Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. To this question from Mr Weimers, I would just like to say that Mr Weimers knows perfectly well that we voted on formality on the agenda. When we then came to the resolution, I can clearly state that, as a social democrat, I, together with my group, stand up for workers' rights, girls' and women's rights. And we do that every time we make such important decisions, unlike Charlie Weimers.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. I am also shocked and angry that it seems that we have corruption in our elected parliament. It not only damages our European Parliament as an institution, it damages politics, it damages democracy and it damages credibility. I would like to say thank you to our Commissioner, Ylva Johansson, for your clear speech. And yes, they should be ashamed. Of course, anyone who has committed crimes should be brought to justice, but at the same time we must assume our responsibilities in Parliament, in the European institutions. We must have reforms that strengthen transparency and openness. We must have systems where it feels safe for our citizens. They should be able to trust our institutions and they should be able to trust us. Let us use our anger, as we now know, to ensure that this never, ever again enters our Parliament. (The speaker agreed to reply to a post ("blue card"))

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. One in three children in the world is threatened by both the climate crisis and poverty. This is what Save the Children says in its report. When dealing with crises, no matter what the crisis, we must have children's rights in focus. It's about their future. We know that families across Europe are having an incredibly hard time financially at this time and this is something that affects children very hard. Growing up in poverty has a negative impact on children's schooling, on children's rights and opportunities later in life. Ending child poverty and ending the climate crisis requires political will and prioritisation of children. The Child Guarantee is an important tool for this. Every child in the EU should be able to grow up in a safe environment and enjoy their rights. All children should be able to feel hope in the EU.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. The European Agenda for Culture was established in 2016. But it was a time before cultural workers had to endure a pandemic, a time before the climate transition's extensive renovation wave and a time before the war that wiped out beautiful cultural heritage. The new updated cultural policy must be shaped from a child and youth perspective. After the pandemic, it is young adults who doubt the future of culture. It is children who have been most affected by the climate crisis, and it is for future generations that we must preserve our cultural heritage. Our young people have expectations of the EU's work on health and sustainability and therefore we should not erode chemical laws even to renovate beautiful art, but let us affirm research and innovation to securely preserve cultural heritage from generation to generation.

Madam President, Commissioner. It was both exciting and important to be there at COP27 in Egypt, but it was with concern and disappointment that I left the climate summit. I would have wanted so much more. I am concerned about the women and children who emit the least, but suffer the most when, for example, one third of Pakistan's large country falls under water. I am disappointed that so little progress was made in the negotiations to slow down global warming. But I'm also proud. Proud of the role played by the EU and our Commissioner Timmermans in the negotiations. The EU really became the bridge that opened for the fund to deal with the damage of the climate crisis. The EU took responsibility and raised the bar further. But until the next meeting, Europe's leadership will be absolutely crucial and we need to hold on to it. We need to raise our ambitions even further. If we are to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, there is a real urgency now. If we're going to meet the 1.5-degree target, we're going to have to move up a gear. And we are guilty, indeed we are guilty, all innocent women, children and young people who release the least but suffer the most.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. We have wars in Europe, we have a climate crisis and we still have the consequences of the pandemic that plagues us. All of this is experienced by young people across Europe and is of great concern. In my country, Sweden, the young generation responds that hopefulness is diminishing. Fewer than half now see their future brightly. That is why it is so important that we take children's and young people's concerns seriously, and why a European Year of Youth was welcome. The EU has so much to offer young people: high-quality Erasmus student exchanges, opportunities to train and discover Europe, a first job or an internship in another EU country, perhaps here in Parliament. However, we can do even more. We need more student exchanges, smoother train routes and decent wages and conditions. The European Year of Youth must go beyond individual events and seminars. It must be a kick-start for a policy for young people that shows continued solidarity with Ukraine, is gender-equal and inclusive, and takes the climate crisis seriously. There is a lot at stake in our Europe. Let the European Year of Youth be a turning point of hope for all young people in Europe, for the future of our Union.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Seven out of ten are men on the boards of the largest listed companies in the EU. Seven out of ten are men. This is not because men have unique management skills, but because in practice they have set quotas for themselves. But now it's over. At last, we are getting a directive that will contribute to more gender equality and thus also to a higher level of competence on the boards of companies. I would really like to congratulate the rapporteurs on their very successful work. For a decade, I know we've been fighting together for something that should be obvious: that the boards of directors take advantage of the skills and knowledge of the entire population. Quotas on company boards are not only about an equal distribution of power and influence, but actually also about better decision-making. And you know what? It benefits businesses, growth and society alike. Achieving a gender-equal and sustainable EU requires an equal distribution of both power and resources. It also requires that we constantly prioritize gender equality, because a gender-equal society never, never comes by itself. This directive is welcome and an important step in the right direction.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Nowhere in the world is type 1 diabetes as common among children and young people as here in the EU. This is an understatement of today's prevention efforts. Now we need to speed up. We need to prevent smoking, reduce alcohol consumption and eat more healthily. The EU has a role to play here, for example by making the labelling of alcohol packaging clearer. We must also ensure that Europe never finds itself in the situation of 1.3 million Americans, who are forced to skip their insulin because they cannot afford it. For us social democrats, equal access to medicine for all is self-evident. I would also like to highlight the importance of following technical developments in the measurement of blood sugar. No old prejudice should lead to discrimination against diabetics.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. It started as an activity for a few people, but in a few decades it has become a common medium used in the EU by every second person between the ages of 6 and 64. We see it on smartphones, computers and game consoles. Computer games and esports have grown into a huge industry, and this development deserves our full attention. I therefore welcome the fact that we are raising this issue here in the European Parliament for the first time. It is about how we in the EU can support growth and innovation. But it is also about the challenges, i.e. ensuring inclusion and tolerance, fighting harassment and hatred, which often affects girls and women who play, and ensuring that more women come to the sector and that we have more diversity. In conclusion, I would like to thank our rapporteur, Mr Farreng, for his excellent and constructive work on the report. It is simply a very, very good report.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. The increase in energy prices has increased Russia’s fossil fuel revenues from the EU by over EUR 100 billion. REPowerEU must be used to break the fossil dependency, because Putin should know that it is stopping more fossil revenues from the EU. This is why it is so important for the whole of the EU to rapidly increase renewable energy production. We need wind, solar and sustainable biogas. I see great potential for replacing fossil gas with green, renewable biogas throughout Europe. That is why I welcome the compromises. By not creating new emission allowances in emissions trading, we also save five years of, for example, Swedish emissions. We are also clearly targeting efforts away from fossil gas and towards renewables, which is a good thing. We need more ambition for the climate.

