Debate contributions by Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The new Gender Equality Strategy 2025 makes it clear that women's rights must remain a priority for the European Union. But the time for talking is over, and the time for concrete action has begun. Later this year, Commissioner, we have two important files to vote on. Firstly, the Citizens' Initiative My Voice My Choice, which has collected more than 1.2 million signatures, demanding real support for access to safe and legal abortion for all European women. Second, the EU definition of rape based on consent. In France, Gisèle Pelicot had to go through hell for French politicians to come to their senses. What are we waiting for here in the European Parliament? Let's do it with us, too. Commissioner, we are very much counting on you on these two issues that I have mentioned. The European Union must be a model in protecting women's rights, especially now, in these difficult times when the right wants to take these rights away from us. It is not enough to speak, we must act, we must protect our rights. Let's just do it together and together.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. We are talking about violence against women today – and very well – but let us not talk about it as something that is remote and that does not concern us. The truth, unfortunately, is devastating. According to research, one third of women in the European Union have experienced violence at home, at work or in a public place, i.e. the perpetrator of violence was not a migrant, as the right often shouts in this room, but someone whom the victim knew: partner, acquaintance, husband, uncle, grandfather, colleague. There are 720 people in this room and statistically more than 100 women here have been victims of sexual violence. Most of these women never said anything about it, because it's easier to believe in the victim's guilt than to look the perpetrator in the eye. It's time to end the silence. It's time to stop justifying the perpetrator. This is also happening here, between us. And it's time to stop looking away.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Surrendering to a tyrant will never bring peace. And this simple thesis should be understood by every European. But, of course, Orban does not understand this, because like Trump, he wants to expand the red carpet in front of Putin, but not in the name of peace, but in the name of his particular political interests, because right now his political support in Hungary is falling. You convert the deaths of innocent people in Ukraine, Mr. Orban, into support posts. Shame on you, Mr. Orban. It's a shame. Unfortunately, all this cunning diplomacy of both Trump and Orban only strengthens Putin and Russia. When they wonder where to lay this carpet, we have again an attack on Kiev, on a kindergarten and two innocent victims. Putin is a tyrant and dictator and is responsible for the crimes in Ukraine. And if he ever found himself in Hungary, he should be arrested, brought to justice and held accountable for the crimes he committed.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The three-billionth penalty on Google is a very important step, but let's not be delusional. For a company that makes hundreds of billions of dollars every year, it's like a small parking fee, not a real sanction. For years, Google favored its own advertising services and played just not fair. That is why, as socialists and democrats, we welcome the Commission's decision, because it is a clear signal that Europe is finally enforcing its own law. That's a really good step. There should be no equals or equals in Europe. In Europe, we should all be equal before the law. And it's not just about competition. It is a struggle for media freedom, pluralism of information, justice and democracy. The Commission has taken the first step, but I hope that this is only the beginning - the beginning of the enforcement of unfair actions by big-techs, as well as the sharing by big-techs of revenues for which taxes should be paid.

Your statements are shocking, because the fact that you are here in this room, it is thanks to women. Thanks to women you could be elected to the European Parliament, thanks to women you could learn, thanks to women you are here and you talk nonsense. My question is specific: The greatest amount of violence against women is in families. What will you do to save those women who are being abused by their loved ones?

Mr President, thank you very much. Thank you, Commissioner, for having this new declaration for women's rights and gender equality. And thank you for finally doing what my group of socialists and democrats has been doing for years. I would like to remind you that in the previous term, as socialists and democrats, we have developed a very important document, the only one that has emerged in this House – the Charter of Women's Rights, which is a set of all fundamental rights that should be guaranteed to every woman in Europe, regardless of which country she comes from. I am glad that some of these rights are included in this document. But as we all know, in politics, words are not everything. Many things can be promised, but what matters is what we can prove. And you will have a chance as a Commission, as we have a debate on the My Voice, My Choice initiative, a debate on Parliament’s report on the definition of consent-based rape and a new strategy for gender equality. And this is an opportunity for the Commission to show that women's rights are not just an empty declaration, but a real priority for the Commission. I am counting on you very much.

