Speeches

Before we move on to the vote, I would like to take a moment to remember the first anniversary of the tragic train accident that took place in Greece on 28 February 2023. On that occasion 57 people lost their lives and many others suffered permanent injuries. The European Parliament recalls them. Our support goes to the families of the victims and to those who are still healing from the wounds.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Alexei Navalny's death is a wound, a wound to the rule of law, to democracy. A wound that has only one culprit: The war criminal Vladimir Putin. This Parliament has not only the task – the duty – of remembering Navalny, but in his name I believe that this Parliament has the task of acting, for example by acting to counteract the terrible Russian influences that exist: They exist in continental institutions, in the media, in social networks. Above all, we have a duty here to support without hesitation the courageous people of Ukraine, their institutions, because that is where the destiny of Europe is being played out right now, that is where the destiny of our freedom is being played out, colleagues. So let's not allow the European elections to become a flywheel for Putinian propaganda: Alexei Navalny is just the latest in a long line of murdered dissidents. and I would like to recall here an Italian who died 30 years ago yesterday: His name was Andrea Tamburi, he was a leader of the Radical Party and worked for a free and democratic Russia. Thirty years later, he still hasn't had justice.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Madam Commissioner, the revolution is a woman and, in view of the 68th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, we should reiterate this with all the strength we have. The revolution to change this world, which is still so unfair, has begun and will continue exactly thanks to women. Because it is women – half of the world’s population – who have suffered, for millennia, in every corner of the earth, patriarchal oppression. And they know well, women, what it means to be discriminated against, what it means to be oppressed, what it means to be belittled. And they know this regardless of their social status and religious affiliation. Because, as I will not stop repeating, we do not have rights in common, because there are even different rights in the territory of the Union depending on the countries in which we are born. We do not share freedoms, there are different freedoms depending on the country in which we are born. There is only one thing that unites us all, in every corner of the Earth: the fact of being, for the fault of being a woman, the object of discrimination, of violence. There is no freedom without the demonstration, the weight and the struggle of women and there is no possibility for women to assert themselves, except in a condition of freedom. And so the desire for change, as we have seen in many corners of the world, from Iran to Afghanistan, can only start from here. Feminism is already the revolution that is changing the hierarchical structure of power and uniting people around a common feeling and perspective of change that is increasingly needed. The more rights and freedoms women have, the more rights the rest of society will have. Because women's struggle means more rights for everyone and more freedom for everyone.

Thank you Minister Lahbib. The debate is closed and our work will continue with the debate "This is Europe" with the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis. Thanks to all of you. Written declarations (Rule 171)

Ladies and gentlemen, let me explain. As we said from the beginning, it was not possible to accept all the "catch the eye" because there were 24, and it was not possible to accept all of them. Since the political groups are also different in size, we have accepted, according to the size of the political groups, three interventions of the Popular, three of the Socialists, two of Renew and then one to go down per political group. It was a decision of the Presidency due to the fact that the other debate starts at 11:00. Please, Vice-President Šefčovič.

Thank you, Mr Tarabella. Unfortunately, with "catch the eye" we have to stop here. We accepted 13 out of 24 requests, keeping a balance between the size of the political groups. The next debate starts at 11 a.m., ladies and gentlemen, and unfortunately the Commission and the Council have yet to speak. The floor was given to the Commission, Executive Vice-President Šefčovič. Oh, please. No, you cannot intervene. If it is an item on the agenda, if it has something to report, but the catch-the-eye is closed, honourable Member, because we have sought a balance between the various political groups. The "catch the eye" is closed, the floor to Vice-President Šefčovič. Is that an item on the agenda, Mr? I don't understand, what it is. (End of catch-the-eye procedure)

Mr Vautmans, I repeat that there is an order of arrival of the requests, so you must rest assured, because the word is given to everyone. We need calm and serenity. Please, give her the floor.

Mr Vautmans, you will have the floor. Give us time to move on, you will have the floor, we are proceeding by political groups and we are, as you see, alternating. You will have the floor, we are speaking by order of political groups. A moment of patience and calm and you do everything. Let us be calm and follow the order of the speeches. Please, Mr Jahr, go ahead.

He had asked for Mr Clergeau, however, since he is on the list of speakers and there are many colleagues who have asked for , I would ask Mr Clergeau to express his thoughts during his speech. So, I'd go on with the list. Mr Hidvéghi, please.

The minutes and approved texts of yesterday's sitting are available. I would like to ask my colleagues if there are any comments. There are no comments. The minutes were therefore approved.

The next item is the debate on the question for oral answer to the Council on the invitation to the Council to take all necessary measures to reach agreement on the European Cross-Border Mechanism file and to open negotiations with Parliament by Sandro Gozi, on behalf of the Renew Europe Group (O-000003/2024 - B9-0008/2024) (2024/2546(RSP)).

Thank you all for your contribution to the discussion. The debate is closed. The vote will take place on Wednesday, 7 February 2024. Written declarations (Rule 171)

Thank you for your answer. I would like to make it clear that my colleague had accepted the 'blue card'. He could even refuse it. So it is in everyone's faculties to apply for a "blue card" and in the ability of colleagues to decide to respond or not. I think I've been clear.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Madam Minister, ladies and gentlemen, once again, despite significant progress on Ukraine's accession to the Union, we have seen a Council, unfortunately, hostage to the illiberal government of Orbán which systematically, we must remember, uses the weapon of blackmail on the skin of the Ukrainian people, betraying the values of our Union. For too long we have allowed Orbán to beat the fist on freedoms and rights and to use the European institutions as the megaphone of his propaganda, to use them only as ATMs to draw on. We have allowed it to condition and divide the Union because of its positions that are frankly closer to Moscow's interests than to those of Brussels. And we have a duty to stop this drift, not to give in to Hungarian budgetary threats. And as a warning, colleagues: in the next parliamentary term, no major pro-European force can escape the urgency of a great season of reforms, starting with the right of veto.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on 30 May a Socialist Member denounced the fascist violence in which the general elections had been held. On June 10, the same socialist deputy will be kidnapped and killed by a fascist squad under Mussolini's orders. On August 16, his body will be found torn, a corpse in the Roman countryside. It was 1924 and his name was Giacomo Matteotti. And I would like this House not to forget this name and not to forget, ladies and gentlemen, these dates: 100 years will have passed this year since this terrible murder, which took the life of a man, but failed to kill his ideas, which are the same ones that allow us to stay here today and that require us to say "never again". Never again gathered like those of Acca Larentia; No more squadrons dressed in black. No more Roman greetings. Because I want to say to Mr Procaccini: When there is a fascism that manifests, there is always a fascism of substance. And we will not allow freedom and democracy to be trampled on again. Long live anti-fascist Europe!

The next item is the joint debate on the implementation of the Treaty provisions: Paulo Rangel’s report on the implementation of the Treaty provisions on national parliaments (2023/2084(INI)) (A9-0429/2023) and Maite Pagazaurtundúa’s report on the implementation of the Treaty provisions on citizenship of the Union (2023/2085(INI)) (A9-0436/2023)

The next item is the report by Peter Jahr on the annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2022 (2023/2120(INI)) (A9-0414/2023)