Debate contributions by Margarita DE LA PISA CARRIÓN

Mr Nardella, the simple fact that we are talking about competitiveness, the simple fact that the Commission has to present this Compass demonstrates the failure of the previous mandate. I repeat: the Commission maintains its chairmanship. How is someone who has disoriented us going to help us find our way?

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this Compass, like Jack Sparrow's, does not point north. Makes us stay in the storm. Industry, the countryside and the citizens have been deceived. A rectification was hinted at in the campaign, but there is no intention of amendment. In the face of the devastating effects of their policies, the answer is always the same: more ambition, more Green Deal, more decarbonisation. We already know the result! Stop trying to run our lives. We don't need more regulation or hindrances. We need freedom to create, to grow and to thrive. In the face of decadence and absolute control, in the face of subsidy culture and confrontation, we are committed to a Europe of opportunities with legal certainty, less bureaucracy and taxes, respect for private property, decent work. Let's encourage initiative. Let's reward talent. Let's trust it. Each of us can contribute to a future of hope. Let's make Europe great again.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a plant that is not watered dries up. To begin with, very few places are offered to young people to access these studies. It also fosters a culture that does not value life and discredits care, service to others. This is also how the health professions are discredited. It is about breaking the doctor-patient trust; They are intended to impose visions against their vocation to heal people. They are the support of our health systems, but they are overloaded with endless days, without receiving the right conditions or remuneration according to their qualification. Many are forced to leave and those left are broken. About 52% of health workers have at some point suffered from the so-called burnout. This is not the case with other professions. This crisis was coming. And what has been done? It's a time of less ideology and more common sense.

Madam President, Commission, ladies and gentlemen, more than a thousand executions have been carried out in Iran in 2024, including 34 women. It is no coincidence that it is a country where a regime of radical Islamism prevails, whose laws already violate the human rights and dignity of people, especially women. Iran's history has long been marked by major massacres. The police of the terrorist regime of the Ayatollahs kill women by beatings and torture for such trivial things as showing the hair or wearing the shawl badly. It is incomprehensible that, when some of us try to denounce the atrocities of Islamic fundamentalism – which also sneaks into Europe through illegal immigration – we are accused of hate speech. It is precisely the current policies of the European Union in unlimited defense of multiculturalism that legitimize this ideology that commits actions such as the executions we condemn today. I call on the European Union to be forceful in its condemnation of radical Islamism, both inside and outside our borders, in order to definitively defeat criminal regimes such as Iran and thus restore freedom to the Iranian people.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the demographic crisis is yet another symptom of the social and cultural depression we are suffering. An existential pessimism promoted, undoubtedly, by the ideological lines that have been tried to impose from the international institutions in recent years; Among them, a radical feminism that defies a natural order, confronts man and woman, denies motherhood, poses fertility as an inconvenience and gives no value to life. With this lack of common sense, wrong economic policies have also been decided, which have promoted the loss of purchasing power, poverty and the lack of opportunities to start a life and start a family. There are many couples who long to have more children. However, instead of finding support, they see how only immigration and, in addition, uncontrolled immigration is encouraged. There are many Europeans who support political parties like mine - Vox, in Spain - to say what they say here in this House is hate speech. We are proud of our Christian roots and we want to preserve them, we think that the family is the pillar of society, we see the blessing and beauty of each new life, the joy of full parks, young Europeans...

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Saint John Paul II already predicted that the success of this conference depended on offering a vision of women's true dignity and aspirations. Then there was talk of women and girls. It wasn't questioned who we are, like today. There was talk of equality between women and men, not gender. It defended the empowerment of the role of women in society in accordance with their natural desires, not deforming or losing the unique wealth of our femininity. Because equality doesn't mean looking like man. This impoverishes both us and society. The active participation of man was sought as an ally, not as an enemy. This Recommendation is not true to this original spirit. He presents us as perpetual victims. It makes us feel guilty when we don't choose according to the dictates of radical feminism. It contrasts the well-being of women with the wonderful fact of being able to give life, thus despising fertility and motherhood, as if they were forms of oppression instead of gifts. I invite all of you to offer an inspiring look. Let's accept the beauty of being a woman. Let us recognize that, just by being who we are, we are able to enrich the understanding of the world and truly contribute to the full truth of human relationships. Our society needs us more than ever.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, our priority, the priority of our society ahead of others, as pushed in this House as the green or digital transition, should be to address disability. But we limit ourselves to these debates. The first thing should be to offer minimums to those living with a disability and their families: early care, education, removal of barriers, job opportunities, technological solutions - there is so much to do - but we know this is not the case. We know of cases that should embarrass us. We can not be calm until we know that every person who needs assistance to live receives it without depending on the fact that they can afford the enormous expenses that their day to day entails. It is dramatic that they are even exposed to the gloomy situation of the supposed solidarity of euthanasia. Do they realize the consequences of questioning a person's life?

