Speeches

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.

Mr President, we are voting in urgency today. I have to tell you, it's a real urgency. It is about our Swedish-Iranian doctor and guest lecturer at the VUB, Ahmadreza Djalali. He has been unjustly imprisoned in an Iranian prison for five years and was sentenced to death in 2017. And since then – when you see the photos, emaciated, skinny – his medical condition has deteriorated enormously. That's why I'm saying here today: It's an urgency. Actually, I only have one question: free Djalali! And I'm addressing that call to the president, to the newly elected president. Don't execute that death penalty! Let this doctor, this doctor, this father, this academic, this husband return to his family. And I repeat. Free Djalali! Free Djalali! In fact, we should only say two words here for an entire hour. Free Djalali! Free Djalali! Iran, if you want better relations with Europe, we ask you one thing now. Free Djalali! Free Djalali! Free Djalali! Free Djalali!

Mr President, Mr High Representative, putting members of the opposition behind bars on the basis of vague and unfounded accusations, banning opposition members from politics, replacing elected mayors with faithful members of the regime, attacking independent media: That is what is currently happening in Turkey, with the HDP as the biggest victim. And this is confirmed by Reporters Without Borders. They placed Erdoğan on the new list of ‘predators of freedom’. Colleagues, Turkey is still an EU candidate country, a country, Mr High Representative, with which we are officially still negotiating EU accession. And that's been 16 years. And after the European Parliament's critical report of a few weeks ago, the situation has only worsened. The constant attacks on the opposition confirm once again that Turkey cannot join. Because in a true democracy you fight your political opponents with the word, and not by banning them from politics. And this resolution sends a strong signal – both to the Turkish regime and to the Council and the Commission – that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights cannot be negotiated. Not for accession, nor for a positive agenda. I wonder, colleagues, how this happens to the opposition in Turkey, that we offer the leader who silences them a positive agenda ... Is it not high time, colleagues, that we had the courage to say to Erdoğan: "Enough is enough!"

Mr President, Commissioner, it took eight months for the Council and Parliament to reach an agreement to better protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse on the internet. This was by no means Parliament's fault. Online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have not been allowed to use tools to detect child sexual abuse for almost seven months with the entry into force of the ePrivacy Directive. As many as 58 percent fewer images of child sexual abuse and illegal behaviour such as grooming have been reported since the directive entered into force at the end of December, while the number of reports of abuse and exploitation has increased exponentially in recent years from 23 000 in 2010 to more than 725 000 in 2019. Actively detecting and identifying victims and perpetrators is essential in our fight. I therefore call on everyone to vote with a convincing majority in favour of the derogation from the ePrivacy Directive and to take a stand against the sexual exploitation of children.