Speeches

Mr President, as an active member of the EMPL Committee, I am deeply committed to promoting equality at work. A gender-equal society cannot exist if women must choose between career and children. Parenthood and care work are vital contributions that must be valued and shared equally. Achieving real work-life balance means affordable child care, fair parental leave and equal opportunities for all women in all sectors. But equality alone is not enough; we must also strive for equity, recognising that women and men may face different barriers and ensuring that policies and resources respond to those differences. True fairness is not about treating everyone the same, but about giving each person what they need to thrive. Young women deserve the same opportunities as men: no pay gaps, no glass ceilings, no stereotypes. Europe cannot afford to waste their talent. This roadmap is a welcome step but principles must become real change for working women, for mothers and for the next generation of girls.

Mr President, dear colleagues, we have all heard the alarming statistics and numbers from the previous speakers and I think we can all agree that this is a silent pandemic. In times of multiple crises, our fast-paced world and the rise of screen-based technology – especially social media – expose young people to limitless, often harmful content, fuelling dissatisfaction and mental health struggles. Our children's mental health needs help and we have the responsibility to go beyond a normalisation of the conversation. We must act now. We need to actively listen and equip them with tools and education. What if every school in Europe incorporated mental health education and peer support programmes in their curricula? Also, we need to ensure timely and affordable care by reducing waiting times for consultations with specialists, making mental health support as accessible as physical health check-ups. It is time to act boldly, invest even more wisely and listen carefully. Our youth is desperately asking for help. Let's ensure that they are heard.

Madam President, dear colleagues, for too long we have been turning a blind eye to the suffering of countless individuals who are forced to toil in deplorable conditions, often for little to no pay. The bitter reality is that, by allowing products produced through forced labour available in or exported from the European Union, we are being complicit in this injustice. By undermining the efforts of ethical businesses that strive to uphold labour standards and human rights, we are sending the message that exploitation and abuse are acceptable as long as they lead to cheap goods. I believe none of us present in this Chamber agrees with this. What we agree on, though, is that the European Union leads by example, always standing up for the values that we hold dear: freedom, dignity and justice for all. To this effect, with this regulation we are clearly stating that products made with forced labour will not be tolerated in any form, and that those who engage in it will face consequences. In this regard, I personally celebrate the balanced, solid and fair agreement reached: Balanced, because it is developed on a risk-based approach, focusing our efforts on the most severe cases. Solid, as it does not only maintain the possibility for the Commission to carry out field inspections even in and outside of Europe, but includes a stronger and more explicit non-cooperation clause as well. Fair, since it ensures a level playing field for our SMEs that shape the very basis of our economy and who are so often overburdened by new regulations. For all these reasons, with this agreement we are sending a strong signal of solid commitment to the principles and values that characterise and differentiate us in the international sphere, while ensuring our strategic autonomy by strengthening the competitiveness of our SMEs. Human rights are non-negotiable, and we will not fail on our commitment to justice and fairness.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, It is striking how much our consumption habits have changed in recent years. More and more often, throwing away and replacing damaged or old items becomes the norm, rather than repairing them. This throw-away culture costs us consumers, as colleagues have already said, around 12 billion euros every year and causes enormous environmental damage. Here I think back to my grandpa who tried to repair broken items in the evening or reuse them for another purpose instead of just throwing them away. This made sense not only from an economic point of view, but also a more conscious way of life. Today, however, consumers who opt for repair instead of replacement lose considerable amounts of money, or have even been made impossible by the manufacturer. However, we must not allow the immediate disposal of goods to become the rule, especially if they are technically still repairable. Repair should be simple and affordable. What makes me positive is an increasing change in mentality and the growing will to repair objects. Consumers are becoming increasingly economical and environmentally conscious. They recognise the importance of their actions for the environment, for example in terms of air and water pollution or resource consumption. Now it is up to us to give consumers the opportunity to repair their products and regain control of their possessions. For this, we need a clear legal framework that facilitates repairs and makes them possible at reasonable prices. Independent workshops play a crucial role in this and must be strengthened in order to be able to compete fairly with manufacturers. In addition, repair incentives can encourage technological innovation by giving us new ideas and ways to use our products better and for longer. I therefore welcome the outcome of these negotiations on the right to repair, in particular the extension of the legal guarantee for certain goods, as well as the provisions ensuring that independent repairers can repair products easily and without restrictions by manufacturers. This practice is not only environmentally friendly, but also brings economic, social and technological benefits. These are important steps in the right direction, towards a more sustainable and just society.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, In great anticipation of the Commission's proposal, I am one of the many young people and young people who have already undergone a number of traineeships in European countries. Sometimes you get paid more, sometimes less or not at all. In some cases, there was not even a detailed contract, let alone the right to, among other things, a well-deserved holiday. From my own experience, I can therefore understand very well why the call for minimum quality standards for internships is becoming louder and louder. Last year, this topic was also at the top of the agenda of the European Youth Event. We need to act now. Internships need to be more valorized, because they are not only a learning opportunity and often also initial work experience for students, but they are also of enormous importance for companies if they are given the necessary structure. Therefore: fair remuneration of traineeships commensurate with the cost of living, clear working conditions and access to social protection in accordance with the national system, clear learning objectives and access to appropriate mentoring and guidance by trained mentors, equal opportunities and elimination of all forms of discrimination, improved access to traineeships for trainees from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. So, all in all, an internship should receive the appreciation and framework it deserves.

