Dear Chairs David McAllister and Barry Andrews,
Dear Rapporteurs and Shadow Rapporteurs,
Honourable Members,
It is always good to exchange and coordinate with you on our external relations instruments.
A stronger and more effective Global Europe instrument is a fundamental political choice.
We live in a world of competing offers.
Our proposal contains 200 billion Euro of firepower for our foreign policy instrument in the next long-term budget.
With this, the European Union can remain a reliable partner, contribute to stability and sustainable development, and enhance our own competitiveness through economic security.
And let me say that I am grateful to this House for your firm support on Global Europe and an appropriate budget.
Given its proximity and geo-strategic location, the MENA region – North Africa, the Middle East, and also the neighbouring Gulf countries – will have a direct impact on our interests.
Be it energy, trade, connectivity, or security.
What happens in the MENA region directly shapes Europes stability, prosperity and resilience.
For the upcoming MFF, we have proposed a substantial envelope of 42,5 billion Euro for the region.
This allocation is not a cost. It is a strategic investment in our future. It will allow us to remain relevant and credible in a region where geopolitical competition is intensifying and where others are investing heavily and strategically.
If Europe does not invest, other players will prevail – with their interests and values.
On the one hand, the region is facing substantial reconstruction needs and state-building challenges.
Therefore, supporting recovery and resilience is an investment preventing future crises that would otherwise reach Europes shores.
But we also need to continue building tailored and mutually beneficial partnerships with our southern neighbours.
This is about unlocking opportunities: clean energy and energy corridors, sustainable infrastructure, trade and connectivity, digital transformation, and jobs for a rapidly growing young population.
By investing now, we are shaping a more stable, prosperous and predictable neighbourhood — which is in our own strategic interest.
Global Europe will serve as a delivery tool for the Pact for the Mediterranean.
My services are currently putting the finishing touches to the action plan of the Pact with initiatives for tangible results.
We are moving fast.
I intend to present the action plan at the end of March, and it will contain a first set of measures we are going to implement still in 2026, such as the 1st phase of the Mediterranean University, the Trans-Mediterranean Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation Platform (T-MED), and the Fire-Fighting Hub in Cyprus.
Honourable Members,
Dear colleagues,
I hope to be able to count on the European Parliaments support for an impactful Global Europe budget as part of the next MFF.
In the face of the current geopolitical challenges, we need to move fast.
We cannot afford delays in the implementation of the Global Europe instrument.
I look forward to our discussion and a fruitful cooperation during the negotiations for a Global Europe Regulation that will start soon.
Our doors are always open to discuss priorities.
Thank you.