Video message by David SASSOLI, EP President, for the conference on tacking stock of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU.

statement

Strasbourg

speech

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

Portuguese Presidency of the EU (T)

Tacking stock of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU: speech by David SASSOLI, EP President

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Prime Minister, Dear Antonio Costa, Members of the Portuguese Government, Ambassadors, I would like to thank all those who have made this successful Presidency possible.Portugal has taken the reins of the EU at a dramatic but crucial moment in the history of our Europe, from the challenges posed by the virus to institutions, businesses and especially citizens, to climate change, the digital revolution, the new relationship with the United Kingdom, the migration issue. There are so many issues on our agenda, an agenda that in recent months has been renewed, giving a new impetus to the role of the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Since it took over the Presidency of the Council, Portugal has decided to go take an ambitious stance, especially from the social point of view, an issue close to our hearts because Covid has made it even clearer: the social issue is not an invention and cannot wait. Thanks to the impetus of the Portuguese Presidency and the commitment of Prime Minister Costa, we successfully pushed through the approval of the Recovery Plan, which marked a turning point in the history of European aid. At last, Europe has demonstrated the meaning of the word solidarity, because it has been at the forefront in defending what is the most precious asset we have, our identity card, the European social model

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Similarly, in record time, in just 62 days, thanks to the efforts of the Portuguese Presidency and the European Parliament, we have reached an agreement on the European Digital Certificate, a real record, an instrument that has just entered into force and with which we have restored to our citizens the full right to free movement. And if we are talking about rights, I cannot fail to mention the success of the Porto Social Summit and the launch of the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness, two key initiatives of this Presidency, which has also endeavoured to push forward important proposals such as the reform of the CAP and the European Climate Act.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, These six months have also served to put Europe back at the centre of the world stage, committing to a new and stronger alliance between the two sides of the Atlantic. Because we have understood it well: we are all interdependent and nobody is safe unless everybody is safe. Our citizens must once again become the beating heart of our democratic systems, because democracy is the only system capable of meeting the today&rsquo;s challenges. The Conference on the Future of Europe, another great success achieved during your Presidency, goes along these lines. We can no longer put off the urgent issues affecting our societies. On the contrary, we must all commit ourselves and work for the Europe of the future

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, A Europe that is attentive to the rights of individuals, a Europe that listens to its citizens, a Europe that cares about the planet and is attentive to our neighbours. A Europe that no longer has taboos and is courageous in making new choices that go in the direction we have outlined for the protection of our fundamental values. It has been a busy six months. I thank you for the work and commitment that we have carried out together and which has enabled us to live up to our motto: united in diversity, this is the "time to act".