Speeches

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, one week ago, Shireen Abu Aqla, a prominent Al Jazeera journalist, was killed. She was killed while reporting in the West Bank. I’m as shocked and dismayed as you are, and I’m not sure what shocks me most – her death or the utter disrespect by Israeli police at her funeral, which I strongly condemn. Forty—two Palestinian journalists have been killed in 2022. To get the facts straight, it is clear that we need an independent inquiry into the killing of Shireen, and we need to do better to protect journalists both within and outside our Union. Media freedom is a cornerstone of our democracy. But colleagues, apart from the shock, I’m also angry – angry about the fact that too often we here in Europe look away when the spiral of violence continues, when new settlements plans are announced, or when another journalist gets killed or wounded. We all agree that we must tackle the root causes of this conflict. So let’s get to work and play our role. Shireen was called ‘the voice of Palestine’. Let us now commit to be the voice of Shireen. We have neglected the conflict too long. We must put new energy into bringing lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.

Mr President, Putin’s brutality knows no limits. One day, we were all appalled as a maternity clinic was bombed, the next as mass graves were discovered in Bucha. But how far does inhumanity go if you applaud military units that are linked to mass rape. The reports of sexual violence and rape by Russian forces continue to grow, and so do the number of pregnancies. Many Ukrainian women and girls are traumatised as they witnessed how their cities were attacked and their beloved family was killed. And if one trauma wasn’t enough, rape survivors are now trying to cope with the idea that, inside, they are carrying the baby of those that erased all that they left. Faced with these horrors, the EU cannot be a silent bystander. That is why today we call on the Commission to step up and act without delay to ensure that dignity health kits and emergency contraceptives reach Ukraine and host countries to ensure – very important, colleagues – access to safe abortion care throughout the whole EU for pregnant women victims of rape and to ensure justice for the war crimes committed against women. These women have already lost so much. We must not disappoint the ones counting on our help. And remember, women here, maybe also the men, what Madeleine Albright said: ‘There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women’.

Madam President, dear colleagues, in Europe, you have to wait a very long time for an organ donation, but in China you are helped within a couple of weeks. How is that possible? A real sign of progress, an ignorant observer would say, but it seems that China is harvesting the organs of prisoners, notably from Falun Gong, and that on a significant scale. We all hoped that these kinds of atrocities would be a dark memory of the past, but more than 70 years after the Second World War, a leading country is committing crimes that amount to crimes against humanity and getting away with it. It gets away with it because the international community is closing its eyes. With this resolution, the Parliament makes clear that it will no longer tolerate this. A united Parliament will make the difference. We have initiated sanctions before and have put the investment agreement in the freezer. We will not move an inch unless China proves us wrong on human rights. We call on China to respond to the allegations, to allow a very important and independent investigation and to increase transparency and traceability in organ procurement. The ball is now in China’s court.

Mr President, I would really like to make a point of order colleagues, an important point. We have just learned the horrible news that Swedish-Iranian academic Dr Ahmad Reza Djalali will be executed in Iran on 21 May. This House repeatedly called on Iranian authorities to hold the execution of Djalali, to pardon and release him. This House has also proposed targeted sanctions of the Iranian authorities if the Iranian authorities did not free Djalali. I really would call on you, Mr President, and on the President of this House, to do all in her power to ensure that Mr Djalali will not be executed in a few weeks.

Madam President, our presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen have done what we have asked them to do: they were tough on Xi Jinping and made it crystal clear that we expect China to help end Putin’s war. But, colleagues, Xi Jinping did not move an inch. On the contrary. The Chinese foreign minister declared there was no ceiling for China-Russia cooperation. And even after the massacre in Bucha, China has still not condemned the Russian invasion. Can you imagine? China is playing, if you ask me, a cynical game. It expects that both Europe and Russia will be weakened as a result of the war. Western sanctions will make Russia more dependent on China and the EU will have to deal with the refugee crisis, high fuel prices and economic decline. Let’s face the truth: China does not act like a partner; it acts like a rival. After the crackdown on Hong Kong and repression in Xinjiang, China is again placing itself on the wrong side of history. Xi’s end game is the end of the liberal rules—based world order. In our report, colleagues – and I see a lot of colleagues who worked on the report – we call for a more assertive strategy to become less dependent from China. We don’t want a full decoupling from China. Let us speed up this process and learn from our experiences with that other autocratic regime. The cynical truth is that by being so dependent on Russian gas, we are enabling this war. So let us not make this mistake again. I call on the Commission to come forward with an analysis of the sectors in which China can hurt us. And to propose a counterstrategy. Let us start to protect ourselves. If we care about our freedom, we had better prepare for the worst.

