- 7 minutes ago
Europosłowie w „The Ring” spierają się o priorytety UE na 2027 rok
W tym wydaniu naszego programu debatowego europosłowie Benedetta Scuderi (Zieloni) z Włoch i Markus Ferber (EPL) z Niemiec ścierają się w dyskusji o kluczowej dla UE kwestii.
CZYTAJ WIĘCEJ : http://pl.euronews.com/2026/11/12/europoslowie-w-the-ring-spieraja-sie-o-priorytety-ue-na-2027-rok
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W tym wydaniu naszego programu debatowego europosłowie Benedetta Scuderi (Zieloni) z Włoch i Markus Ferber (EPL) z Niemiec ścierają się w dyskusji o kluczowej dla UE kwestii.
CZYTAJ WIĘCEJ : http://pl.euronews.com/2026/11/12/europoslowie-w-the-ring-spieraja-sie-o-priorytety-ue-na-2027-rok
Zasubskrybuj nasz kanał.Euronews jest dostępny na Dailymotion w 12 językach
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00:07Wielkie prawa zastrzeżone.
00:30Wielkie prawa zastrzeżone.
01:00Wielkie prawa zastrzeżone.
01:01Wielkie prawa zastrzeżone.
01:04Wielkie prawa zastrzeżone.
01:28Wielkie prawa zastrzeżone.
01:32And here they are.
01:35Benedetta Scuderi, an Italian MEP from the Greens.
01:39She's a member of the Committees on Industry, Research and Energy and Women's Rights and
01:43Gender Equality.
01:43She says,
01:44One of the priorities is definitely to achieve European autonomy.
01:48Not in terms of military spending, but in our energy, digital and industrial clean tech
01:52capacity.
01:53The goal is to phase out fossil fuels and re-industrialize our regions in a socially just way, thinking
01:59of our people and territories.
02:01And let's make polluters pay for this.
02:04Markus Ferber, a German MEP from the Central Right European People's Party.
02:08A long-serving member of the European Parliament, he's the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on
02:12Tax Matters and a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
02:16He says,
02:17The EU must prioritize competitiveness, economic growth and simplification, not deregulation.
02:23We need to achieve the same ambitious goals with less bureaucracy and paperwork, because
02:28only a strong economy can finance our climate ambitions, security and social model.
02:35So let me welcome to the ring Benedetta Scuderi and Markus Ferber.
02:39Great to have you here.
02:41Good to see you.
02:42Speaking of legislative priorities for 2027.
02:46Is Brussels addressing the issues that really matter to European citizens, or is it still
02:52setting its agenda from inside the Brussels bubble?
02:56What is the strategy, if there is any?
02:59The strategy is, in comparison to the last period where the Green Deal was the headline
03:03for five years, competitiveness is the headline of this five years period.
03:07And that means we have to get rid of bureaucracy.
03:10We have to take care on competitiveness of our industry and our SMEs as well.
03:16And if we have a growth on GDP, we have a growth on the European budget as well.
03:21That is the easiest thing to understand.
03:22And therefore, growth and competitiveness is number one, of course, to have sustainable growth, to, of course, to have social
03:30economy-driven growth.
03:32Right.
03:32But growth is the key answer.
03:34Benedetta, are you subscribing to this?
03:37Growth doesn't happen because we want it to happen.
03:40And Europe is a proof of it.
03:42With all the political powers that are investing in today's capacities, and Europe that is not investing in its capacities,
03:48is not investing in energy transition enough, is not investing in adaptation enough, is not investing in digital transition,
03:54is not investing in a social justice, because the investments we do are well below what we need,
04:01then we're never going to thrive as a continent, as a European Union, as a political union.
04:06If we are not a political union, first thing, then we're never going to thrive.
04:10So, Markus, is Europe investing in an old model rather than into digital economy, cyber technology?
04:18I think we have firstly to discuss who has to invest.
04:21If everything should be invested by the public, sorry, we will never be able to deliver.
04:25What we have to create is an environment where private investment takes place.
04:30And what we see at the moment is that the big investors of the world are moving away from Europe,
04:36from Germany as well,
04:37but from Europe total as well.
