Speeches

Commissioner, X is, in mathematics, the letter that best symbolises the unknown. It is therefore a very suitable new name for the platform we previously called Twitter. It is unknown because we are less and less aware of the direction of the platform. What kind of content is being promoted? What kind of moderation is being done? The unknown can be resolved, in particular, with the use of two tools of the Digital Services Act: the transparency database on content moderation decisions to learn more about the actions or inactions of platforms in the face of disinformation, and access to data for researchers to understand where it comes from and how disinformation is promoted. To fight disinformation, we need to make sure that all platforms, X and others comply with the rules we have adopted here. If X is unknown, the Digital Services Act is the right tool to find out the end result.

Mr President, there are many immediate challenges ahead of us and they have already been mentioned here today, but that must not make us forget the strategic challenges, such as strengthening our competitiveness. We need to invest more in skills and innovation, making talent our main resource. Our competitiveness in the European Union cannot be based on low wages, the absence of social rights or the use of products made with forced labour. We should also be much more creative in using digital means, including artificial intelligence, in both the private and public sectors to reduce administrative burdens for businesses, which does not mean deregulating the economy or unprotecting workers’, consumers’ or the environment’s rights. On the contrary, it is even a way to make regulation more effective.

Madam President, today I am speaking from here, from Parliament, especially for all the citizens of Guatemala. I address all those who shared with me on the street the hope that corruption will diminish and that Guatemala will improve its international reputation. I am writing to those who expressed their satisfaction at the clear result of elections that were free, as we saw in our mission and the other international missions present. Thank you to all my colleagues who worked on it. But I also speak to those who confessed to me their well-founded fear that the new president, Bernardo Arévalo, and his vice-president, Karin Herrera, will not be allowed to take office. I speak to tell you that we have not forgotten them and we will remain very attentive to what is happening in Guatemala until the end in this turbulent electoral process. I make this special promise to you in the light of the latest regrettable events, which we vehemently condemn, when yesterday the Public Prosecutor's Office violated the integrity of the electoral process. And finally, I speak above all to wish all Guatemalans a better country where democracy is in the end the great winner.

Mr President, even though Latin America is an important trading partner and the part of the world with which we share more values and culture, it has received far less attention from the European Union than other regions. Several recent events and your action, Mr High Representative, have, however, converged to show that we needed each other very much, as was made clear at the last EU-CELAC Summit. I call on us not to miss this opportunity to strengthen mutual trust between the two regions and give new impetus to our relationship, using our creativity to overcome existing difficulties, in particular as regards the ongoing association agreements. The new agenda we are drawing up must lead to a lasting and fruitful partnership on both sides in economic, environmental and digital matters, especially with the digital alliance, thus helping to combat the structural inequalities that poison democracy in so many Latin American countries.

Mr President, Jean Monnet said that Europe was built on crises and it is popular wisdom to hear that we learn from mistakes. This is the case with this Single Market Emergency Instrument, born from learning about the pandemic crisis that caused the closure of borders and showed our dependencies. There are certain critical products that we cannot be deprived of, because of their importance to our lives and our economy, be they medicines or medicines. chips. It is therefore necessary to monitor their availability through more data, interoperability between information systems and mechanisms to intervene in crisis situations. This is a task that can only happen at European level, making the internal market more resilient and the European Union stronger at international level. Today we are taking a step forward in the construction of Europe, in line with Jean Monnet's prediction.

Mr President, buying now and paying later is the name of a form of consumer credit that has become popular: . Apparently, at no extra cost and one click away, it can become a problem when payment is delayed. What had no costs begins to be paid, and it is paid dearly. When the interest rate rises, as it is now happening, we become more sensitive to credit problems. We understand better the importance of preventing unthinking credit and over-indebtedness. That is why, in the revision of this directive, we have extended consumer protection rules, even in those cases that seem to be free of any risk. Even in such cases, we oblige creditors to assess the creditworthiness of consumers. Many small loans can become a big one. Instead of buying now and paying later, it's best to prevent it now so you don't have to fix it later.

