Speeches

Information on human rights violations in the Philippines is very worrying. Thousands of people, mostly innocent, lost their lives in the so-called ‘war on drugs’, as a result of the actions of private militias and paramilitary groups. Human rights defenders who try to seek justice or resist attacks are themselves victims of violence. The authorities are slow to investigate and only in a small number of cases. However, there are also events that give hope for positive changes. The Supreme Court has declared some of the existing anti-terrorism laws unconstitutional. Parliament adopted new rules to ensure legal protection for human rights defenders. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union is now in its fourth year and can be an effective instrument for influencing the authorities in Manila to take decisive steps to improve the situation. First of all, the illegal activities of paramilitary groups should be brought to an end and it should be ensured that the fight against drugs is carried out in accordance with national law and international standards. People responsible for mass murders should be tried. Governments must also make every effort to ensure that the presidential elections scheduled for May are free and fair, and that the positive changes I mentioned earlier continue. In my opinion, we should opt for a calm and meaningful conversation with the Philippine authorities.

The proposal of this directive has very ambitious goals. In my opinion, in many areas, it is too ambitious. I would like the directives we adopt to present realistic goals that would benefit European citizens and our partners. What I noticed in the position of Parliament to the regulation in question is that it proposes the extension of the scope of the draft to many other product groups, i.e. pigs, sheep, geese and other poultry, palm oil-based products, grain and rubber. This will largely increase the administrative and financial burdens of the proposal without bringing any significant increase in its effectiveness, as these additional groups do not affect the process of deforestation and degradation of forests. The Commission proposed the following products to be covered by the regulation: palm oil, soya, wood, beef (cattle), cocoa and coffee, which in my opinion is already a very ambitious target. I also strongly believe that since this regulation considerably affects developing countries, like Indonesia or Malaysia, they should also be involved in the process and properly consulted, especially, as we all have the same goal – to stop deforestation and degradation of the world’s forests.

Commissioner, I'm sorry. Mr President, thank you very much. It is hard to disagree with those voices that have already been voiced in this House today that the situation in Haiti is dramatic. For years, the deepening migration crisis, internal gang fighting, corruption, government weakness – these are just some of the difficulties faced by the poorest country in the Caribbean. This situation also undoubtedly has a big impact on neighbouring countries, for which the ability to deal with illegal immigration simply exceeds their capabilities. Take, for example, the Dominican Republic, which last year decided to build a special wall to protect its border. The Dominican Republic has no other option but to protect its citizens from the influx of uncontrolled, illegal immigration, including gang members. I am convinced that the international community should and must commit itself to restoring peace in Haiti in order to create the conditions necessary for the restoration of democratic institutions. It seems that sending an international stabilization mission is the only way to stop the spiral of violence, allow the authorities to regain control over the country and restore order. Here I would like to stress how important it is for the institutions of the European Union and the Member States to commit themselves to providing staff, equipment and financial and logistical resources for such an international stabilisation mission. I also sincerely hope that the representatives of Haiti will fully cooperate and support such activities.

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Commissioner, I'm sorry. I am an MP from Podkarpacie, a region directly bordering Ukraine. Today, Podkarpacie is the eastern European hub through which millions of refugees travel. Although it is a region safe and free from the aggression of barbaric Russia, the war has its mark on it, especially on the economy of this region, and it is being experienced by many perturbations associated with this war. And they manifest themselves in the fact that the owners of guesthouses, various types of tourist facilities, simply face bankruptcy. There is a clear need for the European Union's help in this area, because the war is so clearly imprinting its very clear footprint on this tourism industry. That is why I would like to call on the Commissioner, my colleagues, to consider together whether it is not worth creating a fund, launching a special budget line dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises, especially in Podkarpacie, who will be able to use this help in order to protect jobs and be able to develop further. I call for this very much and I count on a fair discussion and on the support of the European Commission in this matter.