Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, you are hypocrites. The deaths at sea are the sole responsibility of the European Union. Goodwill and pro-immigration policies have led to more departures and thus more deaths at sea. Your pathetic slogans for reception are detrimental to migrants and also to the citizens of the European Union. Your attitude towards immigration is embarrassing: on the one hand, talk about humanity, then leave Italy alone, with all the responsibility of welcoming. You gave Erdoğan 7 billion euros. Yet boats continue to sail from Turkey. You speak of European solidarity, but the numbers on relocations are practically ridiculous, there is no rotation of European ports and no one wants economic migrants. Enough of your sympathetic propaganda! Illegal immigration must be stopped and smugglers must be seriously combated. And then, in short, with all this rhetoric and all your hypocrisy, with all the deaths at sea: How do you look in the mirror in the morning?

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union's plan for the environment continues to be a disaster. Commissioner Timmermans, you spoke of a just and fair transition. Well, I don't think so. In short, your measures will lead to the sacrifice of the productive sectors, companies and workers on the altar of an ideology. There will be a further shift of production out of Europe, benefiting big polluters like China. Globally, 33% of total global harmful emissions are China's fault: alone – and I say, alone! – exceeds the sum of the following four economies: United States, European Union, India and Russia. And be careful: It has not yet reached its peak in emissions. To chase Greta's slogans, you want to penalise Europe and its citizens. But most importantly, who pays for these super plans? They will pay consumers with price increases and workers with failure anxieties and social crises we already see. Do you want to give us a Europe that is poorer and more and more subservient to China? I find it a total shame! Nice plan, though, yours. I dossierBut let them vote for the Chinese, because we certainly won't vote for them here.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, talking about violence against women is always very important, but today I would like to bring the case of Saman Abbas to the attention of the House. Saman Abbas was an 18-year-old girl of Pakistani origin who was killed in Italy by her family. The motivation? She wanted to be a free woman. She wanted to choose the man to love and not be forced into an arranged marriage. He wanted to live by dressing as he saw fit, perhaps even without wearing the Islamic veil. She was killed by her family. Yet the extradition of his father from Pakistan is continually postponed, with numerous hearings constantly skipping. It's a shame. We want justice for Saman. Pakistan must bring this murderer to justice and Europe must intervene, and not only for the case of poor Saman, it must intervene for all those women of Islamic faith who choose freedom, who want to live without perhaps the Islamic veil. Among other things, the veil that too often the European Commission carries out also in the advertising and posters of the Commission's activities. I therefore call on Europe to intervene urgently in memory of Saman and for women's rights.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union has forgotten the suffering of the Armenian people and ignores the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. No one considers the situation of the 120 000 Armenians living there. They are closing kindergartens and kindergartens because there is no possibility of offering meals to children. The basic necessities are running out, supermarkets are almost empty, there are no more medicines, fuel and even hospitals are in trouble. How long will the inhabitants of this area be able to resist? This situation, this continuous persecution of Armenians, who are forgotten as weak in the face of the Azerbaijan-Turkey alliance, is unacceptable. It is time for the European Union to have the courage to defend this population and to demand respect for human rights with strong words of condemnation.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I have not gone mad, I ask my colleague because before her someone on the left mentioned Mimmo Lucano, who was probably still here as a model of reception and, since her colleague was talking about reception, I wanted to know her opinion on the condemnation that Mimmo Lucano had and, therefore, also in general to the NGOs that deal with the matter.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, what is the criminalisation of NGOs? Illegal immigration, not as I say, but as Frontex claims, is facilitated by NGOs that with their activity in the Mediterranean help criminals, smugglers and also increase deaths at sea. Because more departures mean more tragedies. You bore us with good words, but where is European solidarity? Where are the relocations? Think that from Italy there have been more than 100, more or less, in the last year. Where is the rotation of ports? But then do we really want to talk about NGOs criminalized after the Qatargate scandal? Citizens are well aware of the real use of some NGOs, often set up for under-the-counter business and money recycling. But, I must say, not only in this European Parliament, but also in the Italian Parliament we have seen the case of Soumahoro, a champion of the left, whose family NGOs, instead of welcoming migrants, did millionaire business and exploited workers. The truth is that the only one to have been criminalized was Matteo Salvini, who ended up on trial with the only fault of having defended the borders and Italian sovereignty, countering illegal immigration and effectively blocking the landings in Italy. We are tired of your rhetoric, of your invitations in Parliament to people like Carola Rackete or Luca Casarini. It is good for the Italian government to want to limit activity outside the rules of NGOs. We are against illegal immigration and we claim it with pride.