What Katalin spoke about.

Madam President, dear colleagues, we have been here before, exactly a year ago, when we clearly laid out that the foreign agents law cooked up in Vladimir Putin’s Russia is deeply anti-democratic. Its sole purpose is to crush civil society. It is incompatible with EU values. And if Georgian leaders are serious about their European path, they should revoke it. A year ago, they did revoke it, and no

Madam President, dear colleagues, Ukraine is fighting heroically against the genocidal aggression. And as President Zelenskyy told us, this is not just a fight for Ukraine’s future, but for democracy’s future. Those in Europe who say that Putin will stop at Ukraine’s borders are either shockingly naive or complicit. The truth is that we are all in danger and Ukraine is our last line of defence Yet

Mr President, dear colleagues, here we are facing yet another foreign interference scandal. There are credible allegations that Russian proxies have paid MEPs and candidates to spread their propaganda. It is beyond outrageous. But it is just as infuriating to see that our safeguards are just not up for the task. After the allegations broke, Renew Europe demanded a thorough investigation and real c

Mr President, dear colleagues, it is very positive that the EU has started to address the threat of authoritarian interference with more seriousness, but it still remains blind to interference originating from our very own autocratic Member States. As a result of agreement on public security, Chinese police officers will soon begin patrolling in tourist locations in Hungary, just like they have do

Madam President, dear colleagues, as we stepped into this Parliament in 2019, the EU’s anti-fraud framework seemed like a water pistol against the forest fire, designed to address small irregularities but simply inadequate in the face of systemic corruption, like what we witnessed in Hungary. Many claimed it was impossible to change anything, but we rolled up our sleeves and got to work – and we d

Mr President, dear colleagues, it is clear that Europe is facing unprecedented challenges. To address the climate crisis, the digital transition, to ensure our citizens’ security we need substantial budgetary resources. And I’m very proud to say that Renew Europe was pressing very hard on these topics. We made sure that next year’s budget is fully equipped to tackle these pressing needs. Because l

Madam President, dear colleagues, it is absolutely essential that we create a credible path for accession for countries in our neighbourhood. It is our strategic interest in the face of Russian aggression, but it is also the right thing to do. But also, let’s face it: in the recent years, the enforcement of the rule of law reforms have not been adequate in the enlargement countries. Just take the

Madam President, dear colleagues, at this point, Council meetings look outright absurd. Another summit, another Orbán veto threat. And like every narcissist, he enjoys his photo ops with important people and tries to squeeze some money out of them. Then he folds, just like a cheap lawn chair, under pressure, just like he always does, and he drops his shameful veto until the next round. This is a d

Madam President, ‘Hanging you is too kind. You should be skinned alive. Why can’t she just be shot? She’s just a lying politician. It’s a shame that a horny Russian hasn’t raped you yet.’ So, colleagues, these are actual comments from my social media. And I’m quite sure that all of my female colleagues, no matter if they sit on the left side or the right side of this Parliament or in the centre, y

Thank you, Mr Kelly, for your strong and principled words. I just have one very easy question for you. Do you consider yourself to be a part of the international left conspiracy against Hungary, as Mr Hölvényi, your colleague in the EPP Group, has just stated?

I just have one question for the congressman. Do you see Manfred Weber, your group leader in the European People's Party, as part of the European Left, who has defended the rule of law in Hungary very firmly and very carefully?

Mr President, dear colleagues, I am honestly unsure if the European Commission fully comprehends the extent of the damage it has done by giving in to Viktor Orbán’s blackmail. Because it invited not just Orbán but every single aspiring European autocrat to follow the same old extortionist tactics: destroy democracy, weaken the EU from the inside, wave around the veto card and, when the time comes,

Mr President, the dire lack of affordable housing for our youth is a European crisis, and it requires a European solution. And why do I say this? Because it impacts student mobility and the EU’s flagship Erasmus programme, as well as many students with limited means, are deterred from going abroad, threatening our shared European identity. This is unacceptable. Erasmus and student exchanges are ou

Madam President, dear colleagues, I would like to raise a point of order and a breach of the code of appropriate behaviour. Earlier this week, in one of our Member States, a taxpayer-funded official government campaign was launched, personally vilifying the Commission President and openly spreading blatant lies about our Union. It portrays the President as a puppet of the Soros family, and the slo

Mr President, in March 2013, Erika Renner took her dog for a walk. Her ex-partner ambushed her at her doorstep. He forcibly sedated her, stripped her and poured lye on her genitalia, causing third-degree burns. She survived this brutal attack, only to face a different form of brutality from the authorities, because, despite clear evidence, the prosecutor tried to halt the case, perhaps not indepen

Madam President, dear colleagues, this Parliament created a rule of law mechanism to bring about genuine change, not to pave the way for extortion. The Commission’s requirements to unfreeze EU funds to the Orbán Government are the bare minimum and must be implemented in full, no ifs or buts. Importantly, there is an extra hurdle here. What observers often miss about the Orbán regime is that instit

Mr President, colleagues, the ecological crisis, the geopolitical tensions, the rapidly growing inequality – these are challenges that transcend our national borders. There are no Portuguese, German or Hungarian answers, only European answers or no answers at all. Yet our institutions are not up for the task, not up for 27 Members, and certainly not for more. So, we need Treaty change. We need Tre

Madam President, dear colleagues, in the recent surge of illiberal and autocratic regimes, we are witnessing a very sharp deterioration of human rights worldwide. Autocratic regimes summon their power by gradually curbing the rights of their citizens to participate in elections. And let’s face it, their toolkit is broad. Putting opposition leaders behind bars, intimidating voters, setting up insti

Madam President, dear colleagues, across the European Union young people are drowning in a housing crisis. Costs are so high that it’s incredibly difficult to make ends meet – and no, the problem wouldn’t go away if youngsters would stop buying takeaway coffees and avocado toast! Decent accommodation in our cities has become a luxury overshadowed by short-term rentals catering to tourists, and the

Mr President, dear colleagues, the report before us is of utmost importance. We are preparing to mobilise the European Solidarity Fund with aid earmarked for three countries: to Romania that has faced an extreme drought in its south-eastern region in the summer of 2022, to Italy that was hit by severe floods in the central regions in September 2022, and Türkiye that was devastated by earthquakes i

Well, I suppose this is why we need a strong European-level regulation so that it can create a level and equal playing field for every media ownership. This is why I think it is very essential to have European-level regulation.

Madam President, dear colleagues, imagine beginning your day with a cup of coffee and your trusted local newspaper. You flip through the pages, catch up on the latest news on town, from education to traffic updates, cultural events. You finish up with the results of the local sports team and the weekend’s fish-soup cooking contest. It’s not such an unusual image, is it? And now imagine that you wa

Mr President, the EU Bangladesh partnership is a prime example of the prosperity that a principled European foreign policy can deliver globally. The European Union has become the country’s number one trading partner, thanks to our fair terms. But unfortunately, the global rise of authoritarianism did not avoid Bangladesh, and there is a very much worrying tendency of crackdowns on human rights and

Madam President, dear colleagues, looking back on our mandate so far, there is a lot to be proud of. We stood united in the face of unprecedented challenges during the pandemic or during Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. But this mandate is far from over. The global political climate is extremely turbulent and liberal democracy is under increasing threat. We have to ask ourselves the question: i

Mr President, the three words ‘women, life, freedom’ echoing through the streets of Tehran ignited the flame and fuelled the fight for women’s rights across the globe. The women of Iran command our utmost respect for their remarkable courage, for standing against injustice, for honouring the memory of Mahsa Amini, brutally murdered at the hands of the morality police. Protesters risk their lives s