Speeches

Madam President, colleagues, this week is Lesbian Visibility Week. Just as we have IDAHOBIT and Trans Awareness days, this is an important moment to acknowledge the special discrimination and realities of lesbians. It is a fact that, as lesbians, we have been largely made invisible throughout history, be it inside the women’s movement or inside the LGBTI movement. And this despite the fact that lesbians have been at the forefront of both of these struggles and in so many other movements. Let me tell you, if you scratch the surface just a little bit, you are likely to find an energetic lesbian everywhere, busy to make this world a better place. But the historic fear of lesbians has been used to discipline all women, to say ‘don’t be too free’, ‘don’t be too independent’, ‘don’t say that you can do without patriarchal presence, then we will call you out as a lesbian.’ But I say that being a lesbian is a little bit like having a superpower. It automatically makes you have to look for more freedom, more independence and strive to create that independence, equality for everyone.

Mr President, I want to thank the rapporteurs and I also want to acknowledge that this directive is feminist teamwork. And when I say ‘feminist teamwork’, it’s also the women that came before us who have tirelessly asked for European action to combat violence against women and gender-based violence, and now we are here. We will have a directive against violence against women and domestic violence. Violence against women and girls and gender-based violence has no place in Europe in 2024. It limits all our lives. It takes lives and we must combat it together. But as you know, as all feminists know, this is not only a question of law enforcement, it is a feminist project, it is actually a very long feminist project. That’s why I’m very happy that this directive has strong parts on prevention, on supporting women’s shelters, on supporting women and men and boys that fight violence against women and girls. It has strong provisions on rights for victims, because if we do not have access to justice and access to support and protection for victims, then we’re not doing our feminist job. We have mentioned LBGTIQ+ women as well as they are also victims of gender-based violence. So here we go: it is not a perfect directive, but it is the first one at European level and I think we should celebrate it. Feminist teamwork can deliver.