(beginning of speech outside the microphone) ...It's a shame and a disgrace that you're sitting here in this room talking such nonsense. You haven't been here before, I haven't seen you. It was clear and unambiguous what the money was going for and what security was like. Didn't you see how Europe united when there was a drone attack on Poland? Are you blind? Don't you see that? I think you're Putin's agent, and you don't want to see it. And you don't want to see it.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Every time we talk about Russia, on this side of the room, like mushrooms after the rain, Putin's agents grow up. I really don't know how to say it any more easily. Russia is an aggressor. Putin is a threat. But I'm not just talking about an attack by drones or planes over Europe's airspace. Let's also focus on what's going on in the web. Poland is one of the most attacked countries in the European Union: more than 100 000 cyber-attacks last year, 170 000 cyber-attacks by October and 2330 by the end of last day. These are facts. These aren't dreams. If you do not see this, wake up, because you are working for Putin, not for our security.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Thank you for all the voices that are in solidarity with the Poles, but also that make it clear that Russia is a threat – not only to Ukraine, not only to Poland, but to the entire European Union. But I am outraged by the voices of all far-right MEPs who speak Putin's language. Mrs. Zajączkowska, will you tell us when Putin is paying you? Do you know that every drone shot down in Ukraine will not reach your home? Do you know that any destroyed tank will not reach your home? Do you know that every drone or tank shot down and destroyed will not reach home in Brussels, Berlin, Madrid and Strasbourg? Are you fully aware of this? Ladies and Gentlemen, as Europe we must be united, we must be together and we must show Putin not only strength, but our unity. And that's what this is all about.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The data that has been published in The Lancet is indeed devastating. 14 million people around the world could die from Donald Trump's disastrous and bad policies. This is, of course, a great tragedy, but for us, for Europe, it is a truly extraordinary opportunity to stand on the good side of history. We can become a leader in development policy because we know that investing in global development is an investment in the future for all of us. I was in Seville and I would like to draw attention to one more thing. During the meeting I took part in a conference on feminist foreign policy and it was very symbolic that there was an extremely great interest. In a very small room, a lot of people sat on the floor, including me. I'm talking about it so as not to give in to trends from across the ocean and not to turn away from women, because even if there is no room for us at the table, we will still enter through doors and windows and sit at this table. We know that without women, we will never achieve any of the goals we have committed to. And that is, I think, also crucial and important.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I listened to the debate and what the right side was saying. And basically, their screams and calls that they do not like this act testify only to the fact that it is good that this act was created at all. But Commissioner, in a recent report by Liberté, we read that a very large number of countries, including my country, Poland, have not prepared to implement this act. And I believe that in its activities, the Commission must lead to the implementation and to the requirement of nation states in the European Union that this act be implemented as it should be. We often repeat here such slogans as freedom of speech, freedom of information, we talk about truth, we talk about facts. It is our duty as parliamentarians, but also the Commission's duty to ensure that this act is implemented, but also that we are already thinking about how to deal with this disinformation and manipulation that is in the digital space.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I am very sorry that I cannot address Mrs Ursula von der Leyen face to face. During your speech, you said several important issues about military and economic support, about moving away from Russian energy sources. All of this is crucial. But you forgot two important things. That there will be no just peace without the Russians being held accountable for their crimes against Ukrainian women and the entire Ukrainian population. There will also be no good and just peace at a time when decisions about the future of Ukraine will be made only by men, without the voice of women. On 19 March, I wrote a letter to President von der Leyen, signed by 38 MEPs from five political party clubs in the European Parliament, precisely highlighting these two important issues. I am about to hand this letter over to the Commissioner, but please be the voice of those who have been harmed. Do not forget that crimes must be accounted for and victims must be compensated.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. You can't pretend you can't see or hear something. Nor can we pretend to take shortcuts in the accession process. Erdoğan's Turkey will never enter Europe, because it is not normal for people who protest in the streets to be arrested. It's not normal for journalists to be arrested for telling the truth. It is not normal to arrest local government officials who have won local elections. These are not normal situations when women are murdered: 394 women last year, and 259 died in unknown circumstances. These are not normal situations. Erdoğan's Turkey will never join the European Union, but Turkey without Erdoğan has that chance. And as a Polish woman, I would like to say to all Turks and Turks: Erdoğan will not be forever. The day when it will not be there will come and then you will definitely be in the European Union.

