What Lynn spoke about.

10

Mar

2025

GA Speech

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Cutting red tape and simplifying business in the EU: the first Omnibus proposals (debate)

Chair, 196 people were killed for protecting their land, rights and environment in 2023. 245 textile workers died in 2021. Every year, over 200 people are killed in mining accidents in the DRC. The CSDDD had a chance to tackle human rights violations and the destruction of the environment. But if we reduce the duties on big companies, we listen deafly to the UN recommendations regarding their busi…

10

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Parliament’s calendar of part-sessions - 2026

Madam President, I wish to raise a point of order relating to the agenda item on the deteriorating situation in Gaza. On February 24, the official mission of this Parliament's delegation for relations with Palestine, of which I am the Chair, was supposed to take place. Instead, myself, Rima Hassan, MEP, and two officials of this Parliament were detained by the Israeli authorities and subsequently …

13

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement (debate)

A Uachtaráin, Mercosur is a rotten trade deal that's widely opposed by the public across Europe and they're not buying what the Commission is trying to sell. Irish beef farmers are already struggling to be viable and this deal will push them over the edge. It's also, as others have said, a massive step backwards on our climate commitments. The Commission has blatantly set aside our climate and bio…

12

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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Commission Work Programme 2025 (debate)

Madam President, I also want to raise the issue of animal welfare. During the European elections, millions of voters called for a review and reform of animal welfare, including the ECI 'End the Cage Age'. Yet the Work Programme makes very little reference to nature or animals. All morning this debate has been about deregulation, and I sincerely hope that this will not apply to animal welfare. In J…

11

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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Wider comprehensive EU-Middle East Strategy (debate)

A Uachtaráin, the repeated violations of the agreement by Israel is threatening a fragile ceasefire. There must be accountability for the latest killings and the failure to allow medical evacuations, and for aid to enter. The Israeli Government must be held to account for the attacks in the West Bank. And we need action against the increasing extremist settler violence. All of us who respect inter…

11

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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Preparedness for a new trade era: multilateral cooperation or tariffs (debate)

A Uachtaráin, as we see the EU become more transactional globally, we are witnessing a massive step backwards in our global relationships. The binary debate between tariffs or more of the same neoliberal trade agendas reveals the stunning shortsightedness of EU trade policy. What we need is sustainable, socially just trade which protects workers and our planet, not trade at all costs. Decades of s…

22

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Failure of the negotiations in Busan for a UN plastic treaty and the urgent need to tackle plastic pollution at international and Union level (debate)

A Uachtaráin, the failure of the latest round of negotiations on the global plastic treaty has caused worldwide disappointment. Yet there are those who would see no action to reduce plastic pollution at source: the fossil fuel and chemical companies who produce it. There were 220 fossil fuel and chemical lobbyists registered for the negotiations in Busan ‑ more than all the negotiators for the EU …

21

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Humanitarian crisis in Sudan (debate)

A Uachtaráin, Commissioner, 30.4 million people in Sudan – that's half the population of the country – currently need humanitarian support, and 14.8 million have been displaced. The civilian population, as we have heard, are facing extreme violence, deprivation and famine conditions, and the sexual violence faced by Sudanese women must end. The impact of this war on children is also particularly s…

20

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Ceasefire in Gaza - the urgent need to release the hostages, to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to pave the way for a two-state solution (debate)

Mr. President, the genocide in Gaza has raged for over 460 days. Tens and thousands of men, women and children have been killed and an entire society has been levelled. And I welcome the ceasefire agreement, but we cannot return to business as usual, where the illegal occupation of Palestine is allowed to continue without any consequences for Israel. The response of the EU to the genocide, live-st…

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Urgent need for EU action to preserve nature and protect biodiversity to avoid the extinction of species (debate)

A Uachtaráin, biodiversity is under threat from all sides. Terrifying news of new extinctions remind us that we are living through a mass extinction of our own making. Biodiversity loss is not only due to unintended consequences of human activity though, it is also due to the deliberate actions of policymakers. We have just seen the downgrading of the conservation status of the wolf, and I am very…

