What Stelios spoke about.

Mr President, Commissioner Schmit, ladies and gentlemen, I have chosen that my last speech for this term of office should be on the future of social Europe. In the past five years, we've done a lot. We fought to improve living standards with a new minimum wage directive. We saved thousands of jobs with the SURE programme and provided for equality through flagship instruments, such as the Pay Equal

Mr President, Commissioner, the accession of the Western Balkans to the European Union is key, thus defending stability and peace, economic development, political reforms and social prosperity in the region. Greece firmly and unwaveringly supports the accession perspective of the Western Balkans. We are firm supporters of the need for the countries of the Western Balkans to join the European famil

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, today we are at a pivotal point in the revision of the pharmaceutical legislation. One in twenty years of opportunity to make our Europe a frontrunner in pharmaceutical innovation, but also to meet the needs of our citizens. I would like to congratulate my colleagues Walsh, Wölken and Sokol on the agreement they reached at a difficult time. While the Commissi

Mr President, high-quality education is one of the biggest bets for the years to come and teachers are an integral part of the educational process. They educate children and young people, the future of our countries. We were once educated as well. They convey useful skills, values, but also examples of life, such as my teacher, Ioanna Makri, who taught me to claim my dreams. But they also have a k

Madam President, we are here today for a reason: to proclaim the voice of the European Parliament for paid and good traineeships in the European Union. This is something we have asked for several times and more recently, last June. Traineeships are indeed an important tool for the integration of young people, their transition into the labour market and the acquisition of skills necessary for the l

Madam President, here we are, in the same play, spectators. A poorly played play, with a predictable script and directed by the same sad group of MEPs. A group that cannot digest that Greece has a government with a fresh popular mandate. A government that daily, by actions, restores the country's credibility and makes it a pillar of stability in a troubled neighborhood, the Southeastern Mediterran

Madam President, Commissioner, India's relations with the European Union have been built over the years on the principles of cooperation and common interest in world peace, security and development. In a rapidly evolving environment, this strategic partnership is not only about trade and geopolitics, but also about the future of the world's two largest democracies in the coming decades. The establ

Mr President, dear colleagues, this is yet another historic moment for the EU. We are once again demonstrating the EU’s commitment to further reduce emissions into the atmosphere by completely phasing out HFCs by 2050. In that way, we are contributing to our efforts towards limiting the global temperature increase. For example, banning certain types of fluorinated gases in heat pumps as of 2032 al

Mr President, Commissioner, another climate change conference has come to an end. This time, 200 countries, developed and developing, energy independent and non-energy independent, small and large, agreed that by 2050 the use of fossil fuels as a means of energy should cease, but also that we should run even faster and emissions beyond carbon dioxide and especially methane should be significantly

Madam President, Commissioner Schmit, colleagues, according to Eurostat, around 10% of young people in the European Union live in households that spend 40% or more of their disposable income on housing. The lack of real access to affordable and decent housing, combined with youth unemployment, is becoming a pan-European issue. An issue that challenges young people's ability to spread their wings a

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, today's debate is an excellent opportunity to restore the truth. And the truth is that the European Parliament, this temple of democracy, has recently become a theatre for reasons of national petty political expediency, mainly with the desperate attempt to target my country by specific political groups. A country with a traditional commitment to de

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we are in a constant climate crisis. Unfortunately, in Greece we have experienced extreme events with fires and rainfall, such as Janus and Daniel. The European Parliament calls for more steps to be taken, but it must be firm. There must be a balance between the green transition and socio-economic conditions, as we can cause deindustrialisation and energy pov

Madam President, Commissioner Schmit, ladies and gentlemen of the Council, two years ago, in this Chamber we asked for the obvious: the eradication of homelessness by 2030 becomes a goal of the whole European Union, and since then important steps have been taken, such as the EU-funded programmes that have contributed to the integration of homeless people into the labour market through specialised

Mr President, Commissioner Kyriakides, ladies and gentlemen, in recent years we have seen an alarming increase in the frequency of shortages of medicines across the European Union, at the same time as our dependence on a small number of manufacturers located outside the Union is, unfortunately, even greater. It is therefore undoubtedly of strategic importance to increase the European Union's strat

Mr President, 95.3 million; this is the number, Commissioner Schmit, of European Union citizens at risk of poverty and social exclusion in 2022 – almost one in four European Union citizens. But the most worrying thing, ladies and gentlemen, is that this number has remained stable for the past two years. This poses a serious risk to social cohesion and the credibility of the European project. We ne

Mr President, dear colleagues, F-gases are used in many applications, from medical devices to heat pumps, refrigeration and switchgears. Their reduction is crucial, as they are several thousand times stronger than carbon dioxide. By supporting this report, we have the opportunity to help our climate targets and secure a safe environment. However, we are not only supporting the environment, but we

Mr President, Commissioner, a lot of good things have really been heard in the Chamber and we all understand that all the measures taken are very important, but I think that winter is still difficult and the efforts of the Member States and the Commission cannot relieve the citizens and the market as much as they need. This precision and Europe's energy dependence must stop immediately. In this I

Madam President, dear colleagues, today were talking about the ultimate threat to democracy. In a Union like ours, especially when it comes to the participation of disabled persons in the European Parliament elections, we need the establishment of a more coherent approach across Member States. It is irrational for a disabled person with a specific impairment to have the right in a Member State and

Mr President, migration is again on the agenda of the upcoming summit as a result of the dramatic increase in migration flows. First host countries in Europe, such as my country – Greece, again have to shoulder a disproportionate burden, while fully complying with international and European obligations and rules. This puts increasing pressure on asylum and reception systems and next week's summit

Madam President, when discussing the situation of small-scale fishing in the European Union, we must not forget the repeated illegal activity of Turkish fishing vessels within the Greek territorial sea. Turkish fishermen fish illegally and smuggled into Greek territorial waters, often escorting Turkish Coast Guard vessels, refusing to cooperate with the Greek authorities. These illegal activities

Mr President, I see that we are again faced with an attempt to instrumentalise immigration, with the aim of hitting my homeland, Greece. A country that with a strict – but fair – migration policy protects its external and other European borders, while saving thousands of lives. And I say it categorically: government actions, such as the register of organisations implementing actions in the field o

Mr President, Minister, Commissioner Kyriakides, colleagues, COVID-19 has made the last couple of years quite challenging for our health systems. However, we are now facing even greater challenges so we need an EU coordinated approach to overcome them. While the COVID-19 cases are rising in China, hospitals across the Member States are being overwhelmed by an early surge in respiratory infections

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, for some time now, the report by the NGO 'Reporters Without Borders' has led to a concerted effort to discredit Greece. For anyone who knows the situation in my country, being ranked 108, even under dictatorial regimes, can only cause laughter. This is why we have to say it categorically: There is no question of freedom of the press in Greece. Everyone has th

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, migration flows from Africa and Asia are increasing dramatically and are at their highest since 2015-2016. First-host countries in Europe, such as my own country, Greece, are again faced with a disproportionate burden due to their geographical location and the very small number of voluntary relocations. This puts increasing pressure on asylum and reception sy

Madam President, Commissioner Dalli, colleagues, we speak about equal rights for disabled persons. Yet, this is the very first time after my election that I speak in front of you from this rostrum like everyone else in this House. My excitement is so emotionally great, even if you see such a small change. The fact that the place of every disabled person in their society is not equal to the other c