Debate contributions by João OLIVEIRA

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, there is no woman who takes lightly a voluntary interruption of pregnancy. And it is important that, by making that choice, that woman should not be confronted with the inhumanity of having to clandestinely voluntarily terminate her pregnancy, jeopardising her health, her life, in truly inhuman conditions. And for this, it is necessary to guarantee legal conditions, safe, with medical support and with the necessary social support so that this voluntary termination of pregnancy can be done safely. We voted in favour of this initiative because it points in this direction, and we want to stress the importance of making the appropriate investment so that, in addition to the law providing for the legal possibility of voluntary termination of pregnancy in a safe manner, it can be made in health services with universal and free access, of quality, with all the public investment that needs to be made in health services – particularly in countries such as Portugal, where, although this possibility is provided for by law, there are currently no dignified conditions, from the point of view of the National Health Service, for it to materialise.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, there is no woman who takes lightly a voluntary interruption of pregnancy. And it is important that, by making that choice, that woman should not be confronted with the inhumanity of having to clandestinely voluntarily terminate her pregnancy, jeopardising her health, her life, in truly inhuman conditions. And for this, it is necessary to guarantee legal conditions, safe, with medical support and with the necessary social support so that this voluntary termination of pregnancy can be done safely. We voted in favour of this initiative because it points in this direction, and we want to stress the importance of making the appropriate investment so that, in addition to the law providing for the legal possibility of voluntary termination of pregnancy in a safe manner, it can be made in health services with universal and free access, of quality, with all the public investment that needs to be made in health services – particularly in countries such as Portugal, where, although this possibility is provided for by law, there are currently no dignified conditions, from the point of view of the National Health Service, for it to materialise.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are voting in favour of this report on artificial intelligence in the workplace, because we believe that it points to a sense that seems to us to be correct in protecting workers and their rights in relation to the use of artificial intelligence. But we want to underline three aspects. Firstly, it seems to us that this regulation must be made at national level, because it is for the Member States to deal with the regulation of these matters, protecting workers and their rights. Secondly, measures and guidelines that could be considered at European Union level should not undermine regulation or serve as a pretext for deregulation or a reduction in regulatory requirements in relation to these matters. Thirdly, we want to underline a contradiction between this sense of protection that is affirmed today in this report adopted by the European Parliament and the measures that were adopted here at the last plenary session – which aim to amend the General Data Protection Regulation and also the Artificial Intelligence Act in a way that undermines workers’ rights and interests.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are voting in favour of this report on artificial intelligence in the workplace, because we believe that it points to a sense that seems to us to be correct in protecting workers and their rights in relation to the use of artificial intelligence. But we want to underline three aspects. Firstly, it seems to us that this regulation must be made at national level, because it is for the Member States to deal with the regulation of these matters, protecting workers and their rights. Secondly, measures and guidelines that could be considered at European Union level should not undermine regulation or serve as a pretext for deregulation or a reduction in regulatory requirements in relation to these matters. Thirdly, we want to underline a contradiction between this sense of protection that is affirmed today in this report adopted by the European Parliament and the measures that were adopted here at the last plenary session – which aim to amend the General Data Protection Regulation and also the Artificial Intelligence Act in a way that undermines workers’ rights and interests.

Madam President, Commissioner, the decision to end the import of gas from the Russian Federation has no economic rationality, no environmental rationality, it is only the consequence of a geopolitical and geostrategic choice by the European Union to place itself in a position of submission and subordination to the United States, with ruinous economic costs and heavy social impacts that the EU lightly imposes on the peoples. It makes no economic sense to dispense with gas that is bought at lower prices to go and buy gas from the United States, at prices three or four times more expensive. It makes no sense, from an environmental point of view, to replace Russian gas with American gas from fracking. Nor is it possible to replace gas with renewable energy sources, as the European Commission has proposed and as it has justified this decision from 2027. This decision only serves to fuel the propaganda of the continuation of the war in Ukraine and only serves to fuel this strategy, and this strategic choice of the European Union, of submission to the United States, at all the costs that it entails for the peoples within the European Union.

Madam President, Commissioner, the decision to end the import of gas from the Russian Federation has no economic rationality, no environmental rationality, it is only the consequence of a geopolitical and geostrategic choice by the European Union to place itself in a position of submission and subordination to the United States, with ruinous economic costs and heavy social impacts that the EU lightly imposes on the peoples. It makes no economic sense to dispense with gas that is bought at lower prices to go and buy gas from the United States, at prices three or four times more expensive. It makes no sense, from an environmental point of view, to replace Russian gas with American gas from fracking. Nor is it possible to replace gas with renewable energy sources, as the European Commission has proposed and as it has justified this decision from 2027. This decision only serves to fuel the propaganda of the continuation of the war in Ukraine and only serves to fuel this strategy, and this strategic choice of the European Union, of submission to the United States, at all the costs that it entails for the peoples within the European Union.