Mr President, Commissioner, since 24 February we have only been concerned with one thing, and that is the horror of the war in Ukraine. We get up with it and we go to sleep with it. And first came those images – those horrible images – of that maternity clinic in Mariupol, and then, last weekend, yes, crazy images of that massacre in Bucha. Millions of mothers and children are on the run. And as a mother, but also as co-chair of the Intergroup on Children's Rights, I want to take on my responsibility here. Madam President, I would first like to thank you. You have had the courage to go on the ground, to show that Europe is concerned about the situation. A very thick Thank you. Thank you very much for being there, in the name of us all, too. Then I am also very happy that this session is mainly about Ukraine. Tomorrow, the necessary debate on the strengthening of sanctions, and today, a debate that is close to my heart, on the protection of children. As of 2016, Europol – as you know – reported that 10 000 unaccompanied minor children are missing in Europe. Now I have to tell you that Heidi De Pauw of Child Focus today comes up with figures in the Belgian newspapers: she says that 2 000 minors have been missing since the start of the war in Ukraine. Where are they? Where are they? Where are they? Are we looking for them? It's our duty to look for them! It's our duty to look for those children. We know. They are on the run, in another European country, in Poland, hopefully somewhere safe. Unfortunately, I'm afraid some of them are dead. Today... Gandhi said: “The strength of a society is measured by how it treats the weakest.” ... Well now, let's be strong. Let's make sure we register them. Finally. We're actually late. We need to register them, give them a guardian, give them child-friendly information, make sure they're taken care of, make sure we find the parents. That's our duty. Now the hotlines strengthening. We have European instruments. Let's strengthen it now. I just want to tell you something in English. Maybe then you feel the passion for this debate that we have. If we were living in Ukraine, if it were our children who were on the run, don’t you want people to protect them? Yes, I want, I have two children. Let’s protect the children. And I want to conclude by quoting the great woman, Madeleine Albright: ‘the bottom line is that a person who flees his or her home (...) does not shed the right to be treated with dignity and respect’.

Mr President, Mr High Representative, colleagues, Putin has been given the opposite of what he wanted: More European unity, more NATO, and more Western determination. Putin is clearly out for a dirty war, for revenge against Ukraine, against the West, and he threatens with nuclear weapons. It is difficult to act against so much irrational belligerentism. But make no mistake! Autocrats around the world are watching to what extent we are willing to defend our values. Our response today will determine the world we live in tomorrow. Since February 24th, the world has changed. Let us ensure that a new Europe is born in this crisis. A Europe with a strong European defence and a European army to defend our values. A Europe with a common European asylum and migration policy to humanely welcome the Ukrainian refugees. A Europe that is no longer dependent on Russia for gas supplies. A Europe with a European Solidarity Fund for all Europeans affected by Putin's revenge. This is the Europe we need now. Long live the peace! Long live Europe! Slava Ukraini!

President, 2022 is the European Year of Youth. This is a fantastic case. After all, our youth is the best time of our lives. Nevertheless, we have to face the fact that the past few years have been very difficult: The wretched coronavirus has paralysed the social life of young people, cut them off from friends and family, and prevented them from going out and having fun. Let us not turn youth into a lost generation and give young people a boost in 2022 by involving them in our decision-making, providing a budget for young people and, above all, massively expanding the Erasmus programme. I have been an Erasmus student myself and therefore prefer to see all young people participate in the programme. Erasmus not only makes young people stronger, but also makes them real Europeans. Let us therefore ensure that all young people in Europe can participate in the Erasmus programme, so that Europe can produce genuine, good and convinced Europeans with their own dreams.

