Debate during the plenary session of January in Strasbourg on the review of the Italian Presidency. Statements by&nbsp;Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), EPP Group Leader,&nbsp;Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), S&amp;D Group Leader,&nbsp;Ryszard LEGUTKO (ECR, PL),&nbsp;Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), ALDE Group Leader,&nbsp;Curzio MALTESE (GUE/NGL, IT),&nbsp;Rebecca HARMS (Greens/EFA, DE), Greens/EFA Group Leader and&nbsp;Herbert REUL (EPP, DE).

VERHOFSTADT, Guy (Renew, BE)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

PITTELLA, Gianni (S&D, IT)

LEGUTKO, Ryszard Antoni (ECR, PL)

EU - Italy (T)

REUL, Herbert (EPP, DE)

HARMS, Rebecca (Greens/EFA, DE)

MALTESE, Curzio (GUE/NGL, IT)

Italian Presidency of the EU (T)

Review of the Italian Presidency: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (German), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), EPP group leader, "Italy's role is not over, flexibility and investment is an area you covered, that is not going to go away, you talked about of the importance of a Europe of values, rather than a Europe of the economy, but I don't understand why we need to see it is one or the other, we need both. The only way we can convey what our values are to our citizens is if we have a strong powerful economy, so we shouldn't play the one off against the other, both are essential."

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), S&amp;D group Leader, "Thanks to Italian Presidency we managed to put an end to the idea that we should be imposing sanctions on member states if they said no to various ideas that Brussels are putting forward and what seem like a bad idea is no to be become a good starting point."

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), President of the S&amp;D group, "And co-financing for structural funds this again seems like a dream, like chimaera, it's a revolutionary change."

SOUNDBITE (English), Ryszard LEGUTKO (ECR, PL), "This 2015 budget, it is to secure the agreement on the budget, but I think, but the agreement leaves significant unpaid bills and you, I think, missed an opportunity to take responsibility for this unsustainable situation."

SOUNDBITE (English), Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), ALDE Group Leader, "The most important thing of your Presidency was to end the discussion as Mr Weber has indicated between fiscal discipline and growth and investment on the other side. We need both, that can be the conclusion of this whole debate, but this is only the start of the work, because we need now this investment plan. And I have to tell Mr Renzi, what we need is now and I hope for your support in the next Council that all Member states are entering in the grantee schemes of that investment plan."

SOUNDBITE (English), Guy VERHOFSTADT (ALDE, BE), ALDE Group Leader, "I have only one disappointment with the Italian Presidency, I have to honest with you. And it is that the Telecom package has not been concluded. Let's be honest, everybody is talking here about investment, digital world, google, we need to have an answer to that and we are not capable today in 2015 to make an agreement with the Member states on the digital market and on the telecom package, get rid of the roaming charges, installing net neutrality."

SOUNDBITE (English), Curzio MALTESE (GUE/NGL, IT), "We regret that there is still mass unemployment in the European Union and that there not enough has been done. In Italy itself it is easier to dismiss people and it is not really easier to combat tax evasion than it was."

SOUNDBITE (German), Rebecca HARMS (Greens/EFA, DE), Greens/EFA Group Leader, "At the present time I would say that the numbers of these roast buckets brining in immigrations into Europe symbolise what Dublin I, II, III have brought Europe. Europe is one of the richest areas in the world and it is appalling that we haven't come up with proper immigration legislation."

SOUNDBITE (German), Herbert REUL (EPP, DE), "Everything else that has been said is about values and now the Prime Minister tells us that we have to turn politics upside down, I certainly hope that this is not going to happen. We need stability and growth, we need to ensure that agreement were respected, be there the 6-pack or the 2-pack, we have made progress;, step by step, look at Spain, look at Ireland, there has been progress. It is true that there are some countries where there hasn't been so much progress, but then you have to ask yourself why is that. Are we really going to throw everything over board? Are we going to water down the stability criteria, are we going just to promise structural reforms without bringing them out? I hope not."

cut away shots, (3 shots) - (including one Juncker-Renzi hugging each other)