Debate contributions by Alice KUHNKE

Mr President, we speak endlessly of competitiveness in this mandate, yet equal treatment, fundamental rights and democracy are treated as secondary, delayed, compromised or quietly dismantled. This is not only dangerous, it is also expensive. I often speak here about justice, dignity and solidarity, but I've heard that money talks, so today I will for once try to speak this language. Colleagues, we have everything to gain from an equal society. Because what are Europe's democracy, our fundamental rights and our liberal values, if not advantages in a global competition? Let me give you some figures. A recent report from the OECD found that fully eliminating discrimination in Europe could generate up to EUR 500 billion in additional GDP and tax revenue. An even more recent study from the EPRS estimated that adopting the Horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive alone could deliver over EUR 1 billion in benefits in its first five years. We are constantly told that Europe must invest more, grow faster and get more people into employment, yet we are overlooking the potential of a proposal that has been ready for adoption for 17 years. The truth is, failing to harmonise equal treatment legislation means maintaining 27 layers of unnecessary red tape. As this year comes to an end, I urge colleagues in this House, in the Commission, and especially in the Council, to move beyond old political deadlocks and fears and to objectively assess the social and economic benefits of a Europe free from discrimination, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because we cannot afford not to do it.

Mr President, we speak endlessly of competitiveness in this mandate, yet equal treatment, fundamental rights and democracy are treated as secondary, delayed, compromised or quietly dismantled. This is not only dangerous, it is also expensive. I often speak here about justice, dignity and solidarity, but I've heard that money talks, so today I will for once try to speak this language. Colleagues, we have everything to gain from an equal society. Because what are Europe's democracy, our fundamental rights and our liberal values, if not advantages in a global competition? Let me give you some figures. A recent report from the OECD found that fully eliminating discrimination in Europe could generate up to EUR 500 billion in additional GDP and tax revenue. An even more recent study from the EPRS estimated that adopting the Horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive alone could deliver over EUR 1 billion in benefits in its first five years. We are constantly told that Europe must invest more, grow faster and get more people into employment, yet we are overlooking the potential of a proposal that has been ready for adoption for 17 years. The truth is, failing to harmonise equal treatment legislation means maintaining 27 layers of unnecessary red tape. As this year comes to an end, I urge colleagues in this House, in the Commission, and especially in the Council, to move beyond old political deadlocks and fears and to objectively assess the social and economic benefits of a Europe free from discrimination, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because we cannot afford not to do it.

Mr President, Rabbis for Human Rights write: 'Hanukkah teaches us that light is not passive. It is an act of courage. In moments of fear, violence and injustice, we are called not to retreat into silence, but to increase the light through compassion, solidarity and an unwavering commitment to human dignity and the sanctity of every life.' On the beach where families were celebrating light and miracles, lives were ruthlessly stolen by targeted antisemitic terror toward the Jewish community. They should have been safe. They should have been protected by all of us, by the society we form. But they were not. Amid the immense darkness, there was a flicker of light. Ahmed al-Ahmed tackled and disarmed one of the murderers. He saved lives. Let us stand in solidarity with the Jewish communities – not only with words, but also in actions.

Mr President, Rabbis for Human Rights write: 'Hanukkah teaches us that light is not passive. It is an act of courage. In moments of fear, violence and injustice, we are called not to retreat into silence, but to increase the light through compassion, solidarity and an unwavering commitment to human dignity and the sanctity of every life.' On the beach where families were celebrating light and miracles, lives were ruthlessly stolen by targeted antisemitic terror toward the Jewish community. They should have been safe. They should have been protected by all of us, by the society we form. But they were not. Amid the immense darkness, there was a flicker of light. Ahmed al-Ahmed tackled and disarmed one of the murderers. He saved lives. Let us stand in solidarity with the Jewish communities – not only with words, but also in actions.

