Speeches

Madam President, The sanctions may have weakened Russia's economy, but they have missed their basic goals, such as Putin finally ending his war. Thus, economic and political stability in Russia is largely preserved. After the export bans of Western countries, Russian imports actually fell by 40 percent at first. However, they recovered quickly and were back at pre-war levels as early as November 2022. Russia has found many ways to circumvent sanctions. Over a long chain of companies, for example, sanctioned goods such as microchips or drones land on the battlefields. Two-thirds of the components in Russian weapons at the front contain chips and microprocessors from US production. The money of Russian oligarchs in the amount of 100 billion euros is in Switzerland on accounts that have not been seized. There is considerable catching-up to make sanctions more effective. Sanctions can also serve an important purpose: They should be used as a bargaining chip in the framework of negotiations on a ceasefire and peace.

Mr President! Human rights in Afghanistan are severely violated. The Taliban expelled 50% of the population - women - from public life. Afghanistan has become a prison for women. In January 2023, the European Asylum Authority found that Afghan women and girls generally deserved refugee status. At least 800 cases of extrajudicial killing, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment are known. Many local forces have been victims of the Taliban and fear that they and their families will be revenged. People associated with the former government have disappeared. Where are the humanitarian visas and where are the evacuation programs? Where are the resettlement programmes and why is family reunification not finally being accelerated? The EU Member States and the Commission are not doing enough. Human rights must not degenerate into hollow phrases, the EU must not continue to foreclose itself.

Madam President, The hostility of the Nazis is easy to prove. The alarming thing, however, is that the normalization of their inhuman ideology has long since found itself in the middle of society. Those who approve of a contemptuous attitude towards refugees, those who accept that women are victims of sexism and misogyny on a daily basis, those who tolerate hate speech against the State of Israel are now among the centre. The adoption of right-wing rhetoric leads to its normalisation. And as long as left and right are still equated, the extreme right is gaining more and more influence. We must take a decisive stance against their misanthropy and anti-Semitism and confront them everywhere, whether in the home or in everyday life. And we must ensure that, through policies to expand the welfare state, to expand democracy, ordinary people regain control of their living conditions. Loss of control is one of the main reasons for the end, for the development of right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism. By expanding political education, conspiracy myths can be countered and the lure that right-wing extremists in part spread can also be countered. This is an important contribution to combating anti-Semitism in society. That should be the job of all of us.

Mr President! Almost a year has passed since the violent death of Jina Mahsa Amini. 361 days in which people who protested against the mullah regime were abducted, tortured and executed. What the regime has failed to do, however, is stifle the feminist revolution. But what has the European Union done so far to support the people of Iran in their struggle? Where is the effort to put the Revolutionary Guards on the EU terror list, as we decided in Parliament in January? Where are targeted and effective sanctions against those responsible? Where is Iran's diplomatic isolation? Where is the constant influence on an end to the terrible executions? And finally: Where are the initiatives to abolish the death penalty? And where is an initiative to create faster visa and asylum procedures for Iranian women? On September 16, people around the world will take to the streets. They stand in solidarity with the courageous, protesting Iranians and the killed. They will call their names. Loud and clear: Say their names!

Madam President, the annual report underscores BiH’s momentum on its path to the European Union now that it has been granted candidate status. But there is still much to be done. The biggest obstacle for BiH to become an EU Member State today are the inflammatory rhetoric and sensationalist and anti-democratic laws and policies by the leadership of the Republika Srpska. It’s simply a shame. I would again call for targeted sanctions against destabilising political actors, notably Milorad Dodik as well as other high-ranking Republika Srpska officials. We must overcome the ethnic divisions, the hate speech against Muslim people and several minorities, and the concept of constituent peoples, which is discrimination against other groups. I would like to underline that the country urgently needs measures against poverty, inequality and corruption. The European Union must strengthen the civil society because it builds the fundament to overcome ethnocracy in favour of democracy.

