Debate contributions by Elisabeth GROSSMANN

(Start of speech when microphone is switched off) ... takes place in the digital world. Endless scrolling, addictive and stressful content has been shown to cause anxiety, stress, sleep problems, learning difficulties, aggression and other mental problems. Girls are more often affected by declining self-esteem triggered by unrealistic beauty ideals. Boys are often the target of glorification of violence and radicalization with fatal consequences, such as life-threatening trials of courage to violence, even shootings at schools, as we had to experience this year in my hometown Graz. Digital space can be a very dangerous place. Age limits are a way to protect children and support parents in their parenting responsibilities. Business models at the expense of our children online and offline must be turned off. This own-initiative report is a clear mandate for the Commission to protect our children.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, Commissioner, the existing 2008 legal framework has become too narrow for the challenges of our time. Digitalisation, global supply chains, artificial intelligence and the green transition need to be readjusted so that legal developments do not constantly lag behind technological and factual developments. This own-initiative report sends a strong signal to the Commission. Europe needs a modern, coherent and enforceable set of rules that also obliges third-country providers – a set of rules that protects consumers, gives businesses legal certainty and strengthens sustainable business models. In the report we are voting on tomorrow, we have made important progress. The digital product passport should become the heart of a transparent internal market, with clear information on durability, reparability and origin. The possibility of extending this to second-hand products should also be examined. We demand legal certainty for repair and reprocessing companies that secure local jobs and advance the circular economy. We're finally addressing them. Almost- and Ultra-fast-Fashion industry, whose practices threaten the environment and also fair competition in Europe. Clear rules are urgently needed here, especially in online trading. Thus, we are already on the central issue, namely the responsibility of online platforms and third-country traders. Existing gaps must finally be closed, especially where the DSA It doesn't take hold. Consumer protection does not end at EU borders, and we finally need a level playing field for our European businesses and their employees. The Commission is therefore clearly requested to: This reform needs to be more than a technical update. The opportunities that are now available must be exploited.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Every ten minutes a woman is murdered because she is a woman. One in three women in the EU has already experienced violence, as our EIGE Institute repeatedly shows us. Violence comes mainly from men and usually takes place in a personal environment – in one’s own family, in a partnership, in a familiar place where people should actually feel safe. Violence, ladies and gentlemen, can never be a private matter. Violence is always a task for politics to act. And in the last legislature, action was taken. An ambitious anti-violence package has been drawn up and must now be implemented consistently in all Member States. And we urgently and quickly need a uniform definition of rape. Sexual acts must always be based on an explicit consent principle. This is essential. Only a yes means yes!

Madam President, The DSA and the DMA are clear commitments to a fair, free and secure digital Europe. They apply to all those who operate in our markets, whether they come from the US, Asia or Europe, they create transparency and responsibility and fair competition if applied correctly. We need to protect our standards from external and internal attacks. Europe is facing not only the threats of Trump, but also the pressure of global tech giants. These transatlantic tensions are about more than just trade. It's about an unholy alliance formed of political and economic power from tech corporations that have lost responsibility, privacy and accountability on the data highway. It warns of innovation delays, but translated this means: We want to continue as before, only without control. Europe, Commissioner, must not be intimidated. The Commission has shown that our rules are effective. I also warn that a possible omnibus drives hard-won rights to scrap.

Madam President, The single market is undoubtedly at the heart of our economy and should be a source of growth, prosperity and solidarity for all. I should! Decades after its creation, it is still unfinished, and in many areas sand has gotten into the gears. Fragmentation, territorial supply restrictions and unfair trade practices that have crept in are dividing the internal market. This is especially felt by citizens of smaller Member States in their wallets on a daily basis. Everyday products are often more expensive or not available because multinationals have created their own rules in their distribution networks, which severely disadvantage smaller Member States such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, etc. These inequalities must be eliminated as a matter of urgency, as they undermine confidence in the internal market and in the European Union itself.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! I can connect seamlessly with my previous speaker and colleague Lopatka. I would like to address the question of what the European model of life is, what makes up the European Union. The first thing you get is the answer: the commitment to human rights and democracy. As the report shows, real democracies around the world that respect human rights are the exception rather than the rule, with a worrying downward trend. Women’s human rights, in particular, are increasingly under threat; the right to self-determination over one’s own body, the way to live and dress – for example, when women can be shown via app in Iran or Afghanistan even in simple violations of the dress code, or when abortion rights are being revoked in the US and increasingly questioned in Europe – even here in the house. We also need to be vigilant when sexual orientation is the reason for discrimination and persecution.

