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. In the second part of her speech VON DER LEYEN focused on the next actions the Commission will take on healthcare, labour market and a capital markets union. On the table there is the reinforcement and empowerment the European Medicines Agency, and the institution of BARDA, a new agency for biomedical advanced research and development. Lastly, the proposal of a minimum wages mechanism, either through collective bargaining or through statutory minimum wages. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

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statement

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state of the Union

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VON DER LEYEN, Ursula (DE, EC)

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state of the Union 2020 (T)

Part 2/5 - State of the European Union debate: Opening statement by Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission (Health and Social policy)

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And to start making this a reality. We must now draw the first lessons from the health crisis.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We need to make our new EU4health program Future Proof, and this is why I had proposed to increase funding. And I'm grateful that this parliament is ready to fight for more funding and remedy the cuts made by the European Council.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And we need to strengthen our crisis preparedness and management of cross-border health issues.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, As a first step, we will propose to reinforce and empower the European Medicines Agency and EDC, our Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, As a second step. We will build as European Baabda an agency Abayomi medical, advanced research, research and development. This new agency will support our capacity and readiness to respond to cross-border threats and emergencies, whether of natural or deliberate origin.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We need strategic stockpile to address supply chain dependencies, notably for pharmaceutical goods.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And as a third step, it is clearer than ever that we must discuss the question of health competences, and I think it is a noble and urgent task to do this for the Conference on the Future of Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And finally, and because it was a global crisis, we need to learn the global lessons. This is why, along with Prime Minister Conte and the Italian G20 presidency next year, I will convene a global health summit next year in Italy.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, This will show Europeans that our union is there to protect them all. And this is exactly what we have done when it comes to workers.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, When I took office, I voted to create an instrument to protect workers and businesses from external shocks because I knew from my experience as a minister for Labour and social affair that these schemes work.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, They keep people in jobs, they keep the skills in the companies. And of course, they keep the business there. The SMEs and business. These SMEs are the motor of our economy. And they will be the engine of our recovery.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And this is why the commission created the shore programme. And I want to thank this. Haoles for working on it in record time.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, If Europe has so far avoided mass unemployment seen elsewhere, it is thanks in large part to the fact that the road 40 million people applied for short time work schemes.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The speed and the unity of purpose means that 16 countries will soon receive almost 90 billion euros from sure to support workers and companies from Lithuania to Spain.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, It will give peace of mind to families who need that income to foot, put food on the table or to pay the rent, and it will help protect millions of jobs, incomes and companies right across our Union.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, This is real European solidarity in action, and it reflects the fact that in our union, the dignity of work must be sacred. But the truth is that for too many people, work no longer pays.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Dumping wages destroys the dignity of work, penalises the entrepreneur who pays decent wages and distorts fair competition in the single market. And this has to stop.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And this is why the commission will put forward a legal proposal to support member states to set up a framework for minimum wages. Everyone must have access.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Everyone must have access to minimum wages, either through collective bargaining or through statutory minimum wages.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, I personally, I am a strong advocate of collective bargaining and the proposal will fully respect national competences and traditions.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We have seen and many when member states that introduced collectively bargained minimum wages how a well negotiated minimum wage secures jobs and creates fairness both for the workers and for the companies will really value them. So honourable members minimum wages work and it is time that work paid.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The second promise of a social market economy is that of stability.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, By showing it was united and up to the task. Europe provided the stability that our economies need and we will not forget when the crisis hit. The commission immediately triggered the general escape clause for the very first time in our history.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, We flexible ised our European funds and state aid rules authorising more than 3 trillion euro in support to companies and industry.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, From fishermen in Croatia to farmers in Greece, from Assamese in Italy to free lancers in Denmark. The European Central Bank took decisive action through the PEP program.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The Commission proposed next generation EU in record time, thus combining investment than the much, much needed reforms.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The Council endorsed it in record time. This house is working towards voting on it with maximum speed. Honourable Members for the first time and for exceptional times, Europe has put in place its own common tools to complement national fiscal stabilizers.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, This is a remarkable moment of unity in the European Union and this is an achievement we should take collective pride in. We made that.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, And now it's time to hold our course. We have all seen the forecast. We can expect our economies to start moving again after a 12 percent drop in GDP in the second quarter. But as the virus lingers, so does the uncertainty here in Europe and around the world.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, So this is definitely not the time to withdraw support. Our economies need continued policy support, and the delicate balance will need to be struck between providing financial support and ensuring fiscal sustainability.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, In the longer term, there is no greater way to stability and competitiveness than through a stronger economic and monetary union. Confidence in the euro has never been stronger.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The historic agreement on next generation EU shows the political backing that it has. And we must now use this opportunity to make structural reforms in our economies and complete the Capital Markets Union and the Banking Union.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Deep liquid capital markets are essential to give businesses access to the finance they need and they needed to grow and invest in recovery and in the future, and they are also a prerequisite to further strengthen the international role of the euro. So let's get to work. And finally, complete this generational project.