Speeches

Mr President, times are changing and new emerging challenges, such as digitalisation and climate change, are highly affecting the way we work. On top of this, the pandemic, as not only a general health crisis but also an occupational health issue, has shed light on old and new challenges. Some economic sectors have been major vectors for the spread of COVID-19. It’s unacceptable that workers remain exposed to risks that put their health and even their lives in danger. Prevention to secure safety and health at work is key. That is why I support the ‘vision zero’ approach to work-related accidents and diseases presented by the Commission last year. Unfortunately, the Commission failed to propose appropriate measures and, as a result, its proposal lacks ambition. This report, however, is ambitious, which is why our group is happy to support it. The report calls for legislation that is more stringent towards the so-called ‘old risks’, such as exposure to hazardous substances like asbestos, for instance. The report also identifies fields in which we urgently need new legislation to address the growing cases of stress, burnout and other problems. Therefore, we call on the Commission to legislate on telework, the right to disconnect and psychosocial risks, and to produce clear guidelines for Member States and employers on the protection of persons with disabilities at work. Finally, yet importantly, we call on the Commission to look into the potential risks due to climate change in occupational settings. Only when doing so, can we adapt our labour markets to the needs of these challenging times.

Mr President, dear colleagues, in front of you stands a proud Member of the Parliament. Thanks to the persistency of this Parliament, we achieved a big step forward in the protection of workers from occupational exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxins. The biggest step forward entails the intention of the aforementioned directive with reprotoxic substances that adversely affect the ability of men and women to reproduce, and pose a threat to fertility. Protection against exposure to these substances is now legally covered. This is important for almost two million workers across the EU prevailing in sectors varying from agriculture and care, to petrochemicals and maintenance services. This update also provides more and better training for care workers on the potential hazardous impact of exposure to hazardous medicinal products. This is highly important for the millions of carers handling these products, such as oncology nurses. They put their own health in danger for saving the lives of others, whereas there are ways to protect them. But the work is not done yet. As Greens, we are looking forward to keep on seeking better protection. We look forward to future updates – 25 additional substances are still to be included and we need to establish a risk-based methodology to set exposure limits. We cannot allow that even one single worker gets sick or even dies due to a lack of protection. We need to care for those who care for us.

Mr President, thank you first of all, dear Mr Benifei, and thank the shadows for a cooperative atmosphere during the process and negotiation. A high number of toys on the market are unsafe and can harm children, and this is unacceptable for us as Greens/EFA. This is why we are asking for an ambitious revision of the Toy Safety Directive that should guarantee that our kids are safe when playing with their toys. Mr Beneifei’s initiative report will give some good guidance for that revision. As Greens, we are happy to see the amendments were accepted in the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), such as adaptive toys. We stress the need to develop ambitious standards for adaptive toys that allow children with disabilities to enjoy and interact with toys they may not be able to otherwise. Second one, going beyond children’s age limit for chemical toxicity, specific limit values for any chemicals and toys can be set. However, these limit values only apply to toys for children under the age of 36 months and toys indeed intended to be put in the mouth. Yet chemical toxicity does not vanish when a child reaches the age of 36 months. Smart toys are very important. So far the directive does not cover internet-connected toys. We have therefore highlighted new vulnerabilities and risk posed by connected toys in terms of childrens’ safety, security, privacy and mental health. Further gains are improving data collection, ambitious standards, the prohibition of CMR chemicals should have no derogation detecting unsafe toys, online sales of toys and addressing grey zones. Thank you for your support tomorrow during that vote.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Sudan is a country riddled with crises, dictatorships, uprisings and people fighting democracy. The Sudanese are willing to sacrifice an incredible amount to free themselves from the military dictatorship. With the peaceful protests, they take on a very heavily armed army. The country seems to be trapped in a cycle of never-ending military dictatorship, dirty politics. But the Sudanese have never stopped believing in democracy and fighting for it – brave people trying to resist the military. But Sudan's generals won't let up. Without hesitation, General Abdel Burhan has dissolved the transitional institutions he led himself, had the civilian government arrested and imposed a state of emergency. It is a military coup, even though Burhan has already been in power, but he wants even more power. The protests in 2019 to overthrow the long-term dictator Bashir were a stellar moment of the revolution. The protest movement was sure of victory. She thought, with the support of the world, that she could also take the last steps towards a new democratic Sudan. Unfortunately, she was wrong. The generals became more self-confident again after a period of shame, and now they are making the U-turn, a so-called rollback. And overall, the impression is rather pressing that Sudan's democracy movement stands here in parts damn alone. The courage of the protest movement is all the more impressive and deserves more than just verbal solidarity. And we in the European Parliament also call in our resolution for an immediate end to the use of force, independent investigations and the withdrawal of the current emergency regulation. There must be no immunity for the use of force and crime. Freedom of expression and assembly must be guaranteed. The EU and the Member States should apply the EU rulebook for human rights defenders and intervene everywhere: Prison visits, process monitoring, issuing emergency visas. Cooperation with Sudanese security agencies and border guards should be discontinued without delay, as there is a risk that they will be better equipped to cooperate with the EU and that they will use these capabilities to repress their own people. We have to prevent that.