Madam President, a lot has been said already, and for me it’s very clear: if we want to become a real geopolitical player, we need to get our act together by making ourselves less reliant on the Russian gas supply, by building a shield against Russian attacks and, most importantly, by setting up a real European Defence Union. We have to believe in the power of Europe. But what really worries me, Mr Borrell, is that Putin does not want to speak to Europe. He simply refused, and we allowed him to. Last week, President Macron was in Moscow and yesterday, Chancellor Scholz was in Moscow, but actually it should have been Europe at that long table. We would be much stronger if we talked to Russia – if you talked to Russia, Mr Borrell, on behalf of Europe – with one voice, and I’m sure, Mr Borrell, you agree with that. That is why I have three questions, Mr Borrell. Have you been in contact with the leadership of Germany and France? Can you confirm they have presented Putin with a common EU front? And can you confirm they have not given Mr Putin an inch?

Madam President, I want to talk to about the women and girls in this world, because it’s necessary because women’s rights were violated on a massive scale during the coronavirus pandemic. They were victims of a real shadow pandemic, filled with online and offline violence, and they were at the forefront of our fight against the deadly virus, day-in, day-out. If this health crisis has taught us anything, it is that we must take care of them, and that is why we must step up the fight against violence for peace and freedom. That is why it is our duty to empower and educate all girls. That is why we must take stronger action against femicide, female genital mutilation and other forms of gender—based violence. Colleagues, men and women here today, we should all be feminists and fight for it. The time is now.

Mr. President, Mr. Borrell... I'm going to wait, Mr President, until he listens... [In English: ] Europe is sleepwalking towards disaster. Russia and China align their strategies. One is about to invade Ukraine, the other is waiting for his chance to take Taiwan. That is also our business, Mr Borrell, because both conflicts will strike Europe at heart. A refugee flow, a very expensive energy bill and a shortage of semiconductors, which is flattening our economy. We do not seem to realize that the brutal politics of power means the end of our Western model of consultation, that in a world where international rules no longer apply, Europe is completely powerless, that we are becoming the toy of autocrats like Putin, Xi and Erdoğan. So, as my predecessors said, let us, as a Parliament, raise the alarm and wake up our European leaders. Let's face it, Mr. Borrell, a 5,000-man rapid response force is a wipe for bleeding. We need a genuine European Defence Union with, if you ask me, a credible European army, backed by a common clear foreign and security policy. Let's stop those national vetoes and send one leader to Moscow, Mr Borrell – one leader, you, the European leader – with a strong mandate in your pocket. Ending the rule of unanimity, a joint headquarters and a European chain of command should be the priorities of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Because power needs counterpower. What we need is a big leap forward. Let's make that jump!

Mr President, first of all I would like to thank and congratulate Véronique, my colleague within Renew, on whom I am very proud of the excellent work she has done with this report. Six thousand children die of cancer every year in Europe! In fact, it is the leading cause of death in children over one year of age. And that is unacceptable. We cannot allow disturbed parents with sick children to roam Europe in search of the right treatment. It is not possible that not every child in Europe has the same chances of survival! Today is World Child Cancer Day. It is up to us to make this fight a priority. Recognize pediatric oncology as a specialist discipline. Provide more research and affordable medicines for children. We need to simplify access to treatments, across borders and together, as a true health union. Please make sure, Commissioner, that this mobile application, which gives an overview of all the treatments in the different European countries, arrives quickly. Give parents and children hope again!

Mr President, I’m really happy that 2022 will be officially the European Year of Youth. But let us be clear, we should not make it a symbolic year, but a historic year. Last year, 24% of children were at risk of poverty, and the last two years 18 000 minor refugees disappeared, and at least, colleagues listen carefully, one in five children is a victim of sexual violence. And moreover, during the COVID—19 pandemic, a real shadow pandemic erupted with online sexual violence and violence within the family. For me, it’s clear: we have to realise three important things – roll out a child guarantee, protect the children from abuse and exploitation online and offline, and ensure that our migration pact safeguards children, because it’s our duty, colleagues. As Gandhi said, you all know the wise man, ‘the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members’.

