Live Replay of the debate on Future of Europe with Stefan LÖFVEN, Swedish Prime Minister during the plenary session in Brussels (03-04/04/2019)  The following transcription is the result of an automatic process. Check Against delivery.

Brussels

debate

plenary session

future of the European Union (T)

EU - Sweden (T)

LÖFVEN, Stefan (SE)

Debate on the Future of Europe - Statement by Stefan LÖFVEN, Swedish Prime Minister (15:27 - 15:52)

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, President of the European Parliament, Vice president of the Commission, Distinguished Leaders of the political groups, Members of the Parliament, my Fellow Europeans.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Firstly, let me express my appreciation for all the efforts and the work during this electoral period and the progress that you have achieved for Europe and us all. But of course my focus today will not be on our past but on our future I believe that we must step up to defend our fundamental values in the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, And the most strategic way to fight the forces that challenge those values is to deliver results in the areas of employment security and migration climate change and thus to create hope for the future so that should be our core missions the defense of our democratic values and our young people's dream there are people that say that idealism is the preserve of the young and that when we enter into the world of adults we learn that nothing is black and white and realize that self-interest and cynical tradeoff rules the world. I believe that narrative that narrative is wrong.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, My parents took me in as a foster child they taught me about shared responsibility. About respect for every human being. About solidarity. And during my boat trade union and political life as an adult I have had to compromise and make tough decisions in difficult situations such as economic downturns but also terror attacks. That has not made me forget my values.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, It has only deepened my belief in the importance of having a moral compass to guide you through these tough times. Because if we didn't let our values steer our decisions if it didn't feel that our choices were leading us towards the kind of society we believe in what would be the point in making decisions at all. Now the same applies to the European Union. Our union is based on values

