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I would like to thank Rapporteur Christel Schaldemose, the rapporteurs of the associated committees, as well as the shadow rapporteurs and Members for your committed work on this important file. We have come a long way in the past twelve months!
With the General Approach unanimously adopted in the Council and today's debate and vote, we are sending a clear and strong signal to our citizens, to our businesses, and to our international counterparts: that the European Union is determined to act now.
The Union is in a unique position to make a very strong rulebook that can be enforceable quickly. This means further removing barriers to the digital single market, empowering people to make informed choices, and giving more responsibilities to providers of digital services.
Our guiding objectives remain crucial: making Internet safer for our citizens, protecting them from illegal content - including unsafe or non-authorised products - while securing their freedom of expression online. This is a delicate balance that, I trust, we have managed to preserve.
Robust enforcement is essential to effective legislation. The clarity and impact of the DSA is contingent on its effective implementation, through a strong and well-resourced system of enforcement. This requires enhanced cooperation and mutualisation of expertise and competences at European and national level, and the means to make strong enforcement a reality.