Mr President, the situation in Somalia, I do not have to tell you, is particularly worrying. An amalgam of conflicts hampers the stability, development and prosperity of the country. The country is plagued by terror, violence, political instability. Climate change is also taking its toll, resulting in a humanitarian disaster. Let me give you the figures: 2.9 million internally displaced people, six million people in need of humanitarian assistance, almost one million children at risk of acute malnutrition! Can you imagine that? I find it hallucinating that I have to say that here on this pulpit. Our support for this country is important. Please note, we already do a lot: 35% of all humanitarian aid to Somalia comes from Europe and its Member States. But if we want to continue to guide the country, then we have to continue these efforts, then we have to continue our help, use that help as a lever to make changes. Commissioner, I have a number of priorities that I would like to share with you in order to help Somalia emerge from this enormous crisis. Call for an election, that's where it starts. Condemn the arbitrary detentions and attacks on journalists and the abuse and violence against women. Especially today I can ask you that! Support the country in the fight against armed groups. Safety is the best guarantee of development, as we know. And finally, focus on the most vulnerable: the many abused children, the so many malnourished children and the so many child soldiers.

Mr President, for already almost an hour and a half today, we have listened to the stories and we have listened to the numbers. But, Madam Commissioner, did we really hear them? I will repeat them: nearly one in three women have been abused in their lifetime and, since the COVID pandemic, the figures are even worse. Since the COVID—19 pandemic, we see a real shadow pandemic. Since the start, two in three women report that they have experienced some form of violence. Colleagues, we must act and we must act together. Luckily, there were a few men talking today, but most of us talking here were women. We need the men also to fight. May I say that? We also need you, because what is happening is no longer acceptable. For me, what should be done is that we need to believe the survivors. We must tackle the root causes and we should introduce one European helpline. We should take care of the victims. Madam Commissioner, we should make gender-based violence a European priority. There are many priorities, but for me, it’s a very important one that we can no longer accept. So please, push those six Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention. Colleagues, altogether here, say no to violence to women.

As is often the case, this time the most important item of the European Council is not on the agenda. I'm talking about Poland. We saw a Polish prime minister here yesterday who refused to engage in dialogue, and it is abundantly clear that the Polish Supreme Court has been completely politicized and is now being used as a weapon against the European Court of Justice, which has denounced that politicisation. The President of the Commission said yesterday that he wanted to go far and impose financial and other sanctions. But the question I want to ask you today is: Why is the Council not acting, Mr. Minister? You have the tool to do that: Article 7. This is a powerful tool with which we must be careful. But the way Poland behaves defies all imagination. There is more than enough ground to suspend Poland's right to vote in the Council. We have to say clearly: Europe is not a cash machine where you can just withdraw money, but the value of which you do not accept. Mr Minister, I really hope that tomorrow the Council will find the courage to make that decision.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, you do not kidnap someone to give him a fair trial. That came across my mind when Paul Rusesabagina was arrested in Kigali last summer. And so a few months ago, colleagues, this House adopted a strong resolution – a very strong resolution that condemned the illegal rendition of Paul and called on Rwanda to give him a fair trial. Colleagues, it really saddens me today that we’re standing here again, because what we feared became reality: a process indeed took place, but not a due process. And yet Paul was sentenced to 25 years in prison. So today, colleagues, another strong resolution is on the table, and I really want to thank – they are almost all Belgians, I must say – Tom and Kathleen and Marie Arena and everybody, and Assita, who helped to push forward this resolution. Another strong resolution is on the table. A resolution that condemns the violations of his right to due process. And actually, colleagues, it has one – one, Commissioner – one clear message to the Rwandan authorities: Paul Rusesabagina is ill. Release him on humanitarian grounds and let him be repatriated. Without us saying whether he is guilty or innocent. Dear colleagues, I really hope that we will adopt this resolution today with a broad majority, as we did last time, so that we can send a united, very strong message to Rwanda, which will be heard there.

