Debate contributions by Fabienne KELLER

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of my group, Renew Europe, I am firmly opposed to the text on safe third countries. Let's be clear: this text does not aim to improve our asylum system; we will return people to countries with which they have no connection, without examining their asylum application. We are escaping our responsibilities and relocating our values. The right to asylum is not an option, it is a moral duty, enshrined in international law, which is incumbent on us under the weight of history. This text opens a dangerous path: the massive and mechanical removal of vulnerable persons. The European Union was built precisely to prevent this. In this Chamber, some have clearly forgotten this. European migration policy will not be driven by populist slogans and false solutions: it requires firm and effective responses, but always humane. I call on everyone's responsibility and humanity when it comes to voting.

Mr President – dear Martin Hojsík –, Commissioner – dear Piotr Serafin –, Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the Commission for its reply. We are four groups - EPP, S&D, Greens and Renew - that have written to him and we take note of his constructive proposals on several points, such as the role of the regions, the changes on the CAP, the role of Parliament, as my colleagues have said. Unfortunately, the Commission has kept the structure containing the national plans, which we are not in favour of. We regret this, but we want the stated objectives to be clearly European, to ensure that policies are accompanied at European level. Finally, I would like to repeat a proposal from my group, Renew Europe, to add a European Semester on the rule of law among the existing proposals. Along with strategic autonomy and defence, the protection of the rule of law – as Valérie Hayer pointed out, also referring to corruption issues – must remain a top priority in the European budget.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear Magnus Brunner, Madam President, dear Marie Bjerre, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome yesterday's publication of the first annual report on the situation of asylum and migration in Europe, which will be over the past month. This is an important step in the concrete implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. I share the analyses presented, and together with my group we want to welcome this transparency in the follow-up of joint commitments. The classification of Member States into three groups according to migratory pressure is a solid basis for building a European response based on shared responsibility, as my colleague Tomas Tobé, rapporteur for the text on the annual solidarity reserve, recalled earlier. The effort must now continue with the full implementation of the Pact, Commissioner, Madam President, before June 2026. Firmness and humanity must continue to guide our European approach to asylum and migration.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear Magnus Brunner, ladies and gentlemen, Europe is facing a profound transformation in its security environment. I think we all say it here, the threats are multiplying, strengthening: terrorism, organised crime, hybrid threats, foreign interference. Protecting our citizens is a European priority. We need to strengthen police and judicial cooperation at EU level. This cooperation already exists on a local scale. As you know, Commissioner, we visited the Kehl cooperation centre together. There are 56 such centres where police and customs cooperate on both sides of the border. At European level, Europol, Eurojust and the Public Prosecutor's Office are the pillars of this cooperation. Their terms of reference are scheduled to be revised in 26. I call on you, Commissioner, to strengthen the capacity of these agencies to facilitate their investigations, the exchanges of data that you have mentioned. I urge you to value the action already taking place on the ground in these centres, at the borders of our Member States and the spirit of cooperation between the police, gendarmeries, national customs, all the services that conduct investigations to move forward together towards a Europe of security, firm on the rules and above all respectful of the rule of law.

Madam President, I refer to Rule 202 of the Rules of Procedure on agenda items. Five years ago, Professor Samuel Paty was murdered for teaching free speech. Two years ago, Professor Dominique Bernard was killed in turn, a victim of terrorism. These two teachers embody what Europe stands for. Their memory forces us. In a context where hate speech and obscurantism are on the rise, it is up to us to protect schools, to protect freedom of expression and tolerance, pillars of our European model. That is why, Madam President, I wish and propose that this House pay tribute to them and solemnly reaffirm its commitment to the common values that form our Union.

Madam President, Commissioner Kubilius, Minister for European Affairs, dear Marie Bjerre, ladies and gentlemen, I repeat what I said on Monday in my reminder to the Rules of Procedure: This debate put on the agenda by the extreme right is a false debate, which exploits fears and manipulates figures. Let's discuss the facts. Contrary to the extreme right's obsessions, irregular entry into the Union has fallen by 38% in one year, as you recalled, Madam Minister. The European Union is taking firm action to reduce illegal immigration while humanely welcoming those who are being persecuted. On 15 October, as you pointed out, Commissioner, the Commission will present for the first time an annual report on asylum and the migration situation. This is a new step in the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, which will enter fully into force in one year. I therefore appeal to the spirit of responsibility in this Chamber, as Thomas Tobé has just proposed. Let us work together to rigorously and firmly apply the common rules of the Pact on Migration and Asylum to manage migration in Europeans, respecting the fundamental rights of asylum seekers.