Mr President, it has been said by several colleagues here that the majority of victims are women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation. So, of course, that’s a big theme and a big topic if we want to be serious about combating trafficking. But I have tried to make the point also that we have to differentiate between different forms of trafficking. If we were going to be successful in the prevention as well as in the prosecution and protection part. So this is also one of the key messages. As legislators, we have tried to do that. Moreover, one of the main things is that when we try to prevent we have to address demand reduction. And we can do, you know, as much info and awareness raising towards potential victims as we want. But why should those who abuse and use and those who traffic, why should they go without having the main responsibility? That’s where the responsibility belongs. So that’s why it is so important to say no to those who exploit and those who abuse. When it comes to labour exploitation, we have to work with, of course, to detect, with trade unions, with people working, you know, going in and seeing in these places, where is the abuse going on? Where can we detect victims and provide rights when it comes to trafficking for sexual exploitation? So who should we address? Of course we should say no to pimps. What kind of Europe is that, where we legalise brothels? And when we say it’s okay to buy and sell women and girls and boys and men, it’s not! And it’s also then goes for those who actually use the buyers, it’s not so difficult. You know, we can be very liberal and Sweden is a very liberal country when it comes to sex. Whoever, whenever, what you want, but don’t pay. That is abuse. It’s harmful and it’s abuse and it feeds trafficking. So just be, you know, as other MEPs have said here, let’s be honest about that, that some people are still backwards, some people are still backwards. They think that that, you know, like that. That’s a normal thing. It’s not a normal thing. It’s the most conservative, Victorian thing that you should sell. And by women and girls, I just don’t adhere to that. Finally, I will just say what this directive is: it gives rights, rights and rights to victims. And that is the main thing because access to justice, housing and protection, that is what we have achieved.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. trafficking in human beings; Everyone says they want to fight it, but there are quite a few who actually do anything. I would therefore like to begin by thanking my co-rapporteur, Mrs Rodríguez Palop. I would like to thank the Commissioner who presented this legislative proposal. Thanks to Ylva! I would like to thank my shadow rapporteurs, those who have fought and worked hard for several months during very intense negotiations. Not only did we say we wanted to do something, we did it too. We in Parliament, we would have liked to go further than the bill we received, and we adopted a position that was more powerful. That is what this Parliament does, at least when the work is led by two feminists, Eugenia and myself. But in negotiations, you don't get everything, you also have to give in. But there are some very good things that this revised directive on trafficking in human beings will include. It will improve Member States' practical work on preventing trafficking in human beings and strengthening victims' rights. We get a number of new trafficking crimes; illegal adoption, trafficking for surrogacy and trafficking for forced marriage. But one of the most important parts is prevention; education for people who come into contact with victims, a completely new article was included just about education. There will be better organisation of work with national coordinators, national action plans and better work between Member States. And under pressure from us in Parliament, the rights of victims have also increased. For example, we have ensured that migrants who are trafficked should not be forced to choose between the asylum process and being given the status of victims of trafficking. What is best, what gives the best security and outcome for a victim, that is what should apply. We would have liked to see stronger writings from this house in terms of compensation for victims. We got a bit along the way, not all the way. But above all, we came a long way in combating demand. We in Parliament would have wanted to criminalise all exploitation, all purchases of services from victims of trafficking, in sex trafficking and everywhere. Not just those who exploit with the knowledge that they are exploiting. Indeed, in those countries where legislation is already in place, where it is criminal to exploit a victim of human trafficking knowingly, there are almost no convictions. Parliament would have liked to go further. At least now we have a strong wording that criminalisation of, for example, the purchase of sex, if you know that it is trafficking victims, should apply in every Member State. Now we also want to see Member States do everything possible to get convictions. In fact, it's not okay, it's not okay to exploit women and girls in prostitution. It's not okay to buy, it's not okay to buy sex. It is not okay to exploit, to be a pimp and to carry out pimping activities with trafficking victims or with some other women and girls in Europe today. Demand, that is to say, to combat those who buy and exploit and sell women and girls, is still central to the job, and there Member States can go much, much further than what this directive says. We've only come a long way. Again, to conclude, I want to say that this house is usually more powerful. Sometimes I say that we feminists who work in here – maybe not all 705, we all know that – but when we decide to do something, we move mountains and we want to move those mountains in the direction of a world and a Europe where women and girls and prostitution are not bought and sold. You don't buy and sell people and use them in human trafficking. We've come a long way. We know we have to hand over the baton now. Member States – much is on your shoulders. You must make the most of this directive. Again, I thank all the feminists, the Commission and my shadows and, of course, Mrs Eugenia for all the work we have done together. This a bit along the way.

Mr President, I find it completely mad and even auto-destructive, the Council accepting the Fidesz government to hold the EU presidency. A country that has dismantled democracy since 2010, attacking media freedom, the independence of the judiciary, targeting NGOs, targeting academic freedoms. A government that has systematically attacked migrant rights, women’s rights, LGBTI rights. A country that is under Article 7 procedure for breaches of rule of law. However, to let them hold the presidency is also a sign. It is a sign giving in to the nationalist right. It is to give them legitimacy in their project – in their anti-democratic and very dangerous project. But I must also say it is never too late. Commission, don’t ever give more disbursement to an autocratic regime as Hungary – don’t do that. And the Council, you still have time to stop the presidency of Viktor Orbán. Why are you not acting? We still have a few months to go. It is never too late for democracy and fundamental rights.

