 Please you have the floor for four minutes. Thank you Thank you, Mr. President dear Commissioner Britton, can I say at the outset how pleased I am to take the floor In this important debate and to welcome you on behalf of the EPP group to thank you for your important and indeed reassuring Intervention Unfortunately, I cannot be in Brussels in person instead. I speak to you from one of Europe's most beautiful regions the southeast of Ireland Commissioner on the back of a pandemic that has shaken Europe and our everyday way of living Containment measures are now gradually being eased as we I suppose transition from a crisis management phase to a recovery phase For me, this means passing the baton as opposed to a new set of frontline heroes in the form of our SMEs Many of which are family-owned businesses all of which invest higher in spend local In practice, too This also means firstly getting otherwise healthy SMEs up and running again True viable alternatives like equity finance and venture capital instead of more debt-based unsustainable loans Secondly tackling the barriers to our precious single market with a view to finally see it reach its full potential and addressing the distortive effects of foreign subsidies The EPP welcomes the white paper in disregard and now looks forward to it being given teeth and leading to the legislative proposals my own opinion commissioner adopted yesterday on the implementation of Free trade agreements Emphasizes the importance of take up from SMEs and crucially the knowledge gap that they are often faced Commissioner the EPP group supports an ambitious and future Orientated recovery plan far Europe and I echo my colleagues who stress our willingness the COR's willingness to be an institutional partner into discussions on their component proposals the European recovery instrument and next-generation EU with its long-term budget are Unprecedented but nonetheless and necessary response to the COVID-19 pandemic They complement a tree in part and safety nets agreed by leaders in April and They complement earlier measures like to show a program the finance available from the European Investment Bank and the European Stability mechanism We particularly welcome the salvency support instrument that will provide a union guarantee to the EIP group In order to mobilize private capital to support eligible companies negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis not least Due to the given context of COVID-19 compounded by brexit On the horizon we need to see a swift solution On the package including the volume and the balance between grants and loans Commissioner investment in rebuilding comes at a high price that of rising unsustainable debt We must take care of both targets Fiscal consolidation must be the foundation on which we build the sustainable growth Commissioner major issues that form part of your portfolio include like the untapped potential of Europe's digital horizon and the shaping of artificial intelligence in line with European values strengthening our cybersecurity Forging a more circular industrial model And finally making our intellectual property regime fit for the modern modern age These challenges have not gone away Instead they have never been more important for Europe's competitiveness Commissioner I thank you for your attention and I look forward to the ensuring exchanges. Thank you, mr. President Thank you