Speeches

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. The left's climate transition is based on tough goals and regulations. It's about creating good jobs. This means that the climate transition must be fair. The polluter must pay, and the polluter who pollutes the most must pay the most. On the left, we also accept facts and listen to what science says. For example, we know that we have a planet – one. But the right in this Parliament is not listening to science, and you are acting as if we had two, three or four planets. Now that we have the most important climate vote in this legislature, perhaps in this decade, then the right-wing group chooses to lean against the climate deniers of the far right and run over the Environment Committee. It's a disgrace. It's a betrayal. The Liberal Group, too, should not turn to the EPP and the climate deniers of the far right to make up and run over the Committee on the Environment. These are very concrete things that colleagues have raised here. The ambitions of the Emissions Trading System. Should we reach the Paris Agreement or should we not? That's what we're going to vote on tomorrow. So to the climate tariffs that I have been working on with our rapporteur, Mr Chahim. We are proud to have this instrument in place, but the phasing out of free allocations needs to be faster. We have to fight that battle. Parliamentarians were ranked on the right as dinosaurs. We can agree that the dinosaurs died out. This time you have to decide. Will you be on the side of the future? Will you be part of the team that saves the planet? Or are you going to fail this time too? Tomorrow's vote is for all of us. Stand up for us.

Madam President, the Polish Government representative who is not even here for the debate any more makes a show about Poland, saying it’s safe, it’s free. Let me tell you, it’s not. If you’re a woman with an unwanted pregnancy, you are not free in Poland. If you are an LGBTI person and you live in one of the Polish ‘LGBTI—free zones’, you are not safe in Poland. If you are working with solidarity for migrants and refugees, regardless of their background and their colour of skin, you can be subject to governmental harassment. If you work for the independence of the judiciary or for civil society freedoms, the Government will seek to counteract you. That’s not free. That’s not safe. So, we don’t want more anti—authoritarian, anti—democratic Europe. This is just what Putin would like us to be. He would like these anti—democratic developments to get a hold of Europe and to develop and to get more countries walking that way. But we are not going to let it happen. So I call on the Commission, I call on the Member States – there is nothing more important than to protect democracy and human rights, please. If we do that, we can then take care of the rest of the planet and create more equality. But we have to get the democracy thing right first.

Madam President, thank you very much. 90% of refugees from Ukraine are women and children. Women refugees are among the bravest and strongest I have met, but it is our responsibility to support and strengthen their rights and stand by them. To do this, we need to listen to the organizations that work night and day to do just that. And they are clear: We need safe transport, we need safe and secure accommodation, we need special efforts for those women who are pregnant and need maternal health care and we need to increase support directly to the organisations and local authorities that actually do the job on the border and in Poland. The organisations working in Poland also testify that they meet women who have been subjected to sexual violence. As has been said here, we must bring the perpetrators to justice. But we must also ensure that the vulnerable receive the necessary care, including abortion care. That is why we are now calling for women from Ukraine to have safe, legal and free abortions in Poland and in the EU Member States. The war in Ukraine has also created a large group of women and children at risk of exploitation and falling victim to sex buyers and pimps, European men who do not shy away from buying women. Everyone complains that they distance themselves from this, but at the same time nothing is being done and no one has any overview of what is actually happening around the prostitution markets in Europe. That's not okay, and I know you, Commissioner, don't think so either. We must work together to stand up for the rights of Ukrainian refugees. We need to see that these are women. We must have a more feminist refugee policy in Europe. I propose that we appoint a special representative in the Commission to look at the situation and needs of women refugees, so that we can get this right.