Madam President, I'm sorry. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The truth is that the situation that is now in Turkey is a gruesome one. Before our eyes, the most basic foundations of democracy are falling. The arrest of opposition candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu is the apogee of Erdogan's illegal attacks on his political opponents. Recently, Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, who came to Turkey to report on anti-government protests, was arrested. He was arrested at the airport on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization and insulting President Erdogan. And what did he do? He took part in a legal protest in Stockholm against Erdogan. Commissioner, I am asking you to intervene in this matter too, and I am addressing all the Turks and Turkish women. Dear ones, for 8 years I was on the street in Poland and protested against dictatorial governments. Persevere! Dictatorships end someday. We support you very much, even such symbolic gestures as the refusal of our arrival in Ankara, our European Union-Turkey delegation as the refusal of the Commissioner to come to Turkey, these are the symbols that must also take place, but persevere.

Mr. Commissioner, I would like to thank you. I really appreciate the fact that we are starting to work on this strategy. It is crucial and important because we live in crucial and special times. As the Commissioner has just said, the cultural sector in the times we have now needs really very big challenges, and I hope that there will therefore be very ambitious legislation that will help in the freedom of artistic expression, in investing in people. The Polish Presidency has this on its banners. I hope this works out. Artificial intelligence, which we are very afraid of and which cannot harm artists and must protect their copyright. Thank you for discussing this. Thank you for talking about this, and we, as Europeans, should be proud of what Europe is, what heritage it has, what culture it has. I hope that we will succeed, but I expect ambitious plans and ambitious laws on this issue.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. It is difficult to refer today to the roadmap that was presented after the testimonies of women from Ukraine and Belarus. The world is really changing before our eyes. Right next to us, Putin is bombing Ukraine. Children are kidnapped, women are raped, civilians are murdered. Rape accompanies all wars. In Rwanda, soldiers were told that Tutsi women taste different. During the Balkan war, rapist soldiers were told that by raping Muslim women from Bosnia, their values were being violated. In Ukraine, rape is part of Russia's military strategy. And this is why I am talking about it today, because our primary task now that peace talks are underway – of course we have to talk about increasing money for military support, we have to talk about security all the time – but our task here is also to talk about justice for the victims of the terrible crimes, this terrible war that is. And I have a request to the Commissioner that in peace talks not only there should be more women, but also the issue of justice, violence against women should be raised now.

Mr. Prime Minister! The Polish Presidency is a historic opportunity. American, but also European politics is increasingly populist, right-wing and unfortunately all too often, let's put it plainly, simply fascist. In Poland, we defeated PiS because during the black times of their rule we were consistent in our views, we were consistent when it comes to the rule of law, human rights or the vision of a strong and united Europe. Today, black clouds are coming not only over the United States, but all over the world. And this is our chance. We must show that the European Union is strong and ready to stand up to the radical right and populism. Just like Poland did a year ago. We already have one world leader, Donald, who is populist, radical and unpredictable. Let this European Donald be progressive, predictable and democratic and protect the European values on which Europe was built. You said that we have 450 million people in Europe. Half of them are women. This is a very important topic for us, which has already fallen from this room several times. As Socialists and Democrats, we created the Charter of Women's Rights. This is a ready-made document that could create a protective umbrella for all women in Europe, especially for women in Poland. We have not been able to do this in Poland. We know why. Let's do it in Europe, so that Polish women have exactly the same rights as Belgian, French or other European women, women in Europe. The last thing, - I know that the motto of the Polish Presidency is security, but in these difficult times of wars and conflicts, we cannot forget about culture and art, because it makes us truly human. I have a letter from all the ministers of culture who ask not to give up the Creative Europe programme.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. I think that many times today in this Chamber it will be said that the UN Commission on the Status of Women in the United Nations Security Council. The Status of Women is the world's most important commission on women's rights. But I'll add even more. It is especially important in the times we live in now. Many things have not been realized, but we are also seeing an increase in the support of radical right-wing forces in the world, who are seeking to limit or even deprive women of the rights we have fought for for decades. That is why I am glad, as a Pole, that the European Union will be strongly represented on the global stage, because Poland will be leading the delegation of the European Union, because we will be leading the Polish Presidency. And Poland can become a symbol of the fact that populism and the far right can not only be fought, but also effectively won. That is why, from this point of view, I would like to ask my colleagues in the Polish Government to take seriously the European Parliament's recommendations on the Union's priorities for this committee. Until now, no Presidency has recognised Parliament as a negotiating partner in this arena. Moreover, Parliament has never even had access to a document setting out the Union’s priorities. And I sincerely hope that this time it will be different. Colleagues from the Polish government, I count on you.