Madam President, I have heard many arguments today, but the one I’ve heard most is: we have to have a deal. We just have to have a deal. But a deal must be judged on its contents. I repeat why we in The Left will vote against this deal. There is no solution to solidarity. There is no shared responsibility to receive asylum seekers. There is no stop to the death in the Mediterranean. Nothing. There will be systematic detention in the borders of Europe. The right to asylum will be dismantled. And there will be more deals with dictators and anti-democratic regimes. Just hear those arguments. So, in The Left, we stand for fundamental rights. We also stand with all those organisations that are demonstrating now outside this building. But they are also working every day to save lives, to demonstrate what it is with solidarity. Look at them and listen to them, please. People here like to say that we are anti-European; I would say you are anti-European. We defend a Europe that stands up for fundamental rights. What do you think people want in the future? What do you think the young people of Europe want? They want a Europe that stands for democracy, human rights, solidarity and fundamental rights. They want workers’ rights and they want climate justice. That’s the Europe they want to build, and they are not okay with us taking decisions that dismantle that future. You say we play into the hands of the far right. I would laugh if it wasn’t so serious. You are walking in their shoes. You are following on their leash, in their narrative, pitting people against each other, pitting migrants and refugees against workers, against young people, against families. You must stop. Instead, start to defend people’s rights – all people’s rights – because that’s the future that we have promised to build together for this Europe: a Europe that protects people, that doesn’t deny them rights. It starts anywhere. It starts everywhere. It starts today with refugee rights.

Thank you, Mr President. The left is deeply critical of the deal being debated and voted on today. Hundreds of NGOs and organisations working on refugee solidarity, life-saving, support for people seeking protection here in Europe have been very clear: We Members of the European Parliament should reject this agreement. Today's vote that we will have later tonight, they do not solve the problems that it is set to solve. There will be no automatic redistribution of those seeking protection, but the first country of arrival remains responsible. There will be no real solidarity. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is being done to stop death in the Mediterranean. On the contrary. The increasingly closed borders will see more brutality and more dangerous roads and more risks. Instead, we get more of what does not work and I wish more of you had been there and seen what it looks like at the EU's borders. We will get more of systematic detention, locking people up at the EU's borders with the dehumanization that it entails. We're going to see more violence and humiliation, and believe me, there's still a lot of that and that brutality. We will see deterrence and lock-in. We will see more cooperation with dictatorships and despots. It all started with Turkey, as you probably remember. But now we're there. The Libyan so-called Coast Guard, which are militias that force people back to torture and violence. We will work with Tunisia, Egypt. Anything to stop people from fleeing. One of the most serious problems with this deal is that the individual right to asylum is being attacked. It is being horribly undermined, because countries in the EU will say that you and you and you came from a so-called safe third country and you will not even have your reasons for protection tried. That is, we will not even test your grounds for protection. It is de facto to put the right of asylum out of jeopardy. And some of you, far too many here, say that nothing else could be done. We've heard it before, haven't we? It is called TINA– There is no alternative. But why are you doing politics if you are there to dystopianly tread in the footsteps of the extreme right and right-wing nationalism? This is not the way of the left. We all, and I mean everyone here from all political families, know that we can do so much better. And we've shown it. When Putin's bombs fall on Ukrainian citizens, we make sure to provide protection to those who have to flee. That's the path we should have chosen. That is still the path we should take. Not this brutal, dehumanizing way. There is one proposal that stands out in today's package and it is the proposal of the left, on which we have been working, for which I have been rapporteur. This is a European quota refugee system. It is a humanitarian system. There we provide protection, a safe path for people, the most vulnerable refugees. We cooperate with the UN, with UNHCR. We make sure that we provide support and help, that we support the countries that receive a lot of refugees, often millions. That's what we do on the left. We roll up our sleeves when the rest of your political families want to close the borders, increase brutality and abolish the right of asylum. But then we in the left open legal, safe escape routes. This quota refugee scheme is not mandatory for Member States to participate in. But it is a way for people to get to safety and security to seek protection here in Europe. I'm proud of that. I hope that every single Member State will take this opportunity to give people protection who are looking for this in Europe. And I promise you, it is the Europe that the citizens want to see. They do not want to be in the dystopian Europe where the only choice is to tangle with the nationalist right. We know we can do so much better than that. So be sure to vote for the left and humanitarian forces in this Parliament when you get the chance in June.

