Debate during the plenary session of July in Strasbourg on the programme of activities of the Slovak Presidency. Statement by Robert FICO, Slovak Prime Minister and President in office of the Council of the EU, Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), EPP Group leader, Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), S&amp;D Group leader, Ashley FOX (ECR, UK), Pavel TELIČKA (ALDE, CZ),&nbsp;Rebecca HARMS (Greens/EFA, DE), Greens/EFA co-Group leader and Petr MACH (EFDD, CZ).

Strasbourg

plenary session

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

TIMMERMANS, Frans (NL, EC)

PITTELLA, Gianni (S&D, IT)

TELIČKA, Pavel (ALDE, CZ)

Greens/EFA

EU - Slovakia (T)

Slovakian Presidency of the EU (T)

FOX, Ashley (ECR, UK)

HARMS, Rebecca (Greens/EFA, DE)

FICO, Robert (SK)

MACH, Petr (EFDD, CZ)

EFDD

Programme of activities of the Slovak Presidency: extracts from the debate

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/14686001/I123975Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Arrival of Robert FICO, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic in the Chamber

SOUNDBITE (Slovak), Robert FICO, Slovak Prime Minister, That's why we want during our Presidency to focus on better use of financial instruments. The EU budget for 2017 should be flexible and balanced. It is necessary to reflect the EU's priorities and we must respond to the challenges we are already facing, or which may emerge shortly.

SOUNDBITE (Slovak), Robert FICO, Slovak Prime Minister, To restore confidence in the Economic and Monetary Union we have to complete the Capital Markets Union and the achievement of Economic and Monetary Union and the Banking Union.

SOUNDBITE (Slovak), Robert FICO, Slovak Prime Minister, Our top priority remains the protection of the EU's external borders, security and functionality of Schengen and elimination of the causes of migration.

SOUNDBITE (Slovak), Robert FICO, Slovak Prime Minister, It would be absolutely counterproductive, and literally harmful to our European vision if we were to leave Bratislava on the 16 September 2016 with a declaration that everything is fine, only the people do not understand us. We know that the truth is different. Such a conclusion would only fuel further referendum movement, with fragmentation of Europe with unforeseeable consequences. On the other hand, it is necessary to take a prudent stance to think about the need for fundamental reforms, institutional change, even change to EU treaties.

SOUNDBITE (German), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, The keystone of that is the investment offensive, which we can now see the first fruits of. In the first few months, 107 billion euros has been mobilised in terms of new investment. 148 000 SMEs will have improved access to financing.

SOUNDBITE (German), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Reforming our common asylum system is our top priority. I am well placed to know that this is no easy matter. There's often a great deal of time and energy that has to be devoted to reconciling different national realities, in fact one switch can be completely, diametrically opposed, however there is only one possible response to migration and problems, and it has to be an European response.

SOUNDBITE (German), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), EPP Group leader, My political group is a favour of strong border control, we want to have safe borders for the European Union, we also want to make sure that there is fight against illegal migration, we want also to fight against traffickers, smugglers of people, we want also to make sure that we have law and order, that we have sound and safe borders on the outside. But at the same time my political group also wants to come to rescue of people who are in need and who need our help.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), S&amp;D Group leader, If the UK wants to leave the EU it should notify the EU of this as soon as possible and what are we seeing, we are seeing a boat that is sinking and we are seeing Cameron and Farage and Johnson who are leaving that boat quite frankly it will be better for us to have nothing to do with such people. We feel that the change should start immediately.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ashley FOX (ECR, UK), We need to reflect on the meaning of the referendum and how it expresses not just the concerns of the British people but concerns felt by millions across the continent. Many want an effective European union but they want a limited European Union.

SOUNDBITE (English), Pavel TELI&#268;KA (ALDE, CZ), We speak of reforms, and we met many years ago in my office and I know that you are a person that can deliver. Two ideas: one is: why not open the deliberations of the European Council to the public, sometimes even prime ministers don't know what has been agreed the day before. Make it transparent, provide for confidence.The second is: why not have a program of a revision of secondary acquis. Deal away with all the issues that we should not be focusing on.

SOUNDBITE (German), Rebecca HARMS (Greens/EFA, DE), Greens/EFA Group leader, Also of course we are talking about the EU we need to remember that the EU has a global challenge here because of new attacks, aggression, because of risks, because of the globalised economy and the untold consequences of that. We are also talking about all these people on the move, 50 million, I think that together we are much better placed to act, to achieve something, we can only do this together.

SOUNDBITE (Czech), Petr MACH (EFDD, CZ), Your cabinet has been brave enough and voted against the redistribution quota in the council and disputed the decision of the European Union at the ECJ (European Court of Justice) so I hope that as a president in the council you will be against what is quite imminent and it is the permanent relocation mechanism.