Speeches

Mr President, today the European Parliament wishes to express its deep concern about the situation in Guatemala: Since 2019, when it was decided to unilaterally liquidate the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, the country has been constantly dismantling its rule of law and obstructing and harassing the work of judges and prosecutors. The truth is that several of them have been criminalized with false charges and arbitrary arrests; This is not something we say, it is something that has just been denounced by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Famous cases, such as those of Judge Erika Aifán and Attorneys General Claudia Paz y Paz and Thelma Aldana, have led more than twenty judges and prosecutors into exile. At the same time, there is a worrying situation in terms of violence and extortion against human rights defenders, journalists, women and LGBTI people; Therefore, we demand and demand that the country change the situation that the people of Guatemala are suffering.

Madam President, Commissioner, for years Putin has consistently supported, financed and exploited all political movements that could weaken or divide Europe and the West: some share their ideas – ultra-nationalism, homophobia, etc. – others simply believe that they can be exploited and used. We saw it with Trump's victory in the United States, we have seen it with Brexit and we continue to see it within our borders. I want to tell you about the Spanish case, in which we have had for years financing by Russian oligarchs of ultra-conservative groups aligned with the extreme right, the extreme right of VOX that, recently - I suppose paying bills - refused to remove a decoration from the Madrid City Council to Putin. By the way, the City Council of Madrid is today chosen with votes from the extreme right. At the same time, Catalan secessionism or at least part of it cultivated contacts with the Kremlin because it believed it could benefit it. It is a reality that uncovered the New York Times, we don't say it. That is today a reality that must be pointed out in order to be able to fight, because defending Europe today is also defending it from the interference of war criminals who want to end their democracy.

Madam President, Vice-President Timmermans, science at the hands of the United Nations reminds us of how climate change is worsening and accelerating. In fact, last week, just last week, in Antarctica and the Arctic we had 40 and 30 degrees more than would be usual at this time of year. At the same time, in southern Europe - it is not necessary to go further - in the Mediterranean, we have 1.5 degrees of temperature increase compared to 1.1 degrees that we already have in the whole planet. It is one of the hottest points of this crisis. If this trend is consolidated, we will find a shortage of drinking water, at the same time that important areas of our coasts may disappear (where dozens of millions of people live) or our floods worsen. We know that it is an irreversible phenomenon, but that we can control it by doing what we must do, which is to end our addiction to fossil fuels. That is why we have the European Green Deal and why we want to push the whole planet in that direction. A rapid and profound change, because it is the last generation that can probably stop this climate crisis. But the rest, all of the following, will end up paying the consequences.

Mr President, Commissioners, since Rodrigo Duterte began his term as President of the Philippines, the country has been immersed in massive human rights violations and extrajudicial executions. In fact, the so-called "war on drugs" has led the country to more than 30,000 murders through the practice of drugs. Network Tagging, which, arbitrarily, in the street, or as a result of police raids, has been fomented by Duterte and ends in murders. Among these victims, among the 30,000 victims that civil society in the Philippines is denouncing, there are one hundred and forty-six human rights defenders and twenty-two journalists. None of these cases, none, have ended in a trial. We are facing the fight against political opponents, activists, journalists, systematically imprisoned with false or prefabricated accusations. The country lives in violence, repression and impunity. That's the reality. And today the European Parliament wants to express its strongest condemnation. First, it calls on the authorities to put an end to this situation, to cease harassment and political persecution and to guarantee the rights and freedoms in the country, especially of its minorities and of the women who see them attacked. Secondly, it calls on the European Commission to use its tools and, in particular, the temporary suspension of the generalised system of preferences. It is the fifth resolution we have, the fifth, in five years on the Philippines. The European Commission adds human rights clauses when we make trade agreements. What needs to happen for them to apply? This is the fifth time we have spoken and condemned this situation. And thirdly, it shows our support for the people of the Philippines and hopes that the upcoming elections will end the change that their people need and, above all, that the people of the Philippines deserve. (Applause)

Mr President, Mr High Representative, this year's report on the implementation of the common security and defence policy is a call to action. A call for action, in light of what happened this summer in Afghanistan, what is happening today in Ukraine and the geopolitical consequences that the pandemic is having. A call to action that must become the construction in Europe of our own capacities, our own positions and our own alliances that allow us to structure something we call strategic autonomy. That's not enough. We need to align our strategic objectives, of the 27 and the European institutions, to have a decision framework that is functional, truly functional, and to learn to bear the costs and consequences of the decisions that stem from our strategic objectives. For all these reasons, the High Representative called for Europeans to be protagonists in the design of the security architecture in Europe, something that is at risk today. Therefore, the strategic compass that we will approve this spring is relevant, the operationalization of a true rapid response force, being able to reinforce our missions, today deployed abroad, or some ideas such as a European military emergency unit or instruments for cybersecurity and the fight against disinformation. The risk, for this century, for Europe is geopolitical obsolescence, which would push us to irrelevance. For all this, unity and own training are the only instrument to be able to act in the century that will determine our future.