04:39And so we have a lack of foreign investments, but we have a lot of investments from European companies outside
04:45the European Union.
04:46And that is our main threat we are confronted with.
04:48And if you ask industry why is that happening, number one, high energy prices, number two, high bureaucracy costs,
04:56number three, the level of skills of the employees.
05:01And I think that are things we have to address.
05:04The point is that my country argument is his argument, because he said two of the three things that are
05:09stopping our companies
05:10to be able to invest in Europe are energy, and we need to invest in energy.
05:14Energy prices are super high because we are extremely dependent on gas.
05:18And gas imports, and that's what is making our energy prices high.
05:22And that's what we need to invest.
05:24That's what we're saying.
05:24And I'm sorry, on these investments, they need to come from public.
05:28They need to be publicly driven.
05:30It cannot be only public, but they need to be publicly driven, because we know where the market is going.
05:34They don't care about energy prices.
05:37Like the big fossil companies, they are making huge profits from our crisis.
05:42They're not going to invest in what will make us better.
05:45And we need to drive that.
05:46And the second thing, skills.
05:48Who can make the skills?
05:49We have the union of skills, and we need to implement that, invest in that, and make it right.
05:56So that means that we really need to be sure that the skills that we need are everywhere in every
06:03angle of Europe.
06:04So investing in skills, that sounds good to me, Marcus.
06:08Yeah, but the problem is who is responsible for what.
06:10And we cannot say every problem in Europe has to be addressed by the European Union.
06:14We need member states who really engage, because education, social welfare, all this stuff is national competence.
06:20And according to the treaties, it's their obligation.
06:22On the other hand of energy, sorry, you come from a member state who is a net consumer on energy.
06:28Italy was never able even to deliver their own energy for its own industry.
06:32I come from a member state who could in the past, but now we are net consumers as well.
06:37If we have only net consumers in the European Union, we have a problem.
06:40So where are the possibilities to produce energy for the industry?
06:45And that will not be done only by photovoltaics and windmills.
06:48Sorry, we need other sources as well.
06:50And that is what we are not equipping for the moment, because we have a high bureaucratic burden for this
06:55investment, even for a windmill.
06:57In Germany, it takes one year only to get the allowance to construct a windmill.
07:01Sorry, we are far away from achieving our goals.
07:04Okay, Benedetta, your answer.
07:06Absolutely, that we need to fasten up our permitting procedures.
07:09Absolutely, our bureaucracy, absolutely.
07:11But why are you against the omnibuses then?
07:13Because they are not simplification, they are deregulation.
07:15Omnibus, by the way, is not about cars, right?
07:18So if you think that to make a windmill, we need to take away the due diligence of multinational companies,
07:26I don't think so.
07:27I don't think due diligence of multinational companies, that's where omnibus that you bought it for.
07:32That's what you made into omnibus.
07:34Well, as you made it into omnibus, deforestation, you made it into an omnibus.
07:37I never heard an omnibus about fastening up permitting of windmills, in my opinion.
07:42That there was not.
07:43Now we have a permitting fasting that is coming in the next commission program, and I'm really willing to work
07:50on it.
07:50And as Greens, we're really willing to work on it.
07:52We had the red that was about fastening up permitting, and the Greens were in it.
07:56But the point is, fastening up permitting doesn't need to be for data centers, doesn't need to be for big
08:02companies.
08:02It needs to be for what we actually need, like windmills, like solar energy and solar support.
08:09So we don't need data centers?
08:10All right.
08:11All right.
08:11You will not create growth without data centers.
08:16How do you think we can achieve growth?
08:17Look to the United States.
08:19The only driving force is AI.
08:21What is happening with data centers?
08:22AI needs data centers.
08:23We don't have growth, we don't have competitiveness.
08:26We're just getting warmed up here, which is really good.
08:30But now it's time for gloves off.
08:36Now we want viewers to get a real flavor of the European Parliament.
08:40We've already got this a little bit, where members ask each other questions.
08:45And Benedetta, I'd like you to ask the first question to Markus.