Mr President, thank you very much. The Commission and the Council! “The Sweden Democrats have a nationalist background and a deplorable past. They stand for things I don't stand for. They have a different view of culture and equality. The words come from the Swedish Liberal Party leader Johan Pehrson in a TV interview. The same party, the Liberals, has now entered into an agreement with this far-right party, the Sweden Democrats. An agreement that means that the Sweden Democrats with their far-right agenda now dictates the conditions for the new Swedish government where the Liberals are included. What a few years ago was inconceivable for the right-wing parties and the Liberals, to cooperate with the far right, has become accepted and normal, to the point of opting out of their own policies. For the Liberals had a choice, a decisive choice, and they chose to give power to the far right. I never thought, never that this could happen in my country, Sweden. Liberals in Sweden are embarrassed. Through the Swedish Liberals, Renew has now opened the door for cooperation with ECR. Will we go the same way in this house? Renew, it's your turn. You must be clear. You have to make your choice. We have challenges in Europe, where we have to stick together. And for us Social Democrats, it is a matter of course to protect our fundamental values and not to give the far right more influence than it already has by being elected to Parliament. I hope both the EPP and Renew understand the seriousness of this issue. One example in Sweden is that the new government has already scrapped the well-known feminist foreign policy. It's just the beginning.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commission, Council! Democracy, peace and freedom – these are three obvious values of our EU. Since Russia started its brutal war against Ukraine, our task of defending these values has become more important than ever. We are in the most serious security situation in a very, very long time, and we need to continue with strong sanctions against Russia's unacceptable actions and to fully support Ukraine in both words and actions. While we must also deal with the ongoing energy crisis, we must be able to think long-term. Democracy, peace and security, as well as equality, gender equality and sustainable development for future generations – these are goals and values that hold us together and that the EU must never, ever compromise, either in acute crises or in our long-term work for the future.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner Johansson! They still have nightmares, and right now they say they never want to return to Ukraine again. The words come from a mother from Ukraine who fled with her children to Sweden. Ever since the war broke out, Ukrainian children have endured things that no child should have to experience. Already in March, we Social Democrats issued clear demands to protect the children affected by the war. It is extremely positive that Commissioner Johansson takes this issue so seriously. Preventing children from being abducted or subjected to violence or trafficking in human beings is fundamental to the European Union. It is about children's human rights, and that we as adults live up to our obligations. It is about all children – all children have the right to a safe and loving childhood. Thank you, Ylva.