Mr President, Commissioner, everyone is concerned. “Can we still pay our energy bills for the winter?” And high energy prices are putting things on edge. It is about the core of our European way of life, about our families. That's what we need to protect now. How are we going to ensure that energy does not become a luxury product in the short term? Only if we ensure a genuine European Energy Union can we achieve a sustainable solution. Firstly, that means that we will have to jointly purchase gas and thus put much more pressure on Russia and other suppliers to negotiate affordable prices. Secondly, we must work towards a genuine European energy market. It is still very difficult to get renewable energy from north to south. And finally, we must do everything in our power – all in all, colleagues – to make Europe the frontrunner in renewable energy. Commissioner, I ask you to come up with an ambitious plan to make Europe a real energy union.

Mr President, Mr Borrell, dear colleagues, I have to tell you very honestly that I am disappointed by President Biden. He claims America is back; fair enough, but does that mean – in his perception, in his mind and in his strategic approach – that Europe is also back? No. On the contrary, he did not consult us when he withdrew from Afghanistan. He completely side—lined us in the AUKUS pact between Australia, the UK and the US. He did not even take the step to abolish American tariffs on our European steel. Moreover, Biden arrived in Europe a few months ago at the NATO Summit – North Atlantic Treaty Organization – and he talked about what, colleagues, about what? About China. Seems to me more South Pacific than the North Atlantic. So it’s time to get our act together. The US will not keep on paying the lion’s share in NATO. We must do our part and launch our own European defence community, our own European army, not to weaken NATO, as Stoltenberg wrongly suggested, but on the contrary, to strengthen it. With a hopefully – and I talk to the French now – re—elected French President and a new German Government, it’s time to think about our own interests, our own shared European sovereignty, and start acting, Mr Borrell, as a geopolitical Commission. We have had enough wake—up calls, Mr Borrell.

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, colleagues, may I have your attention, because what we are discussing here today is really awful. Today, at this very moment, around 300 LGBTIQ refugees are staying in Kakuma camp in Kenya. They fled their African countries and homes. They fled because, according to the ruling laws, they love somebody they cannot love. They fled to a country where they hoped to find safety. But nothing could be further from the truth. Aside from the fact that as many as 195 000 refugees are stacked together in the most inhumane and horrible circumstances, LGBTIQ people are also confronted with homophobia, stigmatisation, discrimination and violence, including bombs and fires. It is incredible that in 2021, this still exists! For me and Maria Arena, love is love. These people find themselves back in exactly the same situation as they did before, when they wanted to escape: one of fear and humiliation, one without freedom, one where love is banished once more. For a long time, they have been hoping for resettlement to Europe, the United States or Canada. Unfortunately, without any result. Here today we must give them a new future. So I ask you, and encourage the government, to bring the offenders to justice, bring LGBTIQ refugees to safety in cooperation with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and to the dialogue with African countries, so that this stops. Let love win, colleagues.

Mr President, Madam President of the Commission, Mrs von der Leyen, you have given us a fine speech today. A speech with hope that does not shy away from the challenge. I heard a passionate woman with a heart for Europe. But there's one thing I really missed in your speech that I expected from you. You are a former Minister of Defense. You stand and go for the security of Europe. You are talking about a defence union. But for me, you're cold-water scared, and you're just not going far enough to that European army. Now is the time for me. I said it yesterday in the debate on Afghanistan. If we do not take the step towards that European army now, when will we? We spend a lot on European defence, but each Member State individually. We spend as much as China, we spend four times more than Russia. You know, this hasn't turned against NATO either. I don't agree with what Jens Stoltenberg said. On the contrary, a strong European pillar within NATO will help us. I spoke to Guy Verhofstadt. One of the themes that emerges in the Conference on the Future of Europe is precisely that European army. So can I tell you one thing? Let go of that cold-water fear, take that step, show women the power you have and go for that European army. We support you.

