Speeches

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, the first thing to understand about the Wagner Group is that there is most likely no Wagner Group, there is not a single company registered under this name, but rather a network of entities interconnected with the Russian state and military system and connected to each other through overlapping ownership and logistical networks. Their nature offers a very difficult challenge for state entities that do not always have all the right tools to deal with the risks posed by the activity of these contractors. All the various initiatives aimed at developing clear and binding international legal standards restricting and regulating these activities are therefore essential. The EU must strongly support the UN Intergovernmental Working Group in its draft regulatory framework for private companies, making sure that this document is ambitious and that its timely implementation leads to supporting the efforts of all national and international jurisdictions to initiate criminal proceedings to hold all these PMSCs accountable for the very serious human rights violations they often commit. In the presence of clear and transparent rules we will finally have those tools necessary to finally make concrete the contrast to what apparently seem ghosts, but which in reality are simply hidden in the folds of our systems.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, despite all our efforts in recent years, the efforts of the Union and the UN for the reconstruction and political stabilisation of Somalia, unfortunately this unfortunate country is still today torn apart by violence, jihadist terrorism, famine, malnutrition, corruption and, again, even crime. Yes, we must ensure that the elections are not delayed beyond the December date, otherwise this would provide even more space for Al Shabaab to regain influence, but we must also reflect on the imminent expiry of AMISOM's mandate, to think about how we can guarantee, help, contribute to building security in Somalia. We must have a realistic and accessible approach, which pushes for greater UN involvement, but which must also seek to ensure that Somali-led security is provided, respectful of human rights, capable of providing concrete solutions to African problems. Protecting journalists and human rights defenders, preventing Somali children from being condemned to be child soldiers or starving to death, this is what we must achieve by standing with local communities, by standing with civil society and all those who do not want Somalia to become a failed state.

Thank you very much, dear Minister. The debate is closed. The vote will take place during the December part-session. Written declarations (Rule 171)

The sitting was adjourned and will resume at 8.30 p.m. with the Commission's statement on the European Action Plan against Rare Diseases. (The sitting adjourned at 20.06)

The next item is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on fundamental rights and the rule of law in Slovenia, in particular the delays in the appointment of European Prosecutors (2021/2978(RSP)). I would remind all Members that for all the debates in this part-session there is no catch-the-eye procedure and no blue card applications will be accepted. In addition, remote interventions from Parliament’s Liaison Offices in the Member States are also foreseen.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, two decades ago, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: “A hidden world war is being waged in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as all world forces are directly or indirectly involved in it. Here all the essential contradictions of the third millennium are broken. Yet, even today, many are under the illusion that they can impose a solution in Bosnia from the outside, drawing imaginary and arbitrary border lines. The bench is now in danger of jumping, reopening old and painful wounds. To blow on the wind of nationalism is not only Dodik, the leader of the Republika Srpska, with its secessionist will, but also many external actors including even some Member States of our Union, increasingly distant from the values on which it is based. Dear colleagues, it is time for the Union to act resolutely, clearly and unambiguously, deploying all the political and diplomatic instruments at its disposal, including sanctions against Dodik and those who support him, to ensure that any future agreement takes into account the will of the Bosnian peoples and not the geopolitical gain of others. The Dayton Accords must be revised and superseded, but not by replenishing the dangerous spectres of ethno-nationalism. If we continue to appear distant and disinterested, we will condemn Bosnia to be not only a defeated periphery but, even worse, perhaps again also the powder keg of Europe.

The next item is the report by Nils Ušakovs and Monika Hohlmeier, on behalf of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Budgetary Control, on the revision of the Financial Regulation with a view to the entry into force of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 (2021/2162(INI)) (A9-0295/2021).

The debate is closed. The vote on the amendments will take place tomorrow and the final vote will take place on Wednesday 24 November 2021. Written declarations (Rule 171)

The next item is the report by Hildegard Bentele, on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, on a European strategy for critical raw materials (2021/2011(INI)) (A9-0280/2021). I would like to remind all my fellow Members that for all the debates in this part-session there is no catch-the-eye procedure, nor will applications from the so-called 'blue card' be accepted. In addition, as was the case during recent part-sessions, remote interventions are planned from Parliament’s Liaison Offices in the Member States. I would also like to point out that all the interventions will have to be made from the central podium. I therefore call on all Members to check the list of speakers and to approach the central podium as their speaking time approaches.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, increasing political, economic and trade relations with Taiwan is today a strategic priority for our Union, and a key step in establishing ourselves as a leading player on the global stage, through strong agreements and links with partners who share our principles and values. I would like to insist on this point. Taiwan, in fact, represents a bulwark of democracy and freedom in the Indo-Pacific, a region in which authoritarian pressures and aggressive impetus are becoming increasingly strong and evident, not only at the dialectical level, but also through the use of increasing military exercises and direct interference in the political life of individual countries. Therefore, I believe it is essential that our Parliament and the Union as a whole now activate all the political and diplomatic channels at their disposal so that any negotiations between Taiwan and other regional actors can be conducted in a peaceful manner, avoiding the arrogance of the threat of the use of arms. Similarly, the EU must work to ensure that Taipei can finally be admitted to all multilateral forums, particularly the WHO, pushing for the anachronistic and unjustifiable political vetoes that stand in the way of inclusion to be overcome. Confucius reminds us that the wise man prefers to be slow to speak but ready to act. advice that we should absolutely make our own and consider as very valuable.

