What Roberta spoke about.

Dear colleagues, kindly remain standing. (The House observed a minute’s silence) We shall now conclude the ceremony with some music. (Chen Halevi (clarinet) and Jenő Lisztes (cimbalom) played ‘Kaddish’ by Maurice Ravel.)

President Herzog, distinguished guests, dear colleagues, every year around 27 January, the world remembers the millions of innocent men, women and children who were murdered in history’s greatest crime. A crime intended to wipe off a people from the earth. A crime designed to inflict horror on generations. A crime that has shaped our modern European project into an embodiment of the timeless promise: never again. It was a crime that saw six million Jewish people murdered for being Jewish; that saw Roma and Sinti people targeted; that saw LGBTI communities eradicated and so many others humiliated and killed because of their ethnicity, disability, identity, race or beliefs. It is difficult to imagine the horrors of the Holocaust and the actions that led up to it. The fear of mothers and fathers, the quiet suffering of so many. The little children forced to hide in holes, in basements and attics. The Rabbis who remained dignified as they were forced to scrub pavements while crowds laughed and mocked. The impossible choices faced by so many every day in so many Member States. The Holocaust did not happen overnight. ‘Auschwitz did not fall from the sky’ as survivor Marian Turski said three years ago. The alarm bells should have rung before. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gave a lecture in 2012 where he said one of the things that haunted him about the Holocaust was the horror of the silence. ‘Where were the voices? Where were protests?’ he asked. This was done in living memory. In the age of enlightenment, rationalism, science and art and culture. This did not happen in a frenzy of hate: it took time, it was built up. The dehumanisation process started before the camps. And what was truly horrifying, he said, is the almost total absence of horror at the time. His appeal was for us to ‘resolve that if the moment comes, we will stand up and speak out, so that no one will have reason to say: when we cried, you were not listening; when we suffered, you were silent’. This is why, even if it is hard to describe these crimes, we must keep speaking; why we must never forget. We must speak because ours is the last generation to receive first-hand accounts from survivors of the Holocaust. Our duty becomes even greater when the voices of those survivors cannot be heard any longer. It is our responsibility to remember and to pass down testimonies to future generations, to educate. We must speak because despite decades of effort, anti-Semitism still exists. Hate still finds too many voices excusing it. Too many families in Europe and around the world live with packed suitcases by their door. We cannot allow anyone to find comfort in ignorance. Let me repeat what I said in the Knesset: to be anti-Semitic is to be anti-European. Our first woman President, Simone Veil, was herself a survivor – who grew up to change the face of Europe – and her legacy is present in these halls and buildings. She understood that ‘neutrality only helps the oppressor’. And the European Parliament will always take a side: the side of respect, the side of human dignity, the side of equality, the side of hope. This Parliament is proud that we have not been silent. Not when it comes to fighting hate and discrimination. Not when it comes to anti-Semitism and religious freedom. And we will keep acting to ensure that our communities are not marginalised by exclusion, hatred or indifference. We have not been silent when it came to standing up for our values. Nor when it comes to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the rhetoric used to try to justify it. Neither have we been silent when it comes to the regime in Iran who execute young people standing up for women, life and liberty. Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow marks 78 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. A liberation from evil that proved that despite everything, hope endures. Even when all around is hopelessness. The same hope that led to the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel 75 years ago this year. A nation that has endured, flourished and sustained a democracy despite all odds. President Herzog, as I said in Israel, the bond between the people of Europe and the people of Israel has been forged in the horror of our common history. A bond whose strength lies in its openness, honesty, straightforwardness – even criticism – but a bond that has and will withstand the test of time. And yet, our people share more than history and a promise to remember. We also share a common destiny – and a future that will endure. We will now listen to a musical interlude. (Jenő Lisztes (cimbalom) played ‘Lament’ by Laci Rácz.)

Dear Members, dear colleagues, we gather here today for this solemn ceremony to mark the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, in the presence of the President of the State of Israel. President Herzog, welcome to the European Parliament. (Applause) Before we begin I would like to invite you to turn your attention to the screens to watch a short video in remembrance of all the victims of the Holocaust. (A video was shown in the Chamber)

Thank you for that. However, and this will happen to all groups, if there is opposition that was expressed – because Mr Złotowski said it and I heard him – then that happens, so that is in the context of the vote as had already been in motion. Therefore the oral amendment cannot be taken, and we vote on Amendment 15 as originally tabled.