16

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, Ireland has become a complete outlier when it comes to data centres. This week, another report showed how data centres are undermining our climate and our energy goals. Since 2017, Ireland has added significant wind energy, but the climate benefit has been erased as data centres devour it instead of displacing fossil fuels. Worse, data centres are increasingly connecting now to the g…

16

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the United Nations Convention on transparency in treaty-based investor-State arbitration (short presentation)

Mr President, as a shadow rapporteur, I would like to thank Ms Cavazzini for her work on this file. For far too long, ISDS have been shrouded in secrecy and back-room dealings, seeking to undermine the work of governments across the world. And while this is a welcome first step, we must go much further. Corporate courts serve only the interests of profit and seek to undermine the public good at ev…

26

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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Continued escalation in the Middle East: the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, UNRWA’s essential role in the region, the need to release all hostages and the recent ICC arrest warrants (debate)

A Uachtaráin, the international order is very clear. Targeted attacks against civilian infrastructure, with the clear aim to cut off men, women and children from water, electricity and heating are pure acts of terror. These are war crimes. I absolutely agree, and so did President von der Leyen, because they are her words in October 2022. However, fast forward to November 2024 and the ICC have issu…

13

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, I'll pick up where my colleague has left off, because the EU has certainly thrown its sustainability commitments under the bus, and it appears to have done so for the sake of a rotten trade deal. First, the Commission proposes to delay the deforestation regulation, which just so happens to help pave the way for Mercosur. And now the EPP – never one to waste an opportunity – are tryin…

13

Nov

2024

EN Speech

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UN Climate Change Conference 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan (COP29) (debate)

Mr President, the COP process is losing credibility. This week we saw world leaders not show up and the COP29 CEO has been filmed agreeing to fossil fuel deals at the summit. Fossil fuel phase‑out is essential, yet 132 fossil fuel lobbyists attended COP28. They were facilitated with their badges provided by EU Member States and the European Commission. Last week, Mr Hoekstra, I asked you about thi…

22

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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Urgent need for a ceasefire in Lebanon and for safeguarding the UNIFIL mission in light of the recent attacks (debate)

A Uachtaráin, we meet yet again to discuss Israel's escalating assault on Lebanon and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The EU must now reckon with its own ethical and moral failures, because it has been 'business as usual' with the Israeli Government as they have engaged in the most egregious breaches of international law. And yes, last week, the European Council condemned the attack on UNIFIL. But t…

21

Oct

2024

EN Speech

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One-minute speeches (Rule 179)

Mr President, energy is not a luxury that people can do without, and energy poverty is widespread across the EU. But after decades of privatisation, Ireland now has some of the highest energy prices within the EU and people are struggling more than ever before. Over half a million Irish customers are behind on gas and electricity payments. This is the highest level we've seen, years after energy p…

8

Oct

2024

GA Speech

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Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (debate)

President, the people of Gaza are recalling a full year of genocide. One year of brutal violence against civilians. Following recent controls by the ICJ, the EU needs to take action. It must suspend trade and impose sanctions. The attack on Lebanon is a dangerous escalation. It ignores the shameless situation in the lives of civilians. Ireland is a neutral country. We have a proud history of peace…

17

Sep

2024

EN Speech

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War in the Gaza Strip and the situation in the Middle-East (debate)

Madam President, prior to 7 October 2023 was one of the most violent years for Palestinians in over a decade. Israeli soldiers had murdered 247 Palestinians, 47 of whom were children. But there was no EU outcry. In fact, for over 16 years, the Israeli authorities have violently imposed an illegal blockade on the people of Gaza, something the EU was aware of, but took no action. The war in Gaza did…

18

Jul

2024

EN Speech

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Statement by the candidate for President of the Commission (debate)

A Uachtaráin, the rule of law is the glue that binds our union together. Those are your words, Madam von der Leyen. So why is it that, in your eyes, some people are more equal in law than others? Why is it that human rights are applicable in some conflicts but not others? Why are the lives of Palestinians not worthy of the same human rights, the same international law, the same humanity? We are wi…