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, milk + 14%, eggs + 17%, vegetables + 14%, bread and cereals + 14%, cheese + 12%: These are just some of the price increases in one year of food products in Italy. What does the Commission do in Europe? What is he doing? What does he want to do? The impression is that he is asleep. You are too focused on criminalizing producers, farmers, breeders, financing synthetic meat, approving new insects as food of the future, supporting labels such as Nutriscore that penalize our food excellence, or introducing new ones, such as those on cigarettes, but on wine bottles. You are totally disconnected from reality and in this context you have also invented a new regulation on packaging that penalizes the recycling of products. Have you considered the problem for producers and have you considered that the cost will end up on consumers, as is already happening from the figures I have told you?

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, it is very right to discuss the rights of people belonging to ethnic and religious minorities and to guarantee their commitment to respect for human rights. But you have to be honest: For too much ideology you have focused on favoring resolutions, funds, communication campaigns only for certain communities. We have been talking for years about the problem of Islamophobia, according to which for you there is racism towards Muslims, but the real persecuted in the world are Christians, of whom no one talks. More than 360 million Christians worldwide are persecuted because of their faith. In 2021, 6 000 Christians were killed for religious reasons. 16 are killed every day. There are also more than 5,000 churches attacked. The truth is that the European Union and the UN do not open their eyes to a drama that is of direct concern to us. Perhaps, I thought, many of you were more interested in favoring Qatar, which aims at the Islamization of Europe.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, for years we have witnessed sermons, ridiculous fake news, lessons of moral superiority from the left over foreign interference. You created an Interference Committee with the sole purpose of attacking Matteo Salvini, but you found nothing about it. But you did not see, or did not want to see, what was happening in your house; Now the huge Qatari corruption scandal unveils your gigantic hypocrisy. In exchange for money on the Italian and European left, there are those who would have closed their eyes to the violation of human rights. There is also a huge NGO problem. From the interrogations we find that NGOs are used to make money; It is clear that, under the guise of human rights and support for the weakest, parallel structures were created that betrayed those ideals and were used only to make money. The European Parliament must intervene severely and the left must explain and apologise.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Iranian women protest, they risk their lives, they do so with blatant gestures, we can say. Yes, because in Iran taking off the veil or kissing your boyfriend in the square are considered subversive gestures and therefore prohibited. What does the European Union do? Nothing, if not expressing empty closeness, no real condemnation of the Iranian Islamic regime, no real criticism of the abuse of the mandatory Islamic veil, no concrete support for the struggle of women who just want to be free. Your position is shy, but why is it shy? Because for years you have supported and promoted, even with public money, the idea of the Islamic veil as a symbol of freedom. You took a blunder and promoted the wrong model. The Islamic veil is an instrument of oppression, as evidenced by Iranian women tired of violence and religious police orders. Enough hypocrisy, Europe defends the value of freedom and women's rights.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union is increasingly subservient to China. From 2035, in fact, there will be the obligation of the electric car, we will depend on China. The market for electric cars, from batteries to raw materials to rare earths, is in fact a monopoly of the Asian giant. We move from dependence on Russia's gas to that of China practically, to a further dependence on the Asian giant. All this while hiding behind the green, but China continues to pollute and its CO2 emissions account for a third of those worldwide. But also close your eyes to the human rights violations imposed by the Communist dictatorship of the Chinese government. Persecution of political opponents, ethnic and religious minorities. In short, we are tired of your submission to China.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it must be a priority of the European Union to protect the critical infrastructure that is essential for the functioning of our society and economy. In recent years we have seen a significant increase in cyber-attacks, which have put many states in serious difficulty, with serious inconvenience to the essential services of citizens. Greater security must be ensured for those actors, in particular public administrations, who are lately suffering from cyber-attacks and are also at risk of being potential terrorist targets. The interconnection between networks, operators and infrastructures is increasingly global and it is right to expand the sectors involved. In fact, it is good to have included the agri-food sector among those considered to be of greater critical importance, to have reduced the bureaucratic burden for private subjects and to have made measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises. Europe is focusing more on defending its citizens and on the security of EU countries.