Madam President, Mr High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, the appointment of a new government with Najla Bouden, the first woman to hold the post of prime minister in the history of a country in the Arab world, should be wonderful news, yet, like many of you, I can only be worried, worried because the Tunisian parliament remains frozen to this day and will not be able to cast a vote of confidence. Who will then monitor the legitimacy of the decrees issued by the president? The Constitutional Court has never been established, despite all our recommendations. We understand well the very serious health, economic and social situation in Tunisia, the persistent political difficulties and corruption. For this reason, as a sincere and affectionate friend of the Tunisian people, I ask the Commission and the High Representative to maintain our cooperation and support, but I also make a heartfelt appeal to President Saïed to allow the restoration of parliament and the establishment of the Constitutional Court, because the logic of the emergency cannot justify the concentration indefinitely and, even with the best intentions, of all the powers of the State in the hands of one person without the presence of checks and balances and constitutional safeguards. Tunisia's light must continue to shine. We Europeans must be ready to do our part, but we must also remember with sincere friendship and respect that the noblest end cannot justify the means in any case. Long live Tunisian democracy!

Madam President, Mr Vice-President Šefčovič, ladies and gentlemen, combating climate change, social exclusion and unemployment: These are the priorities that our citizens highlighted in the latest Eurobarometer survey. Initiatives which are part of the Commission's programme for next year, of course, but which need a fundamental step in order to be implemented in practice: reforming fiscal rules, the inadequacy of which has long been agreed upon by almost everyone in Europe. The Commission is today presenting a communication to kick-start this review. As a 5 Star Movement we have always asked to rethink the entire system of governance This is an objective that now, thanks also to our efforts, can and must finally be achieved. The 2023 deadline does not allow us much time to find a shared consensus, we must proceed as soon as possible to the definition of a golden rule European green, digital and social investment and the radical reform of the indicators that are currently used in the European Semester to complement the Sustainable Development Goals. If we are not able to design policies that help people to preserve their dignity – as the Nobel laureates Banerjee and Duflo also point out – citizens’ trust risks being definitively undermined. Not only numbers, therefore, we must restore the economy and dignity to our fellow citizens.

The sitting is closed and will resume tomorrow, Tuesday 19 October, at 9 a.m. with the debate on the Council and Commission statements - The rule of law crisis in Poland and the primacy of EU law. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.

The next item is the brief presentation of the report by Corina Crețu, on behalf of the Committee on Budgetary Control, on the effectiveness with which Member States have used EU funds through the Natural Disaster Solidarity Fund (2020/2127(INI)) (A9-0273/2021).

The next item is the brief presentation of the report by Dace Melbārde, on behalf of the Committee on Culture and Education, on European media in the Digital Decade: an action plan to support recovery and transformation (2021/2017(INI)) (A9-0278/2021).

The next item is the report by Monica Semedo, on behalf of the Committee on Culture and Education, on the situation of artists and cultural recovery in the European Union (2020/2261(INI)) (A9-0283/2021).

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, voluntary abortions should be accessible and safe everywhere, and this Parliament has recognised this on several occasions, calling interference in access to abortion a serious violation of human rights. Texas law deprives women of the ability to decide on their own reproductive health and body. The most devious provision even allows private citizens to become vigilantes, denounce anyone who helps or facilitates an abortion, with bounties of up to $10,000. This shows that this law has nothing to do with science, ethics, health and rights, but with the power and control of the bodily autonomy of women that you want to crush and eliminate. This provision also limits application to the civil sphere, thus avoiding the risk of a declaration of unconstitutionality to the detriment of the rule of law and is already opening, unfortunately, a sad path for other anti-abortion states also in our Europe. How can we stand idly by while ultraconservative governments of one of our main allied partners strip women of their fundamental rights? We must therefore strongly unite with all those who denounce this unprecedented assault on reproductive rights and set in motion all our diplomatic tools to stop the erosion of women's freedom and autonomy, because this is what we are talking about: freedom, autonomy and the defence of human rights.

The next item is the report by Petar Vitanov, on behalf of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, on artificial intelligence in criminal law and its use by police and judicial authorities in criminal matters (2020/2016(INI)) (A9-0232/2021)).