Mr President, thank you very much. Our Commissioner! Already at today's 1.2 degrees global warming, we see heavy floods, heatwaves and droughts. We are on our way to 2.7 degrees Celsius, and it is devastating both for our nature, for vulnerable groups and for a peaceful and safe world. We're in a hurry. We need to raise our targets at COP27. The EU must lead the way, show how solar, wind, water and biogas reduce emissions, costs and Russian dependence. To succeed in this, in order to achieve ambitious and sustainable agreements, women must also take their place at the negotiating table. Women and children are the most affected by the consequences of the climate crisis. It is also women and children who are today the most climate-smart in everyday life. Let COP27 be the turning point where young women's voices and leadership for the climate are taken seriously.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commission, Council! Russia’s ruthless war is affecting Ukraine’s population every day, threatening Europe’s peace and security. As Russia escalates, we Social Democrats believe that the Commission's call for unity and solidarity is crucial and that Commissioner Johansson's guidelines on visas are reasonable. In this security situation, it is critical that the leaks that have been discovered at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea are now being properly investigated. This likely sabotage has occurred in the Swedish and Danish economic zones and is very serious. It's only a few miles from where I live. Putin's cold-blooded actions in Ukraine and the illegal annexations must be stopped. We, the EU, must continue our strong cooperation. One thing is for sure: Putin will not be victorious.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. The pandemic is not over yet, but in the EU, thanks to vaccines, we have hopefully put the worst behind us. In a European Health Union, we now have new tools to prevent the next mutation of the coronavirus or an unknown virus from becoming a new pandemic. If Member States can share data early on, we can predict the next step, and we can impose local restrictions even before the virus arrives. The whole EU needs protective equipment, intensive care facilities and test labs, and if one Member State has a full test lab, another Member State can help. It is through increased transparency around joint procurement that we can fight disinformation and vaccine hesitancy. Viruses and pandemics know no bounds, and I am really looking forward to better coordination in order to master viruses and pandemics in the future.

Madam President, thank you very much. Madam President-in-Office of the Commission, Crises, climate, pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine and now also an energy crisis – crises that require common solutions, political courage and clear leadership. I expect the Commission to live up to all this. Support for and solidarity with Ukraine must continue. This is important because we see women and children suffering every day. We received good news today about the reconstruction of schools in Ukraine. Before winter, rapid solutions are now needed to mitigate the insane electricity bills in our Member States, but that must not mean pausing the climate transition. We need to invest even more in renewables. Last but not least, in this troubled time: The EU must be the guarantor of democracy, equality and equality at a difficult time.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commission, please. The Prime Minister! I am pleased to read that the three Presidencies, France, the Czech Republic and Sweden, will work for greater gender equality. At the same time, I am very concerned that gender issues are not highlighted as a sufficiently clear priority in the Czech Presidency. The threat to gender equality and women's human rights is very serious. The pandemic has led to increased violence against women. Abortion rights are violated not only in the United States but also in our own Union. It is estimated to take three generations – three generations! – before the EU is on an equal footing. I therefore have two questions for the Prime Minister. When is the Czech Republic planning to ratify the Istanbul Convention and how will you push for the EU to do the same? What are your main gender equality priorities this autumn?

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. 2.8 million social economy actors create jobs for millions of people in the EU. This includes, for example, the small country store that supplies the village with groceries or the cooperative kindergarten that takes care of the children. With investments in the social economy, there are great opportunities to create more jobs, stronger welfare and positive economic development. I see it in my country, Sweden. The social economy can also play an important role in a fair recovery from the pandemic, as well as in the green and digital transitions. This is why the Commission's Action Plan for the Social Economy is extremely important. Now is the time to understand the value created by the social economy, increase its visibility and develop a conducive environment for the social economy so that it can truly prosper. The Action Plan with all its proposals will make a positive contribution. While highlighting the possibilities of this, it goes without saying that it should go hand in hand with good working conditions, collective agreements and trade union rights. Women as a group will benefit. They are already a large part of entrepreneurs and leaders in the social economy. Facilitating the social economy will also enable women's economic freedom. It is therefore time to give the social economy and those working in the sector the status and opportunities they deserve. Having said that, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Cañas, for his excellent and constructive work on the report. As the report stands at the moment, it contains so many good things and important recommendations that we in the S&D Group will vote in favour of it.

Madam President, thank you very much. Once again, conservative forces are trying to limit the right of girls and women to control their own bodies. Once again, in another country, people's fundamental rights are being violated. Thousands of women die every year as a result of unsafe abortions. Millions of women are being treated acutely in hospitals. We know that abortion bans do not prevent abortions; It only leads to more unsafe and dangerous abortions. whereas restricting and banning the right to abortion has very serious consequences both for the individual and for society; We socialists will never, ever accept that people's fundamental rights are violated. Not in the US, Poland or anywhere else in the world. I want to control my body. I want my daughters to be able to control their bodies. Never, never anything else.