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, thanks to the new centre-right government in Italy, immigration is once again being discussed in the European Union, and no longer only in Italy. Yes, because in recent years the European Union has been in solidarity but with the borders of Italy. Easy like that! The majority of migrants are economic. Think that the first three nations belonging to immigrants who land in Italy are Egypt, Tunisia, Bangladesh, in short, countries where there is no war. Relief is a duty; The other thing, however, is to increase human trafficking. Italy cannot be the refugee camp of the European Union. I wonder, where is the European Union? Where is the rotation of ports? Where is the relocation of migrants? Since the beginning of August, 44 000 migrants have landed in Italy. Do you know how many have been relocated? 112 between France and Germany. Italy only wants to defend its own borders, which are also those of the European Union. Stop illegal immigration!

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Istanbul Convention is an international treaty to tackle violence against women. Well, today we voted on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023 and there was an amendment calling for the EU budget not to finance any future campaign that could promote the hijab. Well, this House has voted against it. So, on the one hand, you stand in solidarity with the Iranian women who are fighting for their freedoms, including not wearing the Islamic veil, and on the other hand, you have decided that Parliament and the European Union can fund campaigns that promote precisely that veil against which the women in Iran themselves are demonstrating. So, I find it a vomiting hypocrisy and I would ask you at least a little 'consistency out of respect for those many women who are also risking their lives to defend the freedom not to wear the Islamic veil.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, President von der Leyen has said that the Western Balkans belong to the European family, but this statement seems to be dictated more by geopolitical reasons than by real convictions. Europe must work to ensure that these areas do not end up in Russian orbit. In the case of Bosnia, it is necessary to push Bosnian leaders to carry out reforms that they have failed to do in ten years. There is also a great danger in Bosnia: Islamic fundamentalism. It is a Muslim-majority country, with influences from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which finance mosques that are often not moderate. Finally, we cannot underestimate the fact that there is a huge immigration problem linked to the Balkan route, which the European Commission does not address and which can no longer be overlooked.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this is yet another debate in which the European Union focuses on accusing those who dare to fight illegal immigration. Instead of realizing that there is a huge problem, continue criminalizing those who oppose irregular flows. You have done so for years against Minister Salvini, guilty of having defended the borders of Italy and of having collapsed the landings of those who had no right to stay in Europe: He broke the business of hospitality and for that he ended up accused in two absurd trials. But these beautiful souls who are indignant are the same ones who in France with Macron reject the immigrants on the border with Italy and in Spain with the socialists, also using the army, attack the migrants who try to enter their territory in Ceuta and Melilla. In short, you are welcoming with the boundaries of others. You hope for a "free everyone" from Turkey and North Africa, bringing the countries of the Mediterranean and, in particular, Italy to be even more the refugee camp of Europe. You even ask that no distinction be made between refugees and illegal immigrants, but, incredibly, you do nothing to promote the rotation of ports and the relocation of immigrants. In short, no solidarity. Yours is an unacceptable double standard, and it is also one of the reasons why from Sweden to Italy they assert themselves in the centre-right coalition elections. The citizens are tired of your false goodwill and your inability to deal seriously and pragmatically with the problem of immigration.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Parliament's resolution on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union has some, let us say, frankly absurd passages. I read some of them. In the foreword, point (c), write: The pandemic and restrictive measures have led to an increase in racist incidents. In point (f) I read: The health crisis has often been used as a pretext to attack minorities, including migrants and Roma. Still on the Roma, in point (e) I read that they continue to be one of the most vulnerable and oppressed groups in the European Union, without of course ever mentioning the fact that many communities have no intention of integrating. Then there is a chapter in which you argue that there is structural racism in Europe and whole parts about violations of the fundamental rights of migrants, in which you tell us that we must welcome more immigrants, that we are racist, that NGOs that bring irregular foreigners into Europe are criminalized. In practice, you say that anyone who is against illegal immigration should be ashamed. That's absurd! Then you speak, rightly, of the serious phenomenon of violence against women. But nothing – and I say: Nothing! – tell about the situation of women in many Islamic communities where they are forced to wear the veil, a symbol of submission, and are often deprived of many freedoms. Do not even say anything about the Islamization of many European cities, with the spread of sharia. In short, a lot of left-wing propaganda and a total lack of a pragmatic, objective look at various issues mentioned relating, in fact, to the fundamental rights violated. Here, then, do not be surprised if citizens have less and less confidence in a European Union that is actually so ideological.