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, The whole idea of creating a common market and joint responsibility for coal and steel production was to tie our countries and the people closer together we wanted to fulfill three dish Schiller sentiments in ode of joy that Allan mentioned there and breeder with equal rights equal value and which put to the music of Beethoven became our common anthem and now that our union has grown in size and has grown older as well we just like the individual need to remember our most fundamental values.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, For what would be the ultimate point of our work the ultimate point of our union if we did not promote the values that we believe in and this my friends may also be the best thing we can do for the world. We are living in a time when the multilateral system is being shaken to its core the United Kingdom wants to leave our union. The transatlantic link is being questioned.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Meanwhile China is on the rise, and several economies in Southeast Asia and Africa are ready to follow in its footsteps and redraw the entire global economic map and at the same time Russia is acting in a revenue chess manner in flagrant contempt of international law. So now more than ever it is time to stand up for common principles based solutions and a world order where might does not come before right but the EU can only be a strong voice for democracy in the world if all of us member states stand up for the principles of democracy.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Also at home we can only be a credible actor in the Middle East if we fight anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in our own countries. We can only be a force for free media and the rule of law in our neighborhood. If we have a free media and independent courts in our union for every democratic principle that is weakened in the EU the EU's voice in the world will be equally weakened.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, And therefore therefore the EU must stand up for our fundamental values both externally in our world but also of course internally in our union. And this is more than about our place in the world. This is about the whole future of our cooperation if the principles contained in our most fundamental contracts are not adhered to.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, How are we then to trust other agreements on the single market on free movement everything that does so much for our prosperity if our promises to each other are to be trusted if our cooperation and our economy are to continue to grow then Pachter soon surrender must apply to the most fundamental contracts contracts of all and therefore Sweden will work to defend the EU's core values in the budget negotiations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, In our support of the commission's work my government will propose to the Swedish parliament that Sweden will join the European public prosecutor's office to contribute in the fight against corruption and the embezzlement of EU funds.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, We support also the Belgium proposal or something similar to establish an EU mechanism for the peer review of adherence to the rule of law. And I will devote my efforts in Europe to defending the values that I have borne since my childhood. Of the equal value of all people and of solidarity I will give my all. Side by side by side with so many of you to refute and fight the extremist forces who deny these values and those forces that are doing everything they can to tear apart the union that defend them and of course EU is a compromise.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Probably one of the most successful compromises in world history but there can be no compromising on human dignity. There is no reasonable level of anti-Semitism no acceptable level of racism no tolerable level of misogyny or homophobia. Never would we compromise on these values.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, The Defense of Democracies also the defense of young people's dreams is there anything more dangerous to a society than its young people ceasing to dream it is in societies that have lost hope that both political and religious extremism can grow. The strongest and this is not only crucial in the fight against extremism but also in the world to uphold a broad popular support for our union.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, I believe it is crucial for all of us in the current Brexit negotiations for example that the UK and the EU have the ability to move on as friends and create a close strong and long term relationship. But the only way for the EU to avoid similar exit ordeals in the future is to constantly prove its worth to people's everyday lives and to their dreams for the future.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, And that is why the EU should not only benefit the market but preferably benefit its people. It is also why the work for a larger market can also be the work for stronger democracy. If that can create jobs and hope for our young people over the past two years South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and I have shared a global commission on the future of work for the International Labour Organization.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, And there is no doubt that the in the future work will be more advanced more optimized more digitized and that demand for skilled workers will soar. And this is good news for EU. We benefit from a global competition that is based on knowledge rather than lower wages but we cannot rest on our. Laurels because everyone wants to be in the same position China has long been educating more engineers than the United States Germany and Japan put together so in this respect our European cooperation will have an incredibly important role to play in the creation and sharing a world leading knowledge and innovation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, And there are always many competing interests in budget negotiations. You know that better than most. But my country has learned that the very hard way that it is only with strict policy priorities and a budget that is under control. That democracy actually can deliver in the long term and with stability and that is why given all the competing interests we do not propose a larger budget but rather the stronger prioritization of innovation new jobs the digital digital educational and physical infrastructure required to make them possible it is our responsibility for our young people's dreams to take advantage of this opportunity.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Our solution can never be to lower wages or raise protectionist walls. We should not shut ourselves off from the world. We should lead it now therefore I am proud also that young people now in Tallinn or in Bratislava can listen to hip hop from Paris or farther from Lisbon. On Spotify from Stockholm but I also know how hard Spotify had to work to get launched. In Europe compare that to a startup company in Silicon Valley that can launch a product on the US market and reach more than 320 million people immediately.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, So our only chance of competing with this is to make it just as easy to reach all the citizens in the European Union at the same time and believe me anyone who has lived through a dark Nordic winter knows that we can not compete with California when it comes to weather for generations people from our continent have travelled across the Atlantic in search of a better life but the Jong geniuses andI.T. geniuses of today and the future should not have to go west or east for that matter to realize their dreams.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, They should be able to do so here in Europe in a digital market open to everyone France it is. Now almost a treat to visit the European Commission website and see that one priority policy area. Is the European pillar of social rights. Of course my pride is not diminished when I also say it says that we launched this work in the Swedish city of Guttenberg