08:48So as we were getting into it, we have a huge need to achieve our digital autonomy and our digital
08:57strategy.
08:57So I'm just wondering, but we cannot do this if we are selling out our data, our resources to big
09:04American big tech.
09:06So I'm wondering if the EPP is fine to have a European Digital Strategy and Implementation Act,
09:13but most of all to have regulation and a clear authorization process for data center
09:19in order to not give our data and our energy and our water to big American big techs
09:25that will not do anything about our digital autonomy.
09:29So do you want to have a strong regulation for data center
09:32and a strong strategy for digital autonomy for having European data centers?
09:37I think that is not the right question.
09:39The question is even for European investors,
09:41and I have a few of them in Germany who really want to invest in data centers
09:45to safeguard, for example, the data protection regulation,
09:49which means data from Europe should stay in Europe and not misused by NSA in the United States.
09:56But they have a problem to get allowance, to have the energy, to get the allowance for the water.
10:02Sorry if you make a strategy only protecting for other investments,
10:06but not taking care that the investments are taking place.
10:08Sorry, that is what you're doing, because you don't grant the energy.
10:13We have only four places in Germany where you have enough energy to run a data center.
10:18Sorry, that is the challenge.
10:19It's not the question who is investing.
10:21No one can invest because the infrastructure is not appropriate,
10:24and you are defending that we can invest in the infrastructure,
10:28which is a public demand, but then private investors will come,
10:31even from inside the European Union.
10:33That is the wrong approach you are doing.
10:35Sorry, but then if we see 90% of the data center that are asking and are doing the data
10:41center
10:41is American companies.
10:42Wait a second.
10:43It's not European companies.
10:44If you see an island where 20% of electricity is for American companies,
10:4820% of electricity is for data center,
10:50and most of it is for American companies.
10:52Look at Italy.
10:53Sorry, get out of Germany.
10:54If this is the situation in Germany, look at Europe.
10:56Look at Finland.
10:57They destroyed the forest for American companies.
10:59Yeah, but Ireland is a very special problem, which we have for years.
11:00So if you don't have regulation against this, then you're not going to have...
11:03Sorry, if you know everything better, we can stop the discussion.
11:05It's now my turn to ask a question to you.
11:07No, that's what we don't want.
11:08On the contrary, Marcus, I want to ask Benedetta a question now.
11:12Yeah, that's what I wanted to do, but...
11:14Go ahead.
11:14Thanks that I have a chance.
11:16Your group, the Green Group, calls the program for next year,
11:19and I quote, an attack against nature.
11:21Are we really sure that you are reading correctly what the commission has proposed?
11:26Are we really sure if we are reviewing any regulation after five years,
11:31and we have, for example, the habitat regulation, which is older than 35 years,
11:36and a lot of things have changed, that we have a look on that,
11:39and that is not a attack against nature, but really adjusting to a new situation?
11:45I think that adjusting to a new situation would be extremely great
11:49if you look at what is the situation,
11:50but it looks like the EPP is not looking at the climate collapse.
11:55You are not able to do anything about the climate...
11:57What is your proof for this phrase?
11:59Sorry, that is unacceptable.
12:01That is unacceptable, really.
12:02Why is EPP...
12:03Because all the omnibus, as you really fried with them,
12:05are going against anything that would be a climate collapse.
12:09Which omnibus?
12:10Tell me, which omnibus?
12:11I told you, deforestation, the omnibus...
12:14The omnibus on due diligence.
12:15Deforestation is not in an omnibus.
12:16Sorry, don't tell stories which are not the truth.
12:19You are talking...
12:20In which omnibus is deforestation?
12:22Tell me.
12:23You are taking away...
12:23It's not right what you are saying.
12:25Due diligence, then.
12:27It was one of the strongest things that we had for the climate...
12:42We need to protect this planet.
12:44We don't need a rise to the moon.
12:45The moon is unlivable.
12:47And you want to make this planet unlivable as much as the moon, I think.
12:50That's what you want to do.
12:52All right.
12:52All right.
12:53If you like the moon, I don't want to make the Earth...
12:55What was Ouzula von der Leyen, as I said, and you supported this part in 2019?