Mr President, thank you very much. I've been listening to this debate for several hours now and my hands really fall when I listen here to what the right side is saying. And I'm surprised that in the 21st century we still have to explain to our colleagues what freedom of speech means. Young people are listening to our debate. Freedom of speech, of course, yes, but freedom of speech cannot be used to divide people, to destroy trust, to sow fear, to incite anger or a sense of injustice. Why are you doing this? Why aren't you educated, but you like to misinform. Because disinformation makes people vulnerable to information that shouldn't reach them. This is, of course, in your best interest. And this was very well seen in the example of Romania, which was very often referred to here today. I have a question for the Commissioner. We have a presidential election ahead of us in Poland. We are afraid that the Romanian scenario may also come true in the presidential elections in Poland. What are we supposed to do about it?

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The report of the UN Commission on the situation of women in Poland is devastating and it is not necessary to go into too much detail of this report to understand this conclusion, because it is very simple. Human rights are violated in Poland and this is simply the conclusion. This report says that in Poland, whether now or before the judgment of the Constitutional Tribunal in 2020, not one law is violated, but many of the women's rights to which Poland committed itself already in 1980 by ratifying the UN Convention. The right to non-discrimination and equality, the right to privacy, the right to personal integrity, the right to dignity, the right to physical and mental health, the right to access health services, the right to reproductive autonomy and the right to access information on family planning are violated. This is still Poland, Poland of the year 2024. Unfortunately, after winning the elections, we still do not have the changes that young Poles and young people in general fought for. Ladies and gentlemen, Jessica is working with me here in Parliament. A 25-year-old Polish woman who invented the campaign "Girls for elections" a year ago and engaged thousands of women to change power. I asked her yesterday what she would say to those politicians in Poland who do not want to introduce these changes. I quote what she said: “I want to tell you that I am angry, bitter and humanly tired. We didn't mobilize millions of women to vote in the last election. We did not go through hundreds of protests to hear that decriminalization and legal, safe abortion are still impossible to vote on during this term. I have the right to live and I want to live in the country I love and fight for much more than the right to decide for myself. How much more?’ Exactly, gentlemen, how much longer will we wait?

Mr President, thank you very much. It might seem that in today's political debate we will not find any common topic to talk about, but it turns out that the housing crisis affects all countries and we can talk about it. But when I listen to this debate, unfortunately I have to say that the right side still needs to be taught that housing is a right, not a commodity. In my country, Poland, as many as 52.9% of Poles aged 25-34 still live with their parents, because they cannot afford – even if they earn well – to buy a flat. This is the worst result at all when it comes to Eurostat data. 16-18 thousand Polish zlotys are paid per square metre of dwelling in Poland, i.e. about 4 thousand euros per square metre. This is an unimaginable cosmos. That is why I am very pleased that, thanks to the pressure from our Socialists and Democrats Group, there will be a Commissioner for Housing, that we are preparing to work well on this. Because we have to take matters into our own hands here. And Europe and the European Parliament must be the guarantor that this will simply succeed.

Madam President, thank you very much. For eight years, you have been able to observe how the government in Poland destroyed the independence of the media and journalists, how the government led Poland to become the leader of the so-called Islamic State. The SLAPPs mentioned by the President: about 200 such situations against the editorial office and against journalists. Public television, which should be the guarantor of reliable information, has become an example of manipulation, disinformation and politicisation, which has directly contributed to spreading fake news, strengthening populism and destroying people. And I say this only to warn the whole European Union, because it happened in Poland. And it can happen anywhere. The European Commission must be even stronger and even more vigilant in safeguarding media pluralism, because without independent journalism, truth and facts cease to matter, and manipulation and lies take the place of a fair debate. So there is really a lot of work ahead of us so that such a situation, as it was in Poland, would not happen anywhere else.

Honourable Members, It is with great astonishment that I listen to what you say, but also for the sake of explanation to all the people who are here in the room – you belonged to the party that ruled for 9 years and that has just taken over the media. She did exactly what you are now trying to pin on the government that is currently in power. It was you who stood shoulder to shoulder with those who manipulated, who spread fake news and disinformation through the public media that you have just appropriated and appropriated for the past 9 years. It was your authority, your colleagues, that led to the fact that there were almost 200 trials against journalists and editors of independent media. So you have the audacity to say that now something has changed, that it is worse? That's not true, so that's why I'm talking about it here.