Mr President, let me put it plainly. Many men in this Chamber would never accept anyone else legislating their bodies, and women should not have to accept it either. That freedom – her freedom – is what we protect when we vote for 'My voice, my choice', supported by more than 1 million Europeans. A woman's body must never be a political battleground. Yet 20 million people in our Union still lack access to safe and legal abortion. No vote taken here will ever stop abortions. It will only determine if they are safe. One million Europeans have spoken. Now it's our turn. Vote yes.

Mr President, let me put it plainly. Many men in this Chamber would never accept anyone else legislating their bodies, and women should not have to accept it either. That freedom – her freedom – is what we protect when we vote for 'My voice, my choice', supported by more than 1 million Europeans. A woman's body must never be a political battleground. Yet 20 million people in our Union still lack access to safe and legal abortion. No vote taken here will ever stop abortions. It will only determine if they are safe. One million Europeans have spoken. Now it's our turn. Vote yes.

Madam President, thank you very much. Often for over six hours a day, so long are many of our children and young people in the hands of Musk, Zuckerberg, the Chinese regime and other irresponsible tech giants, whose big goal is to get our children and us adults stuck in their addictive web. On their platforms, ridicule and hatred spread faster than hope, lies faster than truth. The EU is the only player in the world that can put hard on tech giants, so let's do just that. We must dare to make demands, take back control, ban addictive algorithms. We need to put people's well-being and woe at the centre, not the right of tech giants to manipulate us. The future is shaped now, and it should be shaped by humans, not by algorithms.

Madam President, thank you very much. ‘Grab “em by the pussy!’ So the most powerful man in the world boasted and got away with it. Our sons' phones are filled every day with voices glorifying men's violence and domination over women. At the same time, I read about the mother of three in Västerås who was stabbed 35 times by her partner in front of her children. Globally, 140 women and girls are killed by a loved one every day. Violence is a pandemic, and we politicians must take responsibility for what shapes boys' and men's views on women, relationships, sex, violence and power. If we do not break this vicious circle now, it will be repeated over and over again.

Mr President, thank you very much. Putin has wrapped the as self-absorbed as unreliable Trump around his little finger. And it threatens not only the existence of Ukraine, but the security of Europe as a whole. We have to make up our minds. Are we prepared to do whatever it takes to defend Ukraine's freedom? Or are we going to keep pretending that we've done everything we can? That is not true. Even though from day one we environmentalists demanded an end to the fattening of Putin’s war fund through our imports of Russian oil and gas, it has taken until now – several years of Russian bombing of Ukraine – to get the rest of you on the train. And even though we environmentalists demand that we take hard action against the political forces that betray the EU by flirting with Putin and his friend Orban, the right continues to cooperate with these very parties over and over again. We need to do more and we need to do it now. Slava Ukraini!

Mr President, thank you very much. There is often a lot of talk about equality. At the same time, the very movements that make gender equality real are attacked and suspected: the women's shelters, which give shelter and a warm embrace when the patriarchy shows its dirtiest face, the abortion rights organizations, which despite murder threats, prison sentences and attacks continue to defend and practically give women the right to decide over their own bodies, the LGBTQ organizations, which conduct banned Pride parades and create safe places and faith in the future, despite Orban and other fascists trying to silence them. It is they and others who make equality in practice, in everyday life, locally, in the streets and squares that are the heroes. They deserve our unconditional support. In resources, in law and in action.

Madam President, thank you very much. In a time where truth becomes relative and facts become opinions, standing up for freedom of expression and the press – and for its defenders – is the most important thing we can do. Gui Minhai is a defender of freedom, a truth-teller, a pioneer and a symbol of the fight against authoritarian oppression. He is also a Swedish citizen, and this year it is ten years since he was kidnapped and imprisoned by the Chinese state. For every voice that the dictatorship tries to silence, we have to raise ours even more. And for every book that the dictatorship forbids, free speech must be defended with even greater force. Our common message is clear. Gui Minhai must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Madam President, thank you very much. October 7 was the biggest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. I have since shared the grief and horror with many Jewish friends. I have shared the fears and anxieties that were a reality even before the Hamas attack but have since become increasingly apparent. The debate repeats that antisemitism in Europe is an imported problem. It is frightening that those of us who represent a Union that was founded in the rubble of the Holocaust can be so historyless. The right of Jews to security, freedom, faith and identity is unconditional and absolute. Our democratic responsibility is to defend that right at all times; always – no matter where the threats come from.

