Speeches

I have one last question, Mr. Borrell. Last night we had a meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. We discussed an opinion of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs. This was mainly about how Europe should function now. Because actually – and it is perhaps naughty what I am going to say now – the biggest problem Europe has now is how it is functioning at the moment. We had the Conference on the Future of Europe. We have had all those citizens' panels that have made excellent proposals. My question to you is: Do you agree to implement these proposals? I'll call them you: to move very quickly towards the abolition of unanimity, start a convention, creating that European army – I keep repeating it, every week – and finally Strengthen your own role: Make sure that we have a real foreign minister of the European Union in the future.

Mr Borrell, a lot of questions have been asked in the meantime, which shows that we are very concerned. I think that Europe has clearly shown its teeth thanks to the unity in its response to Russia in response to the crisis with Ukraine. My question is how we're going to preserve that unity. We all know that we need to expand the sanctions list. How will you deal with maintaining unity in expanding the sanctions list? And what are we going to do about Russian disinformation? Because it is problematic. A second question. You know my views on the European Defence Union. If this is not the time when we are taking mega-steps forward, then I don't know when that will happen. You just said you're not the defence minister of Europe. I wish I'd had it. I would have liked you to be Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence. But what steps are you going to push through or coordinate? Call it what you want, but we will have to go to that European army very quickly. And a third question. Very briefly: nuclear safety. You say: “Yes, we need to talk and act diplomatically.” As a citizen, I am really concerned about nuclear safety. Your answer is a little vague. Could that be more concrete?

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the summer of 2022 was marked by extreme drought, the worst drought in 500 years. Once again, our farmers are among the hardest hit, while the agricultural sector was already in crisis. Between 2005 and 2016, as many as a thousand farms per day disappeared in Europe. A thousand, colleagues, because farmers are the weakest link in the chain and there was a crisis: high production costs, low prices, the war in Ukraine, and now that extreme drought is added. I want to express the voice of the farmers here today. I want to call you: Have an emergency plan with: increased agricultural support for risk prevention and management, increased support for water management; Increased resources for research and innovation. Thereafter, colleagues, there should be a structural agricultural plan. We must tackle all problems together, ensure that farmers are a strong link in the chain, ensure that they are strong at the global level and ensure that production costs are reduced. We really need to defend the place of farmers in Europe. Mr President, I am a farmer's daughter and I will continue to fight here in Parliament for the survival of farming in Europe.

Mr President, the decision taken by the Council to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova was actually the only right decision. Great promises were also made to the Balkans. But what surprises me is that not a single word was actually spoken about how the Union should function with 30 or 35 members. Leaders took note of the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe, while we all know that some things need to change in Europe. We still know how Orbán used that unanimity at the last summit. We know that this unanimity is a godsend for the autocrats in the Union and outside the Union. Here in Parliament, we have been debating a number of shortcomings in the Union for years. That is why we – and we as liberals have pushed for that – pushed at that conference, pushed for the conclusions, pushed for that convention. That is why – but he is already gone – I would very much like to ask our Charles Michel: Please promise me that you will fight for that convention and that you will fight for the abolition of unanimity. You have my support.

Madam President, it was a lively debate, I think we can say, this evening. An overturn of the Roe v. Wade would be a tragedy – I think everybody said that already. Not just for women in the US but also for women in Europe. The ones who make women suffer in the US are also active here, and they are successful in their repression. We even heard some today here in this Parliament. In Poland, there is a near—total ban on abortion and the PiS will even introduce a pregnancy register to control women. In several EU Member States, abortion is a crime. Anti-abortion activists claim that they are saving lives but the results, colleagues, are unsafe abortions and maternal deaths. They force women to have an abortion even when they are victims of a rape. Can you imagine? Colleagues, the anti—abortionists don’t save lives. So we have to make sure that the right to abortion becomes a fundamental right. Let us work to decriminalise abortion in our Member States and let us fight for the inclusion of the right to abortion in the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights. My body, my rights – are you with me?

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, today I want to talk about two issues, namely sanctions and European defence. It is good, Mr Michel, that we finally have an agreement on that sixth package of sanctions. But let us be honest, it was a little too late for us in Parliament. And on sale – I think it was Mr Weber who said it: “I actually succumbed to Mr Orbán’s blackmail.” – twice actually succumbed! I know, our unity is important, but isn't it high time we took power from those autocrats and stopped that unanimity? It is really high time for me, and I hope that we will continue to record this here in Parliament on Thursday. And then the good news, and then I turn more to Ursula von der Leyen. The good news is European defence. Leaders have finally said: ‘We are going for a true European defence.’ Parliament has very often said about this: “Let’s stop the fragmentation, stop the waste of those resources.” We spend as much on defence as China, four times more than Russia, and yet we are actually a military dwarf. So, let us now turn Europe into a military industrial bloc, and as far as I am concerned, Mrs von der Leyen, a true European army. You have my support. Go for that.