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the application of the sharia – the basis of the Islamist regime in Iran – is a reality that some here dare not condemn, even leaving it out of the text. Ignoring the role of the sharia distorts the root causes of brutality against women in Iran. I therefore ask you to support the amendment by the Patriots for Europe Group in this regard. Recognizing the causes is not xenophobia, it is essential to save lives, both in the countries of origin and here in Europe. We are also concerned about the open-door policy that matters to Europe. The women of Iran are very clear: We must consider the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization and abandon relations with the Iranian regime and listen to the people. Listen to them, to the women. It is women who, with great courage, are pushing for real change for freedom and democracy. This Parliament must abandon its hypocrisy and stand united in the face of this scourge. It is regrettable that due to the demands of the Renew and Greens/EFA Groups we have been excluded from the joint resolution. We will not stand by women if these actions are not carried out.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, energy poverty is a consequence of the policies of this House, supported by many of you, which have made us dependent on third parties or on non-continuous sources. It is a shame that we repeat a presidency of the Commission with an ideological line that has led to misery for families and businesses and that, as you announced today, you will maintain. It is offensive that this presidency has Teresa Ribera, who has not only led Spain to a critical energy situation (she has dismissed herself from her position as minister closing the Almaraz nuclear power plant) but is also responsible for implementing environmental policies that have aggravated the natural catastrophe in Valencia, which has taken more than two hundred lives and could have been prevented. Each state must shape its own energy mix to ensure energy autonomy with an affordable price and abundant supply. Unrealistic targets have been set that do not address the geographical specificities or needs of each region. It is an enormous hypocrisy to hold this debate on energy poverty when there is no intention to correct the causes that cause it.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today the women of Europe live in fear. It is dramatic an aggression in an environment of trust, as it is not able to live with tranquility in the public space. I want to believe that we are all doing everything we can to prevent this from happening, but, ladies and gentlemen, the reality is that it is not being successful. In Spain, for example, the number of sexual assaults has increased by 14% per year in the last decade. And while, we live with inconsistencies like these: reduction of sentences for people who have committed heinous crimes, complicity with certain aggressors for political expediency, public denunciations incarnated by a kiss and silence in the face of rape in packs. This demonstrates what we have said before: gender ideology is not effective in reducing aggression; He even goes so far as to protect criminals, presenting them as victims of the heteropatriarchy. The aggressor will say that he is violent because the heteropatriarchal system has made him violent and, thus, his individual responsibility for the aggressions committed will be diluted. Sounds like the Spaniards, doesn't it? In my country we have been more than twenty years of Violence against Women Act Rather, it has served to turn women against men, but has not reduced the number of victims. Leave the ideological battle behind and truly stand on the side of women.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, one, two, three, four days without help. Caught by more than two meters of water on the way home. Crucial hours to have been able to save completely wasted lives. In the face of this, there is no justification. There isn't. It is petty that Mr. Sanchez should say to them: If they want help, ask for it. It was clear that help was needed. It was clear that immediate action was needed. Offering help is not an option. It was an obligation. Denying the right to relief is criminal, especially for those who have responsibilities and resources, such as a national government. Fifteen days later the response is still insufficient. Go to Valencia, watch the videos and you will see that those who try to clean this slimy mud are desperate neighbors with volunteers who did not hesitate to react in the first second. Not like institutions. A youth that is frightened to see the reaction of these adults, of their leaders.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, strengthening the rail sector in Europe. In Spain we did not even get it to work; the current management of the government is disastrous. Renfe, our main operator, has left behind its prestige and is now synonymous with chaos and inefficiency and even danger to people. Last week a train derailed in Madrid and no one has taken responsibility. There are services canceled without explanation, chronic delays, lack of maintenance, let's not talk about investment... This leaves thousands of citizens stranded: It deprives them of a service that is basic to their daily lives and key to territorial cohesion. European funds for rail transport are being mismanaged. Citizens see their tax dollars thrown away. So much talk of the Green Deal, of emissions, of restricting the entry of cars into cities, and means of transport like this - which many of you would consider clean - are left abandoned. It's a tremendous inconsistency. It shows how at the political level there has been more concern to push an ideology than to preserve, to build, what should be everyone's heritage. It is imperative that urgent action be taken to restore the efficiency and reliability of the railway sector. We need a clear commitment to properly manage resources and ensure a service that meets citizens' expectations to be interconnected, both at national level and between major European cities.