Madam President, has anyone seen the representatives of the French Presidency? Has anyone seen them? Well, actually, they're not here. We are just having a little debate on democracy and the rule of law, but unfortunately they are not there. So if you see them, tell them to come, it'll be really interesting. We all know by now, friends, what is happening in Poland and Hungary. The attacks on democracy are far—reaching. Hungary can no longer be considered a real democracy. They are institutionalising a view where the majority has unlimited powers to undermine judicial independence, close down media and media pluralism, take control over higher education, silence civil society and, not least, attack people’s fundamental rights. If I could ask my colleagues to sit down more quietly so that I can finish my speech. (The President asked the Members to be quiet when taking their seats) I am sure very many are interested because it’s about democracy and the rule of law so keep your ears open. With this attack on democracy, who pays the highest price? Where is it felt the most? It’s women who see their rights crossed, it’s my lesbian sisters and my LGBTQ community who are scapegoated in several of the EU Member States, and in Poland and Hungary. It is ethnic minorities, it’s Roma and migrants who are discriminated against and targeted for hate speech. It is nothing new for some of us to be crossed by anti—democratic and ultra—conservative political forces. It always hurts, it always minimised people’s lives and it is always more dangerous but, when the attack appears in a context where the institutions and the public courts do not function, then it’s a totally different story. When it’s sometimes even persecuted by the state, it’s a different story. Then it is state—sponsored persecution, and we are in Europe 2022. Think about that for a second. And still, Commission, you do so little. The Council is not even here values. How is it possible? And don’t think that citizens don’t see you. They see you fumbling with your toolbox, they see you stumble and they see you failing and falling. So now its’s up to the governments. You have to meet in the Council and get recommendations forward. The Commission has to stop the funding of undemocratic countries. You have to prioritise bringing Member States to court for breaches of democracy and the rule of law. And, if needed, you have to create new tools. Friends, democracy in the EU is broken. Either you are on the team of those who say it has to be fixed and we will do everything we can to fix it, or you are on the slippery slope of resignation, of surely the authoritarian derive, content with your toolbox and your fumbling. I know which team I’m on. I’m on democracy and the rule of law and fundamental rights. I stand with all those that fight out there, in Hungary, Poland and other Member States, to keep up this fight for all our rights, for all of our values.

Mr President, thank you very much. Media houses, journalists, artists, democratic opposition, LGBT activists, feminists – anyone who stands up to Putin’s rule takes a big risk: imprisonments, disappearances, fake trials, intimidation and persecution. The repression of democrats and civil society in Russia was already systematic earlier under Putin's regime, but it is clear that it has gotten even worse after the illegal invasion of and war against Ukraine. Those who protest against the war face long prison sentences. Navalny is sentenced to another 9 years in prison in a show trial. We demand his release in this resolution, but we also demand the release of others: the thousands of Russian citizens imprisoned without grounds for demonstrating for democracy, for peace and for their rights. A peaceful and democratic Russia is our best and strongest guarantee of security, as several other colleagues have said. Therefore, we must do everything we can to counter Putin's regime and oppression. This means supporting democratic forces, but we also need to support those seeking protection in Europe, deserters and civil society.

Madam President, we cannot have a situation at the EU borders where pushbacks are structural, systematic and brutal. Refugees are left to freeze to death. They are pushed out to sea in Greece with risk to their lives. They are brutalised at the Croatian border. All this is true and the Commission knows it. Everyone knows it. Even the Frontex Director who lies to our face knows it. So why is nothing happening? Why are there no infringement procedures? Why are you financing refugee prisons on the Greek islands? Why are you not spending that money on decent and dignified reception conditions for refugees? Why are we not showing the kind of solidarity that we are now showing the Ukrainian refugees? And it’s the right thing to do because it is who we should be as Europeans. When somebody seeks protection in Europe, we should try their demand for asylum and we should give protection – that’s who we should be. In Greece, on the Polish border with Belarus, and the Polish border with Ukraine. This is what we have to establish now and pushbacks have no place in 2022. So, please, Commission, you have to do your job now.

