The somewhat easier speech to give. It was plain for all to see that our union was not in a good state. Europe was better and worst by the very foundation. We only had two choices either come together around a positive european agenda, or each retreat into our own corners. Faced with this choice, i argued for unity. I proposed a positive agenda to help create, as i said last year, a europe that protects, a europe that empowers, a europe that defends. Over the past 12 months, European Parliament has helped bring this agenda to life. We continue to make progress with each passing day. Just last night you worked to find an agreement on instrument and doubling our European Investment capacity and you succeeded. Thank you for that. I also want to thank the 27 leaders of our Member States. This after my speech last year, they welcome my agenda at their summit. In doing so, they chose unity, they chose to rally around our common good. Together, we showed that you can deliver for citizens when and where it matters. Ever since weve been slowly but truly gathering momentum. It helped that the Economic Outlook swung in our favor. We are now in the fifth year of an economic recovery that really reaches really in every Single Member state. Growth in European Union has outswept that of the United States over the last two years. It now stands above 2 for the union as a whole and at 2. 2 for the monetary area. Unemployment is at a nineyear low. Almost 8 million jobs have been created during this mandate so far. With 235 Million People at work, more people are in employment in the European Union than ever before. The European Commission cannot take the credit for this alone. Though i am sure that had 8 million jobs been lost, we would have taken the blame. But europes institutions played a part in helping to win change. We can take credit for our European Investment plan, which has triggered 225 billion worth of investments. It has wound its loans to over 450,000 small firms and more than 270 infrastructure projects. We can take credit for the fact that thanks to determined action, european banks once again have the capital firepower to lend to companies so that they can grow and create jobs. And we can take credit for having brought public deficits down from 6. 6 to 1. 6 . This is thanks to an intelligent application of the stability and growth. We ask for fiscal discipline but are careful not to kill growth. This is in fact working very well across the union, despite some criticism. Ten years since crisis struck, europe economys finally bouncing back and with it our confidence. Our 27 leaders, the parliament, and commission are putting the eu back in our union and together we are putting the union back into our union. In the last year, we saw all 27 leaders work up to the capitol hill one by one to renew their votes to each other and to our union. All of this leads me to believe the wind is back in europes sights. We have now a window of opportunity, but it will not stay open forever. Let us make the most of the moment and catch the wind in our sails. For this we must do two things. First, we should stay the course of last year. We have 16 months in which progress can be made by parliament, council, and commission. We must use this time to finish what we started and what is left and deliver on our own positive agenda. Secondly, we should have direction for the future. As mark twain wrote, im quoting, years from now, well be more disappointed by the things we did not do than by those we did. Now is the time to build a more united, a stronger, and more democratic europe for 2025. Mr. President , madam translator president , ladies and gentlemen, members of the parliament, while we look toward the future, we cannot lose our direction. Together we have set ourselves the objective of achieving an energy union, a security union, a Capital Markets union, a Banking Union, and a digital single market. Today weve already traveled far on this road. As the parliament has said, the commission has already presented 80 of the proposals that were set out at the beginning of the mandate. We now have to Work Together in order to ensure that these proposals become legislative acts and that these acts are made concrete in practice. As is ever the case, some concessions will have to be made. The proposal put forth by the commission to reform our common of islands system or to set up a new solid rules on the posting of workers are, of course, and i know this, controversial issues. We will get good results if everyone builds their part of the bridge so that we can meet. And i would like to say that the commission is open to compromise, starting from the moment that the fine result is good for the union and fair for all of its Member States. We are now ready to submit the remaining 20 of initiatives by may 2018. Now, this morning, i spoke to the president of the European Parliament and the Prime Minister of estonia, and i sent a letter of intention, which sets out the priorities for the upcoming year. I dont want, and indeed, i cannot hear in all of these proposals, but do allow me perhaps to mention five which are particularly important. First, i would like us to reinforce, to strengthen our european trade program. Europe is open to trade, yes, but there has to be reciprocity. We have to get as much as what we give. Trade is not an abstract concept. Trade, its jobs. Trade is new opportunities for european businesses, whether theyre largescale or small. Every million in export that we have equals 14,000 extra jobs in europe. Trade is also exporting our social and environmental norms and rules in terms of protection of data and food safety. Europe has always been an attractive