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, 25 September is approaching, the day of the general elections in Italy. The issue of rising energy costs, high energy bills is the topic most felt by citizens. We in the League are clear on this point: We expect Europe to protect, just as it did during COVID, with a shield, with real money, Italians who can certainly not turn off gas, heating or light or block companies. At the same time it is scandalous the attitude of the Italian left, with Letta's party and all its allies, who voted against Italy saying no to clean nuclear and no to gas in the European taxonomy. 400 reactors are active worldwide and 55 are under construction, from Japan to the United States, via France. In Italy, the situation is clear: on the one hand, there are nos to everything, which endanger Italian energy security and, on the other, there are us in the League who want to project our country into the future and efficiency, with new safe nuclear plants and zero emissions.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in a context of war, crisis and serious difficulties for businesses and families, how do you respond? With a package of measures that are pure utopia and absolutely do not respond to European problems. The perspective you are giving us is made up of new European taxes, of a conversion to the electric car that puts entire supply chains out of the way, of new companies that will be on their knees for new taxes related to energy efficiency that will affect both companies and citizens, of new conditions and new obligations that entrepreneurs will not be able to support. In the face of your energy mistakes, respond with further wrong strategies, which risk creating enormous economic and social damage. The European Union contributes about 8-9 % to global CO2 emissions but you act as if Europe has a much higher share. That's absurd! European plans, without support for companies and without incentives for investment, risk compromising our competitiveness. Moreover, I must say that the horizon of the electricity transition jeopardises the employment of entire sectors of the economy.automotive. Relying on technology totally in the hands of the Chinese, who control 80% of the raw materials needed to produce batteries, is a resounding mistake. Internal Market Commissioner Breton admitted, I have to say many months late, that switching to electric cars could mean hundreds of thousands of jobs being destroyed along the supply chain. Well, he's got it! And all this while the rises in energy and raw materials prices are sinking companies. Europe is building a future that will find us subservient to the Asian giant: This is not what European citizens are asking for. Before I heard someone say that with this vote we will change history. Unfortunately, history has already changed and you have chosen not to be on the side of the European citizens.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, many reports in Communist China point to the horrendous practice of taking organs from prisoners belonging to religious groups, political opponents, ethnic and linguistic minorities. This consolidated system has been a reality for decades, it is a crime against humanity, but unfortunately the Chinese regime is not interested in respect for human rights. The government detains as many as two million Uighurs and other minority groups in a system of internment camps where detainees are forced to work, torture and are often also killed. For decades now, Christians have faced persecution and discrimination such as the closure of churches, the arrest of priests, and the ban on the spread of Bibles. In this context, Europe often remains culpably silent. He prefers to make trade agreements with China without bringing out the issue of human rights, freedom and democracy in the slightest. Unfortunately, I see the European institutions as too subservient to the Chinese regime. We need strong actions, pressure actions and a blockade of imports of any goods made with forced labour. We cannot continue to close our eyes to these atrocities. I therefore call on the European Union to regain some dignity, to beat its fists on the table with China and finally to assert human rights.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are here for the umpteenth time to discuss the human rights violated in Turkey. Free voices, as in the case of Osman Kavala, are silenced. In the country of Sultan Erdogan we see the systematic imprisonment of those who defend freedom and those who dare to criticize the government. In Turkey, Christians and other religious minorities are persecuted and international obligations arising from its membership of the Council of Europe are constantly violated. In recent times, women's rights have also seen a worrying tightening, with associations dissolved because they are at odds with religious morality. Turkey must make concrete progress in respect for law, democracy and fundamental rights, and it must do so immediately. We are here for the umpteenth time to say that Turkey is not Europe. Turkey cannot be part of the European Union and all accession negotiations must be halted. We call on the Commission and the Council to put an end to all funding to the Turkish Government, which over the years, especially with the Pact on Migration, has in effect seemed to be shameful blackmailing us.

