Iratxe García Pérez demanded concrete action on housing, jobs, climate change and conflicts abroad after Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech. The Socialists and Democrats leader welcomed parts of the Commission president’s agenda but said promises alone would not protect Europe’s citizens.
“Your words must be turned into action,” Ms García Pérez told Ms von der Leyen. Europe stood at a crossroads between returning to “nationalism, hatred and war” and defending cooperation, democracy and international law, she argued.
She also welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Parliament and praised his response to Donald Trump. “You have shown great courage confronting Donald Trump,” she said, presenting Canada as an ally in defending sovereignty and international law.
Housing, climate and foreign policy require action
“The European project will not survive if our citizens can’t afford to live in dignity,” Ms García Pérez said in the European Parliament’s plenary after von der Leyen’s speech. She called for stronger action on housing, including on short-term rentals, and legislation covering quality jobs, collective bargaining and AI.
The European project will not survive if our citizens can’t afford to live in dignity.
— Iratxe García Pérez, Socialists and Democrats president
She warned that simplification must not allow deregulation “through the back door”. Europe should invest in renewable energy and climate adaptation while taxing companies profiting from the energy crisis, she argued. Ms García Pérez also defended women’s rights. “Our rights are irreversible,” she said, criticising attempts to weaken abortion rights and remove femicide from legislation .
Foreign policy produced her sharpest criticism. “We cannot accept genocide and impunity,” she said, demanding an arms embargo against Israel. She also called for confiscating frozen Russian assets: “Let Putin pay, not European taxpayers.”
Those priorities would require a larger EU budget, she concluded. “We cannot do more with less.”
