Speeches

President. – For Tuesday, the Greens/EFA and S&D groups have requested that a debate on the oral question of the AFET and DEVE committees on ‘The adoption of the Special Measure in favour of Tunisia for 2023’ be added in the afternoon after the debate on Council and Commission statements on ‘State of play of the corporate sustainability due diligence directive’. As a consequence, the sitting would be extended to 23.00 and the debate would be wound up with a resolution. I give the floor to Mr Satouri to move the request.

We now come to the order of business. The final draft agenda as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 6 March pursuant to Rule 157 has been distributed. I would like to inform you that I have received one request for urgent procedure from the ECON Committee, pursuant to Rule 163, on the following legislative file: ‘Subscription by the Union to additional shares in the capital of the EBRD and the amendment of the Agreement establishing the EBRD’. The vote on this request will be taken tomorrow. If adopted, the vote will be held on Thursday. With the agreement of the political groups, I wish to put to the House the following proposals for changes to the final draft agenda. For Tuesday, due to the postponement of the related Commission communication, the Commission statement on pre-enlargement reforms and policy reviews, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, is removed from the agenda. For Wednesday, the following items, initially planned for a vote on Wednesday during the second voting session, are advanced to the first voting session: the reports by Mr Oetjen on reporting requirements in the fields of road transport and aviation (regulation), and on reporting requirements (decision); the report by Ms Virkkunen on minimum requirements on minimum breaks and daily and weekly rest periods in the occasional passenger transport sector; the report by Ms Clune on establishing the European Union Customs Code and the European Union Customs Authority, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 952/2013; and the report by Mr Van Overtveldt on Amending Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics. In addition, the reports by Ms Kalniete on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Ukrainian products under the EU/Euratom/Ukraine Association Agreement, and by Ms Gregorová on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Moldovan products under the EU/Euratom/Moldova Association Agreement are added to the vote in the second voting session on Wednesday. The deadlines for the report by Ms Kalniete are as follows: amendments by Tuesday, 12 March at 12.00; and split and separate votes by Tuesday, 12 March at 19.00. If there are no objections, these changes are approved. We will now move to changes requested by political groups. For Tuesday, the ID Group has requested that a joint debate consisting of a Commission statement on temporary trade-liberalisation measures applicable to Ukraine and Moldova, the report by Ms Gregorová on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Moldovan products and the report by Ms Kalniete on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Ukrainian products be added as the second item in the afternoon, after Question Time to the Commission. As a result, the sitting would be extended to 23.00. I give the floor to Thierry Mariani to move the request on behalf of the ID Group.

The Renew Europe and Greens/EFA groups have informed me decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees. These decisions will be set out in the minutes of today’s sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

The JURI Committee has informed me of its conclusion that the request for defence of immunity of Eva Kaili announced in plenary on 12 June 2023 is inadmissible. The JURI Committee has therefore decided to close the procedure.

Dear colleagues, on 25 February, Belarus held another round of sham parliamentary and local elections under Lukashenka’s brutal regime, amid ongoing repression and worsening human rights abuses. This House will never turn a blind eye to Lukashenka’s relentless crackdown on dissent, and on people being arrested, tortured and imprisoned on politically motivated charges. These sham elections were neither free nor fair. They lacked any semblance of democracy. From here let me reiterate that the European Parliament stands firmly with those pushing for freedom and democracy in Belarus. In order to demonstrate our support to the more than 1 500 political prisoners in Belarus, I invite all of you, during this plenary session, to sign a postcard addressed to them, here in front of the Hemicycle. With this initiative – which is being organised as part of the Day of Solidarity with Belarus – we Members of the European Parliament would yet again express our strong stance with those repressed on political grounds by Lukashenka’s regime. And to those political prisoners, we say: ‘your name is not forgotten; people across Europe and the world admire your courage; we are with you and we know that one day soon your struggle for freedom will succeed’. (Applause) Dear colleagues, on the morning of 11 March, 20 years ago today, coordinated terror attacks targeting commuter trains packed with innocent people devastated Madrid, killing 192 people and injuring nearly 2 000 others. It was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks ever seen in Europe. The shock and profound grief in the aftermath of those 10 bombs detonated by al-Qaeda in Spain’s capital city left a scar on all of Europe. We mourn the loss of the loved ones taken from us too soon. We remember the victims. And two decades later, we reiterate our commitment to fighting extremism and terrorism. Nunca les olvidaremos. Estamos con el pueblo de Madrid y de España.

Thank you very much, dear colleagues. Thank you, Ms Navalnaya. This session is now closed. (The House rose and applauded) (The sitting was suspended for a few moments)