Madam President, dear colleagues, the biggest war crime in Europe after the Second World War took place in July 1995. The world simply watched – a disgrace for Europe and the United Nations. The genocide perpetrated by Serbian soldiers is regarded as the country’s deepest wound. This shows how important the legal investigation is. More than 20 people have been charged until today and also convicted of genocide. The relatives of the victims have a right to know what had happened to their loved ones. Still not all bodies have been found and recovered. It is intolerable that nationalist agitation, especially by the Serbian and Croatian politicians and individuals, is deliberately being plunged into renewed ethnic conflict and suffering. ‘Never again’ should really mean ‘never again’. Every individual who can, and we at the EU certainly can, should do whatever is needed so that Srebrenica does not happen again.

Mr President, it is 576 days since the Taliban banned teenage girls from education. Half of Afghanistan’s population is denied the right to education and work. Last month’s arbitrary arrest of Matiullah Wesa is a severe blow to the already dire situation, yet girls’ education is a central key to a country’s sustainable social, democratic and economic development. In 2001, almost zero girls attended secondary education in Afghanistan, compared with 1.1 million in 2021. And what is happening now? Zero girls again. Given the current situation under the Taliban, this can only mean one thing: Afghan women must be recognised as refugees under the Geneva Refugee Convention, as the European Union Agency for Asylum has advised.

Mr President, ‘the current situation in the Mediterranean is not a natural disaster, but the result of Italian and European migration policies’. That’s what the private search and rescue NGO Sea-Watch said a few days ago, and I could not agree more. The situation in the Mediterranean is currently more dramatic than ever before. The Italian Coast Guard is completely overwhelmed. The state of emergency, which the far right Italian government has now declared, only worsens the rights of people fleeing. More than ever, action must be taken now. We finally need a European non-military search and rescue programme that is financed by the money which is currently given to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. The more the EU is refraining from humane acting, the more the EU is betraying its own values. Flight is not a crime.

Madam President, The Taliban has issued 35 ordinances against girls and women. They continue to advance the process of their invisibility. Afghan women are no longer allowed to work for international organizations and NGOs. Thousands of women can no longer feed their families. Health care is in danger of collapsing. Women and girls are excluded from health care. Human lives are at stake. The EU Asylum Agency concluded last week that Afghan women and girls are generally at risk of persecution and are therefore entitled to refugee status in the EU. Following this, the Danish Refugee Appeals Committee has now decided to follow an already existing approach by Sweden and the Asylum Agency to consider women and girls from Afghanistan as a group of convention refugees. This must be followed by all EU Member States. The Commission must finally launch an EU reception programme for Afghan refugees. We owe it to the women and girls and the people of Afghanistan.

Madam President, For four months, the people of Iran have been putting their lives at risk in the fight for their rights. It is our task to support the revolution with all available means. There will only be stability and peace in the Middle East if the mullahs' regime is finally overthrown. Security for Israel will only exist if the anti-Semitic regime is replaced by a democracy. The terrorization of protesters must finally come to an end. All executions must be stopped immediately. The Revolutionary Guard must be put on the terror list, and the JCPOA agreement has no future. For Yina, for Nika, for Fardin, for Amrin, for Majidreza and Mohsen, for all those who are tortured, killed, executed: Stop killing your people. Women, life, freedom.

Mr President! Russia's war against Ukraine, in violation of international law, must be ended as soon as possible. The latest measures taken by the Russian regime, such as illegal referendums, renewed annexation and threats to use nuclear weapons, must be strictly rejected. A nuclear war will lead to the complete destruction of all sides. In any case, it must be prevented with all efforts. Therefore, diplomacy must finally come to its right, which, incidentally, is the opinion of 77% of Germans. Negotiations must be offered at all political levels in order to achieve a ceasefire. Unfortunately, the Commission is completely idle in this regard. The one-sided approach of putting bellicoses first and foremost on weapons and seeking the decision on the battlefield is a very dangerous and risky path. We need a dual strategy. Yes, we must support Ukraine economically, politically and militarily, but we also need diplomatic efforts. And there's just too little happening here. We should also support the Russians' resistance to the war. Conscientious objectors and deserters oppose Russia's war in violation of international law, and we should do much more here in Europe to give them the opportunity to enter the European Union.