Madam President, I shall speak in line with what President Iratxe García Pérez has just said. It is a reminder to the Rules of Procedure on Rules 163, 164 and 169(3), on precisely this topical debate requested by the PfE Group. Let's discuss the facts. Contrary to what is repeated by the far right, irregular entries into the European Union have fallen by 38% in one year. On the other hand, combining migration and crime is a manipulation. The data are clear – the data are clear: Three quarters of all violence against women and children is perpetrated within the family circle. It is not by exploiting migration that we will protect them. I therefore call, like Iratxe and my colleague Tineke Strik, for this debate and this discriminatory title to be withdrawn on the basis of Article 169(3), which, I recall, refers to Articles 6 and 2 of the Treaty on European Union, referring to the human dignity and dignity of our European Parliament.

Madam President – dear Sabine Verheyen –, Madam Minister for European Affairs – dear Marie Bjerre –, Commissioner McGrath, ladies and gentlemen, a few months ago I was speaking in this Chamber to call on you to join us at the Budapest Pride. The mayor had the courage to take responsibility, despite the threats. I would like to greet the Hungarian people, who have come in large numbers – and we can applaud them – to defend the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, and also to defend freedom of expression. A people stood up against Viktor Orbán’s authoritarianism and regime of fear. It was an honour (which I share, if they allow me, with my colleagues from the Socialist Groups, the Greens and the Left, as well as with Maria Walsh) to be present alongside the Hungarians. Commissioner, we need a European anti-discrimination law more than ever, and I ask you to abandon any idea of withdrawing the anti-discrimination text. Together, let us defend European values!

Madam President, Commissioner Piotr Serafin, Minister for European Affairs – dear Marie Bjerre –, ladies and gentlemen, the European Commission – you, Commissioner – will present its proposal on 16 July. What Parliament is asking for, what my group, Renew Europe, expects from this text is very simple: an ambitious and truly European budget. It is unthinkable that this next Multiannual Financial Framework will not contain new own resources. Why are the own resources foreseen in 2020 by the Interinstitutional Agreement still not in place? The Commission is already announcing cuts to repay NextGenerationEU's debt. The European budget is already small, given the number of fields it covers, and we would like to reduce it further? Like many of us, I have exchanged with farmers, magistrates, journalists, European agencies, and the verdict is final: We are all asking for more resources. European citizens are asking us for more resources. I therefore call on you, Commissioner, Madam Minister, to act together to build a European budget that allows us to meet together the expectations of our fellow citizens, that allows us to influence the international scene, that allows us to live up to our ambitions.

Madam President, Commissioner McGrath, ladies and gentlemen, for several months we have been debating the events taking place in Hungary at every plenary session: a new action by the government of Viktor Orban, a new attack on the values of the Union, new restrictions on the fundamental rights of Hungarian citizens. Let me repeat this, as in every one of my speeches: Hungary has been under the Article 7 procedure since 2018 – for seven years. And for seven years, the government of Viktor Orban has only persevered in its dismantling of the rule of law. Half of the title of this debate is the "need for the Commission to act". Commissioner, I ask you, what are you waiting for? I will be with my Renew group in Budapest for Pride on June 27 with the Socialists, the Greens and The Left and others I hope, to defend our values. For your part, what are you waiting for, Commissioner, to organise the suspension of the veto and the right to vote for this Member State which is blocking the decisions, as you know, of the Council and more generally of the European Union? This Member State has consistently shown us that it is committed to respecting the fundamental values of the Union. This member state which allies with Russia or the United States of Mr. Trump rather than with its European neighbors. Together with my Renew Group, I call on the Commission and the Council to finally implement the sanctions provided for in Article 7. We've all waited long enough.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to propose an oral amendment to the annual report on which we are currently voting. The amendment is added at the end of paragraph 35 and reads as follows: I'll read it in English. 'Urges, in that sense, the European Commission, in due respect of the spirit of the ECI – the European Citizens' Initiative procedure – to provide adequate, concrete and effective follow-up to ECIs related to fundamental rights of citizens, such as the one calling for a binding legal ban on conversion practices targeting LGBTIQ+ citizens in the EU and the ECI 'My voice, my choice'. Ladies and gentlemen, this amendment is necessary at a time when the rights of LGBT communities and women's rights are under threat all over Europe. Together with my group Renew Europe and with many of you, I hope, we are committed to defending these rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and we will support LGBT communities at the Pride in Budapest on 28 June.