12:59I really regret that.
13:00Benedetta, do you have another question for Marcus?
13:06Short one.
13:07So, we have need for a socially just Europe.
13:12And we have a huge amount of our population that is not able to sustain a living.
13:17It's not able to find a house.
13:18That regards young people, people of my age.
13:21That regards older people.
13:22That regards workers.
13:23Workers in cities are not able to go and work in the city anymore...
13:27...because they cannot afford an apartment.
13:30They cannot even afford a room.
13:32So, I'm wondering if the EPP is able to look at this problem...
13:35...not saying that we need to build more, because many of our cities have enough empty houses...
13:41...so, probably, it's not the number of houses...
13:43...but to say that we need to regulate Airbnb and to say that we need to have more public houses...
13:50...that are actually public and for actually low-income people and solutions for middle-income people.
13:57Are you able to say that or we just need to build with deregulation?
14:00I'm a little bit surprised that you have taken EPP as we had the rapporteur on the housing...
14:06I would be very happy even to say one sentence without being disturbed.
14:11That's what you did with me, by the way.
14:14Okay.
14:14We had the rapporteur from EPP and he drafted a report which was adopted by a huge majority...
14:21...by the European Parliament.
14:22And one of the key quotes of this report is that we need to build more houses.
14:27Sorry, because we have a lack of that.
14:30We asked, and that part was not supported by the Greens, that we need less bureaucracy to build houses.
14:37Sorry, that's the same problem.
14:39In Germany, it takes eight years when a city decides to make an area for construction...
14:45...till you have the right to construct something on that.
14:47The rest of the world does it in one to two years, even protecting environment and taking care of standards.
14:53Sorry, that is our problem, and that is the problem of the Green Group, because you are refusing that we
14:58have an omnibus for the housing area.
15:01You will not be able to finance all this stuff by public investments.
15:04We need private investments for that, and therefore we have to make it cheaper, and therefore Europe can play a
15:09role.
15:10Okay.
15:10Marcus, one last question to Benedetta.
15:12One last question to Benedetta in this round.
15:14Yeah.
15:15So if we speak about autonomy and stuff like that, I think we have to speak about trade agreements as
15:20well.
15:20How Europe can create a rule-based world with trade partners around the globe.
15:27And I was wondering why, for example, the Green Group was voting against the Mercosur Agreement, with the far right,
15:33by the way, and brought it to the Court of Justice, without ratifying it.
15:38Sorry.
15:38I was surprised.
15:39That is the wrong answer for the demands we need and the Greens are asking for.
15:43Okay.
15:43It's funny that it's coming from an EPP member that we voted with the far right.
15:49No, you vote more with the far right than us.
15:51Sorry.
15:51Let her answer.
15:53Let her answer.
15:55They actually made agreement with the far right to vote about migration.
16:01They brought it together.
16:02And now they're claiming to us that we voted in our long-standing position that was against this agreement of
16:14Mercosur, because it first is damaging our people.
16:1725 years' negotiation is fast.
16:20Let her just develop this.
16:21On which planet are you living?
16:23Let her just develop this, please.
16:25Sorry.
16:25Sorry.
16:26You calm down, because you didn't even hear what I said.
16:28And you're saying, which planet are you living?
16:30So what's your problem?
16:30Because if you hear what I say, if you hear what I say, if you hear what I say, and
16:38then you say that I live in another planet, then you can say it.
16:41But you don't even hear what I say, then you are in another planet, because you don't know what's my
16:45argument.
16:46You said we negotiated fast.
16:4825 years is fast for you.
16:49Good luck.
16:50You see, it's just 25 years, 25 years.
16:52We were against all along, because you make this deal just for profit.
16:56You don't make this deal for people here.
16:57You don't make this deal for people in the Amazon.
17:00You don't make this deal for our farmers.
17:02That will be.
17:03And they're already asking the review of the deal, because they are damaged by unfair competition.
17:10You didn't make a deal with clear rules about what can come in, because now meat that is made with
17:17deforestation can come in, which is damaging our farmers.
17:20So you are against free trade in total.