Madam President, dear colleagues. According to the Commission, nearly EUR 200 billion are temporarily blocked every day due to delays in payments, losing as a result an economic benefit of EUR 1.8 billion per year. Yes, you heard that right – the inefficiency of the European payment system costs us almost EUR 2 billion per year. Such inoperability has been having a tremendous impact, not only on the efficient management of the household budgets of our citizens, especially of young people who have grown up in a digitalised world, but also on our SMEs, which are the backbone of our economy that lose control of their limited cash flows, and our NGOs and charities whose rapid action is urgently needed, particularly in times of crisis. Dear colleagues, let’s face the truth – this reality is unacceptable for the biggest trading bloc of the world. Therefore, I very much welcome the Commission proposal that finally tackles the roots of the issue, making instant euro payments universally available and affordable, while increasing the level of trust and removing the level of friction in its processing. I say ‘finally’, because as a leading European country for instant payments, Luxembourg has been advocating for the key importance of the matter for quite some time. This is a position that we hold because of our high level of awareness, awareness that must be spread to the whole union in order to avoid fragmentation – a demon that our community is fighting so hard to beat.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, Today we enter the frightening world of digital reality, where the loud cries of hatred and hate speech echo. Social media platforms, our daily companions, are setting the stage for a worrying increase in online hate speech. Our digital natives They are the invisible victims of this growing threat. The severity of hate speech is that the dangers and consequences in the network either become visible much too late or remain completely hidden. Psychological damage occurs, which too often ends in the loss of a young person's life. The culprits often get away with it unpunished. I would also like to emphasise the intersectional approach. Hate speech respects no borders, pervades generations and primarily affects minority groups. As a Parliament, it is time to adopt a clear stance. Hate crime of any kind must have no place in our society. It undermines not only the fundamental values of the EU, but also the rights we stand for. Our demand is clear: The Council must: hate speech and recognise hate crime as an EU crime. We need to take clear legal steps to stop hatred online and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The transition to climate neutrality requires a more conscious use of our raw materials. Because critical raw materials are indispensable for the production of environmental technologies and in digitization. In particular, technological progress and a more efficient use of our resources along the entire value chain must play a central role and have accordingly also been enshrined in the Critical Raw Materials Regulation. A more efficient use includes, among other things, the circular principle. The recycling of critical raw materials is to be increased through waste prevention, reuse, repair, reprocessing and reuse of products. However, there must be an attractive alternative for companies. For this reason, it is all the more important to promote continuous research and innovation in order to be able to be responsible for the exploitation of raw materials both sustainably and ethically as well as economically. But the circularity principle alone cannot guarantee us a secure supply of critical raw materials. We will continue to be dependent on imports from third countries. It is therefore important to build diversified, secure and own supply chains for critical raw materials in order to strengthen the sovereignty and competitiveness of the EU. We now need to work together to find solutions, build strong and reliable partnerships, and innovate in the sustainable use of critical raw materials. Thank you to the rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs!