This news items shows Mario DRAGHI's meeting with EP President Roberta METSOLA, his address to the European Parliament, and the MEPs' debate on Draghi's report. The report looks at the challenges faced by the industry and companies in the Single Market. The findings of the report contribute to the new Commission’s work on a new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness, notably to the development of the new Clean Industrial Deal for competitive industries and quality jobs.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

EICKHOUT, Bas (Greens/EFA, NL)

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

speech

LØKKEGAARD, Morten (Renew, DK)

DRAGHI, Mario (IT)

AUBRY, Manon (The Left, FR)

GARRAUD, Jean-Paul (Patriots, FR)

BISCHOFF, Gabriele (S&D, DE)

European competitiveness (T)

Report on the Future of European competitiveness, address by Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness: meeting with Roberta METSOLA, EP President, extracts from the address and from the debate

External shot, arrival of Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness,  Strasbourg, France, 17/09/2024, (1 shot)

Internal shots, arrival of Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness, before his meeting with Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Strasbourg, France, 17/09/2024, (5 shots)

Internal shots,  Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness, meets with Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Strasbourg, France, 17/09/2024, (5 shots)

Internal shots, chamber, plenary session,  Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness, arriving with Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Strasbourg, France (2 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness The European Union exists to ensure that Europe's fundamental values are always upheld democracy, freedom, peace, equity and prosperity in a sustainable environment. If Europe cannot any longer deliver these values for its people, it will have lost its reason for being. The purpose of this report is to lay out a strategy for Europe to change course. Pinpointing the priorities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness We should focus on explaining the trade-offs we face and offering pragmatic solutions to resolve them. The report identifies three main areas for action. The first is aiming at closing the innovation gap with the United States and China. The core problem in Europe is that new companies with new technologies are not rising in our economy. We must bring innovation back to Europe, and the report proposes to do so through reforming the whole innovation ecosystem. The key initiative we propose is the creation of a new EU wide legal statute.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness The innovative European company. This statute, this status would immediately provide companies with a single digital identity valid throughout the EU and is foreseen that then that these companies could then have access to harmonised legislation. AI is improving incredibly fast as the latest smallest released in the last few days. So we need to shift our orientation from trying to restrain this technology to understanding how to benefit from it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mario DRAGHI, Special Advisor in charge of the report on the future of European competitiveness For Europe to succeed, investment in technology and in people cannot substitute for each other. They must go hand in hand. We must transfer the benefits of decarbonisation faster to Europeans by making energy prices lower and less volatile in Europe. The cost of developing our defence capability will be substantial. These costs will be much more manageable if we have a strategy to reduce our dependencies and increase our security. Together, we will only overcome division in Europe. If the will to change receives broad democratic backing.

SOUNDBITE (German) Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE) We have had wakeup calls from various sectors in the car industry. This is key to our future and therefore, the European Commission has set as a priority a horizontal approach to ensure that our car industry maintains a prospect for the future, that the cars of the future are produced in Europe, not in China.

SOUNDBITE (German) Gabriele BISCHOFF (S&amp;D, DE) We have to take up this massive challenge. We have the social, green and digital transformation. We will not be able to face these challenges without sufficient investment.

SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Paul GARRAUD (Pef, FR) The report also stresses the need for a European defence, which will a sacrifice on which will sacrifice our national defence policy in a way that is not necessarily consistent with the interests of our people.

SOUNDBITE (Danish) Morten L&Oslash;KKEGAARD (RENEW, DK) Growth is not in contradiction to the climate. Growth in fact goes hand in hand with a green transition. We need a clear perspective. We need will to create a more competitive environment. The single market needs to work in a frictionless manner.

SOUNDBITE (German) Bas EICKHOUT (Greens, DE) Now that Europe has realised the future of the auto is electric, it feels like it might be too late. But it does not have to be too late. Colleagues, Draghi is offering us some examples and answers to debt. Decarbonisation can and should be a source of competitiveness and a driver for new industrial development within Europe.

SOUNDBITE (French) Manon AUBRY (Left, FR) I would have liked Mr. Draghi to describe how our economy could work in service to our societies, eradicating austerity and responding to the environmental urgency that we see on the table. Because if not, it's not going to be a slow agony, but a fast drop off the cliff.