17:22And you didn't make this deal for the people in the Amazon.
17:23So you are against free trade in total.
17:25All right.
17:25We've got to take a break here.
17:26So that's my argument.
17:28So you are against free trade in total.
17:30I'm not against fair trade.
17:31Yes, you are.
17:32I'm against trade without fairness.
17:34I'm against trade without fairness.
17:35We've got to take a break here.
17:36There is a fair trade agreement.
17:38Sorry.
17:38We've got to take a break here.
17:39Thank you very much so far to our guest.
17:42That's it for now on The Ring.
17:45Stay with us here on Euronews.
17:56Welcome to The Ring, Euronews' weekly debate show.
17:59I'm Stefan Grob.
18:00And I'm joined by two members of the European Parliament, Benedetta Scuderi from the Italian
18:05Greece and Markus Fairberg, Christian Democrat from Germany.
18:08Today, we debated the political and legislative priorities of the EU, and we discussed whether
18:14Brussels is addressing the issues that matter to people, to European citizens.
18:20Now, what is important to Europeans?
18:22What are their worries?
18:23What are their demands?
18:25And here we have two recent Eurobarometer surveys that give a pretty good picture of what people
18:30are thinking.
18:31When asked, what should the European Parliament prioritize?
18:35Inflation, rising prices and cost of living, 47% say that almost half of the population.
18:43When it comes to the economy and job creation, it's 35% and a little less, 34% say it's
18:50EU
18:50defense and security.
18:52And when asked how the EU's budget should be allocated, employment, social affairs and public
18:58health comes in on top, 41%, a little less, 38% say security and defense.
19:06And finally, 33% say the money should be allocated for education, training, youth, culture and
19:13media, go figure.
19:16So the issue of inflation and increased cost of living is on top of the list.
19:22Not really surprising.
19:23Is the EU, are European governments doing enough to bring prices down and protect households
19:29and businesses?
19:30Markus, I'm going to start with you.
19:32Yeah, the fight on the inflation is the responsibility of the European Central Bank, to be very honest.
19:37It's not something we can do as politicians.
19:40It has to be price stability as a mandate of the European Central Bank.
19:44And in my capacity as member of the Econ Committee, we are in direct exchange with Christine Lagarde.
19:50And I hope, as she has resigned, we will get someone who will really fight against inflation
19:54in the years to come, because that will be a key issue.
19:57And therefore, we have to do, as I said before, some investments to reduce the costs as we have
20:03high demands and low supply that is increasing costs and prices.
20:06Right.
20:08Beneda, we've been hearing these complaints about the high cost of living for quite some
20:13time now.
20:14But yet nothing has changed, nothing tangible has changed for European households, families
20:21and businesses.
20:22What's wrong here?
20:23I really think Europe should do a step up and should take a big part into this, because
20:28I'm a federalist and I believe that Europe has to have a big role into the well-being of
20:33people.
20:34And that's why we are asking for more social investments.
20:37That's why we're asking for investments in housing.
20:39That's why we're asking for investment in energy, because who is what is driving up the
20:43prices?
20:44Yeah, it's inflation, can be the central bank.
20:46But what is driving up inflation is the energy prices a lot, is the voice driving up the prices
20:53is the rent prices and so on and so forth.
20:55If we don't do investments into these things, then nothing's going to change for people.
20:59And I really think that the European Parliament should step up and should be clear in what
21:05is our direction.
21:07And that's why I was saying at the beginning, this work program is not clearly going into
21:10this direction.
21:11And the budget of the European Union is not really going into this direction.
21:14The moment of crisis we're living now, we are even thinking about decreasing the current
21:20budget.
21:21That is like pennies at the moment.
21:24I think we need to step up.
21:25You mentioned the EU budget.
21:27We have these heated talks going on for quite some time, probably until the end of the year.
21:32What should the EU budget focus on, Marcus?
21:36What are the topics?
21:38Of course, it's not only one.
21:39If you would have colleagues from the Agri-Committee, from agriculture policy, they would say,
21:44yes, it's very important to be resilient in the food supply and in the production.
21:49If you have people from Pura region, they would say regional policy is key.