Madam President, the process of disqualifying Maria Corina Machado as a candidate for public office for a period of 15 years is unfortunately a repetition, which joins a long list of Venezuelan opposition candidates who have seen these rights taken away, such as Henrique Capriles and Juan Guaidó. In the election observation mission to the elections in 2021, we had the opportunity to verify the deep desire of civil society to participate in electoral processes, but it was clear in our recommendations that one of the major obstacles to fair, free and transparent elections is the abusive role of the Controller General in disqualifying citizens from their right to stand as candidates. That is why we welcome the statements by High Representative Borrell condemning this recurrent behaviour. The European Union has been trying to be a partner on the path to democracy and the rule of law, but we cannot walk alone without the Venezuelan state showing signs of genuinely wanting to listen to the people and hold free presidential elections in 2024.

Madam President, of all the objects we have in our lives, it is hard to think which ones we do not currently need. They're on our phones, cars, appliances, the diabetes meter and even our ID card. The modern economy depends on them and this Regulation on chips helps us secure your supply in two ways: promotes the production of chips in Europe and helps prevent and correct crises in its supply, allowing it to act before the negative impact on the economy and society becomes irreversible. I would like to thank the rapporteur Dan Nica and all my colleagues for the work they have done. It was thanks to a very united Parliament that we were able to secure funding for the research and development of the next generation of chips. The European interest prevailed. We will now fight to replicate this solution in other key technologies so that Europe depends less on others and much more on itself.

Madam President, this technology that we are going to regulate today can be very positive for public policies to detect patterns of addiction in online gambling, predict the influx to hospital emergencies, better manage school failure and prevent it and even European funds. All are projects under development in Portugal. But these advantages have to be looked at carefully, avoiding high risks and discrimination, for example the refusal of insurance to a resident just because he lives in a particular neighborhood, or a smart toy that endangers a child. This legislation is the first in the world to strike a balance between risk prevention and innovation, giving more certainty to businesses working in this area and more trust to citizens. Let us hope, Madam President, that it will be flexible enough to be able to keep up with technological progress and thus remain relevant for a long time to come.

Mr President, when I was little, in my grandparents' village, there was a dark and polluted river in whose water we were not even allowed to touch. A cellulose company had killed the river, killing life on its bed and banks. Everything was apologised to him in the name of the jobs he created in the region. Today this would not be possible, and we know that many companies are actively involved in creating sustainable societies and that we citizens value their corporate responsibility. This directive is for them to be more, to be more of a prevention rather than a remedy, so that they will not one day see their reputation destroyed because intolerable practices have been discovered near here or in some distant world that they even thought was well hidden.

Madam President, Commissioner, every year we see a different version of the same newspaper covers: "A jealous husband does not accept divorce and shoots his wife", "sees deaths on television and tells the victim: “one day it will be you”, leaving her inanimate on Christmas Day, and so on. This is just the tip of the iceberg. It is estimated that one in three women worldwide has experienced violence. The Istanbul Convention sets standards to prevent gender-based violence, protect victims and punish perpetrators. This Parliament has the opportunity this week to take a historic step forward in the protection of European women. I call on all my colleagues, when they vote on this convention tomorrow, to do so on behalf of the Hungarian, Czech, Bulgarian, Slovak, Lithuanian and Latvian women, countries that have not yet ratified it.