Madam President, dear representatives of the Commission and the Council! It is good that these Roadmap There is. In the sense of gender mainstreaming, it is a task for the entire Commission to act so that it does not stick to headings. So what needs to be done? The principle 1: Freedom from gender-based violence. The crime of rape should be defined as an EU-wide crime; This must happen immediately. Online violence must be actively combated. The DSA must be implemented consistently, and platforms must be made responsible for immediately deleting inhuman content. And the ongoing proceedings must also be completed quickly, even if they are giant corporations. The principle 2: Access to sexual and reproductive health. This also means the right to safe abortion, which must also be clearly expressed. Principles 3 to 5: Equality in the labour market and family life. The Wage Transparency Directive needs to be swiftly transposed in all Member States and there is an urgent need to upgrade occupations where many women work, mainly working on people. If more resources are redeployed for defence, then this must not be at the expense of women.

Madam President, Madam Executive Vice-President! Ladies and Gentlemen! In July 2023, the European Parliament adopted a crucial piece of legislation, the European Chips Act, to strengthen the domestic chip industry and promote Europe’s strategic autonomy, not even knowing how current this project will be. In order to reduce our dependence on third countries and especially in view of the current geopolitical challenges, in particular the US export restrictions, which divide the single market, the question arises in particular: How far has the implementation of this legislation actually progressed? You said it, Commissioner, you will look at this legislation until 2026 and possibly redesign it. But here's what it's all about: What has happened so far? Because it's more than five to twelve. There is an urgent need for action. It's not just about competitiveness, it's about security of supply...

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! We are in the midst of demographic change, which is accelerating. It is therefore necessary to swiftly set the political course, for example by exploiting all labour potential, by developing childcare also in rural areas and by avoiding the need for women to ask themselves the question – either children or careers? – but is both a matter of course and a matter of course – this would also increase the courage to realise a desire to have children. Accompanied by a fair distribution of care work, which should not only rest on the shoulders of women. And the labour potential of migrants must also be raised through an offensive education and qualification policy. At the same time, we have productivity gains through automation and rationalization. And it is precisely these that must be used more to finance public budgets, so that pension systems and the entire financing structure of governments do not collapse.

Mr President! Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The 30th The anniversary of the Beijing Declaration next year is only a limited reason to celebrate. Yes, there has been some progress. In many countries around the world, the constitutions, even simple laws, have been changed in favour of women, in Austria even the federal anthem. But at the European level, much has gone further in the last legislative period: important guidelines were adopted, not only for pay transparency, but also for more women in management positions. But there is still an unbelievable amount of work to be done across Europe and indeed worldwide. After all, if things continue at the current pace, we will still need around 300 years to achieve true equality, as our rapporteur Lina Gálvez has also pointed out. We are also experiencing severe setbacks when, for example, girls are denied access to education or when more women die from the consequences of climate catastrophes because they are not able to flee because of the children. So, there is an incredible amount of work to be done here, and I hope for constructive cooperation. Merry Christmas, all the best for a better 2025!

Madam President, Commissioner, High Representative, Ladies and Gentlemen! The use of rape as a tactic of war is not only a cruel crime against humanity, but is also capable of destabilizing entire societies. Rape and sexual violence in war is not only a war crime – ‘only’ – but also an expression of a deep-rooted patriarchal abuse of power. Here, the European Union must stand up to these crimes with all determination and by all means. We hear again and again the shocking reports of the extremely important organization Doctors Without Borders that the number of victims is steadily increasing. This year, too, this number has continued to rise, and it is our duty as representatives of European values – namely humanity – not only to condemn these acts with words, but also to take decisive action.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! The right to self-determination over one's own body is a human right that every woman in Europe should enjoy freely, and that is why the European Parliament is indeed the right place to debate it. A de facto abortion ban poses a major threat to women's mental and physical health. And not only in Poland, but in all European countries, we need safe access to legal abortions, close to home and affordable. No woman takes this step lightly. And to equate these women in this difficult situation with murderers, as happened today with some speakers – this is a scandalous derailment! It is also about avoiding unwanted pregnancies. This is why free contraceptives are needed throughout Europe, at least for young people and low-income people, and also high-quality sex education throughout the country.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! Digitalisation and growing e-commerce have fundamentally changed our markets and it is essential that we as the EU act decisively to ensure security and fairness. European trade is coming under increasing pressure from the online offer from abroad, and large platforms, mainly from China, are flooding the European market with cheap offers and exploiting the existing loopholes, which distorts competition and severely disadvantages European companies and also costs European jobs and, of course, European added value. And I'll tell you: It's not five to twelve, it's five to twelve, because it's already changed people's buying behavior significantly, and there are already numerous companies in the production sector and also in the retail sector insolvent. And here we sometimes have a problem with security of supply in the future. This is why urgent action, rapid action is needed. The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act have achieved a lot – but these laws must also be implemented consistently, and immediately.