21:53Cohesion policy is key.
21:55If you ask me, coming from Germany, I say research and innovation is key.
22:00So we have to prioritize, of course, if we have limited resources.
22:04And sorry, the budget, the public budgets have limited resources on national level and
22:08on European level.
22:10But to be very clear, as we have for the moment 1.1 percent of the GDP, that's our budget.
22:16If we increase the GDP, we have more resources.
22:19So I think growth, competitiveness is a key element, even to have more resources available
22:25to fulfill all the obligations people are asking from the European Union.
22:28Okay, what about security and defense?
22:30How do we reconcile this with limited resources, as Margot said, and now we need to spend more
22:36on defense?
22:37I first want to say that I'm a bit tired of this fairy tale of the market and the growth
22:42and everything is going to be fine.
22:44And in the meantime, people are going to be dead and starving.
22:47This is what is happening.
22:48If we wait for this growth that will come eventually and will save us all because the GDP is going
22:53to increase and then we're going to increase the budget, then our people are going to starve.
22:57They don't want this.
23:00They can't keep up anymore.
23:03So the point is, we have resources.
23:05It's not true that we don't have resources because look at the money.
23:08Money is very much going to very big pockets of very small amount of people.
23:15So the point is, are we strong enough to take resources from who has the resources?
23:21Because billionaires, because huge profits are increasing and increasing and increasing.
23:26These equalities are increasing and increasing.
23:27What we are telling to the people that now cannot afford to pay for the shop, for the grocery,
23:34we are telling them, sorry, let's make them richer, the 1% of the population, the 0.1%
23:39of the population richer.
23:40So maybe at some point with the tickle down, we all be richer.
23:44We say that's this for a century now.
23:46And what is happening is that inequalities are just increasing and people are worse.
23:51So maybe now it's time to say to the people, to 99%, sorry, we were wrong.
23:57We want to take the money from the smallest part of the population that has the billions
24:01from the huge profits of who is actually damaging our planet.
24:05And in that situation that you just described, sorry, in that situation that you just described,
24:10it makes it even tougher to increase defense and military spending.
24:16How do we reconcile this?
24:17I think we need to look at security as a broader thing when we talk about security.
24:23And one of the problems of the politics today in Europe and in many of our member states
24:28is that we look at security only as weapons.
24:31And if we think that we're going to be more secure just buying more weapons, then this is not the
24:37answer.
24:38We need to look at security as resilience.
24:40We need to look at security as digital cyber security.
24:43And I think these days are really telling us this.
24:45We need to look at security also as security from climate events.
24:49Like security is really a broader concept and we need to increase our budget to be able to spend money
24:56on security as a broader content and on all the other priorities, because they are also extremely important.
25:02And the survey showed it.
25:03We cannot take from one to give to the other because that will not work.
25:07Okay.
25:08Marcus, I'll give you the floor once we've reached the next round, as it's time to move on and go
25:14to round number four.
25:20And this brings us to our quote of the week today from the EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity,
25:26Valdis Dombrovskis.
25:28He said recently, and I quote,
25:29In 2027, we will go further in tackling unnecessary burdens and addressing implementation gaps in areas such as transport, housing
25:39and digital and accelerating permitting.
25:42Our goal is clear, less red tape and complexity for citizens and more scope for businesses to invest, innovate and
25:50grow.
25:51Marcus, you've heard the commissioner.
25:54Do you agree with him?
25:55Yes, it's the right agenda, because as we have a lack of investment, as we have a lack of productivity
26:02growth, we have to invest in the new technologies.
26:06And of course, we have to invest in decarbonization.
26:08That's why energy is key.
26:10If you want to decarbonize by electrification and you want to have investments in AI, for example, you need more
26:18electricity than in the past.
26:20And we don't have that at the moment, and we have to do it sustainable, so therefore huge investments are
26:25needed and possibilities to do the investments.
26:29And that's why bureaucratic burden are one of the key elements we are confronted with on European level.
26:34And there we have to find a solution, but as well on member states, on regional level, because at the
26:39end for the entrepreneurs, for the local authorities,
26:43it's a huge bulk of bureaucracy burdens coming from each political level, so we have to deliver, but member states
26:50and regions as well.