You said men can decide to do whatever they want. I don't think that's entirely true, do you? If a woman makes the decision to go ahead with her pregnancy and have that baby – something that happens and I agree with that – the father has an obligation to take care of the baby. So, if we assume the obligation of the father to take care of that baby, why do you think that he does not have to have an opinion, in this case, of abortion and that it is only a thing of women? Excuse me, it's a basic biology lesson, but children have a father and a mother.

For my part, I would like to know what your position is on abortion. Would you limit it to cases where the woman's life is at risk or do you talk about an abortion in other situations? In what cases, for example? What stadiums? What assumptions? Because I think it is manipulated here by talking about situations where women's lives could be at risk, which, as we have said, is a completely different case from the one that many of you are trying to defend or in this House are trying to defend. Bringing up these cases where the woman's life is in danger is a manipulation. I ask him: What is your position on abortion? That it be limited to cases where the woman's life is at risk or a free abortion, without limit of deadlines, without assumptions? How long? Until the baby is born? I would like to know your opinion in that regard.

I start by thanking my colleagues, because you are giving me an opportunity to exchange views with you on a topic that you know I am very concerned about: Thank you for this opportunity. Do you realize, Irene, the social impact of abortion legislation like the one that exists in Spain? What message are we conveying to society, to children, to women, when we point to fertility as a problem, when we point to pregnancy as a problem? It's closing his arms, it's telling him: You are not welcome. I want a society that embraces life, that celebrates life, that celebrates women's fertility, not that is against women.

When a woman's life is at stake, no one questions that there is a decision in that regard. I don't know exactly all the details of what happened there. But when there is a risk to a woman's life, Polish law provides for such a situation. If you would like to collaborate with medical professionals, who are tried to be set aside, who are not even given the freedom of conscience... In hospitals, medical advice is usually given and that medical advice requires the deliberation of more than one health professional and among those professionals. In Poland, whether abortion is protected when a woman's life is at risk depends on a medical decision made in a hospital. With my colleagues here in the European Parliament I have had the opportunity to visit Poland and see what I say.

I think a woman's right is to be protected in her pregnancy, to be able to welcome her baby. We know that where there are permissive legislations, where there is the simple proposal of abortion, the woman feels pushed to abort. I do not see you concerned about this situation of women, which is a real discrimination: that a woman cannot take her children because of a complicated economic situation or lack of emotional support, often from a man, or because she has to avoid seeing a pregnancy after an aggression. I don't see them concerned about those situations where abortion is being imposed in some way. The simple proposition of abortion puts pressure on women. Women want to be protected, they want to be welcomed, they want to be able to say "welcome" to their baby.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the conclusions of the United Nations regarding Poland and its legislation on abortion are very worrying. They represent a clear interference in the sovereignty of a country to impose an agenda that violates the most fundamental right: the right to life. There is no right to abortion. They invoked a 1979 convention on discrimination against women that made no mention of it at all. It is a shame that the United Nations believes that it can demand from States legislative changes contrary to its own Constitutions, that references be invented, that they try to manipulate cases where women's lives are at risk. It's not these women they're worried about. Be clear: They seek free abortion, without assumptions or deadlines. Polish law is an example of engagement with the most vulnerable: the unborn child and its mother. Don't pretend to confront them. Legislation in other states, increasingly permissive to abortion, promotes the abandonment of pregnant women, who are not offered alternatives and are pressured into this irreversible and dramatic decision. Abortion is a failure. Although they want to disguise it as a health service, it is contrary to the vocation of doctors to heal and care. It is incomprehensible that they are being pushed to act contrary to this principle. Where will the doctor's trust be with the patient? I call on the United Nations to restore the original meaning of human rights, where the right to life and the dignity of the person are unquestionable.