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Now I am grateful to President Juncker the Commission to the European Parliament to the member states in the council for all of our work to create a social pillar and establish 20 key principles that strengthen the social rights of all the citizens of Europe but no work or will or should thank us.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Unless these 20 principles also become a reality across the EU until we stand up for collective agreements and fair wages until we put a stop to rule breaking and tax fraud. Until we secure gender equality and women's right to a full wage a career without glass ceilings and the freedom to decide of their own lives now for this very same reason Sweden will actively promote new free trade agreements because we know how many jobs these agreements can create.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, But all these agreements should also be favorable to people as well as to the market. The agreements must respect our environment our health and the rights of workers and there is an enormous potential for the European services market if it's opened up and shaped with concern for social rights the EU labour market must be defined by all of the positive freedoms the freedom of study abroad abroad learn languages work throughout Europe but never the freedom to set workers against workers.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Our common labour market. Our common labour market should not crush workers dreams. It should fulfill them. I know that if you are to have hope in the future you must also feel safe here and now ISIS and terrorism are dreadful security threats that must be dealt with together but unfortunately that's not only not the only challenge that we have. I recently met the leadership of Europol at their headquarters in The Hague.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, And their virtual command post Europol has done an amazing job. Not least breaking up and arresting paedophile networks this type of crime every nation a nation's police service can see their part. But we can only see the hole and crush it. In cooperation with others a single nation would not even if it really wanted to. Even if it poured in resources be able to solve that alone so Europe is borderless for criminals as well.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, They read up the European laws looking for the weakest national legislation and for the new national markets to enter and that is why Sweden wants to deepen European efforts to fight organized crime as well as cyber threats. We want to strengthen our cooperation on security and defense. Increase our ability to implement joint civilian and military crisis management operations and have a European Union that cooperates with strategic partners and builds security.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Together I also know that there is a broad agreement in this Parliament and on this continent that the EU must never again lose control in the way it did during the refugee crisis chaotic migration affects the confidence of the whole of society and the reception of refugees but it affects the refugees themselves. Worst of all the only ones who benefit are right wing extremists were able to use the situation to inflame hatred of migrants

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, The EU's free movement of people requires shared external borders and a shared responsibility for orderly unregulated migration built on three pillars firstly strong cooperation with countries outside the EU so that fewer people are displaced and more people can have better living conditions so that new migration crises can be reduced or prevented entirely

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Secondly the control of all external borders which has now taken place through the strengthening of Frontex creating greater security and saving lives.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Thirdly the fair distribution of those who arrive and whose grounds for asylum are to be examined with that work carried out as a shared responsibility by all member states. It should not be possible to benefit from all of the advantages of the Shannon cooperation and then refused to share the responsibility for its maintenance we have in this respect a huge task task ahead of us.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Sweden will do its best to support the completion of that task and I'm under no illusion that it will be simple but if we fail to deliver the Shang an agreement will be weakened and in the long run so will the entire European Union.So it's time now to step up for orderly and regulated migration in Europe. It is in the best interest of us all.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Dear friends as Swedes were often asked "Do you know Abba?" "Do you know Zlatan Ibrahimovitch?". Now we're getting ready for a new question. "Do you know Greta Thunberg?". We are proud of the demonstrations that she has inspired which gathered over a million young people all over the world. But one thing we must never forget in their message is the following It is not up to their generation to solve the climate crisis.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, It is up to us all generations here and now. As Sweden is ready to be in the lead of that work and show what is possible. We have a climate framework for our society which will lead our efforts to cut emissions quickly and powerfully and achieve achieve net zero emissions by 2045 but it's us together. That must implement the Paris agreement without any ifs without any buds without maybes in order to keep the global temperature rise below one point five degrees and as part of this work the EU need to adopt a goal of net zero emissions by 2050

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, At the very latest and this is also a great opportunity for European industry as a whole world is crying out for new solutions so this is not only the right thing to do morally it is the smart thing to do economically and it is crucial to our survival to conclude Mr. President this is what I want to say to you today idealism is not only the preserve of the young our common values have been the basis for the EU's fantastic history.

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, And they must guide us now so that we can have an even brighter future. And in these times when people say that the EU must prove its worth. There is no better task for our union than defending our democratic values and by delivering on jobs security migration and climate change

SOUNDBITE (English), Stefan L&#214;FVEN, Swedish Prime Minister, Defending the dreams of our young people an EU that can deliver this not only gains greater legitimacy but also a strong voice in our world it is indeed a difficult task. But that is why it's so alluring. And that is why it's so perfect for us. Thank you for listening

SOUNDBITE (English), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, Thank you very much Mr. Prime Minister. Thank you for your speech for your proposal on the future European Union and your EU engagement. Now we need to close the electronic registration for the catch the eye.