Madam President, let me first thank my colleagues for their good cooperation on the report. We stand here as a united parliament. United in our belief that we must put our naivety aside when dealing with China. A united parliament that is very clear in its rejection of the investment agreement, as long as our colleagues are sanctioned and human rights violations are ongoing in China. In our report, we recognise that the rise of China will have an enormous impact on our way of life and Europe’s role in the world. We also warn that Europe is not prepared for this change because, until now, we have defined our relationship with China in terms of trade. Don’t get me wrong, China is indeed a very interesting trading partner, and it’s great for European business that many Chinese are now able to afford German cars, French wines and Italian fashion. But economic gains should not make us blind to the challenges that the Chinese Communist Party is posing to the liberal world order. The EU must be determined to defend our key values, and this requires a new and more assertive strategy. First, we must realise that China is too big to ignore. We cannot deal with climate change, terrorism and global security without working together with China. If you want to save our planet, China must be our partner in this field. That is why I fully disagree with those who plead for a complete decoupling between the West and China. But let’s not be naive. China’s cherry-picking of the rules of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization must end. And China has to show that it means business on climate change; otherwise, the EU must introduce a border tax to offset the higher carbon emissions of Chinese products. Second, the EU must step up its defence of human rights and the rule of law. The Communist regime tries to wipe out Uyghur heritage from Chinese soil. Hong Kong has been subject to one of the most brutal crackdowns we have seen in recent history. This repression is not limited to China. Chinese ‘Belt and Road’ money is pouring into Africa, the Western Balkans and Latin America. It is financing regimes and companies that trample on human rights. Reports of labour exploitation, land-grabbing, pollution and health issues are frequent. I call on our leaders to finally come up with a credible European alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative. We must support sustainable investments which do not exploit workers, which respect the environment and enhance good governance. And let us increase the pressure on China to stop its crackdown on Hong Kong. And, as I have already said a lot of times, and I will repeat it again, we need to stop importing cotton from the Xinjiang area because products from slave labour have no place in the European Union. Third, the EU will clearly never be a match for China or the other world powers unless we get our act together. The disaster in Afghanistan has shown that we need a European army, a real foreign policy without national vetoes. It is also very clear to me that we need a European FBI and CIA to counter foreign threats. China’s rise has only just begun. Some say Europe’s decline started a long time ago. Let’s prove them wrong and step up our ambitions. Let’s show that the time for naivety is over. Let’s make Europe fit for the future with a new strategy to deal with the rising dragon, combined with a strategy to make a fist on the world stage.

Madam President, the scenes of the Taliban carrying around coffins covered in American and NATO flags were devastating. And the fact that after 20 years, women are not allowed to work alongside men and do not dare to go into the streets without a burka, is heart breaking. The most horrible consequence of the withdrawal is the imminent danger Afghans are in. But this crisis also concerns us. Let us now finally draw lessons. To Mr Borrell I would say: we need a real European defence union with a real European army. If this is not the moment, when will it be? Citizens are in favour. French President Macron, who I saw last week, is in favour. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as a former German defence minister, must be in favour. And with the German elections coming up, I really hope there will be support for this EU army. We can no longer wait, not another year, not another crisis. It should happen now.

Mr President, Joseph and Annie drowned in their own home when their bungalow was completely flooded. Paulette and Arlette fought together against the water currents in the house and died when the house broke through the pounding water. Yannick tried to save his daughter, but was dragged along by the swirling water. These are just a few of the many horror stories that have taken place in my own country over the past summer. These natural disasters in our own backyard are unprecedented. It's no longer about melting icebergs a few thousand kilometers from here. Climate change is a reality and is rapidly catching up with us. Europe must not doubt its climate ambitions. We have big plans with the Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package. We now urgently need to ensure that the Solidarity Fund budget is adequate and can be disbursed quickly.

Mr President, let us be very clear: China has killed democracy in Hong Kong. And Xi Jinping has made it very clear that Taiwan is the next station. With our resolution, we give a very clear message: a China that tramples on human rights cannot be a close partner to the EU; a China that is exporting its authoritarian model is a threat to our way of life. It is our duty, colleagues, to defend the rule of law, human rights, and a world order based on values. Let us work closer together with democracies such as India, Japan, Canada, Australia and the US. Let us stand with Hong Kong. Let us stand up for human rights and let us stand up for freedom.