Mr President! Dear Commissioner, Dear Gabriele Bischoff and Mr Schmit, to clarify once again which persons are at stake here. Social justice is the putty that holds together a society, a company, a European Union. And if this doesn't exist, this putty shatters, then we have a democracy problem. Democracy means participation, democracy is co-determination. Then I understand processes, processes, decisions, so what are they doing up there in Brussels or in my local parliament? If processes are understandable, if I am involved from the beginning, whether as an apprentice or as a long-term employee, then I can be of benefit to my company, to society. Participation is an integral part. If we have diverse companies, people with diverse stories and biographies, then a society can not only become strong, be strong, but also be healthy. After all, life does not end with leaving the office, but there is also a life after office time or working hours. I am therefore very pleased – I come to the end – about this report. Thank you, dear Gabriele and dear shadow rapporteurs, for this important mark-up and we hope that it will be voted on by a large majority tomorrow.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, the situation is too dramatic to be ignored. That is a shared consensus. All the reports of brutal sexual or gender—based violence, including gang rapes, sexualised torture and ethnically motivated sexual violence leave the world’s public and me, as a woman, shocked. This systematic use of violence, which leaves wounds for generations, must stop. My call to the head of government Abiy Ahmed, and all who are currently in charge or involved in this conflict: do not further manoeuvre yourself and the country into the international sidelines. Do not look for false new international friends. Serious human rights violations cannot be hidden from the eyes of the global public and the judiciary. In the long run, those responsible will certainly be held accountable. This is not a threat. How could I? But in other wars and conflicts and a reminder of what courts are increasingly prepared to do in the future in the context of universal jurisdiction. Therefore, let’s break the deep—seated pattern of human rights violations. Let’s end this war. Let’s improve the humanitarian situation.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, On Wednesday we will vote on the PETI report on the protection of persons with disabilities through petitions – title: . ? No, no! Otherwise, my colleague Stelios Kympouropoulos would not have to sit up there while we speak on this podium. The hall is still not barrier-free, wheelchair-accessible, and the podium is still not accessible to all people. And that's not a shame, that's a disgrace to this House! Only at the beginning. Following the EMPL opinion on the PETI report – many, many thanks, ladies and gentlemen – I was shocked to read how much is still at stake and what has not yet been done. The petitioners’ most frequent concerns here are access to information and the environment. Just a week before Ms Ursula von der Leyen's annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament, I was made aware that there was no interpretation into sign language. I immediately went to the translation service and asked for this interpreting service and asked for interpretation. Nothing came back there either. President Sassoli – thank you very much for your initiative – has campaigned for this, unfortunately without success. When this annual State of the Union address was prepared, no request for interpretation into international sign language was made. I ask: Why not? Why were 23 other languages automatically applied for, but not the international sign language? The State of the Union address is a means of informing people living in the EU about the state of play and plans. Should people with hearing impairments not be informed and participate in political processes? I ask you, ladies and gentlemen here in the House, in the Commission and in the Council, to stop always hiding behind these strategies, positions and political half-will. An inclusive European society must be a matter of course and not a formality. The presentation of female athletes in the European Parliament, that is perhaps good willBut it's not inclusion, that's a drop on the hot stone.