26:51Where do you draw the line between deregulation and sort of less spending, less benefits for, you know, people like
27:02families, people who benefit from the current, from the crisis?
27:06Well, deregulation, maybe the wrong word, is simplification, make it easier, make it simpler, not make it less burdensome in
27:14the sense of misusing nature,
27:15misusing water, misusing animal protection, biodiversity or whatever, even social systems.
27:23So simplification is the right answer.
27:25And that is one of the key problems inside the commission, you have silos of different general directories who do
27:32not know what the other is doing.
27:33But at the end, all this stuff comes to the people, comes to the local authorities, comes to the entrepreneurs
27:39and to get rid of these things to achieve the main goals.
27:44But to simplify it, I think that is a key element.
27:47And the other thing is, of course, to create an environment where foreign investments will take place in the European
27:52Union as well.
27:53There we have really a lack, and that is what we have to address.
27:57Okay, Bernadette, simplification, as Marco said, is that a concept you could adhere to?
28:03Absolutely.
28:03When simplification is simplification, we are all in as Greens.
28:08We want to be faster on the transition, but we need to be knowing where we're going,
28:13so not to step backwards into our goals, because it's important also for investments, not just to simplify,
28:20but to give a clear direction, which now is a bit unsure in this European Union.
28:25We need to simplify the bureaucratic processes, and we need to simplify, more than simplify,
28:31to make efficient and more united what the commission is doing and what the territories are doing.
28:36What I'm wondering, though, is that why EPP is not doing this?
28:40Because you're running the European Commission.
28:42You're always accusing EPP.
28:43You're running the parliament.
28:45I mean, the EPP has had the president of the commission for the last seven years and a half now,
28:50and in this parliament, you're the biggest group.
28:53So why is this not happening?
28:55Why the commission has not reformed?
28:56Because actually, the commission now is even more divided into silos.
29:00It's even more complicated.
29:01Why are you not talking more with the territories?
29:03Why there's no more efficiencies?
29:05Like, I am wondering why this is not happening already, because we are all agreeing.
29:09The problem is that sometimes, behind the simplification, there's no difference in the bureaucratic process,
29:16but there's a lot of difference in the rules.
29:18And who is paying the price is local communities and nature.
29:21And this is the problem.
29:22Sorry, it's not the EPP problem, to be very clear.
29:25It's a problem of the institution itself.
29:27Even in the parliament, you are sitting in the E3, I'm sitting in the Econ.
29:31When have we negotiated something?
29:32Although we are dealing with roundabout the same things.
29:36We do macroeconomic tools, you do industry policy, but there's a lot of interlinkage.
29:41We never discuss it.
29:42You make your legislation, the competitiveness fund, for example, Econ is fully out.
29:46Although there are a lot of things, state aid rules, we are responsible.
29:49Competition rules, we are responsible.
29:51Tax rules, we are responsible.
29:53You don't take care.
29:54So don't blame EPP.
29:56It's a system problem which you are not addressing because you are misusing the system.
30:00That is what the Greens are doing.
30:02You live with this system because you can develop things which are really harming us.
30:07Do no significant harm is harming us, is harming investments.
30:11You invented it and brought it to all committees and to all realities.
30:14The question is, how do we get out of this?
30:16It's not EPP, it's the Greens who disturb it.
30:18You both describe the same problem, maybe from a different perspective.
30:22So my question is, how do we get out of this?
30:24How do we get out of a system that you describe as way too cumbersome, too bureaucratic?
30:28And to the detriment of the people.
30:33I think Europe should focus on the main issues which really are European issues.
30:37And not a Christmas tree with promises to everyone and everything.
30:42Because we have local authorities with their responsibility.
30:46I come from a federal, state, regional authorities with their competences.
30:50The national level and the European level.
30:52If we focus on the really big things on the European level, we will have the support by the citizens
30:57and we will be able to deliver what is really demanded.
31:00So Parliament and Council are co-legislators, right?
31:04What happens if MEPs refuse to dilute legislation that the Commission wants to simplify?
