Speeches

Mr President, let me first start by clarifying that my Group is going to vote in favour of the trilogue results, but I would like to make a couple of remarks. I have noticed in the process that whenever we ask critical questions about the legislative proposals, that immediately the suggestion was created that I wasn’t sufficiently committed to fighting child sexual abuse. But I think you don’t only have to know about child sexual abuse to be abhorred by it. I know child sexual abuse. I’m committed to fighting it. But I’m also a legislator and that means that I have to ask critical questions and I have to do a thorough job in making sure that the legislation is watertight. Madam Commissioner, I think we both know that the result on the table is legally flawed. We also know that there’s been, I would say, almost undue pressure on the process, including moral blackmail – not least by Facebook, who put pressure on the process by stopping or reducing their activities, and I think that’s absolutely scandalous. On substance, I very much agree with the arguments that have been put forward by my Green colleagues. But I would like to say one thing to my Green colleagues: politics is not about choices between good and evil. Politics is mainly about shitty dilemmas and making difficult choices and standing by it, and that is why my Group will support it. We have questions. We will support it. And we had better make sure that the final definitive law is going to be legally watertight.

Mr President, I just would like to ask you, as we speak, in Tbilisi in Georgia, there is a kind of witch-hunt going on against LGBTI people. Thousands of hooligans are attacking not just their offices, but people aren’t even safe in safe houses anymore. They had to flee from the office of the United Nations, and the embassies of EU Member States, as well as the Embassy of the European Union, have actually failed to provide support and shelter. So I would ask you, President, to issue a statement of support and call on the embassies, and specifically the EU Embassy, to do everything they can to secure the safety of these people and speak to the authorities and insist that police protection be provided. (Applause)