Madam President, thank you very much. We demand that companies in Europe respect human rights, environmental requirements and labour rights. But we also have a responsibility to ensure that European companies do not destroy, exploit, pillage and pollute when they act in other countries. That kind of predatory capitalism, it does not belong in Europe and it does not belong anywhere in the world. That is why this legislation is an important step. But if it becomes a bad, watered-down legislation, it benefits irresponsible companies. If, on the other hand, it becomes ambitious, more demanding, then it favours those companies that already take responsibility and want to develop in that direction. But when the member states voted on this last time, my country, Sweden – with the right-wing nationalist government in power – voted against this. I'm embarrassed. How can you care so little about people and nature in other parts of the world? How can you care so little about the rest of the world? What does this say about the EU? Is predatory capitalism okay? Is that okay? It is high time to choose nature, to stand up for human rights and stand up for workers' rights, and the clock is ticking. The Council needs to step up.

Mr President, thank you very much. There is no doubt in the world that Putin and his regime directly or indirectly murdered Navalny. Putin wants to put out all hope of an open, democratic Russia and therefore he did not dare to let Navalny live. But Navalny's death will not extinguish hope for all those who continue to fight for a democratic and free Russia, with room for different people and different opinions. Putin's regime is persecuting almost all opponents. All opponents of war, but also civil society: journalists, artists, artists and LGBTIQ+ people. All those working for a democratic Russia; They have no place in Putin's world. Our work now is to ensure that we support all the democratic forces in Russia, all those who stand up to Putin's regime. Then, my friends, we cannot continue to buy Putin's oil and fossil energy. We have to put a stop to it. And we must ensure that we also provide protection to those who have to flee Putin's terror. Our solidarity with those who stand up to Putin must be total.

Mr President, thank you very much. There has been an ongoing slaughter of women, children and civilians for almost five months. By doing nothing, or not doing enough, those of you who defend Israel's mass murderers are now complicit. We do this by delivering weapons, by not saying stop to Netanyahu and his project to completely extinguish Gaza. We must act and we must freeze the agreement between the EU and Israel. We must stop arms sales to Israel, we must ensure that humanitarian aid is in place and we must increase funding for UNRWA. To, like the Swedish government, instead stop funding UNRWA is unforgivable and exacerbates the situation. We will see famine. The world demands that we act. People are demonstrating week after week after week. They see that this is completely unsustainable. We will continue to demand compliance with international law. We will continue to call for a ceasefire. The killing must end. Peace and coexistence must prevail.

You say UNRWA should not get a buck, but without UNRWA there is famine, , in Gaza. Palestinian children are starving. It's not yours, it's not mine, but it's Palestinian children starving. How can you make a difference between life and life in this way? Why aren't the lives of Palestinians worth water? Why should the bombs fall on the thirty thousand, thirty thousand, dead – most women and children? Where is the limit for you? Where is the limit when we have to stop, when we have to stop Netanyahu's murder? We must stand up for peace and coexistence. This is not the case with the far-right Israeli government. Why don't you support progressive forces in Israel that want peace?

Madam President, together with colleagues from different political groups here in this House, I have worked to strengthen the rights of LGBTIQ people since I took my place here. We move the world forward. We move families forward. We move societies forward. We move love forward. And we have come a long way. We have an LGBTIQ strategy. We have an Equality Commissioner. We have funding. We have several pan-European organisations defending the rights of our community. I can see that we are moving forward. I can feel it in my own life – how it has changed over time. Living between Sweden, Belgium and France, it has become easier, better. But we still have so much to do. The situation in the European Union, in some of the Member States, is terrible. We see how the national conservatives are attacking our siblings. We see how they are subject to hate crimes and hate speech, scapegoating, discrimination. We will not have it. We need to step up against hate speech and hate crime. We need to address specific discrimination of lesbians, of trans people, and we need to make sure that there is equality in health and in employment. We need equality for our families. We need equality for queer kids – every kid should be happy and proud. Nothing less is good enough. So let’s step up the political action. Let’s take a new strategy that is even more ambitious, that has more resources and even more political power.