Madam President, thank you very much. On Sunday, Fidesz was given a new mandate to continue to rule Hungary. Orban's government must now choose whether to continue dismantling democracy or whether to actually embark on the path of democracy. On the EU side, we need to be crystal clear about what we expect. We must defend democracy, and we must do everything we can to stop authoritarian developments at the heart of Europe. It is therefore to be welcomed that the Commission finally announces that it is opening proceedings against Hungary for the first time. It's been a mess like no other. Cut the money, stop funding oligarchism and autocracy in Europe! I just wonder what the Council will do. Aren't you even going to adopt recommendations in May? It's too weak! I would also like to say that the Ukrainian refugee situation is a challenge for all of us, not least, of course, for Poland and Hungary. However, we must be clear that this cannot be used to silence our demands for democracy and respect for the rule of law. This is a fundamental requirement of European cooperation. The erosion of democracy and the entrenchment of authoritarian governments and regimes in Europe – it is indeed Putin’s business. He has always wanted to undermine democracy in Europe. It must therefore be over now. We have free media. We need a functioning judicial system. We must have fundamental human rights in all the Member States of Europe. If we cannot defend it in Europe, if we cannot defend it in this cooperation, what cooperation is that? It is time to make a new collaboration. This is about democracy and human rights. We can't have it like this.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioners! Soon, four million people have fled Ukraine, from Putin's atrocities and bombs. Most of them are women and children. People in a refugee situation are extremely vulnerable, especially women and children. We know this from every refugee situation. Our best chance to stop the abuse is now, in reception, just as they cross the border. Therefore, we need to invest resources right there, so that they do not end up in the clutches of traffickers and those who seek to exploit the situation of women and children. We know that it is NGOs, together with humanitarian efforts from UNHCR and UNICEF, that are doing the hard work on the ground. This is where the support must go, and to the local authorities that really make a difference. Children will be allowed to go to school. They should have a roof over their heads. They should have the freedom to move, and it is our responsibility to make it so. I would also like to say something specific about the vulnerability of girls and young women to sexual exploitation. We see this in all refugee situations, and unfortunately it is not information efforts at the border that will prevent this. No, it is we in the EU's recipient countries who must ensure that we do not have a prostitution industry where you can buy and sell women, where we have cod, pimps and entrepreneurs in a so-called sex industry that can exploit the vulnerability of women and young girls without any restrictions. We must do everything we can to stop this. This appalling situation, with millions of Ukrainian children fleeing Putin's bombs, also shines the spotlight on structural racism in the EU's refugee policy. Many of us are extremely happy and grateful that we are now opening up the EU with care to all Ukrainian children fleeing. But we also know that we must do the same for all other children fleeing. We are not going to lock up children in refugee camps in Greece or in detention elsewhere. Children should have a roof over their heads. They're going to school. They will move in freedom. It is our responsibility to ensure that this is the case for all children.

Mr President, thank you very much. I am really pleased that the Member States have finally and for the first time decided to activate the Temporary Protection Directive, which has existed since 2001 but has never been activated before. It is security and protection for all those who have to leave everything, for all those who have now been forced to flee Ukraine because of Putin's attacks. I am relieved for every Ukrainian refugee who receives protection. I am also pleased that this shows that it is possible to welcome refugees in the EU – together – and share responsibility for a dignified reception. We on the left have been saying that for a long time now. This is what we must take with us, and extend, so that the right to protection and shared responsibility applies to all those fleeing war and oppression, whether they come from Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea or any other country. We should not have, as the Swedish and European right has demanded, refugee stops, refugee prisons and legally insecure border procedures. We should have a system where we share the responsibility for a dignified reception. This is our Europe.

Mr President, the norm should be that States support, in both legal and financial terms, a flourishing civil society – as watchdogs, as service providers, as representatives of minorities, as central actors in our democracies. But what’s the reality? In Italy, search and rescue organisations are harassed and persecuted since 2017. And I’m speaking about Iuventa, Open Arms, Sea-Watch, MSF. I think it’s important to name them. In Croatia, individual activists from the organisation Are You Syrious are being persecuted by the State. In Poland, the courageous LGBTI activists from Atlas of Hate are being persecuted by regions and local communities. So, add to that, to this situation, the laws around funding and registrations that hamper civil society. This is EU 2022. So what are you doing, the Commission? We have heard you speaking for two years now, but nothing is happening. It is of democratic, existential importance. Civil society is central to our democracies and you must act now.

Mr President, thank you very much. We're with Ukraine, but we're not. Because if we are sincere in our support, we see that we need to do more. We have to follow the money. We must stop imports of Russian oil and gas. We must increase sanctions, and we must attack Putin's power base, that is, the Russian oligarchs on which he bases his power. We must stop them from ravaging freely in our countries, in the financial system, and from even buying citizenship and visas in EU countries. It is obscene to be able to buy citizenship at all, as a number of colleagues here have said. It is both a moral and a political problem. It feeds corruption and fraud. It must be stopped everywhere for everyone, but not least for the Russian Putin oligarchs. Now, therefore, let us stop the gold passports and gold visas, but let us not stop at it. Let us also tackle tax havens, where Russian Putin oligarchs hide their dirty and now bloody money. Let's do it now.