Mr President, there is no place in Europe for this Turkey where journalists are attacked, opposition members are suppressed and violence against women seems to be accepted, and which disregards binding rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. Not membership, but partnership. Turkey is an important strategic partner; This became even clearer during the war in Ukraine. However, this does not mean that Europe must deny its values. I sometimes wonder why Erdoğan still wants to join the European Union. He fools Europe every day. Think of his blackmail during the migration crisis or, more recently, as a partner within NATO, where he opposes the accession of Sweden and Finland. Can someone like him be called a partner? I am therefore very pleased that Parliament is taking a very clear position today: Turkey cannot join.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, one week ago, Shireen Abu Aqla, a prominent Al Jazeera journalist, was killed. She was killed while reporting in the West Bank. I’m as shocked and dismayed as you are, and I’m not sure what shocks me most – her death or the utter disrespect by Israeli police at her funeral, which I strongly condemn. Forty—two Palestinian journalists have been killed in 2022. To get the facts straight, it is clear that we need an independent inquiry into the killing of Shireen, and we need to do better to protect journalists both within and outside our Union. Media freedom is a cornerstone of our democracy. But colleagues, apart from the shock, I’m also angry – angry about the fact that too often we here in Europe look away when the spiral of violence continues, when new settlements plans are announced, or when another journalist gets killed or wounded. We all agree that we must tackle the root causes of this conflict. So let’s get to work and play our role. Shireen was called ‘the voice of Palestine’. Let us now commit to be the voice of Shireen. We have neglected the conflict too long. We must put new energy into bringing lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.

Mr President, Putin’s brutality knows no limits. One day, we were all appalled as a maternity clinic was bombed, the next as mass graves were discovered in Bucha. But how far does inhumanity go if you applaud military units that are linked to mass rape. The reports of sexual violence and rape by Russian forces continue to grow, and so do the number of pregnancies. Many Ukrainian women and girls are traumatised as they witnessed how their cities were attacked and their beloved family was killed. And if one trauma wasn’t enough, rape survivors are now trying to cope with the idea that, inside, they are carrying the baby of those that erased all that they left. Faced with these horrors, the EU cannot be a silent bystander. That is why today we call on the Commission to step up and act without delay to ensure that dignity health kits and emergency contraceptives reach Ukraine and host countries to ensure – very important, colleagues – access to safe abortion care throughout the whole EU for pregnant women victims of rape and to ensure justice for the war crimes committed against women. These women have already lost so much. We must not disappoint the ones counting on our help. And remember, women here, maybe also the men, what Madeleine Albright said: ‘There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women’.

Madam President, dear colleagues, in Europe, you have to wait a very long time for an organ donation, but in China you are helped within a couple of weeks. How is that possible? A real sign of progress, an ignorant observer would say, but it seems that China is harvesting the organs of prisoners, notably from Falun Gong, and that on a significant scale. We all hoped that these kinds of atrocities would be a dark memory of the past, but more than 70 years after the Second World War, a leading country is committing crimes that amount to crimes against humanity and getting away with it. It gets away with it because the international community is closing its eyes. With this resolution, the Parliament makes clear that it will no longer tolerate this. A united Parliament will make the difference. We have initiated sanctions before and have put the investment agreement in the freezer. We will not move an inch unless China proves us wrong on human rights. We call on China to respond to the allegations, to allow a very important and independent investigation and to increase transparency and traceability in organ procurement. The ball is now in China’s court.

Mr President, I would really like to make a point of order colleagues, an important point. We have just learned the horrible news that Swedish-Iranian academic Dr Ahmad Reza Djalali will be executed in Iran on 21 May. This House repeatedly called on Iranian authorities to hold the execution of Djalali, to pardon and release him. This House has also proposed targeted sanctions of the Iranian authorities if the Iranian authorities did not free Djalali. I really would call on you, Mr President, and on the President of this House, to do all in her power to ensure that Mr Djalali will not be executed in a few weeks.