Mr President, Mr High Representative, Peru has been experiencing a period of incessant political instability and, as I have rightly said, Latin America and Peru deserve our attention as much as China deserves. Or maybe even more. In the last five years Peru has met six presidents of the Republic, including the first woman, Dina Boluarte, after the constitutional process legitimized by the Peruvian National Congress, a consequence of a self-coup by President Castillo, which led to his arrest. Recently we have seen several demonstrations of protest and a climate of violence with very harmful consequences. The latest reports of the Category: Peruvian defenders They speak of 49 civilians and 7 police officers killed and more than 1,700 injured, as well as various racist-based police actions against indigenous peoples, mainly the Aymara and Quechua, which we can only condemn. If, on the one hand, the European Union and this Parliament must continue on a path of supporting political stability and the rule of law procedures, respecting the Peruvian constitution, we must not at any time neglect to be concerned about possible abuses and violence that could undermine the individual freedoms and physical integrity of protesters and police authorities. We therefore share the concern of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, about this situation and his support for the ongoing investigations into former President Castillo and current President Dina Boluarte, calling for them to be carried out independently and in the light of the separation of powers. Mr High Representative, I want to end with a message of hope. Peru's history dictated that it was a country of unique natural and cultural riches, a multicultural society where 47 languages are spoken and which preserves different peoples and their traditions. I would hope that these peoples could unite, respecting their enormous diversity, as we try to do here every day in the European Union. Perhaps our experience can be inspiring.

Mr President, not allowing the registration of children of same-sex couples born abroad creates enormous uncertainties and jeopardises the rights of children and many families. Parents may, for example, be prevented from accompanying their children to the hospital or from allowing them to go on a simple school excursion. In extreme cases, if a member of the couple dies in a Member State that does not recognise the parental relationship of the other father or mother, the child may lose not one, but both parental figures. We are not talking about fiction, ladies and gentlemen! Today, there are European children who are at risk and who, unfortunately, seem to join those who registered in Milan. The European Parliament will soon, as the Commissioner said, start discussing a proposal aimed at ensuring that fathers or mothers recognised in one Member State are recognised throughout the Union by creating a European Certificate of Parenthood for children. This recognition process should be fast, simple and accessible by digital means, and as JURI rapporteur for this proposal, I will work towards it. I hope that this Parliament and all the Member States will come together in defence of a basic principle: No child should have fewer rights in the European Union because of the way they were conceived or the type of family they were born into.

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, it is good to know that the European Union has at last an assumed and not embarrassed industrial policy to reduce our dependence on what are essential conditions for the green transition, such as solar panels, or for the digital transition, such as semiconductors. An industrial policy forces us to do the same as our competitors: helping our businesses and supporting innovation. They are good objectives for industrial policy if we succeed in being simple and rapid in implementing it, if it does not undermine social and territorial cohesion and if it reduces dependence, it does not mean protectionism, but rather diversification of our trade relations. Closer partnerships with Latin America, giving importance to this region with which we have so many cultural and commercial ties, as I have been advocating in this Parliament since 2019, should therefore be a priority. That's what we expect.

Madam President, in 1916, Emma Goldman was arrested in New York for giving lectures and distributing information on contraceptive methods. After more than 100 years, many women still have to put their freedom at risk for the defence of basic rights. In Poland, Justyna Wydrzynska was sentenced yesterday to eight months of community work just for helping another woman exercise her right to abortion, in a country where it is almost impossible for a woman to have access to this procedure legally. In many other countries around the world, women have struggled hard to see their sexual and reproductive rights recognized. Sometimes successfully, as was the case of Portugal two decades ago and the second time, or, more recently, the case of Argentina, other times ending up in prison. This case deserves the protest of all the European institutions, as we are doing here in Parliament today. And the struggle of these women is also our struggle with which we will always stand in solidarity.

Madam President, violence against women is a persistent plague for which we do not yet have a vaccine. It is estimated that one in three women in the European Union has experienced some form of physical or sexual violence since the age of 15, which affects not only their mental and physical health, but also the health of those close to them, such as their children. The accession of the European Union to the Istanbul Convention would provide a systematic and EU-wide approach to combating this violence. It may not solve everything, but it will be another step towards solving a problem that we cannot give up on. In particular, it would help to ensure that incidents of domestic violence are taken into account when determining children’s rights of custody and access. The Istanbul Convention is more than ten years old and Hungarian, Czech, Bulgarian, Slovak, Lithuanian and Latvian women – the countries that have not yet ratified – should not wait any longer.

