Nine months before the next European Parliament elections on 6 - 9 June, President Ursula von der Leyen outlines her Commission’s priorities from now until the end of its mandate. She focuses on a stronger and more resilient European Union, on the EU’s continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, on energy security and EU energy independence, the EU’s twin green and digital transitions, and on protecting core EU values. Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), Chair of Renew Europe Group, gives his statement during the State of the European Union 2023 in Strasbourg. Statement by Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), Chair of Renew Europe Group. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

SÉJOURNÉ, Stéphane (Renew, FR)

Renew Europe

state of the European Union 2023 (T)

State of the European Union 2023: Statement by Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), Chair of Renew Europe Group

SOUNDBITE (Original), St&eacute;phane S&Eacute;JOURN&Eacute; (Renew, FR), - Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, Ladies and gentlemen. This plenary session on the State of the Union is not just like any other. It's the last one of the term of office. It's the last one before the European elections. And you said it, Madam President. These last four years have been some of the most remarkable years in the European Union in construction.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - Renew Europe has been proud to have been useful, has assumed responsibility during this period, has brought together pro-Europeans in good faith. I'd like to thank the groups. We work with majorities, sometimes different majorities, sometimes more left, more right. Some with the Von der Leyen format with criticism I noted from my colleague. But we've always made progress. Progress in a coordinated fashion to help Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - So in a nutshell. Looking at the spirit of my group, we're proud of our joint achievements, and we hope that these final months will prove useful in the fashion of the last four years. But Renew is quite clear on some of the priorities as well. If I can start with the positive aspects, I think Europe has proved itself more useful for fellow citizens than ever before.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - It was present for the pandemic. It was present to face up to the aggression of Russia in Ukraine and uniting Europeans. We have the European Green Deal, which makes Europe an exemplary continent when it comes to the environmental transition. We don't need to be ashamed of what we achieved on the ecology and the environment. I don't think any parliamentary chamber in the world has achieved such courageous and ambitious decisions as we have.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - We stand up for our workers and companies. The reindustrialisation of our continent is now something that's been triggered. It's happening, to help our own sovereignty, jobs, our purchasing power. And we're there for our fellow citizens and their rights. The digital Wild West has been tamed. We have European laws to do that. We can have specific legislation brought in for the independence of the media, and we are working on collective security, founded on a common defence.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - The things that need to be taken to the natural conclusion. The Green Deal is one of those things, something that remains to be done. You said, Madam President, we need to find a sustainable solution for issues on migration. That's part of the text that we need to still agree on. with the energy package, We need to have a European industrial answer. In the nine last months we have before the elections we need to work together on that.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - I hope that my group will be heard because being useful isn't just a question of having regulation for regulation's sake or legislation for legislation's sake. We have to reduce bureaucracy for our citizens and companies, but we also need to make sure that we're investing in a way that will achieve our objectives. It has to be commensurate with those objectives, and the green and digital transitions are important, but they need to be underpinned with laws that are simple, comprehensible and well financed.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - So. Madam President, to conclude there's a subject my group gets angry about sometimes, and that is the defence of our democratic model. I welcome the work done by the Commissioner and turning to the Council as well as co-legislator. We know that sometimes there have been some feet dragging amongst the heads of state and government and don't always meet the expectations. Heeding the calls from our Polish judges, Hungarian judges, independent press and civil society.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - My group has called for more efficiency, more simplicity, more reforms. It has always done that. We think that unanimity is a poison. It's toxic. If you imagine the degree of our support for Ukraine is dependent on Viktor Orban. Madam President, we refuse the toppling of Europe. We refuse the organisation of our continent. It's a real danger, not just in political terms, but also in economic and social terms.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - There's an endemic risk of corruption, the risk of whole communities being targeted. And that runs counter to our European DNA. I would say even it runs counter to the whole plan we have, our very civilisation in Europe. Madam President, you want a geopolitical commission, you mention that in your speech. And it has, I think, in the course of history, been much more than that.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ (Renew, FR), - But democracies very rarely die because of exterior threats. They died because of internal threats. Thank you very much for your speech. We share most of what you said, and I hope these coming nine months will be fruitful.