economic space, but since last year, i see that our partners all over the world are knocking at our door in order to sign trade agreements with us. Thanks to the help of this parliament, weve just completed a trade agreement with canada, with the provision applicable starting next week. We found a political agreement with japan on a new future economic partnership, and by the end of this year, we have a very good chance to achieve the same with mexico and the countries of south america. Today were suggesting that we open trade negotiations with australia and with new zealand. I would like all of these agreements to be finalized by the end of our mandate, and i am absolutely committed to them being negotiated in the greatest transparency. This opening to exchanges has to go hand in hand with increased transparency for our decisionmaking processes. The European Parliament will have the last word. On all of these trade agreements. Therefore, its members, just Like National and regional parliaments, have to be kept absolutely up to speed and informed starting from the very first day of negotiation, and the commission will oversee this. From now on, the commission will publish all of the draft negotiation mandates, which it will present to the council. The citizen has a right to know what the commission is putting forward. We are finished with the lack of transparency, were going to finish with rumors and ideas of intention at the complaints of the commission very often is being the subject of. [ applause ] id like to say once and for all that we are not naive supporters of free exchange. Europe has always got to defend its strategic interests. This is why we suggest today a new framework for the eu on how we examine investments. In english, its called investment screening. If a public business, a foreign public business, wants to buy a strategic european port, part of our energy infrastructure, or one of our businesses in for example, defense technology, that can only happen in for transparency via a deep examination and debate. This is our political responsibility to know what is happening here, in order to be able, if we need, to protect our collective security. [ applause ] secondly, the Commission Wants to make our industry stronger and more competitive. This is particularly true for our Industrial Base and the 32 million workers who make up its backbone. They make the firstclass products, our cars, for example, which explains why we are ahead of others. I am proud of our car industry, but i am shocked when clients and consumers are intentionally tricked. [ applause ] and id invite the Auto Industry to make a proper amends for that and to correct what theyre doing, rather than trying to trick and to lead people into error. The car constructors are to invest in clean cars, which are those of the future. And gentlemen, we are going to present today a new industrial strategy for europe, which will allow our industry to remain and become the very first in the area of innovation, digitalization and decarb decarbonizati decarbonization. Thirdly, i want europe to be a vanguard of the fight against climate change. To be vanguard against climate change. Last year we set the ratification of the paris agreement, indeed in this very assembly. Confronted by the reduction of the ambitions which the United States has shown, europe is going to work to ensure the planet remains great and remains indivisible homeland of all humanity. The commission will shortly present a proposal to reduce carbon in the transport sector. Fourthly i want us to protect better in the digital area. During the last years weve made progress in the securitization of the internet. The commission which will protect our property, our cultural diversity, and our private personal data. We have strengthened the struggle against terrorist propaganda. But europe remains equipped, confronted by Cyber Attacks. Cyber attacks are sometimes more dangerous for the stability of democracy and economies than guns and tanks. Only last year we noted more than 4,000 attacks by cyber ware and 80 of European Enterprises this known of at least one instance related to cyber safety. These Cyber Attacks do not know border and they spare nobody. This is why the commission is proposing today particularly a European Cyber Security Agency to better defend us against these attacks. And fifth, migration remains on our radar. Even if the questions around migration have often created debate, we have managed to make Real Progress on numerous front. Today we protect the external frontiers in a more efficient manner. More than 1,700 officers of the new Border Guards and the coast guard work with National Guards in all streets, italy, bulgaria, spain, we have common borders, not on the frontline of the geographic location, they must not be left alone for their protection. We must have common frontiers and common protection. We have managed to slow down the flows of the regular migrants, which is a great worry in many countries. We have reduced the number of irregular arrivals by 97 and Eastern Mediterranean thanks to the agreement with turkey. This summer we managed to better control the Center Mediterranean routes. The arrival cut down by 8 1 in august compared to the same month last year. In this way we have considerably reduced the number of human lives lost in the mediterranean. I cant talk about migration without heartfelt to italy for its perseverance and generosity. The summer months, the commission worked in harmly with the Prime Minister, my friend and his government. We did it. We continue to do it. Because in the mediterranean, italy is saving the honor of europe. Weve also and urgently improved the