31:13First of all, let me thank Marcus for the esteem he has in the Greens.
31:19Like we are the third smallest group in the Parliament and we are managing to decide the agenda of the
31:26whole European Union.
31:27With socialists, liberals and the left.
31:29It's an incredible result.
31:31I am so amazed to be part of this group, you know.
31:34Like they are the biggest party in the Parliament.
31:37They have the majority of the governments and they have the president of the Commission.
31:41But who is harming Europe is the decision of the Greens that are set in the agenda.
31:45This is an incredible achievement.
31:46But that is what happened in the last period with the majority, with socialists, Renew and communists.
31:51Sorry, that is what you did to deforestation with five votes ahead.
31:56Do not significant harm is an incredibly important principle that I thank the Greens to it.
32:02If it's really because of the Greens, I thank the Greens to excess, not because I'm part of it,
32:07but because it's an incredibly important principle that I'm sorry, but was taken on also from your president of the
32:12Commission.
32:13I want to remember, it's an EPP from Germany and she wanted it in.
32:17So, and this is actually supporting nature, supporting the people, because it's saying,
32:22how can you say, do not significant harm, it's harming us.
32:26If it's harming, you should not do it.
32:28And that is the basis of the principle.
32:30You brought it in with five votes, majority in this period.
32:33Sorry.
32:34Guys, I think there's disagreement.
32:37Fair enough, right, on this point.
32:40And I thank you for that.
32:41On that note, we can close this point as it is time to move on to our fifth and final
32:46round.
32:50As we want to do something different, I'm going to ask you a set of questions
32:56and you can only answer with a yes or no.
33:00Okay.
33:01So, has the political center lost control of the political agenda,
33:06of the European agenda to the far right and the populists?
33:11Yes.
33:13Markus?
33:14No, of course not.
33:15Okay.
33:17Should defense spending take priority over climate spending?
33:21That's not the issue, sorry.
33:24Climate spending is a European responsibility.
33:26Defense, for the moment, is a national one.
33:27Yes, but now we have a defense commissioner and somebody in general.
33:31Yeah, in general, it's not so easy to answer as we don't have European projects.
33:34I would love to have European projects to finance, not to finance national budgets.
33:39Okay.
33:39So, in that case, we are responsible for climate, not for defense.
33:43Okay.
33:44Actually, we have the ECF, the majority of it is going into defense and a minority is going
33:49for climate.
33:49So, we have already the answer where the direction is going.
33:52And I would say, no, it should not take over the climate investment.
33:58Okay, good.
33:58Next one.
33:59Does Europe need a bigger EU budget?
34:01Absolutely, yes.
34:03No, more focused.
34:05Okay.
34:06Should the EU abandon its 20-40 climate ambitions if they undermine competitiveness?
34:13Absolutely, no.
34:14We have to achieve both, yes.
34:16Should member states be allowed to run bigger deficits to invest in defense?
34:21No.
34:22Defense, no.
34:23Okay.
34:25Climate protection, no as well.
34:27Is common European debt necessary?
34:30Absolutely, yes.
34:32No.
34:32It transfers only the cost to another source, which is not able to pay.
34:37Should agricultural subsidies be cut to finance European security?
34:41Only a little bit.
34:43I don't think, no.
34:45And last one.
34:47Is the EU doing enough to convince younger Europeans that the European project offers
34:52them a better future?
34:53Unfortunately, no at the moment.
34:56I think the EU is really pro-European and we should help them to continue being so.
35:02Okay.
35:03On that note, thank you very much.
35:05And that brings us to the end of this strong edition of The Ring.
35:10Thanks again to Benedetta Skudeli and Markus Febber for a lively conversation here from the
35:15European Parliament.
35:16Thanks to our audience at home.
35:18If you like, you can continue the conversation by sending us your comments to thering at
35:24euronews.com.
35:25We'd love to have your feedback.
35:27That's it for today.
35:28I'm Stefan Grobe.
35:29Take care and see you soon here on Euronews.
35:32You're always getting happy.
35:33Let's do it.
35:35Bye.
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35:43Bye.