Mr President, thank you very much. Climate policy must have a gender perspective. An effective climate policy in Sweden, in the EU, should globally require women to be present at the negotiating tables. empowering women to decide which political and technical solutions should be prioritised; If we take a gender perspective, we also see very clearly how the climate is linked to a justice perspective. We see concretely how we create resilient and sustainable societies, both socially and ecologically. On the left, we have a program that brings these parts together. We see the need to protect nature and adopt ambitious climate goals. We see that we have to change our production, our industry, if we are serious about actually coping with the climate. We see the need to invest in care, in welfare, in what keeps society together, where women are also the majority of those who work. We see that we need to allocate resources in a way that is much fairer, and where those who pollute the most need to contribute more to the transition. It is, my friends, a feminist, red and green climate transition.

Madam President, thank you very much. EU money should not go to countries trying to control the courts, curtailing media freedom, persecuting LGBTIQ people or, as in Poland, through politically controlled courts, banning abortion. Yet that is exactly what has happened. EU money has continued to roll to both Hungary and Poland, and some forces, such as the right-wing group here in the house, have held these under their arms for too long. But now the European Court of Justice has announced that it is possible to cut EU funds to countries that do not respect democracy and the rule of law. Then my question to the Commission, this empty talk, will no longer hold. It's not a mail exchange club to be opened here, not another one. We demand action, a timetable. You've had time to plan. So now you have to do what it takes. It's the same with the Council here. Is this the French Presidency's promises to human rights and democracy? That was the bureaucrat talk we heard from the presidency. Let's be clear. In countries where authoritarian forces are allowed to ravage freely, it is people of flesh and blood who suffer. They are LGBTIQ people who are being persecuted, it is women's rights that are being curtailed. The rights of refugees are being curtailed. It is those who stand up in civil society for human rights who are affected and persecuted. It's on our bodies that this happens. Hearing you still are not prepared to act, that is not what is required today. Now is the time to stand on the side of the people. On the side of millions, millions, millions of citizens. Stand up for our rights. End authoritarian developments in Hungary, Poland and the rest of Europe. We need better!

Madam President, electing an EPP Chair that has a poor voting track record on sexual and reproductive health and rights and abortion rights is not a good sign, but it’s not something new. The EPP Group has rarely put forward candidates that have a decent track record on women’s rights. But the new thing is maybe that we are holding a welcome debate on it. Maybe it is because our new President, Ms Metsola, is a woman and we, as feminists, want all women to fight the feminist battle with us. Some of us in this House have fought tirelessly alongside activists outside the European Parliament to make sure that this House stands up for women, for our rights to decide over our bodies, our right to our sexuality, to decide freely if and when we want to have children and the right to have access to abortion care. We have done that because denial of sexual and reproductive health and rights, including abortion care, is the ultimate oppression of women. And we have managed to make sure that the European Parliament stands with women, and anyone representing this House must stand up for the positions that we have voted. So, let me recall those positions: ‘calls on the Member States to ensure universal access to safe and legal abortion and respect for the right to freedom, privacy and the best attainable health care’. This is extra important to defend at a time when we see that conservative forces in Poland, but also other countries, try to attack these rights. We will continue this fight and we will stand up for the position of the European Parliament and we will insist that our new President, Roberta Metsola, stands with us in this fight.