Georgios Kyrtsos has submitted a request for the defence of his parliamentary immunity in the context of the complaint he has made against the Greek authorities about phone-tapping. This request is referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs.

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on the presentation of the programme of activities of the Swedish Presidency (2022/3008(RSP)). Dear Prime Minister Kristersson, dear colleagues, on 1 January we welcomed Sweden at the helm of the Council of the European Union. Today, it is a pleasure to have with us Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to present the programme of activities of the Swedish Presidency. Prime Minister, dear Ulf, welcome to the European Parliament. Questions on the economy will dominate the Swedish Presidency. I believe that a return to growth can be one of your major achievements. In order to boost the economy, you stand for an open, modern and competitive Europe. This is what the European Parliament stands for too. Growth will also come from reforming our energy market. To make it future-proof, efforts must be made to reconcile energy security with the green transition. Sweden is already a front-runner in this area, which will prove essential when it comes to us wrapping-up the ‘Fit for 55’ package. Last year, the European Parliament and the five rotating presidencies committed to working in partnership to find agreement on the migration and asylum package before the next European elections. Your presidency falls squarely in the middle of this legislature. The urgency to make progress on all the migration files is becoming very real here too. And yet, despite all these challenges, the biggest threat to Europe and our democracies is still and will continue to be Russia’s illegal invasion and relentless bombardment of Ukraine. Sweden has been a great friend to Ukraine and you have always been true promoters of human rights and democratic values. We must continue to stand by Ukraine. Prime Minister, dear Ulf, a month and a half ago, you welcomed me and my colleagues, the group leaders, in the beautiful capital of Stockholm. It is in this constructive spirit that the European Parliament will continue working with the Swedish Presidency on the many important initiatives on the table. On behalf of this House, I look forward to working together with you and your colleagues and I wish you every success for the upcoming six months.

Thank you, Stéphane. Does anyone want to speak against this request? I see that is not the case, so I put the request to the vote. (Parliament approved the request) The Commission statement is therefore added as the fourth point in the afternoon tomorrow. For Wednesday, the Greens/EFA Group has requested that a Commission statement on ‘Criminalisation of humanitarian assistance, including search and rescue’ be added as the sixth point in the afternoon. I give the floor to Tineke Strik to move the request on behalf of her group.

So would you agree that I put Mr Séjourné’s proposal to a vote? I see that the House agrees. The title would therefore be as follows: ‘New developments in allegations of corruption and foreign interference, including those related to Morocco, and the need to increase transparency, integrity and accountability in the European institutions’. We put that request to a vote. (Parliament approved the request) So this will mean that Tuesday’s sitting will be extended until 23:00. I have a request from the Renew Group, that has asked that a Commission statement on ‘The EU’s response to the appalling attack against civilians in Dnipro: strengthening sanctions against the Putin regime and military support to Ukraine’ be added as the fourth point in the afternoon. I give the floor to Mr Séjourné to move the request on behalf of his group.

We now come to the order of business. The final draft agenda as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 12 January pursuant to Rule 157 has been distributed. Now, I have received five requests for debates on the same topic taken from different angles. I will read all the requests out now and then we could potentially agree on a debate that could garner the majority with the broadest possible overview. This would be my proposal. The timing of this would be on Tuesday afternoon, and the vote on the title would take place by a recorded vote. I will read them out. The Left Group has asked that a Commission statement on ‘The suspicions of corruption linked to Morocco and other third countries in European institutions’ be added as the second point in the afternoon. The ID Group has asked that a Commission statement on ‘Immediate establishment of an inquiry committee into the political responsibility for ‘Qatargate’ in light of Article 226 TFEU’ be added. The Greens/EFA Group has asked that the Commission statement on ‘Ensuring transparency, integrity and accountability of EU institutions’ be added to the agenda. The S&D Group has asked that the Commission statement on ‘New developments related to malign political interference from third countries within the EU institutions’ be added to the agenda. The ECR Group has requested that a Commission statement on ‘New developments in the corruption cases in the EU institutions’ be added to the agenda. So we need to find a title that would bring all these together. I would think that unless the groups have come to an agreement, we will hear from Mr Séjourné, Ms Reintke and Ms Aubry.

I would like to inform you that we will proceed, on Wednesday 18 January, with the election of the new Vice-President of the European Parliament, replacing Eva Kaili. Regarding this election, I remind you that the deadline for submitting nominations is tomorrow, Tuesday 17 January 2023 at 19:00. The nominations should be handed in to the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General in the open-plan area of the plenary services, and include the candidate’s acceptance. The vote will be held on Wednesday at noon.