Dear members, dear colleagues, we gather here today to pay tribute to Alexei Navalny, in the presence of his brave wife Yulia Navalnaya. (Applause) Dear Yulia, thank you for your readiness to speak in this Chamber to the world in such painful circumstances. It is truly an honour to welcome you to the European Parliament. Before we begin, I would like to invite everyone to turn their attention to the screens to watch a short video about the life and legacy of Alexei Navalny. (A video was shown in the Chamber) Dear Yulia, dear colleagues, on 16 February we received the tragic news of Sakharov Prize laureate Alexei Navalny’s death. For many in Russia and outside, he represented hope: hope in better days; hope in a free Russia; hope in the future; hope that courage can overcome. And while his killers sought to cruelly extinguish that hope, they failed. The hope he represented remains as bright as ever. This House and its Members condemn his killing in the strongest possible terms. It is a crime that deserves an international and independent investigation. The world is owed justice. While we pay tribute to his memory, I want to express our deepest condolences to you dear Yulia, to your children Daria and Zakhar, to Alexei’s parents Lyudmila and Anatoly, to his family, friends and countless supporters in Russia and across the globe. Alexei Navalny dedicated his life to the fight against corruption and for a democratic Russia. He did not give up when they tried to poison him. He did not give up when he was unjustly imprisoned. He did not give up when his sentence was extended in a sham trial. He did not give up even when confronted with suffering and injustice. And neither must we. Democracy takes bravery, and Alexei understood that. That is why he went back to Russia in 2021. That is why he could not be broken. And that is exactly what made the regime so afraid of him. But Alexei’s fight endures. The many brave people that took to the streets of Russia after his death show – yet again – the fragility of authoritarianism. I take solace in the fact that if history teaches us anything, it is that the pillars of autocracy, in the end, always – always – crumble under the weight of its own corruption and people’s inherent desire to live freely. And when they inevitably do, it will be thanks to what Alexei and your family did. So dear Yulia, on behalf of the European Parliament that stands in admiration of your courage, I thank you. The floor is yours. (Loud and sustained applause)

The next item is the joint debate on: – Council and Commission statements on strengthening European defence in a volatile geopolitical landscape (2024/2581(RSP)); – the report by David McAllister, on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2023 (2023/2117(INI)) (A9-0389/2023); – the report by Sven Mikser, on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2023 (2023/2119(INI)) (A9-0403/2023).

Based on the conclusions of the Advisory Committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning Members of the European Parliament and after taking into account the observations of the Member concerned, I have decided to impose a penalty on José Ramón Bauzá Díaz pursuant to Rule 10(6) and Rule 176, as a result of his behaviour towards his accredited parliamentary assistant, which constituted psychological harassment. The penalty consists of a reprimand. The Member concerned has been notified of the decision, and has not lodged an internal appeal with the Bureau under Rule 177. The penalty is therefore final.

So we will put the proposal as just confirmed by Mr Pimenta Lopes to the vote by roll call. (Parliament approved the proposal) Therefore we will have Council and Commission statements as proposed and agreed with the Greens. The agenda is adopted and the order of business is thus established. (The sitting was suspended for a few moments)

Thank you, Mr Pimenta Lopes, for that proposal. I have received an alternative proposal from the Green Group to add Council and Commission statements on ‘The extradition and prosecution of Julian Assange and implications on freedom of the press’, followed by one round of political group speakers, to be added as the last item on Wednesday. First of all, I will ask whether any colleague would like to speak against having such a debate at all? I don’t see that to be the case. Therefore, Mr Pimenta Lopes, do you agree with the alternative proposal of the Green Group?

I give the floor to any colleague who would like to speak against. No one? So we put the request to a vote by roll call. (Parliament approved the request) For Wednesday, the EPP Group has requested that Council and Commission statements on ‘The need for an urgent Council decision in favour of amending the protection status of wolves in the Bern Convention’ be added as the third item after the second voting session. The debate would be wound up with a resolution to be voted at the next part session, and as a consequence the sitting would be extended to 23.00. I give the floor to Mr Dorfmann to move the request on behalf of the EPP.

I give the floor to any colleague who would like to speak against. No one? So we put the request of the Green Group to a vote by roll call. (Parliament approved the request) The Left Group has requested for Wednesday that a Commission statement on ‘Preventing work-related deaths following the Florence tragedy’ be added as the first item after the second voting session in the afternoon. As a consequence, the sitting would be extended to 23.00. I give the floor to Marina Mesure to move the request on behalf of The Left Group.

Thank you, Mr Wallace. The EPP has also requested that the title of the statement be changed to: ‘War in the Gaza Strip and the need to reach a ceasefire, including recent developments in the region’. So first I will ask whether any colleague would like to speak against having such a change in the title. As that is not the case, I will put to the vote first the request for a change of title, and then for the resolution. And I will ask you, Mr Wallace, do you agree with the proposal of the EPP Group?

OK, thank you, so this will be discussed at a later plenary session. For Tuesday, The Left Group has requested that the title of the High Representative’s statement on ‘War in the Gaza Strip, including recent developments related to the ICJ and UNWRA and in the region’ be changed to ‘War in the Gaza Strip and the need to reach a ceasefire, including recent developments related to the ICJ and in the region’. The debate would be wound up with a resolution to be voted in March. I give the floor to Mr Wallace to move the request on behalf of The Left Group.

We now come to the order of business. The final draft agenda as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 21 February pursuant to Rule 157 has been distributed. For Monday, The Left Group has requested that a debate on the report by Mr Luena on nature restoration – which was to be included directly in Tuesday’s votes – be added as the third item in the afternoon. As a consequence, today’s sitting would be extended to 23.00. I give the floor to Mr Flanagan to move the request on behalf of The Left Group.

I would like to inform you that, together with the President of the Council, I shall on Wednesday sign four acts adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with Rule 79 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure. The titles of the acts will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

Several committees have decided to enter into interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Rule 71(1) of the Rules of Procedure. The reports which constitute the mandates for the negotiations are available on the plenary webpage and their titles will be published in the minutes of the sitting. Pursuant to Rule 71(2), Members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold may request in writing by tomorrow, Tuesday 27 February, at midnight, that the decisions be put to the vote. If no request for a vote in Parliament is made before the deadline expires, the committees may start the negotiations.