Madam President, our presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen have done what we have asked them to do: they were tough on Xi Jinping and made it crystal clear that we expect China to help end Putin’s war. But, colleagues, Xi Jinping did not move an inch. On the contrary. The Chinese foreign minister declared there was no ceiling for China-Russia cooperation. And even after the massacre in Bucha, China has still not condemned the Russian invasion. Can you imagine? China is playing, if you ask me, a cynical game. It expects that both Europe and Russia will be weakened as a result of the war. Western sanctions will make Russia more dependent on China and the EU will have to deal with the refugee crisis, high fuel prices and economic decline. Let’s face the truth: China does not act like a partner; it acts like a rival. After the crackdown on Hong Kong and repression in Xinjiang, China is again placing itself on the wrong side of history. Xi’s end game is the end of the liberal rules—based world order. In our report, colleagues – and I see a lot of colleagues who worked on the report – we call for a more assertive strategy to become less dependent from China. We don’t want a full decoupling from China. Let us speed up this process and learn from our experiences with that other autocratic regime. The cynical truth is that by being so dependent on Russian gas, we are enabling this war. So let us not make this mistake again. I call on the Commission to come forward with an analysis of the sectors in which China can hurt us. And to propose a counterstrategy. Let us start to protect ourselves. If we care about our freedom, we had better prepare for the worst.

Mr President, Commissioner, since 24 February we have only been concerned with one thing, and that is the horror of the war in Ukraine. We get up with it and we go to sleep with it. And first came those images – those horrible images – of that maternity clinic in Mariupol, and then, last weekend, yes, crazy images of that massacre in Bucha. Millions of mothers and children are on the run. And as a mother, but also as co-chair of the Intergroup on Children's Rights, I want to take on my responsibility here. Madam President, I would first like to thank you. You have had the courage to go on the ground, to show that Europe is concerned about the situation. A very thick Thank you. Thank you very much for being there, in the name of us all, too. Then I am also very happy that this session is mainly about Ukraine. Tomorrow, the necessary debate on the strengthening of sanctions, and today, a debate that is close to my heart, on the protection of children. As of 2016, Europol – as you know – reported that 10 000 unaccompanied minor children are missing in Europe. Now I have to tell you that Heidi De Pauw of Child Focus today comes up with figures in the Belgian newspapers: she says that 2 000 minors have been missing since the start of the war in Ukraine. Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Are we looking for them? It's our duty to look for them! It's our duty to look for those children. We know. They are on the run, in another European country, in Poland, hopefully somewhere safe. Unfortunately, I'm afraid some of them are dead. Today... Gandhi said: “The strength of a society is measured by how it treats the weakest.” ... Well now, let's be strong. Let's make sure we register them. Finally. We're actually late. We need to register them, give them a guardian, give them child-friendly information, make sure they're taken care of, make sure we find the parents. That's our duty. Now the hotlines strengthening. We have European instruments. Let's strengthen it now. I just want to tell you something in English. Maybe then you feel the passion for this debate that we have. If we were living in Ukraine, if it were our children who were on the run, don’t you want people to protect them? Yes, I want, I have two children. Let’s protect the children. And I want to conclude by quoting the great woman, Madeleine Albright: ‘the bottom line is that a person who flees his or her home (...) does not shed the right to be treated with dignity and respect’.

Mr President, Mr High Representative, colleagues, Putin has been given the opposite of what he wanted: More European unity, more NATO, and more Western determination. Putin is clearly out for a dirty war, for revenge against Ukraine, against the West, and he threatens with nuclear weapons. It is difficult to act against so much irrational belligerentism. But make no mistake! Autocrats around the world are watching to what extent we are willing to defend our values. Our response today will determine the world we live in tomorrow. Since February 24th, the world has changed. Let us ensure that a new Europe is born in this crisis. A Europe with a strong European defence and a European army to defend our values. A Europe with a common European asylum and migration policy to humanely welcome the Ukrainian refugees. A Europe that is no longer dependent on Russia for gas supplies. A Europe with a European Solidarity Fund for all Europeans affected by Putin's revenge. This is the Europe we need now. Long live the peace! Long live Europe! Slava Ukraini!

President, 2022 is the European Year of Youth. This is a fantastic case. After all, our youth is the best time of our lives. Nevertheless, we have to face the fact that the past few years have been very difficult: The wretched coronavirus has paralysed the social life of young people, cut them off from friends and family, and prevented them from going out and having fun. Let us not turn youth into a lost generation and give young people a boost in 2022 by involving them in our decision-making, providing a budget for young people and, above all, massively expanding the Erasmus programme. I have been an Erasmus student myself and therefore prefer to see all young people participate in the programme. Erasmus not only makes young people stronger, but also makes them real Europeans. Let us therefore ensure that all young people in Europe can participate in the Erasmus programme, so that Europe can produce genuine, good and convinced Europeans with their own dreams.