Mr. President, on November 7, a farce with an electoral appearance took place in Nicaragua whose sole objective was to shore up the control of the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo over Nicaraguan citizenship. This process can be considered anything but democratic. It has violated all international standards and has developed in a context of great violence and intimidation, with the suppression of all democratic opposition in the country. In fact, there are still seven presidential pre-candidates today who remain imprisoned solely for political reasons and under absolutely irregular judicial processes. The regime of Ortega y Murillo has thus completed the last step for the conversion of the country into a true dictatorship, at the same time that it betrayed the founding values of the Sandinista Revolution of 1979, as some of its protagonists have ended up denouncing. That is why our Group, the Group of Socialists and Democrats, wants to demand that the Nicaraguan authorities respect human rights in the country and allow citizens to exercise their civil and political rights, returning Nicaragua to the democratic path, with elections as soon as possible, in conditions of freedom and complying with international standards. At the same time, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of those arbitrarily detained: political leaders, presidential candidates, human rights and environmental defenders and journalists. At the same time, we want to show our support to the High Representative and the European External Action Service, who under very difficult conditions are working to denounce and pressure what happened and find a political solution to the serious situation in the country. Our utmost solidarity with the Nicaraguan people, who are living firsthand how they murder their democracy.

Mr President, Commissioner, in the face of the climate emergency we cannot compete with each other, we cannot confront each other – in fact, this is that zero-sum logic into which the world has been introduced in many of its dimensions; In the face of the climate emergency we can only do one thing, which is to cooperate: cooperate with each other, cooperate to bring the international community into compliance with already established agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, cooperate for a rapid and deep reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and cooperate to turn the global emergency that climate change has become into collective global action. And the greatest instrument for cooperation that we have is the COP, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and, at the important COP meeting that we are now going to hold in Glasgow, the European Parliament wants to express, with hope, but also with demand, that we need immediate, ambitious and concrete progress to combat climate change, progress for the G20 as a whole to commit to being climate neutral by 2050. We've had some good news, haven't we?: some relevant advances in this area from Europe, in the United States, in Japan, in China... But we need more, we need to determine national contributions and progress in this area: we need progress on climate finance commitments – it should be 100 billion for developing countries; we need progress in regulating carbon markets. The pandemic has taught us what humanity is capable of with collective will and the capacity to mobilise resources and funding; Now should be the time to put in place a green global recovery that Europe is able to lead in the world, accelerate the abandonment of our dependence on fossil fuels and push for a climate program that goes hand in hand with a just and social transition, because the planet and our life, our way of life, are at stake.

Madam President, Commissioner, energy and electricity are basic and necessary goods; in fact, they are indispensable for the well-being of our citizens and for the competitiveness of our companies. And the exorbitant price escalation we are experiencing across Europe is simply unacceptable. It puts at risk the economic recovery and even puts at risk the necessary process of decarbonisation of our economy. And the main reason for this exorbitant price escalation is the increase in the price of gas, which has increased by 350 % so far this year. And, in addition, this price ends up determining the price we pay for all electricity, for everything. And that's not admissible. We need to reform the wholesale electricity market in order to be able to pass on to consumers prices for other energies, including renewables, which are already cheaper today. And not just that. We must create a centralized natural gas purchasing platform. It worked for us with vaccines. It could also work with energy. And we must introduce measures to prevent financial speculation in the emissions market. Citizens are not mere consumers of energy and public institutions should ensure that electricity companies do not treat us as such.