Madam President, thank you very much. Hope is the most powerful feeling there is, and hope is what I was filled with when I walked through Budapest with hundreds of thousands of Hungarians. The Hungarian LGBTQ community, they wandered proudly, straight-backed, convinced that they have the right to be who they are and love who they want. They didn't go alone. Thousands and thousands of other Hungarians joined them. Many of them had never attended a Pride Parade before. But they went out of the house to show in action what solidarity and what courage is. I'm sure a lot of people were scared, but they did it anyway. This is a time for courage. It is a time to strengthen the work against all forms of discrimination. We need horizontal anti-discrimination legislation and we need it now. We have no time to lose.

Mr President, thank you very much. For over nine years, the Swedish doctor Ahmadreza Djalali has been imprisoned by the Iranian regime. He has been tortured for nine years. The possibility of his assassination by the regime is imminent. Sweden and the EU can save his life, but then we must act now and use all the tools available to get him free. The alternative is unacceptable. We must not abandon Djalali. We must not abandon his wife, his children and the thousands upon thousands of people imprisoned without trial in Iran. It's not too late. Ahmadreza Djalali must come home now.

Mr President, thank you very much. It is not possible to bomb peace, it is not possible to starve security, it is not possible to oppress people into submission. Violence breeds violence, hatred breeds hatred. Bombs, people forced to flee, parents who see their children starving to death, neighbors forced into shelters and buried, mutilated siblings do not lead to more security. Not for anyone. It is always civilians who pay the price for the madness of powerful people, who pay the price for our indifference and inability to do the only thing that is the right and long-term best. The great hope in all darkness is people around the world who, after all, refuse to be silenced, who insist, who gather, who protest.

Madam President, thank you very much. Children should be allowed to be children, but every year in the EU more than 1 million children are also forced to be something else: victim, victim, survivor. There are 1 million heartbreaking failures for society, 1 million lives that are always changing, 1 million life-long traumas. In Sweden, there is stronger protection for children against abuse than in many other EU countries, but that is not enough. The road is long to a society that does not fail, a society where the law is unconditionally on the side of the children. With the proposal now on the table, children and young people across the EU will have stronger protection against abuse and exploitation, which is our damned duty as adults and politicians to ensure becomes a reality.

Mr President, thank you very much. It is absurd that today it is possible to buy products that we know can be carcinogenic. It is absurd that the teenager who wants to be nice at an upcoming party risks clicking home a shirt that may affect her chances of having children in the future. Ultra fast fashion It is bad for our health as well as our planet. Fast fashion is a systemic flaw that we, who have the power to set the rules for our internal market, can change. And it's not really that hard. Fashion, and indeed everything sold in our common internal market, can and must be sustainable, for our planet and for us humans. But it takes many of us to rethink, think new and dare.

Madam President, standing by the Mediterranean Sea, which has become the final grave for so many people, Pope Francis asked: 'Who wept for these people who were aboard the boat? For the young mothers who brought their babies? For these men who wanted to support their families?' We are a society that has forgotten how to cry. Pope Francis reminded us of our humanity and asked us to overcome the paralysis of fear, the indifference that kills, the cynical disregard that nonchalantly condemns to death those on the fringes. Pope Francis' daily calls to Gaza and his final will to transform his Popemobile into a health clinic for Palestinians are testaments of his compassionate legacy. He said children are not numbers, they are faces, names, stories and each one is sacred. I will carry his words with me in committee meetings about deportations and into debates about humanitarian aid to starving children. I invite you all to do the same.

