What Marit spoke about.

Mr President, dear Executive Vice-President, imagine with me for a minute: you are a young person. You are born and raised in Willemstad, Curaçao or in Accra, Ghana. Your hard work and dedication paid off and you get an Erasmus scholarship to study in Denmark or in the Netherlands. You are one of the few coming from outside of the EU. It's the first time in your life and you need a winter coat, be

Mr President, did you know that in the European Council's latest proposal for the next European budget, more than four times as much money goes to agriculture as to Europe's social objectives? EUR 261 billion has been set aside for 8.8 million farms and EUR 61 billion has been set aside for 92.7 million people living at or beyond the margins of poverty. Children who go to school without breakfast

Mr President, Commissioner, rapporteur, colleagues, in the Netherlands around 40% of students attend secondary vocational training (MBO). Students are prepared for essential professions in construction, engineering, care, distribution. They become cook, security guard, maternity nurse, plumber, ICT help and so on. Without practically educated people, the European economy and the Dutch economy will

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, we talk about international cooperation in terms of projected growth, fiscal health and even bankability and return on investment, as if generating more money is the end goal and not the means to improve the lives of people. Growth figures can rise while inequality deepens and basic services stay out of reach. Official development aid cuts to health have

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, Zambia is a partner of the European Union, and that partnership runs through development cooperation and the OACPS-EU partnership framework and political dialogue, dialogue through diplomacy and our shared parliamentary debates, and a dialogue founded on shared democratic values, values that cannot be optional when politically inconvenient. The killing of

Mr President, humanitarian aid must alleviate abrupt emergencies, but many of the situations that are now calling for our help are not abrupt at all. We know that stopping health care development programs leads to outbreaks of preventable diseases. We know that indirectly supporting illegal mining communities is disrupting and dislocating. We know that continuing trade deals with a state that comm

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, the clock is ticking for the people in El-Obeid, and today we have the eighth debate this mandate on Sudan. The EU has the opportunity to curb further human suffering, so I look to you, Commissioner: Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union places upon you – on the Commission – the responsibility for consistent foreign policy. Consistent foreign policy is

Mr President, there are more than 1 500 confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo and Uganda; More than 500 dead. An outbreak that spreads to new areas. What is so painful is that we have seen this coming: global cuts in development cooperation, the breaking down of USAID. We knew that this would increase crises, especially in countries where conflicts and disasters are already large. More money to infras

Mr President, we are talking about the reconstruction of Gaza as if there had been a natural disaster. But the reality is different: As part of a genocidal campaign, Israel has razed 85% of Gaza to the ground. There is a ‑ ceasefire on paper, so reconstruction should be possible and humanitarian aid should be possible. But that hides reality. Since the ‑ ceasefire, more than 1,000 Palestinians hav

Mr President, civil society organisations are at the heart of democracies, including in Burkina Faso. They organise people and communities around important themes, give minorities a voice and take a critical look at the government. Journalists expose abuses, taking a critical look at government and business, as well as at destabilising influences. In Burkina Faso, people no longer have that freedo

I think it is extremely important to recognize what work is done in a family and who has what share in it. You see that in some countries, as you say, those tasks are not distributed fairly at the time of a divorce. In other European countries, fair distribution is possible. I think every situation needs to be looked at very carefully. Sometimes the division of tasks is the other way around. Somet

Mr President, Commissioner, the laundry, the meeting, the dinner, the reports, the doctor's appointment, calling your mother, the deadline, messages for the neighbours, the babysitter, an email from ‑ that has yet to be answered and, above all, the question: Are you doing everything well enough? Europe relies on the unpaid work of women. Every year, a date somewhere in mid-November marks the day o

Mr President, Commissioner, too many children in Europe are born into poverty. Too many people live and work in poverty. Many people live in poverty while working, but do not earn enough. You're in jail and you still can't pay your rent. There are also many people who want to work, but who do not succeed, for example because they no longer have the right skills in the rapidly changing world or bec

Mr President, although half the population is women, only a third of businesses are set up by women. And that's not because of a lack of potential. Old-fashioned gender roles, disproportionate household chores, informal care, but also insecurity behind the front door, all contribute to women being able to do less. In the outermost regions of the European Union, that threshold is even higher. The t

Mr President, Commissioner, this is already the seventh time during this mandate that we are standing here and talking about Sudan in this Chamber. I can always give the same speech, because after three years of war nothing has changed. The European Union has a double standard. We condemn human rights violations in the strongest terms. We are sending humanitarian aid and at the same time we are tu

Mr President, Commissioner, 'the Commission did not instruct nor require non-governmental organisations – NGOs – to lobby Members of the European Parliament.' This is a quote from Commissioner Serafin's letter of 14 April 2025. However, the Committee on Budgetary Control still has a research working group or Scrutiny Working Group looking at the funding of NGOs. My group is in favour of thorough m

Does it matter whether the European Union spends more or less? Yes, and I especially care that that money ends up with the right people. For people who try to move forward every day, but always bump into the same walls: high energy bills, no home, no diploma, no work experience, no opportunities. But if it is up to the Commission, under the heading of simplification, a large pot of money is given

Madam President, an online rape academy. This is sick and inhumane. A global online rape academy with tens of millions of visitors, where men, many men, share tips. Tips on how to drug women, tips on how to rape your own partner, on how to film it, even how to earn money with it. This is sick. Let it sink in. And this is not about a few disturbed individuals. This is a system. It's a system that o

Mr President, this report on the Global Gateway sends a clear message to the Commission: we need more transparency. At every stage, from project selection to implementation and monitoring, we need to ask ourselves: does this instrument support our partner countries in terms of sustainable development and employment or only EU ‑ interests? Does it help the people who need it the most? Does i

Madam President, Commissioner, men and women in several African countries – from regions suffering from severe unemployment and social instability – are targeted for work in Russia. But when they arrive, their passports are confiscated and they actually have to participate in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Through social media and intermediaries, they are lured into Russia with false

Mr President, Commissioner, the housing crisis is not an abstract problem. It is the starter who still lives with his parents after twenty viewings. It is the single mother who is afraid of the rent increase every month. It is the homeless, which we in Europe still allow to exist. Millions of people in Europe are looking for an affordable home and don't find it. So we have to address that deficit.

Mr President, Commissioner, ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all girls and women – that's the topic of this year's Commission on the Status of Women. Because justice to all is not a given. Too often, women and girls face hurdles accessing justice systems, and they are not taken seriously. This takes place everywhere. In my country, the Netherlands, only 15 % of women that experienc

Madam President, Commissioner, poverty is not inevitable – it is the result of political choices, and today we can choose differently. We will work with people who experience poverty. They must be involved from the start in shaping measures; no policy should be made without them. And let's get this straight: if we do not tackle poverty, no defence plan, no market reform and no competitiveness stra

Mr President, education provides knowledge and skills for your later work and participation in the labour market. And education also gives you a social basis for your entire life. You will learn about history, geography, social skills and how society works. Learning experiences that will benefit you for the rest of your life. That is why it is also important that sexual education and knowledge abo