What Roberta spoke about.

The EPP Group has notified me of a decision relating to changes to appointments within committees. This decision will be set out in the minutes of today’s sitting and take effect on the date of this announcement.

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on preparation of the European Council meeting of 18-19 December 2025, in particular the need to support Ukraine, transatlantic relations and the EU's strategic autonomy (2025/2719(RSP)). I would like to remind you that we continue with the new-ish format for this debate. So there will be no speakers list, and after the first round of speakers, Members who received time by their political groups or non-attached secretariat will be called to speak. So please keep an eye on the screen and please make your way to the lectern when your name appears as the upcoming speaker. Normal rules for blue cards and catch-the-eye apply.

Good morning, dear colleagues, I have received separate requests for a vote in Parliament from The Left, S&D and Greens/EFA groups, reaching the medium threshold, on the decision of the LIBE Committee to enter into negotiations on the following files: – Application of the 'safe third country' concept; and. – Establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level. The vote will be held today and it will be preceded by one round of political group speakers. Concerning the other decisions by the LIBE and EMPL committees to enter into interinstitutional negotiations, pursuant to Rule 72(1), announced at the opening of the session on Monday 15 December, I have received no requests for a vote in Parliament by Members or political groups reaching the medium threshold. Therefore, the LIBE and EMPL committees may start negotiations.

The next vote is on the objection pursuant to Rule 115(2) and (3): genetically modified maize NK603 (see minutes, item 7.14). Just before the final vote, I would remind you that in the Agora, just after this vote, there is a commemoration of the victims of the terrorist attack of seven years ago.

We move to the vote on the report by Aura Salla on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers: application EGF/2025/003 SE/Northvolt – Sweden (see minutes, item 7.12).

The next vote is on the request by the EPP, the S&D and the Renew Europe groups for an urgent decision on establishing the Reparations Loan to Ukraine and amending Regulation (EU) 2024/792 of 29 February 2024 establishing the Ukraine Facility (see minutes, item 7.2). I give the floor first to Thijs Reuten to speak in favour of the urgent decision.

The first vote is on the report by Gabriel Mato on the bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products (see minutes, item 7.1). We will have a round of group speakers, starting with Gabriel Mato for the EPP Group. One minute each.

It is truly a privilege to welcome you all, dear colleagues, to this award ceremony. The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought celebrates those remarkable people and organisations who stand up for freedom and democracy around the world; who blazed a trail and inspire others; who continue to fight for what they know is right – no matter how great the challenge or how large the sacrifice. Its laureates form a roll call of champions of democracy stretching back over three decades. Today, we welcome two more extraordinary people to that prestigious list: journalists Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia. Andrzej and Mzia cannot be with us today to recognise their achievements and their courage. They are imprisoned simply for doing their jobs, speaking out against injustice and persecution. Therefore, to accept this award on Andrzej Poczobut's behalf, we welcome his daughter, Jana Poczobut. And on Mzia Amaglobeli's behalf, journalist Irma Dimitradze. (Applause) Dear Jana and Irma, thank you so much for being here today. As we do every year, I also want to welcome the Sakharov Prize finalists: Serbian students, the Red Crescent, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, who are up there with us. (Applause) This House thanks you all for being with us here today. So now I invite you all to watch a short video on Andrzrej and Mzia's path to becoming Sakharov laureates. (A video was played in the Chamber) Dear colleagues, today, as we've just seen, we honour Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli, the 2025 laureates of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded in recognition of their brave fight for democracy for the people of Belarus and Georgia. Our European democracy is built on freedom of thought and expression. We know how much these values are worth and we will never surrender them. Free and independent media are a key part of putting these values into practice. That is why it is so fitting that this year's prize goes to two journalists who are risking everything to expose threats to democracy in their two countries. Andrzej Poczobut has spent years reporting on the oppressive regime in Belarus and advocating for the Polish minority in that country. He was arrested in 2021. Since then, he has been locked in solitary confinement in a concrete cage and denied any contact with the outside world. In court, one witness said, his face was full of suffering, but in his eyes was determination, resilience and bravery. Mzia has worked for decades exposing corruption and human rights abuses in Georgia. She was arrested in January this year during democratic protests. On her 50th birthday, Mzia's friends tried to signal to her in prison from a nearby hillside with posters and balloons. She was unable to see them from her cell. But democracy cannot be silenced and, although they cannot be with us today, Andrzej and Mzia's urgent calls for democracy ring clear in this Chamber and across our continent. This House stands in solidarity with Andrzej and Mzia in their struggle. We call for their immediate release, along with every person wrongfully imprisoned. Our determination will match the courage of those wrongly jailed and those still suffering behind bars. We will keep up the pressure until everyone is free. We will not forget them. We will never abandon them – until the age of dictators is finally over; until Belarus is finally free. This Parliament sees what is happening in Belarus and in Georgia, and we are stepping up our efforts to aid those who seek to build a democratic future. So, dear Jana, dear Irma, you can rely on this House to continue speaking up for Andrzej, for Mzia, and for all those who long for freedom – not just when the spotlight is on us, like today, but every day. Because democracy takes work; it takes dedication; it takes the courage to act, even when the cost is unimaginably high. This is what this year's laureates teach us, and that is the spirit that this House must carry forward in everything we do. So it is now my privilege to hand over to Jana Poczobut, daughter and representative of the 2025 Sakharov laureate, Andrzej Poczobut.

I have also received a proposal from the Renew Group for a Commission statement on 'Supporting French and European farmers following animal disease outbreaks: implications for the EU approach on sanitary policy and on animal health to avoid the spread of diseases'. Does any Member wish to speak against having this debate at all? OK, that's not the case. So I first put the request of the PfE Group to a vote by roll call. (Parliament approved the request) It is added to the agenda. For Tuesday, the ESN Group has requested that a Commission statement on 'Islamist attack targeting Hanukkah celebrations in Australia and the prevention of an Islamist attack on a Christmas market in Bavaria, Germany' be added on Tuesday afternoon before the Council and Commission statements on recent developments in Palestine and Lebanon. As a consequence, the sitting would be extended to 23:00. I give the floor to Christine Anderson to move the request on behalf of her group.