What Heléne spoke about.

17 Jan

2024

SV Speech

Gender aspects of the rising cost of living and the impact of the energy crisis (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. The Commission! Yes, the cost crisis is hitting our societies hardest, hitting women and children hardest. Every month across Europe, families worry about whether they will be able to pay their bills. There are parents who can't afford the heating, the clothes or even enough food for their children. In my country, Sweden, every third single mother's finances g…

17 Jan

2024

SV Speech

Extending the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crime (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. ′′My girlfriend gets a fist punch in the face. I'm getting kicked out. Then they disappear just as quickly.'' Yes, the words come from a young woman who, together with her girlfriend, was subjected to hate crime in Sweden. These serious crimes have devastating consequences for individuals, for society and for democracy as a whole. In Europe, strong extreme for…

17 Jan

2024

SV Speech

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 14-15 December 2023 and preparation of the Special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024 - Situation in Hungary and frozen EU funds (joint debate - European Council meetings)

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Mr President, the Commission and the Council. Yes, Russia's brutality in Ukraine continues, and infrastructure is attacked, families are shattered and lives are shattered. We stand as passive spectators as the people of Ukraine fight in the trenches if we are not prepared to act together. The fact that EU leaders have not yet managed to agree on support for Ukraine is therefore astonishing. Right-…

14 Dec

2023

SV Speech

Outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (COP28) (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. This year's COP28 is taking the first important step to phase out fossil fuels, and it's a big victory. It is thanks to the EU and an alliance of like-minded people. The message was clear – we had to deal with the elephant in the room. If we want to stop climate change, we need to stop fossil fuels. Once again, the EU is the leader in global climate action, and t…

13 Dec

2023

SV Speech

EU strategy to assist young people facing the housing and cost of living crisis (topical debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. We are approaching Christmas and it is a time associated with community and joy. But it is also a time that for many means a lump in the stomach, parents who ask themselves whether the money should be enough for Christmas food and Christmas gifts for children and children and young people who feel the parents' worries and carry it with them into Christmas. I h…

13 Dec

2023

SV Speech

Review of the Spanish Presidency of the Council (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Prime Minister Sánchez. We hear here how forces in Europe are mobilising to increase division and cohesion in the EU. My Sweden has become a warning example. We currently have a conservative prime minister whose government is entirely governed by the nationalist party Sweden Democrats. This is at a time when we need more cohesion. As a Social Democrat, I know …

21 Nov

2023

SV Speech

Recent developments at the EU’s external border between Finland and Russia and the need to uphold EU law (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. The Commission. Finland's business is ours. It was said almost 100 years ago and that solidarity with our neighbouring country is still valid today. Because in Sweden, in Europe and in the world around us, forces are now mobilising to tear apart the cohesion of our countries and undermine our support for Ukraine. We see it in Russia's energy war against Europe…

20 Nov

2023

SV Speech

UN Climate Change Conference 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (COP28) (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. The Commission! This mandate in the EU has been exceptional – pandemic, energy crisis and war in Europe. Nevertheless, the EU is strong. We have faced the crises with action. Over the past two years, we have doubled the share of renewable energy in Europe. It shows what we can achieve when we come together and decide to act. At COP28, we need to show the same …

20 Nov

2023

SV Speech

Children first - strengthening the Child Guarantee, two years on from its adoption - Reducing inequalities and promoting social inclusion in times of crisis for children and their families (joint debate – International Day of the Rights of the Child)

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Madam President, thank you very much. The EU has been severely tested in recent years – the migration crisis, the pandemic, the energy crisis and a war against international law in Ukraine. Children are affected. Children are particularly vulnerable to all crises in our societies. Children's safety, health and schooling are affected. The financial situation of families is affected. Families with c…

17 Oct

2023

SV Speech

Situation of Ukrainian women refugees, including access to SRHR support (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner Dalli! whereas sexual and reproductive health is a prerequisite for women’s health and a right that must be prioritised even in times of crisis and conflict; Due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, access to sexual and reproductive health and rights has been restricted. These are clinics in Ukraine that are forced to shut down, but also se…

17 Oct

2023

SV Speech

Water scarcity and structural investments in access to water in the EU (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. The Commission! Clean water is a human right, a human right, and at the same time we see how pollution and drought make clean water a luxury for more and more people. This is totally unacceptable. We need to invest properly in water and sewage networks for a future where clean water really becomes a right and not a luxury. Two weeks ago, we voted in this House to…

17 Oct

2023

SV Speech

Question Time with Commissioners - European measures to prevent and to fight the rise of organised crime