Madam President, a lot has been said already, and for me it’s very clear: if we want to become a real geopolitical player, we need to get our act together by making ourselves less reliant on the Russian gas supply, by building a shield against Russian attacks and, most importantly, by setting up a real European Defence Union. We have to believe in the power of Europe. But what really worries me, Mr Borrell, is that Putin does not want to speak to Europe. He simply refused, and we allowed him to. Last week, President Macron was in Moscow and yesterday, Chancellor Scholz was in Moscow, but actually it should have been Europe at that long table. We would be much stronger if we talked to Russia – if you talked to Russia, Mr Borrell, on behalf of Europe – with one voice, and I’m sure, Mr Borrell, you agree with that. That is why I have three questions, Mr Borrell. Have you been in contact with the leadership of Germany and France? Can you confirm they have presented Putin with a common EU front? And can you confirm they have not given Mr Putin an inch?

Madam President, I want to talk to about the women and girls in this world, because it’s necessary because women’s rights were violated on a massive scale during the coronavirus pandemic. They were victims of a real shadow pandemic, filled with online and offline violence, and they were at the forefront of our fight against the deadly virus, day-in, day-out. If this health crisis has taught us anything, it is that we must take care of them, and that is why we must step up the fight against violence for peace and freedom. That is why it is our duty to empower and educate all girls. That is why we must take stronger action against femicide, female genital mutilation and other forms of gender—based violence. Colleagues, men and women here today, we should all be feminists and fight for it. The time is now.

Mr. President, Mr. Borrell... I'm going to wait, Mr President, until he listens... [In English: ] Europe is sleepwalking towards disaster. Russia and China align their strategies. One is about to invade Ukraine, the other is waiting for his chance to take Taiwan. That is also our business, Mr Borrell, because both conflicts will strike Europe at heart. A refugee flow, a very expensive energy bill and a shortage of semiconductors, which is flattening our economy. We do not seem to realize that the brutal politics of power means the end of our Western model of consultation, that in a world where international rules no longer apply, Europe is completely powerless, that we are becoming the toy of autocrats like Putin, Xi and Erdoğan. So, as my predecessors said, let us, as a Parliament, raise the alarm and wake up our European leaders. Let's face it, Mr. Borrell, a 5,000-man rapid response force is a wipe for bleeding. We need a genuine European Defence Union with, if you ask me, a credible European army, backed by a common clear foreign and security policy. Let's stop those national vetoes and send one leader to Moscow, Mr Borrell – one leader, you, the European leader – with a strong mandate in your pocket. Ending the rule of unanimity, a joint headquarters and a European chain of command should be the priorities of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Because power needs counterpower. What we need is a big leap forward. Let's make that jump!

Mr President, first of all I would like to thank and congratulate Véronique, my colleague within Renew, on whom I am very proud of the excellent work she has done with this report. Six thousand children die of cancer every year in Europe! In fact, it is the leading cause of death in children over one year of age. And that is unacceptable. We cannot allow disturbed parents with sick children to roam Europe in search of the right treatment. It is not possible that not every child in Europe has the same chances of survival! Today is World Child Cancer Day. It is up to us to make this fight a priority. Recognize pediatric oncology as a specialist discipline. Provide more research and affordable medicines for children. We need to simplify access to treatments, across borders and together, as a true health union. Please make sure, Commissioner, that this mobile application, which gives an overview of all the treatments in the different European countries, arrives quickly. Give parents and children hope again!

Mr President, I’m really happy that 2022 will be officially the European Year of Youth. But let us be clear, we should not make it a symbolic year, but a historic year. Last year, 24% of children were at risk of poverty, and the last two years 18 000 minor refugees disappeared, and at least, colleagues listen carefully, one in five children is a victim of sexual violence. And moreover, during the COVID—19 pandemic, a real shadow pandemic erupted with online sexual violence and violence within the family. For me, it’s clear: we have to realise three important things – roll out a child guarantee, protect the children from abuse and exploitation online and offline, and ensure that our migration pact safeguards children, because it’s our duty, colleagues. As Gandhi said, you all know the wise man, ‘the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members’.

