Speeches

Madam President, While the military regime in Sudan and its militias have nonviolently murdered demonstrators week after week, the democracy movement remains peaceful in its demands for a military resignation and the establishment of a civilian and inclusive transitional government. This democratic movement actually represents Sudan, not the military that took power. Regimes like this Sudanese military regime are chasing those people into flight who then try to reach Europe in often life-threatening ways. We must therefore also make it clear in all our statements that we will not allow our commitment to democracy for Sudan to be bought off with any deals to combat refugees. Europe must remain firmly on the side of the Sudanese people and strengthen their backs by acting clearly and without compromise against the military and militias of those in power.

Madam President, Commissioner! Dear colleagues! Thank you for this important report. The aim of SLAPPs is not to question a legal opinion in a fair trial, but simply to intimidate and silence critical voices. Whether multi-groups against environmental organisations, governments against critical journalism or brand companies against animal welfare organisations - all cases have in common: It is about exploiting power and choking off critical voices that play such an important role in the health of our democracies. SLAPPs not only incriminate the defendants themselves, but also have an intimidating effect on all other critical voices. So they have the power to change our democratic societies negatively in the long term. We must therefore show a clear boundary to those who think they can abuse our legal systems for their own purposes. And this requires an EU legal framework, which – this request now goes to the Commission – allows, firstly, that SLAPPs can be rejected as early as possible in the future in order to protect accused persons and organisations and also our courts from unnecessary litigation; secondly, that actions that have already been exposed as intimidation actions in one Member State cannot be brought back to justice in another Member State; and thirdly, to raise awareness among court staff and allow defendants to receive legal, psychological and financial support and compensation.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe has made itself blackmailed because we do not live up to our own moral values as soon as it matters. We provide the necessary breeding ground for the attacks of the Belarusian regime – or Turkey itself a few months ago – through the voluntary self-assembly of our European rule of law model. The EU should now act directly, the illegal Push-backs must be terminated. Nor do we need barbed wire fences, but legal opportunities for asylum applications to prove that we remain true to our values, including – and especially – when it becomes difficult. Many people have already died on the Belarusian border. No one knows the exact number, because no one gets access to the border regions for a control of the processes. We are well on our way to allowing rights-free spaces at the EU's external borders where human rights no longer apply. But if we give up the fight for democracy at our external borders, we ourselves have undermined one of the most important cornerstones of our EU – the rule of law. Is it really what we want?

Mr President, Commissioner, esteemed representatives of the Council, ladies and gentlemen! How long can you watch if something is going in the wrong direction? A university was expelled from the country, the freedom of the press was massively reduced, hate campaigns against independent journalists were stoked, hard-won women's rights were massively curtailed, attacks against the independence of the judiciary, people are simply loudly equated with pedophiles because of their sexual orientation. So people are discriminated against from the top, and at the same time the space for critical voices is massively restricted. Thinking should be brought into line with that of the Orbán government. Is that democracy? Is this still our Union? No, certainly not. Therefore, the Article 7 procedure against Poland was launched three and a half years ago, and a few months later against Hungary, both of which have not yet been successful. Both the Commission’s Rule of Law Report and the many convictions by the CJEU speak clearly. The rule of law and the dismantling of democracy in Hungary is systematic and very advanced. How long do you want to watch in the Council? When will you finally use the instruments we have in the Commission? My urgent appeal today: Please put an end to this downsizing of the European idea. Defend our open, liberal society with all your strength. Civil society in these countries needs our watchful eyes, but above all it needs our actions.

Madam President, Commissioner! July 28 marks the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Convention on Refugees. They have given refugees clear, human rights-based rights around the world for good reason. However, a look at the situation at our external borders shows that we do not live up to this claim in the least. European asylum policy has resulted in the most serious human rights violations: systematic pushbacksMass deaths in the Mediterranean and completely inhumane conditions in first reception centres, as I only had to see again two weeks ago on Lesvos itself. Violations of law such as pushbacks However, there is also within the Union, as recently shown by a judgment of the Landesverwaltungsgericht Steiermark (Regional Administrative Court, Styria), my home country. This shows that people in illegal chainspushbacks were pushed back from Austrian soil via Slovenia and Croatia to Bosnia. Asylum and migration is one of the major issues for the future of the European Union. The call for a common solidarity solution is therefore not unrealistic, but indispensable for a good future in Europe. And to stand up for it has nothing to do with blue-eyedness, but it is blue-eyed and even dangerous to believe that peace in Europe can be maintained in the long run through division and exclusion.