Mr President, colleagues, the ones of us working together here in the European Parliament know that feminists can move mountains. We have proven it again and again through history, but we have also proven it here in the European Parliament. Empowering women and girls and achieving gender equality requires political commitment. It needs financing. We need political boldness and courage. We need financing for women’s NGOs. The global agenda for women’s rights is also about doing our homework, that is: to advance women’s and girls’ rights inside the EU; to make sure that we put an end to violence against women; to ensure that every Member State adopts consent-based rape legislation; to fight the poverty of women, including energy poverty; to ensure quality jobs for women; to strengthen our social security systems and welfare systems here in Europe; and of course, to ensure sexual reproductive health and rights and abortion care. Friends, the feminist agenda is demanding, but as feminists, we will continue to move mountains.

Mr President, in Hungary, we have an autocrat government. We have witnessed a downward spiral when it comes to media freedoms, human rights, LGBTQI rights, women’s rights, the independence of the judiciary. Hungary is no longer a full democracy, it is an oligarchic regime. In addition, Orbán is the best friend of Putin in the EU. It is a sad story for all of us, all of us, and most of all for the Hungarian citizens, of course. And we all have a responsibility to change this, a responsibility to support civil society, democratic forces, all the ones that work tirelessly to restore democracy in Hungary. But we also have the responsibility to act here in this House and in the EU institutions. And I look at the Commission: you have the responsibility not to reward Orbán financially for dismantling democracy. So no more disbursement of money to Orbán’s regime. And the Council, I look at the Belgian Presidency: unless we do something, on 1 July Orbán’s regime and his government will take over the EU presidency. It is a disaster for all of us to have him and his government at the reins of our common work. So you have the power, but you also have the duty to act now to suspend the Hungarian Presidency. And I hope all the colleagues here will vote for the suspension of the Hungarian Presidency, because if we do not do that, we let his way of doing oligarchic politics spread throughout Europe. We can stop it and we will do it.

Mr President,it is clear that my family and other rainbow families clearly do not conform to the conservative ideals of some of the far right in Europe. But our families exist and we are here to stay. Therefore, the question is just whether we as families, and notably our children, will have the legal rights that they are entitled to. For us, it is clear that we have to move on now. It is a shame that, in 2023, children of different family backgrounds cannot be entitled to equal legal protections. The EP report and the endorsement, hopefully, in this plenary, of mutual recognition of parenthood is a step in the right direction and I thank the rapporteur for her work. Now, Member States, you have to do your part. It is not acceptable that, in 2023, rainbow families do not enjoy freedom of movement. It is now up to the Council to do your work and to agree on this regulation.

Mr President, thank you very much. We will most likely see more mining in the EU in the near future. We need minerals and metals for our electric cars, wind turbines and solar panels. This is why it is so important that this mining takes place in an ecologically and socially sustainable way. We should mine metals in a way that respects the environment. We will do so in a way that respects the rights of indigenous peoples. We will do so in a way that will cause us to deplete the earth in the least possible way. I have worked hard to ensure that this legislation that we are going to vote on today takes all this into account, that we have proper environmental tests, that we respect the rights of indigenous peoples – not least the Sami people in Sweden and Finland – and that, moreover, we are already taking the necessary steps to reduce our dependence on these minerals, just as we are going to reduce our dependence on energy. We must dare to take those steps and that debate at the same time as we make decisions about new mines. Unfortunately, my own Swedish government has opposed environmental assessments and indigenous peoples' rights. They have undermined the work of Parliament. It is quite clear to us that this legislation, as it stands today, does not live up to the demands that we should be able to make and that we have on such important legislation. If we are to succeed in the transition, if we are to succeed in having an ecologically and socially sustainable break, it must be both fair, environmentally friendly and based on democratic decisions.

Mr President, thank you very much. Violence against women and girls continues. It's structural. It affects all of us. It limits the lives of girls and women and others who are victims of gender-based violence. I think about the LGBTIQ community as well. This violence, it takes lives. The judiciary and our laws need to be strengthened. There must be support for those who are exposed. I am especially talking about women's shelters, which should have more resources and which should have real recognition. We need a strong feminist movement that stands up for women's rights, that stands up for girls. We also need to be very clear with men and boys. The masculinity of the future cannot contain violence. It certainly cannot contain permission to buy women in prostitution. It is a form of violence. We at European level have the opportunity to take responsibility politically now. We have legislation against trafficking, against human trafficking, which among other things deals with human trafficking of women and girls. We have to adopt it. We have a proposal for legislation, a directive against gender-based violence, which contains consent legislation that could become a reality across Europe. We have to take that opportunity now. Only a "yes" is a "yes".