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Mr President, thank you very much. I would like to thank the Commissioner for his answer. It is incredibly important for us in Sweden with the support we have from the Commission when it comes to action, but also that we have laws, rules and tools in place. I would like our Commissioner to make a visit to Sweden. It is a very urgent situation with violence and shootings. I know I can speak for all…

17 Oct

2023

SV Speech

Question Time with Commissioners - European measures to prevent and to fight the rise of organised crime

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Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Thank you for the important work that the Commission is doing in the fight against terror, and now it is more important than ever in Europe. In Sweden, we have a situation where children shoot children, and organised crime puts Sweden in a national emergency. As a Social Democrat, I know that the national welfare of schools and …

17 Oct

2023

SV Speech

Statement by the President

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Madam President, thank you very much. Colleagues! Going to football, it's party, joy and community. To dress in the colors of your own country is to show pride in your team and where you come from. In my family we have been to many matches and in several of Europe's arenas. And every time Sweden plays, I wear my blue-yellow football shirt. This terrorist attack, this shooting where two Swedish sup…

4 Oct

2023

SV Speech

Decent Housing for All (topical debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. This year, the Swedish tenant movement celebrates 100 years. Side by side with the Swedish labour movement, they led the fight for everyone's right to a good home. And now Sweden and the whole of Europe are once again facing a historically important choice. When the pace of construction drops dramatically, when renovation nee…

14 Sep

2023

SV Speech

Violence and discrimination in the world of sports after the FIFA Women’s World Cup (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Football is the world's largest sport and the world's largest cultural expression. It does not matter where in the world you travel, you will be met by children in football shirts, children with dreams of once playing in a World Cup final. What we saw after the World Cup final now was a professional athlete who at her greates…

13 Sep

2023

SV Speech

Regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. We have to say it like it is: If men did not buy sex, there would be no market for sexually exploiting girls and women. The connection is very simple. The bigger the market, the more abuses. And no matter what the buyers tell themselves, it is not possible to pay for consent. You buy an assault, you buy a rape on another person'…

13 Sep

2023

SV Speech

State of the Union (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. President of the Commission! Storms, torrential rains, heatwaves in Europe – climate change is affecting us here and now. We have wars in Europe with higher food prices and more expensive electricity bills as a result. Violence and abuse are increasing at a time of turmoil, not least against girls and women. We see a setback for gender equality in the EU. Pare…

11 Sep

2023

SV Speech

Surface water and groundwater pollutants (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Imagine waking up on a normal morning. You get up and turn on the coffee and pour a glass of water. At the same time, you hear on the radio that the water in your area is poisoned. You are told that the water you and your family have been drinking for years has contained carcinogenic poison. In Swedish Kallinge, this became a reality. In their Swedish tap wate…

11 Jul

2023

SV Answer

Nature restoration (debate)

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Thank you, Sara Skyttedal, for the question. We are legislators, therefore we also have the responsibility to negotiate. I want to work for Swedish interests in the Nature Restoration Act by negotiating compromises. The most important success is, of course, that we increase the flexibility of the legislation, so that we can look at the different interests and different needs of the Member States i…

11 Jul

2023

SV Speech

Nature restoration (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. The Commission. Like so many Swedes, I have a close and deep relationship with nature. From our high mountains in the north, to the Skåne rapeseed fields in the south. Nature is our most important asset and we will manage it for our children and grandchildren. Strengthening our rivers, soils, meadows and forests is essential for the green transition. That is why …

14 Jun

2023

SV Speech

Implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Now it is only seven years left until the world's countries reach the UN's global sustainability goals. It was in 2015 that we agreed to create a better world for each other and for future generations. But instead, things are moving in the wrong direction. Emissions continue to rise. Inequality has increased, especially betwe…

13 Jun

2023

SV Speech

Humanitarian and environmental consequences of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam - Sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. Commission and Council. Russia’s war against Ukraine is still ongoing, but that does not mean that we should postpone discussions on Ukraine’s reconstruction. On the contrary, we must already shape the work and efforts that will be required on that day. whereas the attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam has resulted in devastating floods forcing people to flee, and the …

12 Jun

2023

SV Speech

Marking the World Day against Child Labour (debate)

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Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. One in ten children in the world is working. There are different reasons why children are forced to work, but some of the consequences are the same. Children who work are deprived of their rights and opportunities. They lose the right to their childhood. This year's theme for World Day against Child Labour It's about just this: …

1 Jun

2023

SV Speech

Coordinated action to address antimicrobial resistance (debate)

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Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. I would like to begin by thanking my colleagues for the good work on the resolution. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical issue for the EU and the world. If we are to succeed in countering it, we must cooperate internationally, and that is why it is so important that we take the fight against antibiotic resistance at …