Mr President, Commissioner Michael McGrath – the Minister is absent – ladies and gentlemen, many of us have said so, and I repeat myself here: Hungary has been subject to Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union since 2018. Viktor Orban's government is not afraid of anything and continues to restrict the freedoms and rights of its fellow citizens. As several colleagues have pointed out, the fundamental values of the Union are under threat. Despite our many warnings, Commissioner, nothing is happening: Hungary still enjoys the right of veto and the right to vote in the Council. What are we waiting for to move forward on the implementation of Article 7 sanctions? What are we waiting for to finally suspend Hungary's right to vote? More than ever, Europe is at the forefront and faces threats from Russia and the United States. We cannot have a Member State close to Russia that endangers our defence and the European unity of our Union. I therefore call on the Council and the Commission to take courage and action.

Mr President, dear Younous Omarjee, Commissioner, dear Piotr Serafin, ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow we will vote on the European Parliament's position for the next multiannual financial framework. We demand an ambitious European budget, Commissioner, for the future of our Union. Since the last mandate, the European Union has been in the spotlight with a role model. Following Russia's outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the sharp change in the position of the United States on the international stage, it is even more crucial that the European Union should live up to its responsibilities. All the actors we meet, companies, NGOs, farmers, universities, agencies, local actors, ask us for more resources. All the committee leaders, just now, have asked us for more budget. However, as regards own resources, ladies and gentlemen, we are stagnating. Where are the new own resources? How will we finance the next budget while honouring the debt of the Next Generation EU programme, without reducing existing programmes or imposing an additional burden on European citizens? We can see that own resources are crucial for our budget. I therefore reiterate, Commissioner, with insistence, our call, that of the Renew Group, that of Parliament, that we finally make concrete progress on this file. What is at stake is the future of Europe and its ability to meet the challenges it faces. We need to act now.

Mr President, Minister, Commissioner McGrath, ladies and gentlemen, the Article 7 procedure with regard to Hungary was initiated in September 2018, seven years ago already. Since then, Viktor Orbán has consistently dismantled and deconstructed the rule of law in his country: lack of free media, lack of independence of the judiciary, a muzzled civil society. The latest landmark measure is the ban on the Pride march in Budapest. At a time when we need a strong and united Europe, Viktor Orbán is holding back any plans for an ambitious and diverse Europe, preferring instead to support Russia. Commissioner, it is your responsibility to ensure that Article 7 is applied effectively. We ask you to suspend Hungary's right to vote in the Council. This procedure is long overdue. Together with my group, Renew Europe, we will be alongside Hungarian citizens at the Pride march in Budapest on 28 June. I hope, ladies and gentlemen, that there will be many of you there.

Mr President – dear Younous Omarjee –, Madam Vice-President of the Commission – dear Mrs Virkkunen –, Mr Council representative, it is good that migration is one of the Commission’s priorities for the first 100 days. As we know, this is an important concern for our European citizens. It was in this context that the Commission presented the Return Directive yesterday. This was the missing part of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, which we adopted in spring 2024. It is again this pact, Madam Vice-President and Mr President, that I would like to talk about today, because the challenge is not so much to propose new texts as to implement concretely, in each Member State, what we have already voted for. This pact will enable the Commission and all Member States to swiftly establish a European migration policy with the same rules, characterised by coherence and solidarity, and more effective. That is why, beyond these first hundred days, I invite you to put all your energy, Madam Vice-President, to ensure the full implementation of the Pact – the deadline is next June – throughout Europe. It is by taking concrete action that we will effectively address the concerns of our citizens.

Madam President, Commissioner Brunner, ladies and gentlemen, the return aspect was the only missing text in the Pact on Migration and Asylum. I therefore look forward to making progress on this subject in order to reach a common, harmonised solution at European level. However, this proposal poses problems on several points. As I understand your presentation, Commissioner, mutual recognition of returns would only be voluntary, not mandatory. It is a shame to deprive ourselves of a common tool, while Member States only complain about dissonant return decisions. On return hubs, what does it mean to send migrants back to an intermediate country with which they have no connection? How can we ensure that the fundamental rights of migrants outside Europe are properly respected? To improve returns, my group, Renew, is calling for agreements to be negotiated with countries of origin, sovereign countries, to take back their nationals. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, let us finally give the Pact on Migration and Asylum a chance. Let us ensure that it is properly implemented before seeking simplistic and populist solutions.

Madam President, Commissioner Micallef, ladies and gentlemen, the rise of the far right in Europe is a growing threat to everyone, especially the LGBTI community. This is evidenced by the Meloni government's recent move to cancel registrations of the civil status records of children of same-sex couples. In Italy, more than 20,000 children raised by same-sex couples are threatened by the questioning of their legal parentage. Today, in the European Union, more than 2 million children could face a situation in which this link with their parents is not recognized. It is therefore urgent to act now, especially since, Commissioner, the solution has already been found, as you have pointed out. Two years ago, the European Commission proposed a regulation to harmonise this recognition and introduce a European certificate. This recognition would not only put an end to uncertainty, but it would also provide a real guarantee of rights protection and equality for families. So, ladies and gentlemen, what are we waiting for to implement it? Together with my group, Renew Europe, we uphold the European values of equality loud and clear. I therefore call on the Member States to take forward this proposal, which is essential for legal certainty for all, for equality and for the protection of children in the European Union. We owe this to all European children.

