Speeches

Mr Speaker, thank you for your words, for your courage and for your commitment to peace and parliamentary democracy. I give the floor now to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, for his statement.

The ID and ECR Groups have notified the President of decisions relating to appointments and changes within committees and delegations. These decisions will be set out in the minutes of today’s sitting and shall take effect on the date of this announcement.

The minutes and the texts adopted of the sittings of 14, 15, 16 and 17 February 2022 are available. Are there any comments? I see that there are not. The minutes are approved.

We have with us today the President of the Republic of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez. Dear President, thank you very much for coming to the European Parliament. Muchas gracias Presidente, bienvenido. Last year we commemorated five years since the Colombian peace agreement, a long—awaited accord that this Parliament strongly supports. I would like to thank you, Mr President, for the commitment of your administration to preserving peace. I would also like to use this moment to honour the memory of the victims of decades of conflict. We will never forget them. Their memory must be preserved in dignity and justice, while we support all the families that suffered atrocities. The people of Colombia have always struggled to defend and preserve their democratic institutions and the rule of law in order to guarantee the fundamental rights of citizens, and they have done so despite the threat of anti—democratic forces and criminal organisations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombia has led by example by granting temporary protection status to 1.8 million Venezuelans, allowing them to access key services, while one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time was unfolding. This historic act deserves recognition. Yesterday’s signature of the ‘Joint Declaration for a Dialogue on Environment, Climate Action and Sustainable Development’ is testimony to your commitment to preserving the environment and to combating the climate crisis. In terms of biodiversity, Colombia is a world leader, so this Joint Declaration is fundamental to achieving our common global climate objectives. I know that we will keep working together in key areas as we continue to strengthen the links between the European Union and Colombia for the benefit of all our people. So without further delay, I give the floor to the President of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez. Mr President, the floor is yours.

The final draft agenda as drawn up pursuant to Rule 157 by the Conference of Presidents at its meeting of 9 February 2022 has been distributed. I have received no requests for changes to the final draft agenda. I would like to inform you that the votes are distributed along different voting sessions, taking into account the number of amendments tabled and the number of requests for split and separate votes. Please note that this distribution could still be subject to changes, and the relevant information concerning the distribution of votes is available in the ‘Priority Information’ section on the website of the European Parliament. The agenda is therefore adopted and the order of business is therefore established.

– I have also received a request from the competent authorities in Greece for the parliamentary immunity of Mr Ioannis Lagos to be waived in order for criminal proceedings to be brought against him. This request is referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs as the committee responsible, in accordance with our Rules of Procedure.

With regard to other announcements, I have received notice from the competent authorities in Italy of the election of Ms Camilla Laureti as Member of the European Parliament to replace Mr David Maria Sassoli, with effect from 12 January 2022. I have also received notice from the competent authorities in Germany of the election of Mr René Repasi as Member of the European Parliament to replace Ms Evelyne Gebhardt, with effect from 2 February 2022. I would also like to welcome these new colleagues, and would point out that they will take their seats in Parliament and on its bodies in full enjoyment of their rights as provided for in the Rules of Procedure.

This week, concerns about the situation at the Ukrainian border, dear colleagues, will dominate our discussions. On Wednesday, High Representative Borrell will be here to discuss with Parliament the latest developments on the ground. This will also be discussed at the Conference of Presidents, and our political groups in this House are currently working on a declaration on the situation in Ukraine. Also on Wednesday, we will vote on granting EUR 1.2 billion of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, to support Ukraine’s stability and resilience in the current difficult circumstances. On behalf of the European Parliament let me express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, as they continue to face the uncertainty of the past weeks and fear of Russian military aggression. What we are witnessing is a serious threat to peace in Europe. We all saw the people on the streets of Kyiv, who showed that they are not afraid. Now their defiance must be matched by continued European resolve and unity. The position of this House is clear – Ми з Україною – we are with Ukraine. Ukraine is a sovereign state that must be free to decide on its future for the benefit of its people. No one should undermine that right. We are united in our respect for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity. While we urge for a de-escalation of the current tension, this Parliament stands ready to support swift, forceful and concrete action. We do this in coordination with other European institutions and the international community, should the situation deteriorate. In conclusion, we owe a strong show of support to the people of Ukraine and this week, this Parliament will do just that.

The minutes of the sitting of 27 January 2022 are available. Can I ask first of all whether there are any comments? It does not seem to be the case. (The minutes of the previous sitting were approved.)

