What Marc spoke about.

The defence of human rights, in particular LGBTIQ+ people, is at the heart of EU policy. During the previous legislature, many actions were implemented such as the activation of Article 7 against the previous Polish government and Hungary, as well as the introduction of the principle of conditionality in the allocation of EU funds. However, the issue of LGBTIQ+ rights does not end in Hungary or Po

For far too long, women and girls have been victims of patriarchy, not only in their private life but also in their professional life. Domestic violence, genital mutilation, sexual harassment and cyber-violence are concrete examples of what too many women experience in their daily lives. It can happen to our mothers and our daughters. In Europe, every six hours, a woman is killed. Two in ten women

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the European Union has taken a historic step by creating the world's first AI regulation. We must stand firm by our AI Act, ensure its full enforcement and fight attempts to weaken our rules. We cannot leave AI governance in the hands of big tech. We Socialists and Democrats say 'no' to self-regulation. We want the European Union to take its regulati

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, a home is not a luxury nor a financial asset – a home is a right. Yet across Europe, people are losing that right. There are Maricarmens in all our Member States. A home was once affordable on an ordinary salary. But today, for too many people, this is an unreachable dream, because the market has failed us: 1.4 million people in Europe face homeles

Madam President, dear all, imagine this: you arrive at work, a device informs you about your daily tasks and also determines your productivity targets. Then, based on the algorithm's analysis, your workload is suddenly increased. Every minute is monitored and measured; your performance constantly surveyed, day after day. Instead of talking to humans, you talk to chatbots. Algorithms may qualify yo

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, how much more can we expect from the workforce that cares for us? Across Europe, they are reaching their limits. We are short of 1.2 million healthcare workers, and one in three nurses and doctors report mental health problems linked to their working conditions. This is a real crisis, and we cannot solve it by asking them to do more. When every shift risks p

Madam President, dear colleagues, Commissioner and Minister, it's very clear that unnecessary bureaucracy creates a disproportionate burden on our European SMEs. Our single market needs one set of rules, common standards and a level playing field. And therefore, we must put an end to gold‑plating, where the national transposition of EU laws creates unnecessary red tape with no added value. And it'

So I would simply explain that whatever is spread from this side, that it is a gender ideology, that this is an ideology − that does not exist. People who fight for LGBTI rights, for women's rights, for the rights of disabled people who do not want discrimination. It's about equality, not ideology at all. But as always, everything is brought in from the side: Green Deal, Migration, LGBTI, etc. We

Madam President, dear all, what we are witnessing in Türkiye is an unacceptable assault on fundamental freedoms. When human rights defenders and LGBTIQ+ and HIV activists are detained, when offices and homes are raided, and when peaceful voices are silenced, concern is not enough. Peaceful advocacy is not a crime, identity is not a crime, and democracy needs strong civil society and community grou

Mr President, dear all, what do digital tools in our public services, algorithms shaping public debates and the chatbots we use every day to guide our decisions have in common? All too often they are controlled by non-European actors, and that leaves Europeans as consumers of technology rather than masters of their own digital futures. As S&D, we support strengthening Europe's digital sovereignty

Madam President, Commission Vice-President, colleagues, yes, we want a stronger single market, and we want European businesses that innovate and that compete globally. But how do businesses want to be competitive without a healthy, skilled and motivated workforce? So to those who only see the market, I ask, how can we expect workers to give it their all if their wages do not pay their bills and if

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, one quick, anonymous click for the aggressor has long-lasting consequences for the victim. Online spaces have become a fertile ground for harassment and cyberbullying, affecting children especially. Parents feel powerless, children continue to suffer, families are left alone to deal with tragedy. The European Union must respond and must do more.

Mr President, I think the speaker just mentioned that in the Netherlands they would like to legalise the marriage between man and a beast, and I think this is unacceptable language in this House, and we should report that to the President and see how we can deal with such horrible discourse expressions here in the House.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, colleagues, the rule of law is a fragile thing – it takes time to dismantle it, but then one day, you realise it's gone. Ask the Hungarians, they know all about it. They watched judicial independence and media freedom go down the drain. They were stripped of fundamental rights when trying to challenge the system. They saw government accountability and transparency

Mr President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, fundamental rights are at stake in our Union. Our democracies are under great pressure and civil society is under attack. Women's rights are being rolled back. LGBTIQ+ people and minorities are increasingly being targeted. But, thank God, recently, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union turned 25: a moment of celebration and reaffi

Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, verbal and physical abuse that can go as far as corrective rape, forced injections of hormones, exorcism and much more – that is what young gays, lesbians, trans and intersex persons must endure in this so‑called conversion therapy. That is torture. So, let me thank all the activists of ACT who organised the European Citizens' Initiative, suppor

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, EU enlargement is a historic responsibility, a necessity and a testament to what we can achieve when we stand together. But a Union that grows must also be able to act. In this Parliament, in this mandate, we have agreed to adapt our institutions by expanding the use of qualified majority voting and to make full use of the flexibilities within the

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, I remember very well one lesson when I was one of the negotiators for the S&D Group on the Pay Transparency Directive: that when we talk about equality, everybody applauds; but when equality comes with a cost, then suddenly too many become silent. And that is intolerable. To those who are calling to repeal or dilute this directive, we Socialists an

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, across Europe, subcontracting chains have become a blind spot in labour law, in construction, agriculture, transport and logistics. Some chains reach even 6 or 7 levels, leaving workers unprotected. When wages go unpaid and accidents happen, all responsibilities vanish. Millions of mobile workers and migrant workers are affected and often forced to pay illeg

Madam President, 2028 – both the Commission President and the European Council declared 2028 as the deadline to complete the single market. Yes, the single market is an undeniable economic success story. But today, we need to reignite the fire of the single market to bolster our competitiveness and to allow Europe to politically stand firm in today's adversarial world. Like it or not, as long as a

Mr President, behind the statistics and the reports on cyberbullying, there are real people – children, young adults and families – whose lives are deeply affected, sometimes irreversibly. Some are especially exposed: girls, children with disabilities, queer youth, migrants, just to name a few. For them, the online world too often becomes a place of fear rather than freedom. This is why we, as Soc

Madam President, dear Commission Executive Vice-President, dear colleagues, in the European Union, the death penalty seems like an anachronism, a thing of the past. But let us remember that the last Member State who completely abolished the death penalty did so in 2012, not even 15 years ago. The path towards the abolition of the death penalty and scrapping it from our legal system was not obvious

Madam President, dear all, the social dimension is in the DNA of the European project and our Treaties commit the Union to have a competitive social market economy aiming at full employment and social progress. That is why competitiveness and social cohesion are two sides of the same coin. Europe cannot compete by lowering wages or weakening rights. A strong economy requires quality jobs, strong c

Madam President, since the Second World War, the United States and Europe and a few others have stood together in defending human rights and democracy. That alliance helped secure peace and prosperity for decades, but today, that reality has changed. Trump's actions have shown a clear disengagement from multilateral institutions, human rights mechanisms and international cooperation, and losing th

Madam President, were we even surprised when news broke that Grok, the AI tool developed by Elon Musk’s company, allowed the generation of women and minors’ nude and sexualised material? And Elon Musk’s response was emblematic for Big Tech. He said he was not aware of this and that people making these images are to blame. Musk failed once again to show a modicum of human decency. That’s Big Tech f