Mr President, Commissioner Schinas, ladies and gentlemen, 11 million children and adolescents suffer from mental health problems in the European Union. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death between the ages of 15 and 29. It's very worrying. What are we doing wrong? Why are our young people losing the illusion for life and suffering? We are facing many changes that can affect us. Family, which plays a crucial role in emotional stability, seems to have lost its social value. Do you know the difficulties we have to overcome when we have not enjoyed a childhood of security and trust? Let us also think about the confusion that is often promoted around identity. How can they find their place in the world if they are made to doubt who they are? Loneliness, addictions, hypersexualization, coexistence with the digital world: These and many other issues need to be analysed in depth in order to give young people the future they need.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I understand that abortion harms women and that women should receive support and alternatives. But here it has been said that maintaining a pro-life stance is intolerable and that such speeches should not be allowed. My way of thinking is not accepted in this House. Moreover, they point to all those who think like me as aggressors of human rights. Many of you would take me out of this House because of the way I think. I'm accused of being an extremist. So what do you suggest? Do I cease to exist so as not to disturb them? Freedom of conscience, thought and religion are being violated in Europe against those of us who do not assume the single thought they want to impose on us.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, today we are concerned about the women of Iraq; at the previous plenary session, those of Afghanistan; And Iran, how are the women there in Iran? What or who legitimizes assaults on women? Who forces them to cover their body and face? Who forces girls to marry at age nine? We all know that. Ladies and gentlemen, in Iraq, in 2021, 22% of unregistered marriages were already of girls under the age of 14. Now, of course, it looks like it's going to get worse. But in Catalonia, Spain, in 2023, the number of women and girls subjected to forced marriages increased by 20%. Faced with this, one cannot remain ignorant and deny the threat posed by the advance of Islamic radicalism in the world. It is for the safety of everyone, everyone, but especially women. It is an enormous irresponsibility to appeal to an alleged cultural respect to admit violations of human rights. It is time to remove the complex and truly defend women, both in Iraq and in Europe.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, last Thursday, the CUP registered in Catalonia a proposal for a law on the effectiveness of the right to abortion that proposes to eliminate the deadlines – that is, that it be possible to have an abortion at any time –, to allow 12-year-old girls to have an abortion without their parents’ consent and to prohibit the conscientious objection of doctors and nurses. Unfortunately, the line taken last term in this House is already inspiring initiatives like this. Do you realise what it means in practice to eliminate deadlines? How many of you would have the cold blood to end a child's life the day before they were born? I don't know if I'm naive, but I don't think they're capable. However, that is the pure reality behind beautiful words and supposed women's rights. They're not rights. They are a trap that leaves us totally unprotected until we reject those we love the most: our children. I ask you, please, to reflect. We now have a chance to turn the tide. Women are sources of love and life for our society. Let us offer alternatives that allow us to have a horizon of hope.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, I thank the Afghan women who have accompanied us and courageously offered us their testimony: We're with you. The recently adopted law on the prevention of vice in Afghanistan blatantly violates women's most basic human rights, attacks their dignity and seeks to alienate them from society. We all agree on this, don't we? However, it is incomprehensible that while this House is supposedly condemning the adoption of this rule, it is at the same time promoting the importation of these cultural practices into Europe. In Spain, France or Germany it is already common to see women on the street completely covered with a niqab. Do you think that dressing like this is the only obligation imposed by the Islamic fundamentalism that we are denouncing today? It would be naive not to recognise that the freedom and dignity of these women is already under attack in Europe. If you don't want these denigrating customs in countries like Afghanistan, why are you here? It is hypocrisy, an incoherence that legitimizes the practices that fundamentalist regimes are imposing on the population, thus completely unprotecting women from them. In addition, the European Union is also complicit when it is not clear or when it supports radical Islamists for political interests who, as in Afghanistan, Iran or Gaza, attack the dignity of their people. Can one condemn what one practices? The European institutions have shown that they have no judgement in this regard. In fact, they themselves act abusively, imposing here a unique model of thinking that does not even allow us to be critical of these practices. Europe must continue to rely on the Christian values that inspired the European project in order to remain the beacon that the world needs. Don't let us bring to Europe what we don't want to see in Kabul.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission can continue to applaud itself as much as it wants for the management of COVID-19 and for vaccines, but the reality is that if they take to the streets they will see how people have lost confidence in the institutions. We would all like to forget what we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we cannot. We must not let the same mistakes happen again: a disproportionate restriction of freedoms, and impositions using health as a pretext. We are concerned about the drift that the management of monkey pox by international institutions may take with the approval of the European Union: lack of transparency, vaccines and more vaccines, lack of scientific criteria, diminishing the sovereignty of nations... In this regard, we denounce the amendments to the International Health Regulations that were adopted last June by the World Health Organization and which redefines the concept of emergency and introduces a clause that seriously undermines national sovereignty. It is a grave irresponsibility to shatter the principle of subsidiarity: It exposes us to the risk of being left in the hands of international bodies that may not look out for our interests. We need first to restore trust in the institutions, that there is legal certainty with a framework of competence that does not allow the serious attacks on the democratic order and freedom that we suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic to reoccur.