What Chrysoula spoke about.

– Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would first like to recall that the Council and the Member States attach the utmost importance to our common objective, which is to protect and strengthen the rule of law throughout our European Union. As I indicated at the beginning of our debate, the French Presidency of the European Union has placed the subject of the rule of law on the Council’s agenda o

– Mr President, Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for inviting the Presidency of the Council to take part in this debate. Our common values, such as democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, are the cornerstone of the Union. And they are even more so in the exceptional circumstances we face due to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. The French Presidency has place

– Mr President, I wanted to express my thanks for this rich discussion, which I followed with attention and interest and which shows Parliament's willingness to engage in a substantive debate on the proposals. Some of you have cited the Paris Climate Agreement, which sets an ambition and imperative for us to keep the average increase in global temperature over this century well below two degrees C

– Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, Mr Timmermans, ladies and gentlemen, allow me first of all to welcome your very interesting speeches this morning, which amply demonstrate the political and historical importance of the ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package and its complexity. It is clear that we have collectively come a long way and that we will now need to seize the momentum to con

– Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, Mr Timmermans, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for this rich discussion, which demonstrates the importance of the Fit for 55 legislative package and Parliament's willingness to engage in a substantive debate on the proposals. I was very pleased to see that most of the political groups agree on the importance of the issues at stake in our discuss

– Madam President, dear ex-colleagues, thank you for inviting me to speak on behalf of the Council during this very important debate on a series of files in the ‘Fit for 55’ package – . Almost a year ago, the Commission presented this transformative package, which affects all sectors of the economy and our entire society, and aims both to reduce European greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in Ukraine, women are being tortured, raped and killed by Putin's soldiers, sometimes in front of their children. These humiliations, these unbearable violence against women have a goal: to break the Ukrainian nation. These methods have a name, they are weapons of war. But after fleeing their country, refugee women can be exploited and exposed t

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, on this International Women’s Day, I would first like to pay tribute to the courage and strength of Ukrainian women. 2,000 km from here, women take up arms to defend their country. They give birth under the bombs. They go into exile with their children. They're resisting. Our generation is witnessing global crises of unprecedented magnitude that ar

Madam President, High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, renewing the partnership between Europe and Africa: This is the challenge of this summit. The time has come for both continents to hold a discourse of truth, frankness and transparency, each assuming its own responsibilities. We need to be aware that Europe is no longer Africa's main interlocutor. If we want to continue to have this privi

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, in this Chamber we are fighting for equal pay, the introduction of quotas and work-life balance. We all aspire to a Union of Equality. But if we really want to achieve gender equality, there is an indispensable condition: respect for sexual and reproductive rights. Let everyone be master of his body, let all decisions belong to him. This is the foundation o

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, 2021 was the year of access to vaccines for Europe and for everyone. Today, vaccines are arriving massively in vulnerable countries, thanks to Covax. More than 300 million doses have been promised and donated by our Member States. This is to be welcomed, but in 2022 there is a new challenge: deployment of vaccines. Because vaccinating pop

Mr President, beatings, threats, humiliations, sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, femicide... And the list is unfortunately still very, very long. Realistically, we cannot achieve gender equality as long as violence continues, victims are stigmatised and perpetrators go unpunished. Yet we have a strong and binding instrument, the Istanbul Convention, which sets minimum standards of protection for

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this debate today is an opportunity to remind everyone: The health of our citizens is at stake in Europe, but also beyond our borders. Addressing this pandemic required a comprehensive, concerted and supportive response. From the beginning until today, Europe has never missed this meeting to protect its citizens and protect the citizens of the w

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Polish women are not afraid. They are not afraid to put their lives at risk for clandestine abortions. They are not afraid of the death threats they receive, as they dare to rebel. Personally, I don't know what revolts me the most: the authoritarian excesses of the Polish government or our inability to protect our European citizens? The Polish government is f

Madam President, Commissioner, a year ago, the President of the Commission announced the creation of a new European agency to deal with future pandemics, like BARDA in the United States. This agency took the name HERA. Today, HERA the ambitious is transformed into an internal service within the Commission, a technocratic tool. But, ladies and gentlemen, allow me this reference to Greek mythology,

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, hit, humiliated, insulted, witnesses to scenes of violence, killed, children are also victims of domestic violence, with serious consequences for their development and health, such as behavioural disorders and feelings of guilt, but also on their ability to socialise. In addition, direct or indirect victims are more likely to engage in violent beha

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, two years ago, as you said, the candidate for President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, committed herself to making gender-based violence a European crime. This morning, she announced that a law will be proposed to combat violence against women. An initiative strongly welcomed by Parliament. Now we are waiting for the Commissio

Madam President, Mr High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, humanitarian aid is neither a tool for migration management nor a political lever vis-à-vis the Taliban. We must be careful not to mislead the debate in this Chamber. Before talking about the possible influx of Afghan refugees to Europe, let’s talk about those stranded there, in Afghanistan, in catastrophic and inhumane conditions. Let