Mr President, Bosnia and Herzegovina need an EU perspective. The Bosnian citizens want to belong to the EU. Bosnia and Herzegovina should be granted candidate status to achieve this. BiH has to implement reforms against corruption and strengthen the rule of law. Following the 14 key priorities, BiH needs due functioning of democratic institutions, good governance and fundamental rights. Bosnian leaders must focus on the reforms to provide all people decent living conditions, regardless of what ethnic group they belong to. Abusing different ethnic origins and feelings, most of the leading politicians keep the country in limbo. I’m happy that the election will take place in October, and I hope that as many citizens as possible will participate. BiH must have a future in the EU. In view of the current fundamental geopolitical upheaval this would be in the interests of BiH and the EU, but we should bear in mind that in the context of the enlargement process, the EU must reform itself.

Madam President, Pushbacks at the European external borders by EU Member States are now common and systematic practice. However, the principle of non-refoulement constitutes basic protection for refugees in accordance with international human rights law. Why is the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, doing nothing about these permanent breaches of law? The prevailing double standards, which we are experiencing, for example, at the Polish border, are also difficult to bear. On the border with Ukraine, Polish civil society based on solidarity is rightly valued by the local government. And we can only welcome the strong sense of solidarity and the acts of solidarity of the Polish citizens here. But at the same time pushbacks at the Polish-Belarusian border continue to be carried out by border officials. People are dying on the run, and the European Union is watching. EU values and rights must apply equally to all refugees. Therefore, the Commission must initiate rule of law proceedings against the States concerned. We cannot allow ourselves to have legally free spaces at European external borders.

Mr President, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serb presidential member Milorad Dodik and his supporting forces are boycotting the State institutions. They are working specifically on the unconstitutional transfer of powers and institutions to the Republika Srpska entity. This will lead to the destruction of the State as a whole. Dodik rejects the condemnation of the Russian war of aggression made by Bosnian state institutions. He argued for a supposedly neutral position, which means nothing other than agreeing to Putin’s war. Dodik is using the war in Ukraine to further push his pro—Russian policies and threats to break up Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is obviously collaborating with Moscow, in whose interests it is to destabilise Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the negotiations surrounding the electoral law, the nationalist HDZ party is making demands based on an alleged lack of the so—called legitimate representation. This would lead to a further ethnic cementing of the undemocratic electoral law. It is high time for the EU to sanction politically and financially Dodik and his forces to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this regard, the EU must support civil society much more than it has done so far.

Madam President, The most important thing now is to preserve peace in Europe. Significant steps towards de-escalation were announced yesterday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz helped by refusing arms deliveries to Ukraine, thereby keeping channels of conversation open to Moscow. Yes, it is true that the Russian military build-up has led to the current threatening situation. I hope that Moscow will make its announcements and put an end to the maneuvers. But those who want a reliable European security architecture in Europe must also take security concerns seriously from a Russian point of view, without sharing them. And if Moscow feels threatened by NATO expansion, it needs to be talked about and negotiated. The only welcome different formats of discussion must be transferred to a European security conference. Security in Europe cannot exist against, but only with Russia. This is the basis for a European peace order.

Madam President, Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently in its worst political crisis since the founding of the state. The President of Republika Srpska, Mr Dodik, constantly calls for the independence of the Republika Srpska. He is undermining the central state by his efforts of implementing his own indirect tax system, his own judiciary and even his own army. Actions of such gravity could trigger a secession, make the dissolution of the country possible, and lead to the destabilisation of the entire Western Balkan region. Therefore, targeted sanctions must be imposed on the responsible political class in Republika Srpska. We strongly reject any genocide denial, war crimes apology and opposition to decisions of international courts. We support the civil society organisations fighting for democracy. We must also support Bosnia and Herzegovina to hold an equal, free and fair election next year and protect the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, which are crucial for the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Madam President, It is easy to prove the misanthropy of Nazis, as happened recently in Rome. But their inhuman ideology has long since reached the so-called social center. This center is anything but peaceful and neutral. For the center also includes who justifies prison-like refugee shelters, who supports a brutal border policy, who justifies people drowning in the Mediterranean every day, or who accepts hate speech against the state of Israel or against queer people. As long as left and right are still equated, right-wing forces are gaining more and more influence, and in a climate of acceptance of their ideology, right-wing extremist terror is not far off. That is why we must especially combat the narratives of the right-wing extremists and say clearly: Fascism is not an opinion, fascism is a crime.