I would like to inform you that, together with the President of the Council, I shall, on Wednesday, sign three 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.

The EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and ID groups have notified me of decisions relating to changes to appointments within committees and delegations. These decisions will be set out in the minutes of today’s sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

I have received requests from the competent authorities in Belgium for the parliamentary immunities of Andrea Cozzolino and Marc Tarabella to be waived. These requests have been referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs.

Dear colleagues, last week marked one year since our friend and President, David Sassoli, passed away. I have lost count of the number of times this year that I wanted to pick up the phone to ask his opinion. His clarity of thought, his vision for a Europe of equality and justice, his championing of the most vulnerable in our societies are things that define our common European mission and this European Parliament. David left his mark on our project and on all of us. In his last public address, he referred to Europe as a ‘project of hope – a project to unite us all, a project that embodies our Union, our values and our civilisation’. I promised a year ago that this Parliament would continue to honour his legacy, and I know that we will keep that promise. Today, we also mourn our colleague Miroslav Číž, who died on 29 December. I ask you all to stand for a minute of silence to remember. (The House rose and observed a minute’s silence.) On Iran, it has been a long 120 days since women, men, students, academics and so many more in Iran took to the streets chanting ‘Women. Life. Liberty’, demanding respect for their right to live freely. Those standing up in Iran have inspired the world and I want to tell them that we will not leave them alone. I’ve just come from a rally outside where I repeated our call for the international community to respond forcefully to the terror that has been unleashed by the regime on the people on the streets of Iran. We must crack down on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. We need those responsible for the killings, those responsible for the executions, those who prefer to see free people held forever in chains and those who provide drones used to kill Ukrainians to be held accountable. The people on the streets are on the right side of history; they will make history, and we will stand with them as they do. On Ukraine, colleagues, these last days saw again a series of indiscriminate strikes by Russia against people in Ukraine. We saw how residential buildings were targeted. Women, children massacred. The images of Dnipro will haunt forever all those who saw them – all those who were forced to live through them. The bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people should be an example to all. They have shown the world that might does not equal right. That terror will not break Ukrainian spirits. Europe will continue to support Ukraine – politically, humanitarianly, militarily and financially. The EUR 18 billion financial package that this House voted for will begin to be disbursed this week. Our ‘Generators of Hope’ campaign is in full swing, with towns, villages, cities all doing their part to help power Ukraine. I am so proud of our response and I know that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. I also wanted to speak about the decisions needed on measures in the House to increase integrity, independence and accountability. The European Parliament prides itself on its openness, its accessibility and its defence of legislating in the public eye. We are not in some imaginary ivory tower. The principle of ‘openness builds trust’ is one we hold dear and that we defend. Any abuse or misuse of the tools that we created for this purpose must be addressed strongly, systematically and with any potential weaknesses addressed. The events of the past month have led to a need to re-build trust with the European citizens we represent. We must acknowledge this. Citizens, rightly, demand accountability and integrity. We will respond. I promised you last month that we would come back with a series of reforms. With group leaders, we have agreed on a first-step approach on a number of points that can go a long way. This is the beginning, not the end. We will start with measures that we can implement quickly while starting the process for a longer-term reform. Consultations will continue across the board. As a starting point, we will look at how we can implement a revolving door policy, at how we can ensure more transparency, of how we can improve accountability and checks of interest representatives, of how we can better control who has access to our premises. We will ask for more transparency also when it comes to those representing third countries and their interests and from former Members. We will shine a brighter light on what we do as Members, with more and clearer information being made available to the public. We will enforce rules that disallow any activities that could create confusion with official European Parliament activities – particularly when it comes to interaction with third countries. We will do more to ensure that the public has clear information on our financial declarations and we will ensure more training on whistle-blowing and compliance. We will propose measures to boost the fight against corruption and on how we can push back against foreign interference. We will strengthen our systems, address any shortcomings, and be honest and open throughout this process. And we will do all of this while protecting the freedom of our mandate as elected representatives. We will not hinder that – we will do the opposite and do so while highlighting the important, crucial role played by MEPs in European decision—making and our role in making the lives of Europeans a little bit safer, a little bit fairer, a little bit more equal. Our House is the embodiment of European parliamentary democracy and I need your help to ensure that the pillars holding it up are strengthened. We owe this to our citizens, to all those who came before and to all those who come after.