Madam President, Commissioner, the problems with political campaigns have always existed, but the digital age has brought new problems that require new solutions. First, it allows lies and false promises to be hidden more easily from those who can scrutinize them. To avoid this, Parliament proposes the creation of a database with all political advertisements online and information on who promotes them, who pays for them and to whom they are directed. This repository is particularly important for the scrutiny and investigation of journalists, academics and authorities. Second, the era online allows you to adjust the lies to those who will hear and read them, thanks to the use of personal data that we all leave behind when we navigate online. To avoid manipulation campaigns, Parliament proposes to ban the use of personal data that have not been explicitly provided by citizens for that purpose. There are also two other aspects that I would like to highlight. To prevent the manipulation of our elections by agents outside the Union, we have introduced a ban on sponsorship of political campaigns by all those who are not Union citizens or residents. Nor do we want this regulation to have an impact on any fundamental right, including freedom of expression and politics. Our Group has therefore demanded that the rules apply only to advertising as such, to that which is provided as a paid service and not to the normal communications of any citizen. Confidence in elections and political processes is one of the essential pillars of the democratic regime. With the report that we adopted in the Committee on the Internal Market, and which I hope will be adopted tomorrow with its ambition intact, we will be making a strong contribution to strengthening and updating our democracy.

Mr President, we are not going to let democracy get out of our hands. These were the words of President Lula da Silva already at the Planalto Palace, after receiving the support of the governors of all Brazilian states, the President of Congress, the Judges of the Federal Supreme Court, in the aftermath of the unacceptable attacks of January 8. To this unexpected moment of broad convergence of Brazilian society, the statements of several world leaders and the international community were added. The imitation game that the pro-Bolsonaro movements made of the Capitol attack in the United States proves to be a repetition of similar far-right methods. The non-recognition of the outcome of democratic elections, the creation and dissemination of false information through social networks, which potentiate extremist positions, and the use of these platforms to organize and encourage such events have become a contagious anti-democratic virus that must be rejected. Europe is not immune to it. This situation is yet another one that shows us the importance of broad collaboration, at a global level, around the regulation needed to ensure a digital democratic model. Dear colleagues, when I saw in the television reports that the painting of Di Cavalcanti's mulattoes or the Brazilian flag of Jorge Eduardo, which I had the pleasure of visiting, were vandalized, I felt that this attack was not only on democratic institutions, it was an unacceptable violation of the culture and memory of Brazil, which left me deeply shocked. It is now important that investigations continue, identifying the direct perpetrators, but also all those behind the instigation and financing of these events. We know how impunity erodes democratic societies. I hope that this joint resolution and the convergence of positions that led to it, and I thank all those who have contributed to it, will be a clear demonstration of this Parliament's solidarity with the Brazilian Government and its legitimately elected President, Lula da Silva.

Madam President, Commissioner, 2023 is starting off well, talking about what unites us to Latin America and not what separates us. We have finally discussed in this Parliament a positive and ambitious agenda, an agenda that strengthens ties with this region, not only in terms of shared values, but also as key partners in trade agreements and cooperation for the environmental and digital transitions in a fair way. I want to highlight from this proposal the Digital Alliance Initiative, which will be presented soon. It would be important to focus not only on competition with China and the United States, but above all on specific actions. That is, in common projects that allow us to use the work we have done on European regulations, such as DSA, DMA, artificial intelligence, as a basis for a common democratic digital model. Or enhance connectivity and data sharing enabled by projects such as BELLA and EllaLink, not forgetting cybersecurity. Latin America is the most natural partner of the European Union. I hope that the path we are beginning here today will lay the foundations for a strengthened relationship in the future.

Mr President, Commissioner, the world of video games has evolved a lot since the time when you blew on Nintendo tapes to make the game work. Today, in addition to consoles and computers, young people and adults play almost all connected to the Internet. If this opened up many opportunities and helped video games become an industry with great economic impact, it also brought some dangers to consumers. I'll highlight just a few. Sometimes the installation of video games is free. The remuneration for the companies results from the collection of personal data, which then feed targeted advertising, or the sale of products, within the games themselves, which requires players to be stuck on the screen. It is therefore important to strengthen parental control, limit manipulative business practices and the collection of personal data in order to prevent negative impacts on daily life, including financial, and even mental health problems, especially in younger people. With this report, Commissioner, we ask you to study the problem and suggest some solutions to ensure that online video games, like old consoles, are a safe time for fun and even learning.