Mr President, when Ukrainian people started to flee from Putin’s bombs and tanks, we activated the Temporary Protection Directive. We promised to receive and protect all the civilians that need to leave, and they left everything behind. But the reality is that women fleeing Putin’s bombs are being deprived of the very basic care that they are entitled to, sexual and reproductive care. And this has been highlighted by civil society organisations that need to carry out the job in their place, in the place of the states that fail women and they are at the receiving end. And some of them are here and watching this debate today. We are speaking about basic things like prenatal care, postnatal care, about giving birth in dignified conditions. It is about health care for victims of gender based violence, but not only. It’s about access to contraception, it’s also about access to abortion care. It is very basic in all women’s lives. And it also goes for Ukrainian refugee women. But women cannot afford it because it is too expensive. They cannot access it because there is no information, or they cannot access it because it’s forbidden or the law is against them. We cannot have a situation like this in Europe and at the receiving of Ukrainian refugees. It is actually a shameful situation. And I’m asking again, the Commission and the Council, what are you going to do about it? We just prolonged the Temporary Protection Directive and we did good to do so. But if this kind of care, sexual and reproductive health care, part of the essential treatment? If it is so, say it loud and tell it to the Member States that are today depriving and putting women in danger in our very Union.

Madam President, thank you very much. Yesterday's attack is horrific. Two dead and one seriously injured. It's hard to find words, I think. But our thoughts and our feelings go to those who have lost someone, who will no longer find theirs. Belgian authorities, in cooperation with others, will make every effort to investigate this and come back with more information. I thank you for the work that has already been done. Yesterday's attack, of course, makes many of us remember 2016 and the attacks then. Some of us were there, at the airport, where I was, feeling the bombs slamming and the building shaking. Others were in the metro system and felt the same. Just as then, those who commit these acts want to create fear and division, and, not least, they want to create more violence. The attack comes from hatred, and it wants to give rise to further hatred, where groups and nationalities are pitted against each other. And that's where our work comes in. Our responsibility is to do everything we can to build democratic societies, open societies, free societies, inclusive societies that resist and liberate us from this hatred. Societies where everyone should be able to wear not only their national team shirt, of course, but also religious symbols, whether they are Muslim, Jewish or Christian. It is that society, and it is our responsibility to build it together. My thoughts again go out to the victims and their families.

Mr President, is a TV series about two teenage boys falling in love. Have you seen it, colleagues? If not, please do – it is great. Have you read the Hungarian children’s books? Fairy tales are for everyone, with diversity in all its forms, including queer characters. If you haven’t, do – it is translated into over ten languages. But what do these two have in common besides being great stories for kids? They are both banned by Orban’s authoritarian regime. In the name of protecting children, children are being denied characters that they can identify with. They are being denied comprehensive sexuality education. Kids are being denied. It happens in Hungary, it happens in Russia, it happens in Lithuania. Now it is apparently on its way in Italy, run by the far right. Scapegoating is your favourite sport. You scapegoat lesbians, gays, trans people, queer people overall. But it is not the only ones. When you have the possibility you scapegoat migrants, refugees, feminists. You know what? It is because you don’t want to get to work with real things, with real injustices, with equality issues, with making this continent and your country liveable and a good place for everyone. It is pitiful. We are in 2023. You know, get to work, protect human rights. We are the LGBTQI community. We are not going anywhere. We will demand our rights to be respected and we will also stand up for everyone else being scapegoated by the far right.