Mr President, thank you very much. When the Istanbul Convention was adopted, many of us cheered. Finally, an international instrument to combat gender-based violence – that which diminishes our lives, which takes lives. But today, the Istanbul Convention is being attacked by right-wing conservative, authoritarian forces. We see how violence against women and LGBTIQ people is reduced and even excused. We can't let that happen. No EU country should be able to renounce its commitment to combating violence against women, neither Poland nor any other country. The women have spoken. We bravely broke the silence. We support each other. But I wonder: Where are the men? Where are the measures? Where are the resources? Where's the money? Where is the crisis awareness that we see when it comes to other things? This is terror against women's bodies. You act as if politics had no way of doing anything. It has. We have zero tolerance for all forms of gender-based violence. We need more resources for women's shelters. We believe in those who dare to tell. It is brave to break the silence. We will say that it is the perpetrator who bears all the blame. Let's say the law is on your side. We will not rest until we put an end to violence against women and girls.

Madam President, these days all eyes are on Poland because of its constitutional court. Already one year ago, on 22 October, this politically controlled, illegitimate court ruled that abortions should be nearly banned. So women’s rights in this case have everything to do with the rule of law. I think it’s time that this House recognises that. The link between the rule of law and women’s rights is a direct one. Where there is no rule of law, there can be no respect for women’s rights and Poland is a good example of that. But the women are resisting. We have invited a few of them here to a press conference this morning, and they are freedom fighters, they are democracy fighters, they are fighters for women’s rights, and they are fighters for the rule of law. They are telling us to step up, to step up our game, because they are strong, they are inspiring, they are really inspiring. But they expect more from us. So let’s do more. Let’s not let one more day pass before we stand in solidarity with all Polish women.

Madam President, I agree with Commissioner Dalli that, of course, we would like more men also to participate in this debate. But I want to thank every and each woman in here, every feminist, who is raising her voice, who does it in this Hemicycle, at home, and who works every day tirelessly to end gender-based violence. You are the motors of this change. And yes, we speak about domination, discrimination, patriarchal power, sexism, gender, because in order to eradicate gender-based violence, we have to encompass this understanding. It is structural. It is not a random threat or random event. So any way you twist and turn to say that this is ideology, no: it’s about human rights, and we have the responsibility vote here and now to put an end to it. With this report we outline the way we expect the Commission and the Member States to step up actions. We are saying that our lives, our rights, our bodies will not be a battleground any more. We have defined what we need in terms of laws, prevention, protection of victims, and promotion of gender equality. I want to thank my co-rapporteur Diana Riba; I want to thank the shadows that worked with us all the way; and I want to thank everyone who votes in favour tomorrow. Let’s eradicate gender-based violence.

Mr President, thank you very much. Colleagues on site and you who follow from a distance! whereas one in three women in the EU has experienced physical or sexual violence, and an average of 50 women die each week as a result of gender-based violence; Gender-based violence limits our living spaces, reduces our lives – and takes lives. Violence and threats of violence limit life in homes, in public, in schools, on streets, in squares, on social media. It is a structural problem, and it is one of the most serious human rights violations before us. This House, the European Parliament, has been a driving force in every step the EU has taken to combat gender-based violence. So too now. This time, together with my co-rapporteur, Diana Riba i Giner, who will speak here after me, I have had the opportunity to hold my pen and negotiate another strong position and concrete demands on how to combat gender-based violence. We demand European legislation. This is not the first time this Parliament has done so, but we repeat it. Anything else is not sustainable. But we also say that criminal law and the judiciary are only part of the equation. We affirm that the fight against gender-based violence cannot be seen separately from the fight for gender equality and the work for women's rights, in all parts of society. whereas gender-based violence is intimately linked to patriarchal structures, to inequalities between women and men, to the lack of economic independence of women and to the lack of justice; In our report, we state that, in order to combat gender-based violence, we must have the right to determine our bodies and our sexuality. We must have access to free abortion and contraception. In our report, we also state that we must ensure that all measures make us aim to strengthen women's rights and control over our lives. We need the right support and service. We state that women's shelters, which are a pillar of the work against violence against women and girls, should have permanent support. We state that the justice system needs to be so much better – that the justice system makes sure to deliver convictions so that, slowly but surely, but everywhere and in all parts, we actually put the blame where it belongs: with the perpetrators. We must therefore have legislation based on consent. Our report also states that gender-based violence affects LGBTIQ people, and that this must be included when combating gender-based violence. We clearly say that threats and hatred and violence against LGBTIQ people also stem from patriarchal and sexist notions – oppressive notions of how we must be as human beings and where those who violate heteronormative demands are threatened and subjected to violence. We say that this violence can and must be combated as a framework within the framework of gender-based violence. One would think that everyone is on the train, that no one is against this, that everyone wants to take hold and fight this violence. But there are those who are not on the train, who still want to control women's lives and bodies, who think it's okay to limit our lives in this way. Sometimes they give other reasons, but basically it's that they don't think this is important enough. But they won't defeat us. Every step forward has been a struggle. Feminists, activists, organizations, survivors themselves are the ones who have been pushing, along with parliamentarians, allies in parliament, to tighten laws. So too today. I want to thank all the tireless feminists who have worked with us, who have supported us and made it happen. action Also in the parliamentary rooms. Now we are adopting this report, sending a signal to the Commission, and together we are making sure that Europe is doing more and better, that the Member States are doing more and better, because we are saying stop gender-based violence.