Ladies and gentlemen, look, the only one who has to apologise here is you. Go to Poland and Hungary to see how the children who are fleeing the war are there. And then let's talk about who really needs it. There are people who don't want to follow the rules. Maybe you didn't notice? I go to Roma camps, I go there, and unfortunately too many times I see children who do not go to school and are forced to carry out criminal activities. However, for information, I am a woman, I am a mother of two children, I am a Christian and with pride I will always reiterate here, within this Parliament, my thoughts for which I was elected by the Italian citizens.

I would like to thank my colleague for talking about discrimination. That's exactly what I was talking about. In fact, in this Parliament, there is persistent discrimination against all those who are not Roma, and this is what we are talking about. Because carrying out favorable treatments regarding the home or other benefits for one community rather than the other, especially in a context of war, means discriminating against people who are really suffering at the moment. (The speaker agreed to answer a blue card question)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are in a context of very violent war: This is a time of extreme difficulty for businesses and households affected by the energy and food crisis. What is Parliament discussing? The situation of marginalised Roma communities in the European Union. Let's say that, in short, the European Union really focuses on priorities, right? But it's not the first time. During the pandemic, we were asked to vote on a proposal entitled ‘Combating negative attitudes towards people of Roma origin in Europe’. But it's not over here. In November 2021, we discussed police brutality against Roma. In short, the Roma community periodically seems to be the only emergency for Europe. Yet I asked a question, in response to which I found that, under the 2014-2020 European Social Fund, EUR 1.5 billion, of which more than EUR 108 million in Italy alone, was earmarked for the socio-economic integration of communities such as the Roma. In addition, for the same period, €1.4 billion from the European Regional Development Fund was allocated for inclusive growth, including Roma communities. In short, I do not believe frankly that there is the urgency of wasting billions of euros, moreover in this context, for those who very often are in the news for consolidated criminal activities. Among other things, I do not think it is even right for Roma to be given preferential treatment for access to work and housing. I myself visit Roma camps in Italy, where some children are not sent to school to be unfortunately directed to activities such as theft and snatching. Here everyone talks about inclusion and the fight against marginalization, when instead every day we find Roma communities that, almost proudly, say that they absolutely do not want to integrate. In short, we are facing an unprecedented crisis: pandemic, war, energy crisis, food crisis. A serious Europe should focus on many other issues. (The speaker agreed to answer a blue card question)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the tragedy of the Ukrainian people must lead us to focus on welcoming those fleeing the war. Countries alongside Ukraine, such as Poland and Hungary, have exemplary behavior. Among other things, the same countries that here were considered by the majority to be unsympathetic. Here, we of the League are very clear: It is right to welcome those who run away from wars. But there is a certain left that exploits a tragedy to fuel another principle, and that is that it is right to welcome anyone, regardless of whether they come from a war or not. Consider that in Italy, for example, most of the landings come from Egypt, Bangladesh and Tunisia, all countries where there is no war. We must stop with the kindness of a certain left, according to which we should bring all the economic migrants arriving from Africa who then, in the end, remain in Italy because they do not go anywhere else. In short, illegal immigration unfortunately only brings social hardship, poverty and crime, so it makes no sense for Europe to continue to stimulate it.