Mr President, a speedy adoption of the package. But of what package? What policies? From our side, in The Left, in in partnership with citizens and organisations across and movements across Europe, we have consistently asked for European policy where we have shared responsibility between the Member States to receive people. We have a reception with dignity where we save lives in the Mediterranean and where we cooperate with third countries in order to propose democracy, peace, economic and social development and human rights. And the way negotiations are going is the very opposite. The European Union is making deals with authoritarian leaders, be it Erdogan in Turkey or in Tunisia. You want to see and you are negotiating currently a system built on systematic detention at borders and return to any country, even a safe third country, where people just pass by. And we have a system of systematic violence at the EU borders. This is what happens when the centre right give in to the extreme right racist narrative, a racist and authoritarian narrative. It is very dangerous. We know that we can do differently. We have seen it with the reception of Ukrainian refugees. Thankfully, we have seen that fleeing Putin’s bombs and his war. We have seen solidarity between Member States. We have seen dignified reception conditions, so we know it can be done. Now. We also have to replicate and do the right thing when it comes to all refugees seeking protection in Europe from other wars, from other conflicts. This pact is not our pact.

Madam President, I would like to thank Jennifer Hermoso and the whole Spanish team, also those who actually boycotted and didn’t come to the World Cup. I want to thank them for the games. I followed all of them and you beat my country, Sweden, but it was a very beautiful game. I want to thank you also because you are role models on the field and off the field, and this is one of the reasons why I love women’s football. You play creatively, strong, powerful games, and then you walk off the pitch and you continue to be role models and you cannot wish for better. There has been enormous support for the Spanish team and to denounce the behaviour of Rubiales and Vilda and the others machos in the Spanish Federation. Let them all fall out now. Let them all be gone, in Spain and elsewhere where they are. And let us continue the fight for equality, for you on the field so that we can enjoy women’s football. We will enjoy it next year for the Olympic Games and we will continue to enjoy it for the World Cup and for all the generations to come. You have shown the way. We will stand with you in solidarity. This is a ‘me too’ for sports, but all of us know it’s all over society and we are behind you. You have our backing.

Mr President, thank you very much. This is called the Nordic model. But we'll have to find another name. Since my country, Sweden, introduced this model more than 20 years ago, Ireland has followed suit, as have Norway, Iceland, France – and I see in front of me many more countries that will adopt this model. Why then? Because it decriminalises those who are subjected to prostitution and places responsibility where it belongs, namely on those who buy and pimps who make money from the exploitation of women and girls. We will have a feminist model where women and girls are not for sale, and – also important – where boys are not raised to be perpetrators who think they can buy for women and girls. I don't want my children to grow up in such a society. Everyone has the right to free sexuality. All of them. And the prostitution system is the very opposite of that. It is a capitalist, sexist and racist system. It is time to step into the future. We have it in front of us. We shall vote in favour of this report until tomorrow!

Mr President, at the same time as the Tunisian regime is forcefully and violently, brutally, expelling people from its country, the EU decides it’s a good moment to sign a deal with the authoritarian regime. They’re paying off authoritarian regimes to stop people from seeking safety in Europe. It’s not the way forward. However, it seems to be the model that the European Commission wants to adopt: Erdoğan; deals with the Libyan militia to push back people to stay in Libya, brutalised and tortured; and now also Tunisia on this list. Tunisia is not safe even for its own citizens, let alone for people seeking safety from persecution elsewhere. It is not a safe port. This amounts to pushbacks by proxy. This EU that does this: it’s a lost EU; it’s a decadent EU; it’s an EU that does not stand up for democracy and human rights. So I can just say: cease this deal. Save lives at sea and organise a dignified reception in Europe.

Madam President, thank you very much. It's not just a tragedy. It is a crime that has been committed when the Greek Coast Guard did not rescue the ship that sank, with hundreds of people's lives being wasted. Instead of obstructing, Frontex, the EU and the national coast guards are complicit in death in the Mediterranean. The Commission closes its eyes so tightly that they have to cramp. The countries are allowed to keep pushbacks and death is allowed to continue. It's racist, it's inhumane, and it's illegal. Dedicate to the countries that engage in pushbacks. Launch a life-saving action in the Mediterranean Sea, coordinated from a European point of view. Stop criminalizing the NGOs involved in life-saving. Create safe and legal pathways. All of this is entirely possible. Only the political courage is needed.