Mr President, dear Roberts Zīle, Commissioner Magnus Brunner, we have had this debate many times and, despite logical, factual arguments and statistics showing that building walls at borders not only does not work, but that it is not in our European DNA either, here we are again. Contrary to what the extreme right likes to claim, it is not enough to build walls at our borders to solve the issue of illegal immigration. Of course we must protect our borders, organise ourselves to enforce them, as you have explained, Commissioner; we're working on it. But the best management of migration and the best protection of our borders also requires the application of this pact, which has not yet been implemented. Indeed, a major part of the implementation of the Pact is devoted to this border protection. This requires the creation of accelerated border procedures, rigorous screening, an asylum and migration database and additional budgetary means. The Pact also includes a cooperation component with third countries to prevent irregular departures, combat migrant smuggling, cooperate on readmission and promote legal pathways. It is these innovative measures that we must finance with the European budget. This budget must be used to bring people together. It must be put at the service of citizens and solidarity. The European budget, ladies and gentlemen, must build bridges, not walls.

Madam President – dear Sophie Wilmès –, Commissioner – dear Magnus Brunner – ladies and gentlemen, according to Europol, a very large majority of migrants pay smugglers to reach Europe. Reports from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees show that these smuggling networks are often involved in other actions and criminal networks along migration routes, specifically between East Africa, West Africa and the African Mediterranean coasts. This is no surprise to us. These smugglers also abuse their position, and many migrants find themselves victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse and trafficking of all kinds. This is why the creation of safe and legal pathways must be a priority, together with the protection of our borders. I recall that one of the flagship measures of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum is precisely to better combat these smuggling networks, through better cooperation with third countries and countries of origin, but also through better cooperation of police and judicial services between Member States. We have tools, Commissioner, to fight these criminal networks. Let's implement them!

Mr President, Commissioner – dear Piotr Serafin –, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, here we are again. After the use of Pegasus by Hungary, we pass a notch above. Since December, we have been facing new suspicions of espionage by Hungary. OLAF members were allegedly followed and wiretapped during an investigation into possible misappropriation of EU funds by Hungary. The information revealed is very worrying, and all the light must be shed on this case. Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot tolerate such actions on the part of a Member State vis-à-vis our institutions. Moreover, it was a State that held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the time of the revelations. This case demonstrates two things: on the one hand, the Hungarian government’s feverishness regarding its use of EU funds. Why, indeed – as my colleague from my group, Renew Europe, Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle, put it very well – monitor OLAF investigators when there is nothing to blame? On the other hand, Commissioner, it shows how necessary the mechanism of conditionality of European funds to respect for the rule of law is, how powerful this tool is. So let’s not hesitate to implement it anymore!

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, we are the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump, an inauguration which, as we know, poses a great danger to our democracies, to European citizens and to freedom of expression. Because it is precisely democracy and freedom of expression that we wanted to protect when we voted on the Digital Services Act (DSA). Contrary to what the leaders of the major platforms X and Meta argue, freedom of expression lies where all opinions can be expressed with respect for each other. Deregulation gives way to hate speech, child pornography, terrorist, misogynistic and racist content. Let us not be mistaken: Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg do not defend freedom of expression. They only want to convey their own ideology. No, Europe is not weak. Commissioner, we have the DSA to deal with these threats. Let us apply this regulation, Commissioner, with rigour and determination, to lead all platforms to respect our rules and, above all, to respect our values in order to protect our fellow citizens.

Madam President, dear Sabine Verheyen, Commissioner - dear Maroš Šefčovič - ladies and gentlemen, in the letter that the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent to the Member States on Monday and in the Council's conclusions, I note a certain enthusiasm for innovative ideas to better manage migration, in particular its external dimension. By "innovators" I understand that it is envisaged to outsource European migration policy, in particular with return hubs or camps, as Italy was able to do in Albania. However, the Italian example, Commissioner, has only one merit: illustrate that migration outsourcing, promoted by the government of Giorgia Meloni, is a dead end at exorbitant cost. Yet, ladies and gentlemen, the innovative solution we have already built together: it is the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. A European, solidarity-based solution that respects reception rules, but also those of return, with a component on the control of irregular immigration and a new border procedure. Let us ensure its proper implementation before seeking simplistic and populist solutions.