Madam President, on 26 November, a self-proclaimed high-ranking military command seized power and undermined the constitutional order of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and the functioning of its institutions. The announcement of the results of the legislative and presidential elections, which was scheduled for November 27, was prevented. The campaign headquarters of presidential candidate Fernando Dias da Costa was raided and Domingos Simões Pereira, president of the National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau and leader of the PAIGC, was kidnapped, as well as other Guinean politicians and citizens. These actions deserve our strongest condemnation. Expressing our solidarity with the Guinean people, we call for the immediate restoration of democratic constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau, an end to the persecutions and the immediate release of Domingos Simões Pereira and all Guinean politicians and citizens who have been unlawfully and arbitrarily detained, and full respect for the legitimate will of the Guinean people – as expressed in the recent legislative and presidential elections held on 23 November – with the announcement of the election results. We also call on the European Commission to review its policies towards Guinea-Bissau, ensuring that cooperation funds are not used to strengthen military or authoritarian structures, but to promote balanced development, education, health and food sovereignty. Stability in West Africa will only be possible when African peoples can freely determine their own destiny, without external pressures or neoliberal conditioning.

Madam President, on 26 November, a self-proclaimed high-ranking military command seized power and undermined the constitutional order of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and the functioning of its institutions. The announcement of the results of the legislative and presidential elections, which was scheduled for November 27, was prevented. The campaign headquarters of presidential candidate Fernando Dias da Costa was raided and Domingos Simões Pereira, president of the National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau and leader of the PAIGC, was kidnapped, as well as other Guinean politicians and citizens. These actions deserve our strongest condemnation. Expressing our solidarity with the Guinean people, we call for the immediate restoration of democratic constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau, an end to the persecutions and the immediate release of Domingos Simões Pereira and all Guinean politicians and citizens who have been unlawfully and arbitrarily detained, and full respect for the legitimate will of the Guinean people – as expressed in the recent legislative and presidential elections held on 23 November – with the announcement of the election results. We also call on the European Commission to review its policies towards Guinea-Bissau, ensuring that cooperation funds are not used to strengthen military or authoritarian structures, but to promote balanced development, education, health and food sovereignty. Stability in West Africa will only be possible when African peoples can freely determine their own destiny, without external pressures or neoliberal conditioning.

Mr President, Commissioner Šefčovič, the next meeting of the European Council is announced with great criticism of Trump, but with the same position of submission and subordination of the European Union to the United States, the same contempt for the needs of the peoples within the EU, the same complicity with the genocide and the occupation of Palestine. If the European Commission and the European Council want to make a difference and distance themselves from Trump, they have a good remedy: Change the policies. Make a difference by looking at the economy from the point of view of the needs of peoples and not the profits of multinationals, giving priority to increasing wages, access to housing, health, solving the social problems that afflict peoples' lives, rather than turning people's needs into business and a source of profit; building solutions for peace and collective security, rather than spending people’s resources on militarisation and war; Acting to put an end to the genocide, Israel's colonial policy and giving concrete form to the State of Palestine. The right way is to respond to the needs of workers and peoples, not to submit to the United States.

Mr Di Rupo, you spoke about the solution of mobilising Russian assets to prolong the war in Ukraine. What the European Union is proposing is to insist on prolonging the war in Ukraine by spending more than has been spent so far on prolonging the war in Ukraine. And the questions I ask you are two: firstly, whether it believes that the priority should be to prolong the war – not to end it – with a political solution that guarantees the collective security of the whole of Europe; and, secondly, whether these resources are no longer needed to meet the housing and social needs of peoples.

Mr Berendsen, you are astonished at the arrogance of the Trump administration in its national security strategy towards the European Union. I think I should not be surprised, because that is the consequence of the subaltern and submissive way in which the European Union has confronted American interests. That is the consequence of who accepts Trump’s imposition of increased military spending for NATO or who – as Mrs von der Leyen did – accepts Trump’s imposition of tariffs and trade policy. And the question I ask you is: If we continue in this position of submission, does this attitude of Donald Trump end?

Mr President, Commissioner Šuica, Israel violates the ceasefire and continues to murder children, journalists and anyone who decides to kill in Gaza. Israel decides to bomb Lebanon and kills civilians, destroys civilian infrastructure, does what it sees fit – in violation of international law, completely disregarding Lebanon’s sovereignty and its people. Israel intends to continue its settlement policy in the West Bank, continuing with the settlement policy, pursuing, arresting, murdering Palestinian citizens. We have heard in this plenary of the European Parliament about inaction, lack of consequence, inability of the European Union to react. No, Commissioner, this is complicity, complicity of the European Union with genocide, with colonial policy, with disregard for international law, with disregard for the United Nations and for the United Nations resolutions establishing the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders. It was to this end that the European Commission should be committed.