Mr President, the situation in Somalia, I do not have to tell you, is particularly worrying. An amalgam of conflicts hampers the stability, development and prosperity of the country. The country is plagued by terror, violence, political instability. Climate change is also taking its toll, resulting in a humanitarian disaster. Let me give you the figures: 2.9 million internally displaced people, six million people in need of humanitarian assistance, almost one million children at risk of acute malnutrition! Can you imagine that? I find it hallucinating that I have to say that here on this pulpit. Our support for this country is important. Please note, we already do a lot: 35% of all humanitarian aid to Somalia comes from Europe and its Member States. But if we want to continue to guide the country, then we have to continue these efforts, then we have to continue our help, use that help as a lever to make changes. Commissioner, I have a number of priorities that I would like to share with you in order to help Somalia emerge from this enormous crisis. Call for an election, that's where it starts. Condemn the arbitrary detentions and attacks on journalists and the abuse and violence against women. Especially today I can ask you that! Support the country in the fight against armed groups. Safety is the best guarantee of development, as we know. And finally, focus on the most vulnerable: the many abused children, the so many malnourished children and the so many child soldiers.

Mr President, for already almost an hour and a half today, we have listened to the stories and we have listened to the numbers. But, Madam Commissioner, did we really hear them? I will repeat them: nearly one in three women have been abused in their lifetime and, since the COVID pandemic, the figures are even worse. Since the COVID—19 pandemic, we see a real shadow pandemic. Since the start, two in three women report that they have experienced some form of violence. Colleagues, we must act and we must act together. Luckily, there were a few men talking today, but most of us talking here were women. We need the men also to fight. May I say that? We also need you, because what is happening is no longer acceptable. For me, what should be done is that we need to believe the survivors. We must tackle the root causes and we should introduce one European helpline. We should take care of the victims. Madam Commissioner, we should make gender-based violence a European priority. There are many priorities, but for me, it’s a very important one that we can no longer accept. So please, push those six Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention. Colleagues, altogether here, say no to violence to women.

As is often the case, this time the most important item of the European Council is not on the agenda. I'm talking about Poland. We saw a Polish prime minister here yesterday who refused to engage in dialogue, and it is abundantly clear that the Polish Supreme Court has been completely politicized and is now being used as a weapon against the European Court of Justice, which has denounced that politicisation. The President of the Commission said yesterday that he wanted to go far and impose financial and other sanctions. But the question I want to ask you today is: Why is the Council not acting, Mr. Minister? You have the tool to do that: Article 7. This is a powerful tool with which we must be careful. But the way Poland behaves defies all imagination. There is more than enough ground to suspend Poland's right to vote in the Council. We have to say clearly: Europe is not a cash machine where you can just withdraw money, but the value of which you do not accept. Mr Minister, I really hope that tomorrow the Council will find the courage to make that decision.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, you do not kidnap someone to give him a fair trial. That came across my mind when Paul Rusesabagina was arrested in Kigali last summer. And so a few months ago, colleagues, this House adopted a strong resolution – a very strong resolution that condemned the illegal rendition of Paul and called on Rwanda to give him a fair trial. Colleagues, it really saddens me today that we’re standing here again, because what we feared became reality: a process indeed took place, but not a due process. And yet Paul was sentenced to 25 years in prison. So today, colleagues, another strong resolution is on the table, and I really want to thank – they are almost all Belgians, I must say – Tom and Kathleen and Marie Arena and everybody, and Assita, who helped to push forward this resolution. Another strong resolution is on the table. A resolution that condemns the violations of his right to due process. And actually, colleagues, it has one – one, Commissioner – one clear message to the Rwandan authorities: Paul Rusesabagina is ill. Release him on humanitarian grounds and let him be repatriated. Without us saying whether he is guilty or innocent. Dear colleagues, I really hope that we will adopt this resolution today with a broad majority, as we did last time, so that we can send a united, very strong message to Rwanda, which will be heard there.

Mr President, Commissioner, everyone is concerned. “Can we still pay our energy bills for the winter?” And high energy prices are putting things on edge. It is about the core of our European way of life, about our families. That's what we need to protect now. How are we going to ensure that energy does not become a luxury product in the short term? Only if we ensure a genuine European Energy Union can we achieve a sustainable solution. Firstly, that means that we will have to jointly purchase gas and thus put much more pressure on Russia and other suppliers to negotiate affordable prices. Secondly, we must work towards a genuine European energy market. It is still very difficult to get renewable energy from north to south. And finally, we must do everything in our power – all in all, colleagues – to make Europe the frontrunner in renewable energy. Commissioner, I ask you to come up with an ambitious plan to make Europe a real energy union.