Living Conditions of refugees in libya. Upset by the inhuman conditions which we see, here europe has a collective responsibility. And the commission will work hand in hand with the United Nations to bring to an end this scandalous situation which cannot continue. It saddens me that not all of our member stays show the same degree of solidarity. Europe as a whole has continued to show solidarity. Only last year, Member States gave asylum to 740,000 refugees, all have foreseen replaced. Three times more than australia, canada and the United States together. Europe is not a fortress and must never become one. Europe is and will remain a continent of solidarity where people have to be able to find asylum if people are being pursued for unacceptable reas s reasons. And im particular proud of those young europeans who are volunteering to give language courses to refugees, all those young people who by the showers have joined our new European Solidarity corps. These young people provide color to European Solidarity. Today we have to double our but today weve got to double our efforts. Before the end of the month the commission will present a new series of proposals focused on returns. Africa and opening up paths of legal migration. In particular when it comes to the issue of returns, i want to peak this, those who dont want to stay in europe have to go back to their country of origin. Only 30 of my grants are sent back. It is obvious we have to considerably strengthen our activities in this area. This is the only way that europe will be able to show proof of solidarity with regard to the refugees who really need protection. Solidarity cannot be an exclusively european issue. Its also a greater solidarity with africa. Africa, cradle of humanity, a young continent, trust fund for africa which has been 2. 7 billion euros opening possibilities for jobs all over the european continent. While the budget. Eu is carrying the weight, the contribution of all of our Member States is only at 150 million euros. So the trust is now getting to its limits. We knew we have to know the risks of there being a lack of financing. In 2015, many migrants wanted to get to europe and when because the the tunnel from the u. N. Ran out i want to invite United States to action into words and ensure the trust fund for africa does not suffer the main fate because the risk is great. We are also going to work towards the opening of legal migration routes. Regular migration will only stop when migrants have got another option undertaking a paris journey. The point setting up refugees coming from turkey, jordan, and lebanon, and i am actually supporting high commissioner for the reinstallation of 40,000 other refugees from libya and neighboring countries. For the rest, europe is a continent, which is getting older. This is another reason for having a legal migration system, which is an absolute necessity. This is why the commission has put forward proposals to facilitate access for migrants. I want to thank the support of the parliament for this propo l proposal. Mr. President , ladies and gentlemen, honorable members, i have just listed a small number of initiatives that we want to complete by the end of next year. We have to do that. Even that is not enough if were to win the hearts and minds of the people of europe. The time has come to set the course for the future. In march the Commission Posted its white paper on the future of europe with five different scenarios, setting out how europe might look in 2025. These scenarios were debated, sometimes superficially, sometimes indepth. They were analyzed. Sometimes they were torn apart. That is the way things should be because thats what they were for. We have to set in train a process that will allow the people of europe themselves to determine their future. The future of europe is not something that can be dictated from above. Any such decision must be based on a broad consensus in the wake of democratic debate. This house has made an active contribution to this debate, and id like to thank all concerned. Id also like to thank members who have taken part in the more than 2,000 public stakeholder consultations which the commission that organized around europe since march. The time has come, ladies and gentlemen, to draw the first conclusions from this debate. The time has come to take the next step from reflection to action, from debate to decision. Let me now set out the way i see things. Youre about to hear my own, my very personal scenario number s six. This is born out of decades of personal experience. I have lived the european project through my entire life. I have fought for it. I have worked for it. I have been through good times, and ive been through bad times. Ive sat on various sides of the negotiating table as minister, as Prime Minister, as president of the euro group, and now as president of the European Commission. I was there at amsterdam, nice, lisbon where our union developed and expanded. I have always fought for europe. I have sometimes suffered with europe and agonized over europe. I have been through thick and thin with the European Union and never have i lost my love for the European Union. As we all know, there is no love without disappointment, or very rarely. Love for europe, i mean what i say, because the European Union has achieved so much in this divided world. Inward and outward peace, prosperity. Not for all but still for many. In 2018 we should consider what it means to have the european year of Cultural Heritage and celebrate our cultural diversity. These three principles, freedom, equality of opportunity and rule of law have to remain the foundation of our ever stronger and ever more united and