What Costas spoke about.

20 Jan

2025

EL Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Madam President, after the overthrow of the Assad regime, we have a historic opportunity as the European Union for peace and stability in Syria and more broadly in the Middle East. On the basis of some parameters: first, protection of ethnic and religious communities; secondly, the jihadists cannot be our allies, and their renaming as supposedly moderate political opposition does not fool European…

18 Dec

2024

EN Speech

Promoting social dialogue and collective bargaining and the right to strike in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, social dialogue, including collective bargaining, is a crucial and beneficial tool for a well-functioning social market economy – one of the aims of the Treaties, as rightly pointed out by the Commissioner. In line with the Treaties, though, it's also the explicit protection of the autonomy of the tripartite social system in Member States. Now, regarding the EU directive on adequate …

17 Dec

2024

EN Speech

Toppling of the Syrian regime, its geopolitical implications and the humanitarian situation in the region (debate)

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Mr President, the toppling of the brutal Assad regime is a historical opportunity for peace and stability in Syria and beyond. But what are our clear priorities with overwhelming consensus of this House? First, the protection of minorities, ethnic and religious, particularly Christians and Kurds. Second, jihadists cannot be our partners: to nominate a wanted terrorist as a moderate political oppos…

25 Nov

2024

EL Speech

Condemning the illegal unilateral declaration of independence of the secessionist entity in Cyprus and all efforts to legitimise it and reaffirming the need for European solidarity - 41 years after (debate)

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Mr President, in the title of today's debate, which is the condemnation of the illegal unilateral declaration of the separatist entity in Cyprus, one word is missing. The separatist entity was created by Turkey. Turkey created the pseudo-state. Turkey finances it, supports it. To date, Turkey has maintained occupation troops in a puppet state in Cyprus. The UN Security Council has definitively det…

13 Nov

2024

EN Speech

Fight against money laundering and terrorist financing: listing Russia as a high-risk third country in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, the listing of Russia as a high-risk country for money laundering and terrorist financing, given robust proof, is an important step in combating such criminal and dirty operations. As pointed out by the Commissioner, our aim is to weaken Russia's aggression in Ukraine, being in line with our values and our security. But why remain silent when it comes to other countries, such as Turk…

22 Oct

2024

EN Speech

Situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia (debate)

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Mr President, Azerbaijan's aggression to force the displacement of a 100 000 indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh remains a crime against humanity, while today prisoners of war are still being held captive, and Armenia's territory is violated. As for Azerbaijan's record for human rights and fundamental freedoms, it is simply deplorable, with a wave of arrests and criminal cases again…

9 Oct

2024

EL Speech

The case of Bülent Mumay in Türkiye

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Madam President, this case is another proof, along with many others, that in Erdogan's Turkey freedom of expression is a criminal offence. But this problem is a chronic situation in Turkey, where the regime has turned the judiciary into its tool. Indicators from international organisations record this in their assessments. The competent committee of the Council of Europe has documented this for ye…

17 Sep

2024

EL Speech

State of the Energy union (debate)

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Mr President, the Commissioner explained how united we defended international law in the case of Ukraine and how we reacted to Putin's aggression and at the same time moved towards an autonomous energy union. Cyprus did so at enormous cost, because we believe in international law and we ourselves are victims of the violation of international law by Turkey's aggression. But, unfortunately, we remai…

17 Jul

2024

EN Speech

Statement by the President

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Madam President, as we are a full house, I would rather speak in English. On behalf of the Cypriot citizens, I would like to thank you for your statement. Cyprus’ issue is a European problem and that is why we are discussing it here today. We mark today the 50 years since the blatant invasion in 1974 and the ongoing illegal occupation of more than a third of Cyprus’ territory by Türkiye that viola…

28 Feb

2024

EN Speech

Strengthening European Defence in a volatile geopolitical landscape - Implementation of the common foreign and security policy – annual report 2023 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2023 (joint debate - European security and defence)

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Madam President, I applaud the Commission President’s initial apologetic statement that illusions have been shattered and, in fact, it is our moral duty to defend a sovereign country, such as Ukraine, being the victim of Russian aggression. But illusions are still prevailing. Here are some examples. We can’t have strategic autonomy with increasing dependency of our food supply on sources outside o…

6 Feb

2024

EL Speech

Quality traineeships in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, as the European Parliament we adopted a resolution in June calling on the Commission to make a legislative proposal that ensures a remuneration that at least covers the cost of basic living needs for traineeships and that also treats these practices as real work experience with respect for labour rights. We also call on Member States to make these periods accessible to people with di…

17 Jan

2024

EN Speech

Situation of fundamental rights in the EU in 2022 and 2023 (debate)

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Madam President, the EU is above all, a union of justice with an independent and impartial judiciary, so that the European law is effectively applied not just with the legal harmonisation of a Member State. Compliance with effective implementation of the European law is applied through necessary domestic mechanisms. Two examples: the use of abusive and unfair terms and practices, especially by the…