Mr President, 447 million consumers, 23 million businesses and 56 million jobs. Thirty years later, these are the figures for the Single Market and they say a lot about its success. An anniversary is a time to celebrate, but also to look to the future. That is why I have chosen three challenges that we must face. Many professions – architects, lawyers, accountants – still face barriers to the provision of services in the internal market, to the detriment of the professionals concerned and the users of their services. They must be removed. We also need a more ambitious social agenda, levelling out labour and social policies, ensuring that the largest market on the planet is also the one that treats its workers best. And finally, in a Europe that has been so generous in setting up agencies – 48 in total – it is strange, Madam Vice-President, that our concern for consumers, the raison d’être of this market, does not translate into the creation of a European agency for their more effective, integrated and harmonised protection. For 30 years of successes and for all who will come: congratulations to the Single Market and the Europeans who benefit from it.

Mr President, let us all still remember scandals in political campaigns such as Brexit or the Trump campaign. They were linked to foreign interference, but also to new ways, especially digital ones, of campaigning. With the regulation of political advertising that we are working on here in Parliament, we can, all at once, help to correct these two problems. We want to ban the financing of political advertising by foreign actors in the European Union. We want to increase the transparency of campaigns by requiring information on who pays and how much they pay for political advertising and by creating political ad repositories that allow journalists, researchers and public authorities to more easily detect foreign interference. And finally, we want to restrict the targeting of political advertising that, in the famous campaigns I cited, was used to polarize and radicalize many voters, manipulating their emotions with distorted or even completely false information. At a time when democracy is under attack, we must be brave in the remedy. Believe me, that's what we're doing.

At the next Council, energy solutions and economic responses must go hand in hand. We need to extend the Iberian mechanism that has already allowed Portugal to reduce the energy bills of households and companies, by a value of 360 million euros compared to the scenario without this mechanism. We need to put in place joint purchases of gas to achieve more favourable prices and we need to accelerate the structural reform of the electricity market that the Commission has promised. It is families and our economies that we must defend, it is the health of our citizens that depends on the warmth of their homes that we must preserve. That is why the Group of Socialists and Democrats is proposing an energy emergency package, signalling funds for this in the European budget. We hope that the outcome of this Council will alleviate the energy problem we are experiencing, so that European citizens can start the year 2023 with the hope of better days.

Mr President, Commissioner, freedom of movement for people in the European Union is a right for all children, including those who are the daughters of rainbow families. But as is shown in the case of baby Sara, already decided by the Court, the authorities of certain countries refuse to recognise the parental relationship of children of same-sex couples, even when it has already been recognised in another Member State. This creates enormous problems for the lives of these families and seriously affects these children. Parents may, for example, be prevented from accompanying their children to a hospital or even from allowing them to go on a simple school excursion. In extreme cases, if a member of the couple dies in a Member State that does not recognise the parental relationship, the child may lose not one, but both parental figures. The legislative proposal on the cross-border recognition of parenthood, which I hope the Commission will present quickly, must guarantee the protection of the freedom of movement of children from these families, ensuring that parental relations and the rights attached to them are recognised for all and respected throughout the Union. In the European Union, no child can lose his or her rights simply by moving from one Member State to another.

Madam President, five plus five: it was ten years that we had to wait for an agreement to improve the gender balance on the boards of listed companies. How many more will we have to wait for this balance to become a reality, not just in listed companies but in all of them, as something natural, effortless, part of life in a land where men and women share equally? Women make up 60% of new tertiary graduates in the European Union, but only 8% of board chairs are female. This was a great moment for all of us and a struggle that the socialists, in particular, did not let die. A special thank you to colleagues Evelyn Regner and Lara Wolters. We should be proud of this step, but still we cannot ignore the feeling that we are always running late, behind the problem and never in time to avoid it.