatti politici di Putin e ci sarà per la pace e la ricostruzione. 2-0049-0000”
“Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, il divieto delle importazioni di gas russo è davvero un momento storico, perché noi, oggi, diciamo da che parte stiamo: noi stiamo dalla parte della democrazia, dalla parte della difesa dell'integrità e della sovranità territoriale, dalla parte della difesa del diritto internazionale. Quindi, non possiamo essere ricattabili, con una mano condannare l'aggressione criminale di Putin e con l'altra finanziare la guerra. Questi valori sono più importanti del prezzo, talvolta, bisogna avere il coraggio di dirlo. Bene che il Parlamento abbia anticipato i termini del divieto rispetto alla Commissione, bene che abbia incluso sanzioni armonizzate che incentiveranno l'uso delle rinnovabili e la diversificazione e bene che la Commissione preveda lo stop anche al petrolio.”
“Freeing ourselves from Putin's gas means freeing ourselves from his hate for our values, democracy, peace and pluralism. 3-0535-0000”
“Mr President, dear Commissioner, today it's really an historical moment because we have been talking for many years about the need to increase the strategic autonomy of the European Union, and the European Union has never been a fully-fledged political entity because it has suffered from two dependencies: in the east, on the gas from Russia, and in the west, on the United States for defence. A democracy that depends on an autocracy to heat its homes and companies is not a fully-fledged democracy. This is the point. What kind of Europe do we want? Only a huge commercial space or an autonomous political entity? So, today we are really on the right track. The full ban on gas in 2028 will give us a freedom and autonomy, and above all, will free us from the deception of financing ourselves the war against the Ukrainians.”
“Wie passt Ihre Erzählung eigentlich zusammen? Oder versuchen Sie, uns alle eigentlich für dumm zu verkaufen? 3-0286-0000 Elisabetta Gualmini (S&D), blue-card answer. – No, no, we do not believe that you are crazy people, absolutely. But these are two questions. So first of all, it is absolutely true that Putin does not want peace, and we are in the middle of a hybrid war all over Europe. We can see it every day in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and so on and so forth. Second, of course Putin is not winning, because there is an incredible resistance by heroes, people fighting for their liberty and freedom thanks to the help of the European Union, thank God. 3-0287-0000”
“You cannot surrender to tackle Trump's crazy diktats. So, President Zelenskyy, your fight is our fight. (The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question) 3-0285-0000 Özlem Demirel (The Left), Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Ich danke Ihnen, dass Sie die Zwischenfrage erlauben. Ich hätte zwei Fragen an Sie, weil Sie ja immer wieder diese Geschichte erzählen, dass Russland morgen bei uns in Europa einfallen würde. Wie erklären Sie sich die Tatsache, dass Russland seit drei Jahren mit der wesentlich schwächeren Ukraine Krieg führt und diesen Krieg nicht gewinnt? Sie sagen mir, die Ukraine kann diesen Krieg gewinnen. Gleichzeitig sagen Sie, Russland kann die EU angreifen, NATO-Staaten angreifen, die wesentlich stärker ausgestattet sind, militärisch, vom Equipment, von den Ausgaben her.”
“Mr President, we all know very well what is really at stake in the Russia-Ukraine war: the defence of democracy against tyranny; the defence of pluralism against dictatorship; the defence of freedom against despotic leaders who really do not care about international law. So Putin's real target is not just the Ukraine or its critical materials, but Europe and the West: our values, our freedom, our unity. So we need the two very clear conditions for the European Council of tomorrow. First, military support by the EU and, at the same time, a solid peace proposal, including ceasefire, restitution of deported Ukrainian children to their families, and so on and so forth. The second condition is that Ukraine must be put in a position of strength in order to negotiate a peace. You cannot surrender to the strongest one.”
“But, at the same time, it is crystal clear that we need more flexibility, we need pragmatic action. We cannot resign to ideology, for instance, by rethinking the principle of technological neutrality. We are the policy makers, we have to find the conditions in which our core industry and its employees can innovate without perishing, can embrace sustainability without losing salaries and rights. It is not easy, but what is sure is that the answer cannot be always and forever the status quo. 3-0229-0000”
“Mr President, dear Commissioner, we know the numbers of the crisis of the automotive industry, we know the numbers of the production fall and the sales decrease. It is a perfect storm with multiple explaining factors: the transition to electric vehicles is costly and difficult given the shortage of raw materials and delays in the infrastructure; changing lifestyles; competition from China; tariffs from the US. However, these challenges cannot justify abandoning the climate targets already fixed and carried out so far; we need to give certainty to producers and investors who have planned their activities precisely because of those targets. It would be stupid to cancel the 2035 ban on combustion engines because we need to safeguard competitiveness.”
“The problem is that the strategic autonomy of the European Union is not enough. We must work for a stronger, united, powerful political union, not only a market, which makes a difference in the world, and not be a hostage of lunatic superpowers. 3-0341-0000”
“Mr President, dear Commissioner, China's decision to impose anti-dumping duties of up to 62 % on the importation of European pork products is an act of profound economic injustice that damages our farmers a lot, with estimated costs of around USD 2 billion. It just happens when China itself is facing a significant domestic overcapacity of pork products, so there are no real and legitimate reasons for such tariffs. Beijing's decision is nothing more than a retaliation to the principle of multilateralism and to a system of shared rules which is now more than ever under attack. So if we also consider Trump's duties by 15 % on European food products, it is crystal clear that Europe is more and more squeezed between two powerful autocrats using trade as a weapon. But the problem is bigger today.”
“Deve essere una decarbonizzazione realistica, non punitiva su imprese e famiglie. Le chiedo, però, signor Commissario, informazioni molto precise sui ritardi che eventualmente ci saranno e una stima precisa dei costi che dobbiamo sostenere. Ho apprezzato molto il Suo riferimento a Draghi, alle partnership pubblico‑private per sostenere i costi, ma a noi servono dati precisi. Tocca alla politica, tutto sommato, scegliere e indicare una strada. In Italia forse abbiamo delegato troppo, forse abbiamo sbagliato, prendendo decisioni con un referendum sulla base della paura sul nucleare. Ora dobbiamo andare avanti, ma con promesse realistiche e non fantasiose. 1-0201-0000”
“Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, investire sulla ricerca per la fusione nucleare è una priorità. Bene il progetto ITER, a cui l'Unione europea contribuisce significativamente, con quasi la metà dei fondi. Nessuno di noi è contro la ricerca – come si fa a essere contro la ricerca? – ed è importante avere un portafoglio diversificato di tecnologie per produrre energia. Noi avremo bisogno di moltissima energia nel futuro, pensiamo, ad esempio, allo sviluppo dell'intelligenza artificiale. Da qui l'importanza della fusione nucleare che produce energia pulita, rinnovabile, l'energia del futuro. C'è un problema, però: il tempo non è una variabile indipendente, il tempo non è infinito. È un vincolo. Noi dobbiamo decarbonizzare, e lo dobbiamo fare in fretta, passo dopo passo. Non possiamo aspettare il 2050.”