Mr President, thank you very much. The Commission and the Council! More than a hundred days and the war in Ukraine is still ongoing. The EU is more united than ever and now we must continue to put pressure on Russia. The sixth package of sanctions, with a ban on oil imports, is therefore extremely important. Although not all oil is covered by the halt, it is still an important step to reduce Putin’s ability to finance this illegal and brutal war in Ukraine. Now more than ever, we need to continue working to break our dependence on Russian energy. The next step must be to also close the crane for Russian gas in the pipelines. There is only one way away from high energy prices in our Member States, and that is to become energy self-sufficient together and to accelerate the energy transition. We need to become independent of fossil fuels now. And here I want to highlight bioenergy and biogas, which together with wind and solar energy is an important alternative. We've seen it in Sweden. It is very successful. Biogas is completely renewable. Waste from agriculture and the food industry is taken care of in a cycle and becomes heat in our houses and fuel in our cars. Finally, I also welcome the discussion in the Council and the decisions on food security. The fact that Russia is preventing the export of agricultural products from Ukraine has devastating consequences, mainly in poor countries. Global food security must be a priority for the EU, and we need to do everything we can to be able, in the short and long term, to take responsibility both for the EU and for global leadership.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner Johansson, thank you for your strong commitment to women and girls in the war in Ukraine – families waking up to planes and bombs falling, fear of your own family, but also over access to food, lack of medical care, a closed school and a destroyed playground. But Ukraine's women and girls worry about more than that. They fear the Russian soldiers who commit heinous sexual assaults, who rape, who harass. And they are concerned about limited access to contraception, maternal health, safe childbirth and abortion. Women are afraid, afraid that their children will get away and end up in the hands of traffickers or that they themselves are tricked into the wrong car at the border and then forced to sell their bodies. Because it is so, women and children are more vulnerable in violence and war and in conflict, and violence and abuse in conflict is a war crime. These crimes must be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. whereas sexual violence in war and conflict, trafficking in human beings and restrictions on sexual and reproductive rights can be prevented, but both political courage and active action are required; It is above all a question of ending men's violence against women. What's wrong with these men? It is about every man's right to decide over his own body, about women and men having the same power to shape society and their own lives. We say that in the solemn speeches, but now it is also a question of making it a reality in their own lives, of a Europe that really stands up and is equal. We Social Democrats will continue to demand protection for women and children affected by the war. And we will continue our work for a gender-equal Europe.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioners! When the theatre in Mariupol was bombed, a little girl was hidden in concrete and dust. She miraculously survived, but she hasn't spoken since. The war in Ukraine is a brutal war against our children. In mid-March, we Social Democrats therefore issued clear demands to protect the children affected by the war. I and we are grateful that today we are dealing with a resolution for the children. No child anywhere should have to experience a war. Every child has the right to a safe childhood. As regards the EU's response to the war in Ukraine, we Social Democrats demand that the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which all EU Member States have ratified, be respected and complied with. The best interests of the child – as we have said many times – must be taken into account in all decisions relating to children. I therefore welcome Commissioner Johansson's clear statement that we will ensure that children are properly registered at the borders. We're going to see all the kids. The EU must strengthen efforts to prevent violence, abuse and trafficking in human beings. Priority should be given to children's needs, basic needs for food and clean water, psychosocial support and safe places for play, rest and education. Children don't just have the right to survive. Children also have the right to safety, development, education and play. All children have the same rights and equal value. And now we will do everything we can to ensure the human rights of children and that we actually live up to our obligations.

Madam President, thank you very much. Article 2: ‘All children have the same rights and equal value.’ Article 3: “Children’s best interests shall be taken into account in all decisions concerning children.” The Convention on the Rights of the Child contains human rights for children, and all EU Member States are committed to them. We heard that a Ukrainian child flees Ukraine every second. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine is also a brutal war against Ukraine’s children. We must always defend children's rights, and of course also in war. Last week, we Social Democrats demanded that the Council and the Commission urgently develop a children's package to protect and help children, both those fleeing Ukraine and those remaining in Ukraine. We are pleased that the Commission has listened, that is a good thing. We now want to emphasise a child rights perspective that must be integrated into all measures. Action is needed – now.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. March 8 is an important day, a day to highlight the successes of women's rights, but it is also a day to highlight all the challenges and injustices that remain. Most of all, however, it is a day when we will raise our ambitions. We will stick to our goals and make sure that we actually act. We know that women's rights are human rights, which should be a matter of course. The EU Gender Action Plan III sets important objectives. If these objectives are to make a real difference, they must be fully implemented and prioritised in all areas of EU action. It requires political leadership, just like in my home country of Sweden, where we have a feminist government that has decided that the way forward is an equal society. We Social Democrats demand that the EU speed up the work on gender equality, both within and outside our Union. If we do not increase the pace, it will take three generations for our daughters to live in an equal Europe. Women and men, girls and boys, should have the same power to shape society and their own lives. It is simply a prerequisite for a sustainable and peaceful world.