16 Jan

2024

EL Speech

Role of preventive diplomacy in tackling frozen conflicts around the world – missed opportunity or change for the future? (debate)

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Madam President, in order to exercise successful preventive diplomacy as the European Union, we need to be able to play a serious geopolitical role. This requires common defence tools and compliance with international law and our European values. So we will intervene in the same way, whether it is Russia's invasion of Ukraine, or the ongoing Turkish occupation of Cyprus, the territory of the Europ…

18 Oct

2023

EL Speech

A true geopolitical Europe now (topical debate)

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Madam President, Mr Borrell Fontelles, you concluded your speech with a request. How can we be more effective, in particular, to add, in an environment of existing threats, terrorism and wars, from the Caucasus to the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. The case of Ukraine shows that convergence due to political will has correctly delivered severe sanctions. In the case of Cyprus, where Tur…

18 Oct

2023

EN Speech

The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (debate)

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Mr President, today we condemn the despicable Hamas terrorist attacks. No excuses, no tolerance. Today we stand in line with the right of Israel for self-defence. Today we say clearly and strongly, jihadist Hamas is not Palestine. Given that Israel is a democratic state, I’m appealing once again to the new unity government to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court so that huma…

17 Oct

2023

EN Speech

Effectiveness of the EU sanctions on Russia (debate)

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Madam President, those of us who seek for the effectiveness of the EU sanctions on Russia, we also agree that the problem is loopholes and practices that circumvent them. Some blame it on China, on Iran or Kazakhstan, but these are not EU Members, nor members of NATO, and certainly they are not our strategic partners. Turkey is in accession process, a NATO member, and some still call it a strategi…

16 Oct

2023

EL Speech

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

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Madam President, I will talk about the missing persons of the Cypriot tragedy of 1974. There were 1619 missing Greek Cypriots, including men, women, elders and young children, who were added to a list of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, which already included around six hundred. Up to two years after the Turkish invasion, missing persons were returning who managed to escape. Since then, famili…

4 Oct

2023

EN Speech

Decent Housing for All (topical debate)

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Madam President, decent housing should be a fundamental human right, but it became a privilege for the few. The energy crisis, the huge increase in building materials, rising interest rates and other factors make housing a serious economic and social problem to the point that young couples cannot have their own home and children, affecting also students and people in low income and medium income. …

4 Oct

2023

EL Speech

Need for a speedy adoption of the asylum and migration package (debate)

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Mr President, the adoption of a common asylum and migration package is a necessity to protect those at risk, to manage migration rationally and to put an end to illegal, and above all instrumentalised, migration by criminal regimes. For years, from this step we have been documenting that the rules of engagement established by the European Union do not take into account the particular circumstances…

3 Oct

2023

EL Speech

Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s attack and the continuing threats against Armenia (debate)

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Mr President, we have heard the European institutions describe a crime against humanity; the crime of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population from Artsakh. Soon the cultural genocide of everything Armenian and Christian will follow. But for there to be a crime, there are criminals. It is the regimes of Aliyev and Erdoğan, with the passive complicity, of course, of Putin. The lesson is simple: …

12 Sep

2023

EL Speech

2022 Report on Türkiye (debate)

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Madam President, congratulations to the rapporteur on his hard work. Especially on issues within Turkey and human rights violations in too many areas, the report is a catapult. But I ask a reasonable question. With so many human rights violations in a country where the judiciary has become an organ of Erdogan's government, can there be democracy? I will continue: Turkey currently occupies European…

12 Jul

2023

EL Speech

Putting the European economy at the service of the middle class (debate)

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Mr President, the middle class is the backbone of our economies and the guarantee of social stability for our democracies. However, the middle class has been the victim of various crises, resulting in its shrinking on a pan-European level. Poverty wages, the ever-decreasing purchasing power of these wages, the increase in inequalities, as well as the inadequacy of policies on a pan-European level …

13 Jun

2023

EN Speech

Question Time (VPC/HR) - Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and at the Lachin Corridor

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Dear High Representative, right here in January of this year we had a long discussion in the plenary session regarding the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which I want to concentrate on. As you know, 120 000 native Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, including 30 000 children, were blockaded with no medicine, no food by the Azerbaijanis. And after that, we had the binding International Court of Justic…

13 Jun

2023

EL Speech

This is Europe - Debate with the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides (debate)

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Madam President, Mr Vice-President, Your Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Socialists and Democrats Group, I congratulate you on your election and welcome you to the European Parliament, which is the main institution of the European family, reflecting the views of European citizens. As the European Union, we are faced with decisive challenges and objectives for t…

29 Mar

2023

EN Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23-24 March 2023 (debate)

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Madam President, I’m reading straight from the statement of the Euro summit that goes like this: ‘We call for continued efforts to complete our Banking Union in line with the Eurogroup statement of 16 June 2022.’ I wonder who prevents the completion of the Banking Union with its third pillar – that is the European Deposit Insurance System, which is pending for more than 10 years. Well, the answer …