Thank you President von der Leyen. I ask you now, dear colleagues, before closing the ceremony, to join me for a minute of silence. (The House rose and observed a minute’s silence) Musical interlude: ‘Kaddish’ by Maurice Ravel played by Philippe Graffin, violinist and Raphael Wallfisch, cellist.

And finally, the draft agenda, as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 20 January pursuant to Rule 157, has been distributed and is adopted.

The minutes and the texts adopted of the sittings of 17, 18, 19 and 20 January are available. If there are no comments, I will deem these minutes to be approved.

I will now announce the results of the second voting session held yesterday, 19 January 2022. (The President read out the results of the vote.)1 _______________ 1 See Minutes for details.

I have received the results of the second ballot for the election of Quaestors. The results are as follows. Members voting: 688. Blank or void votes: 20. Votes cast: 668. The votes were cast as follows: Karol Karski: 324 votes Marcel Kolaja: 344 votes On the basis of this second ballot, I therefore declare Marcel Kolaja elected as Quaestor of the European Parliament and I would like to congratulate him warmly on his election. In accordance with Rules 18 and 17(2), the Quaestors will take precedence in the order in which they were elected and, in the event of a tie, by age. The composition of the new Bureau will be notified to the Presidents of the institutions of the European Union. Thank you and congratulations.

I would like to make just one more reminder that this is not a national debate. We are discussing the French Presidency’s priorities, and we need to respect this institution in that regard.

You will understand that all the group leaders have exceeded their time, including this. Now I see that there is a point of order. Go ahead, Ms García Pérez.

I would also like to inform that, since the adjournment of Parliament’s session on 15 December, the President, together with the President of the Council, has signed one act adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with Rule 79 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure. The title of the act will be published in the minutes of this sitting.

I have received the results of the vote on the election of Quaestors. The results are as follows. Number of members voting: 688. Blank or void votes: 12. Votes cast: 676. The absolute majority needed, therefore, for election in this round is 339. The votes were cast as follows: Monika Beňová: 487 votes Christophe Hansen: 576 votes Karol Karski: 321 votes Fabienne Keller: 479 votes Marcel Kolaja: 277 votes Anne Sander: 622 votes Congratulations, therefore, to the following candidates who have obtained an absolute majority: Anne Sander, Christophe Hansen, Monika Beňová and Fabienne Keller. That means that there is one seat that remains to be filled for the election of Quaestors and, therefore, we need to have a second ballot. Unless there are any comments, I take it that the remaining candidates in the first ballot are still standing and will still stand. OK, I see that there are no comments in this regard. Therefore, the second ballot will take place at 14.30 this afternoon. (The sitting was suspended at 11.05)

For the election of the Quaestors of the European Parliament, I now propose setting the deadline for candidacies tonight at 22.00. Candidacies should be lodged at the Deputy Secretary-General’s office, R00.101 in the Louise Weiss Building or be printed, signed and scanned to be transmitted electronically.

The result of the second ballot in the election of the Vice—Presidents are as follows. Members voting 698 Blank or void ballots 7 Votes cast 691 Absolute majority 346 The votes were cast as follows. I will read them out: Nicola Beer 410 votes. Mara Bizzotto 211 votes Fabio Massimo Castaldo 251 votes. Heidi Hautala 294 votes Marcel Kolaja 239 votes Dimitrios Papadimoulis 329 votes Michal Šimečka 494 votes Roberts Zīle 403 votes So that means that the following candidates have obtained an absolute majority of the votes cast: Michal Šimečka, Nicola Beer and Roberts Zīle. Congratulations on your election. Two seats now remain to be filled in the election of the Vice—Presidents, and therefore we need a third ballot. Unless there are any comments, I take it that the candidates in the second ballot are still standing. I see that there are no comments and therefore the candidates in the second ballot will also stand in the third ballot. (The sitting was suspended at 19.02)

With the consent of the political groups, I would like to submit to the Chamber the following proposal for changes to the final draft agenda of Tuesday, today i.e.: the Election of Parliament’s Vice-Presidents, the second vote, originally scheduled from 17.00 to 17.45, will now take place from 17.30 to 18.15, thus announcing the results at 19.00; the Election of Parliament’s Vice-Presidents, the third vote, originally scheduled from 19.00 to 19.45, will now take place from 19.30 to 20.15, and the results will then be announced at 21.00. If there is no objection, these changes are approved.