Speeches

The next item on the agenda is the brief presentation of the report by Álvaro Amaro on the evaluation of the new Commission communication on the outermost regions (2022/2147(INI)) (A9-0156/2023).

The next item on the agenda is the brief presentation of the report by Isabel Santos on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Union Agency for Drugs (2022/0009(COD)) (A9-0289/2022).

The minutes of today’s and yesterday’s sittings will be submitted to Parliament for its approval at the beginning of the next sitting. If there are no objections, I shall forward forthwith the resolutions adopted at today’s sitting to the persons and bodies named in the resolutions.

Calm down in the room! In order to proceed swiftly, the meeting will be suspended for a very short period of time – one or two minutes. - After the vote on the Commission proposal:

The Committee on Legal Affairs informed the President that the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of First Instance in Thessaloniki, Greece, has closed the case against Emmanouil Fragkos for which the waiver of Emmanouil Fragkos’ parliamentary immunity had been requested, as announced in plenary on 13 September 2021. This procedure for waiver of immunity has therefore been completed. The Committee also informed the President that the Committee has concluded that Article 8 of Protocol No 7 on privileges and immunities in the European Union does not apply to the request for protection of the privileges and immunities of Nikos Androulakis announced at the plenary session of 21 November 2022. Following the resignation of Nikos Androulakis as a Member of the European Parliament with effect from 3 May 2023, he no longer enjoys the immunity provided for in Article 9 of Protocol No 7, which is limited to the duration of the mandate of the Member of the European Parliament. Therefore, the proceedings concerning this request for the protection of its privileges and immunities are terminated.

Mr President, two years ago we were standing here and talking exactly about the same topic, talking about MeToo in the European Union institutions. Since then, we have launched two internal procedures in the European Parliament, thanks to the perseverance of a few people who I really would like to applaud for their efforts. In fact, it was actually five years, and not only two, since MeToo was first debated in this chamber. So you see, the resistance is still big from some within this House, from some people who are in power positions and do not see a need for changing the rules. So let me say to all those blocking people, this is about respect. Anyone can be affected by harassment. We all should be protected in cases of harassment. But even more so, we should be able to work without such a violation of our human rights. We all have a right to a safe and healthy workplace. We, the European Parliament, should be an example for other institutions with our anti-harassment measures as well as gender action plans. It’s high time we really treat each other respectfully and it’s high time we eradicate any form of harassment and have actions follow our often-repeated words.

Mr President, Commissioner and honourable Members who have worked so hard on this important and very important dossier. Our EU Supply Chain Act is a unique opportunity. It is a chance that we will give companies clear rules on what we expect from them, in a framework that is feasible for them. It is the chance that we take responsibility from consumers when they are in the supermarket or in the store and do not know which product they can buy with a clear conscience. It is a unique opportunity to ensure that every product on our EU internal market is manufactured in compliance with human and environmental rights. The supply chain law is about transparency, it is about the inclusion of trade unions and NGOs, it is about respect for human and social rights, it is about the protection of the environment. And we can't afford to miss all this, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on Ukrainian cereals on the European market (2023/2695(RSP)).

Before giving the floor to the next Member, Mrs Lena Düpont, I would like to remind everyone in the House once again of our own rules, which we have set ourselves, namely that the debate should be based on dignity and respect, and I would like to point this out now. At the same time, the fact that the spokespersons for the political groups have now spoken a little longer. I'm just announcing that I'm going to do the same thing with everyone and then withdraw the word 10 seconds after the time has passed. All you need to know is that you already know.

I now say to all those who start intercalations: Don't do that! Listen to the Members of the European Parliament standing at the lectern and respect the dignity of the House!

The next item on the agenda was the debate on a topical topic (Rule 162) – Externalisation of asylum applications and linking financial assistance to third countries with the implementation of return agreements (2023/2690(RSP)). I would like to draw Members' attention to the fact that there are no spontaneous interventions in this debate and that no ‘blue cards’ are accepted either.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, States have obligations. States have the obligation to guarantee all people living there a non-violent life, a life in which they can participate as actors without fear of violence. States have a duty to protect women from violence, from all forms of violence: rape, domestic violence, intimidation, femicide – there are countless forms of violence. And it is precisely this protection that the Istanbul Convention offers, so it is the most normal instrument that can ever exist to ensure this protection. That's why today is a big day. With the Istanbul Convention, we can guarantee the legal protection of all women and girls in our Union. You can request it from the European Court of Justice. And the Commission can impose sanctions on states that do not guarantee these fundamental rights to our women and girls. A step towards a more non-violent Europe is thus becoming a reality.

Mr President! We're closing the pay scissors. This is indeed a historic day, because this directive, the transparency directive, will change the personal lives of people, of David, of Anna, of Kim, because in fact this affects the lives of all of us. After years of negotiations and hard arguments, we have reached this agreement on the Wage Transparency Directive. It is a fundamental component, a building block to make the labour market fairer for women. It is an important step that is very important to me as a trade unionist and feminist, of which I am very proud and proud to have worked together with this wonderful, constructive team to develop this directive. I am very pleased that this long-standing social democratic demand is a reality. At the beginning of the parliamentary term, as Social Democracy, we said to the President of the Commission: We need, we want this directive. And now it is here, thanks to this great cooperation – so thank you, Kira, Samira. All female workers have the right to receive annual information on the average wage for men and women performing the same and equivalent work. This disclosure and transparency will help to end the systematic underpayment of women. The wage includes other goodies such as company cars, food stamps, etc. Because often the wage on paper is the same, but with such additional benefits then actually different. Women will know more easily how much they are entitled to, and thanks to reversal of the burden of proof and safeguards, they will be better able to enforce it. Of course, the prohibition of confidentiality clauses is also central – so that all employees can talk openly about their pay and with whom they want, especially with works councillors, with trade unions. The secrecy is over now. Everyone deserves what they deserve.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on deaths at sea – a joint EU response to save lives and measures to ensure safe and legal migration routes (2023/2590(RSP)).