During the plenary session (14-17 September 2020) in the European Parliament in Brussels, Ursula VON DER LEYEN delivers the State of the European Union (SOTEU 2020) before the MEPs. Closing statement by Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

debate

plenary session

state of the Union

VON DER LEYEN, Ursula (DE, EC)

state of the Union 2020 (T)

State of the European Union debate: Closing statement by Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Honourable Members, listening to today's debate, we see where the state of our union is, and this is of a sign of a very strong democracy. It showed all the ideas, all the projects, all the demands. It also reveals a lot about this period of uncertainty and change we are in.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Now, listen carefully to your demands, to your fears, to your anxieties and the questions, because your voices are the voices of the European people that you represent.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, So thank you very much for this enormously inspiring debate over many areas of ours. I've heard that what you've said on the urgent need to come forward with a European solution to Europe's challenge on migration.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And I heard, I think, the message like my message, we need to step up. All of us. Next Wednesday, as I've said, the commission will come forward on our new pact, on migration. And at the heart of it is a commitment to a more European system.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, I can announce that we will abolish the Dublin regulation. And we will replace it with a new European migration governance system. It will have common structures on asylum and return. And it will have a new strong solidarity mechanism.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, I'm very much looking forward to the debate. Let's discuss it. We are there will be points where we agree. There will be points where we disagree.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, I heard very interesting proposals that we should take into account. I know that I'm partly preaching in the wrong church when I say at the very end, the most important part is that we come to a result.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, But I know the German presidency at our side. The German presidency also wants to have a result on the migration topic. So I'm looking forward to the next days and week we're going to discuss that subject.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, On climate protection, I heard the Chinese proverb as a colleague said, demand a great deal of yourself, do not expect a lot of others. Now, I can fully subscribe to that ask a lot of yourself.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Yes, it's true. I think we have to show that it is possible to have a successful economy without completing completely destroying our planet.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, I am trusting are engineers are SMEs industrialists who have the Assamese have been rightly mentioned today. I placed great confidence in them that they can bring together innovation and climate change.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, These can go hand in hand. And quite rightly, our colleague Mr Pieper has referred to as semi's that they have to be given a large place at the table. It's clear without their Samis, we cannot make any progress.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We know that the Assamese are the back bone of our economy and these small businesses are they marked themselves out by their excellence in 70 different niches that then can allow us to be global leaders and innovation drives his knishes.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, That is the signature of small businesses and that will help us make progress. I think we can show that the circular economy works. We can show that production is possible without greenhouse gases.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Today, we heard a lot about hydrogen, these flagship projects that we wish to press on with. If I come to the second part of the proverb. Do not expect too much of others. I don't entirely agree with that.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We have to expect a great deal of others. Now, of course, I don't deny the fact that we as Europeans are responsible for maximum of 10 percent of global gas emissions. But if we turn it round, then we have to adopt the carbon border adjustment tax or of people mention it.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, But I would rather we didn't have to adopt it so that other countries who export to us, we import their products so that other countries would set up such a well functioning ETS that it covers the price of CO2, that they keep that in their countries and that we don't need to close the borders with a carbon border adjustment tax to prevent relocation.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Other countries also have to show their responsibility. But at the moment, we are the leaders in technology. And that's where I placed my confidence because I believe that our people, humanity will do everything to put an end to this fatal climate change.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, If we do nothing to stop it, then the planet will be destroyed. If we want to stop climate change, then we have to turn to new technologies. And I want Europe to be a champion. I want Europe to export these technologies.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, I want Europe to show that this works and that we are the exporters. China is introducing an emission trading system. We have it. We've gathered that experience. We've taken a step in the right direction.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, If we can show that we have a successful single market. We have a successful European socially oriented market which takes into account climate change. Also the green deal and the digital approach.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Then I think we on the right track. We heard talk of next generation be used in connexion with this. Comments were made from Sweden as to why the Swedes should contribute to this. Why give money is pretty much what we heard.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, I met with CEOs from Sweden. And one, see you, you're from a very well-known car company explained to me that this car company actually is very important and crucial in Sweden, and it's a car company that is giving its share to the prosperity of the country and is giving good and qualified, creating good and qualified jobs in Sweden.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, But he told me that the car company cannot build a single truck in Sweden on its own. Because it needs the spare parts from other countries in the member states and the European Union. It needs the supply chain.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Supply chains all over Europe. So it is in the common interest of Sweden and the European Union that we bounce back to prosperity, that we put again. We restore the supply chains.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, This is gonna pay back to Sweden a thousand fold and is the right investment to do. So this should be the answer we should give to. The question that was raised.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Honourable members throughout history, wars and pandemics have changed the course of the world. And that is certainly true for our continent. And it will certainly be true for this pandemic. In front of us is an opportunity of a lifetime to shape that change.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The change will happen, but let's shape that change and not to be shaped by it, but we can only do that if we do this together. And what I heard today was that in all cases, but in the vast majority of cases, most encouraging.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, I invite all of you. To embark on this historic journey together. You listen to me quite a while. I know. I listen to you. I think we have a plan.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We have the investment and I think this will be the year now of implementation, implementation, implementation.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, This is for me the most important part. Now, I heard it many times. Yes. The concept is right. Yes, they are good ideas. Yes. You have a roadmap. Yes, you have the investment. Now implement, deliver, deliver, deliver.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Our duty is to design our destiny. And I want to go on this journey together with you. Thank you so much.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, You get out. See you then. Thank you. President, we now have Mr Gyongyosi for the Monotype members whose credibility is essential if.