Mr President, I would like to thank you. Madam Commissioner, I would like to thank you. President Trump now also wants to dictate the conditions for the EU's diversity work, which is why European companies are being pressured to stop working to identify and capture the skills they need and give more people a chance to show what they can do. This attack shows with desirable clarity that the EU's work against discrimination must be strengthened, not stalled, and therefore the Commission's decision to withdraw the Anti-Discrimination Directive must be reversed. The EU's anti-discrimination work is not just a matter of strengthening the fight and work against discrimination in the EU. It is also an act of resistance. We must continue to stand up for our values, for everyone's right and everyone's freedom.

Madam President, thank you very much. Climate change, democracy in decline, another war on our continent, trade wars and major threats to our security. With Putin, Trump, Musk and Xi Jinping and company, the world desperately needs a counterforce. The EU must be that counter-force. The EU has the opportunity to be the answer to our common challenges. But the EU can only be that if it is a community where democrats stick together. Over the last 100 days, we have seen how the Commission has repeatedly met the far right: loosening and watering down disguised as simplification, delaying and sinking climate goals, anti-discrimination legislation being withdrawn, adopted climate legislation lying at the brink. Competing with Xi Jinping’s communism, Trump’s powerlessness and Putin’s aggression through a ‘race to the bottom’ is not how we, how the EU, become strong. Rights and freedoms are our strength. An uncompromising defence of the rules-based international order is our strength. And our main weapon, it is strong cooperation against all those forces that want Europe to be divided and forced to squat under authoritarian forces.

Mr President, thank you very much. We live in a time of powerful men. Men who conquer, men who use violence to get their will through, men who want to control both land areas and our life mothers. I am thinking of the girls and women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who are paying with their bodies and their lives in the shadow of men's wars over natural resources. I am thinking of the women in Iran who are continuing the fight against the ayatollahs' oppression. I am thinking of the women in Ukraine who, in the midst of a burning war, organise themselves in the fight against men's violence against women. I think of the millions of women throughout history who have risen, organized and fought and pushed through change. If they could, we could.

Madam President, dear colleagues, I take the floor under Rule 39. The right to be who you are, to love who you want and to live your life free from discrimination is a fundamental European right. That right is clearly under attack. At this critical moment, the decision by the European Commission to announce the withdrawal of the horizontal anti-discrimination directive came as a shock. It also represents a betrayal of all the EU citizens who are currently lacking protection against discrimination. It is time for the EU to show global leadership against discrimination, not to back down. As the European Parliament's rapporteur for this directive, I strongly condemn this decision and I urge the European Commission to immediately reconsider it.

Madam President, I would like to thank you for your In many areas of Sweden, violence is now a frightening everyday life. Politically deprived areas where society has left the walkover to the criminal gangs. We are all aware of the problems and everyone knows what are the tools to get to the problems. These are the same tools that the police, social services and schools have been calling for for many, many years. That is, long-term preventive and comprehensive measures that step by step will put an end to the gangs' progress. The SD government's unscientific and populist struggle over who proposes the toughest measures will never get to grips with the violence. Not long-term and not really. Instead, we should listen to the experts in the social services, in schools and in the police and then do what they say. How far will it have to go before we do that?

Mr President, I would like to thank you. The ten people who were murdered in the worst mass shooting in Swedish history are not anonymous figures. It was sisters and brothers, with dreams and ambitions. They loved their children. They were in love. They had favorite dishes. They were people. Teacher Aziza, housing supporter and mother of five Elsa. The baker Bassam, Salim who was getting married. Niloofar, Ali and the other four victims we don't yet know their names. We remember you and we honor you and we mourn you. And remember, it's an act of resistance not to let racism bend, hide behind anonymous numbers and beautiful words that never translate into action.

Mr President, thank you very much. There is much to say, and there is much to mourn. But one thing is for sure: Now is the time for the EU to take global leadership for the climate, for democracy, for human rights, for LGBTIQ people, for women, for investigative journalism and for minority rights. All this is threatened by Trump's far-right henchmen who are in the US, but who are also here in the EU. The same right-wing extremists that the Conservatives repeatedly hook up with and give influence to EU policies. We can't afford your left-wing chatter with right-wing extremists. You have the power to decide whether Europe should be a counterforce that the world needs. Take responsibility.