Mr President, thank you very much. President von der Leyen! As usual, you paint most of what Europe does in beautiful colours, but this is not a true picture. We are in a climate emergency and the proposals made by the Commission are not sufficient. That's what science says, and so do the young people out there, when we listen to them. The left is demanding that the EU do more and do better and faster. The left also calls for a Europe that stands up for the international right of asylum and provides protection for those fleeing. We do not accept the brutal and racist migration policy that is now being chiselled out. To the young people who may be listening to us here today, I have to say that the Left is the only political group that stands up to your militarisation. Wasn't 20 years of failed warfare in Afghanistan enough? Now you want to build an EU army. Invest the money on the climate, on the future, on equality instead. That's what young people need to hear. Finally, I note that democracy and the rule of law come last in your speech – the very foundation on which we are to build our future. The Commission has ducked and ducked. It is time to take in. Orbán and company should not be allowed to decide over our future.

Mr President, let’s be honest, dear colleagues in Strasbourg, and all LGBTI friends in Hungary and elsewhere, we saw this coming. Viktor Orbán and his gang have been directing their hate and right-wing authoritarianism against LGBTI people for some while now. But that doesn’t make it less painful and it doesn’t make it less dangerous. It makes the inaction by the other EU governments and the Commission even more unacceptable. And let’s be honest, the attacks are not against only LGBTI people, they’re against the rights of women, they’re against refugees, they’re against Roma. And the attacks have everything to do also with the rule of law. Orbán’s government, just as in Poland, has dismantled not only fundamental rights, but also media freedom, the independence of the judiciary and they are attacking civil society and making it more difficult for all democracy defenders to act. And these things spread, we know that they do that. And that’s why it’s a relief that at least we see some action now. And let’s be honest, we want action to protect our rights to protect LGBTI rights in Hungary and everywhere, but we also want actions for rule of law and for defending democracy and the rights of all. So we don’t want one more month of inaction, not one more month of silence. The Council has to outline the course of action, take Orbán to court, take Poland to court and stop the funding to authoritarian regimes and projects... (The President cut off the speaker)

And, of course, that's something to celebrate. It was when we promised each other that we would give shelter, because whoever flees has no choice. But he who either closes his borders or opens his door, has a choice. And with the Geneva Convention, we promised each other that whoever is being persecuted, whoever has to leave to seek protection, will have a safe haven. A fantastic promise that we made to each other and to which the EU as an institution is bound. That is why I think it is so terrible to see that we have forces today that are trying to compete to undermine the Geneva Convention, to destroy one of the most important multilateral human rights instruments that we have. We have chain pushbacks from Slovenia to Croatia to Bosnia-Herzegovina that need to stop. We have pullbacks in Libya that need to stop. We have pushbacks even carried out by Frontex, our own authority. It must stop if we are to honor the Geneva Convention. Eighty million refugees have been said by colleagues, and here there are a few thousand fights. It becomes so when racists and those who adapt to them are allowed to rule and set. It is time to stand up for the Geneva Convention, the rules that are binding, and also stand up for its spirit. It means defending people, not borders. This means that we share the responsibility of providing protection to those who seek asylum in the EU. This means that we reach out one hand and we save lives, in the Mediterranean and where it is required. This means that we open our borders to those who seek protection. It's Sweden, it's Europe, it's what we're supposed to have.