Madam President, Commissioner, the world is entering the era of unpeace, of non-peace. Competition between great powers with quasi-subterranean and permanent conflicts, attacks, cyberattacks and hybrid attacks, which try to influence our decision-making processes and make democracy, our decision-making system, a strategic vulnerability in the eyes of the world. For all these reasons, cyber defence is now a central element for our security and for the protection of our democracy. Cyber, telecommunications and artificial intelligence capabilities that should also be part of building strategic autonomy. Therefore, it is necessary to have a diplomatic toolbox that clarifies the response to these cyberattacks, as well as including cybersecurity in the European Defence Fund or PESCO, and that is also a tool to deal with in NATO and with our partners. For our security and for our democracy.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Commissioner, our relations with the United States are a central pillar for our security, for the defence of democracies in the world, for articulating multilateral spaces and for regulating trade and technology. And any relationship, for it to work, must be based on mutual respect, autonomy and trust, mutual trust. And also any relationship, for it to work, has to be based on the recognition of reality. And the reality is that the US is making the strategic decision to withdraw from Central Asia and the Middle East; whereas, at the same time, they are articulating a mesh of security alliances beyond NATO: the Five Eyes, the AUKUS, the Quad, to focus on what is your main interest: the containment of China. And they're making these important decisions without us. All this should lead us to strengthen the relationship we have, without a doubt, with the United States, but also push us, of course, to have our own capabilities, our own alliances and, of course, our own positions in the world to defend our interests and our values.

Madam President, first of all, when we talk about Cuba, we must respect the right of the demonstrators to express their opinion and demand that the Cuban authorities listen to their legitimate demands. Human rights must always be respected in all places, including Cuba, and violations must be denounced, if any, as they have been in the absence of respect for the right to protest and demonstrate. Secondly, this Parliament must learn, when it talks about Cuba or anywhere else, but especially when it talks about human rights, to be coherent and proportionate. Consistent and commensurate with what it talks about human rights in all parts of the world. We talked about new very relevant demonstrations in Cuba, the most important since 94, from the Maleconazo. It's true. During the last years we have had very important demonstrations in Latin America. In fact, there was a death in these demonstrations that we discussed, in Cuba. We have had cases of countries with dozens of deaths, cases of countries with dozens of eyes lost. This Parliament has not even wanted to talk about it. And it must also be consistent with what is being done in the European Union's foreign policy, coherent so as not to make ideological use of it. I say this because the opinions and policies expressed by the High Representative are agreed unanimously, with a Council of 27 member countries, with ministers from two parties present here. And, then, they are very far, sometimes, from what is defended here. Proportionality and consistency. Thirdly, we want to accompany the necessary reforms in the country, without interference. Democratic reforms, reforms in terms of economic openness. But that can only be done by respecting and protecting the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement which, with an overwhelming majority, not many years ago, this Parliament approved – in an equal situation on the island, the same, after 20 years of diplomatic blockade, of common position, which did not lead to any result. And, of course, scarcity in the country is a fundamental problem. And, for that, we must talk about the blockade that the United States has imposed, which cannot hide what is happening in the country, but which has a huge, enormous impact on the lives of Cuban citizens.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, we know that the planet is on the verge of a point of no return as far as climate change is concerned. The green transition is not only necessary; It's urgent, it's inevitable. The package presented today, here in the European Parliament, the Fit for 55 package, refers to the objectives already agreed by the Union through the Green Deal, legal and binding objectives, which, in addition, will become a roadmap for decarbonisation reference in the rest of the world. I would like to thank the European Commission for a titanic effort to present this package today, but I would like to make a few comments. First, on the extension of the Emissions Trading System to transport and buildings: We need to be careful not to have a social impact on the most vulnerable. Secondly, we need sufficient compensation mechanisms; That is why the Social Climate Fund is such an important tool. Thirdly, we need a regulation of effort-sharing, of proportionate and realistic targets for the Member States. In short, we need to put citizens at the centre of our concerns now that we have to negotiate the package, in order to sustainably maintain their support for this process.

Madam President, Mr High Representative, democracy is dying in Nicaragua. The Government of Ortega and Murillo continues to turn a corner on the repression suffered by the Central American country. Over the past few weeks, there have been more than 125 arbitrary arrests: social leaders, businessmen, human rights defenders and up to six presidential candidates. The unacceptable authoritarian drift that the country suffers places it at the edge of the abyss and at the gates of elections that will not be democratic elections and will lack any kind of legitimacy. It must be remembered that all this – what the country is suffering from, this authoritarian and repressive wave – is not a symptom of Ortega’s strength; It is just a symptom of Ortega's weakness. The European Parliament therefore calls for an end to the campaign of terror; the release and proof of life of these detainees; to continue to expand the sanctions regime, including those responsible in the list of individual sanctions of the European Union, and putting as a horizon a real electoral reform that allows competitive elections and respect for the political pluralism of the country. We continue to insist: Only through democracy and dialogue will it be possible to get out of this impasse that the country suffers, and for this it will be necessary to also involve the actors in the region, to use diplomacy. Finally, I would like to thank the EEAS and its delegation in Managua for their work in defending this dialogue and democracy in Nicaragua.