Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. Orban has been voted out. It shows that authoritarian forces can be stopped. But the threats to freedom and democracy in Europe are not gone. On the contrary. Minorities are being pushed out. Legal certainty is undermined. The right to decide over our own bodies is challenged and civil society is under pressure. War, abuse of power and attacks on free media are exacerbating the situation. We must be able to continue the fight for a better, freer world, against extremism, for democracy, for those fleeing war and for the right to love freely. The EU can be the light in a dark world. It's not too late, but we need to get more people doing more now.

Mr President, thank you very much. Anything that is not a yes is a no. It should be obvious, but time and time again rapists go free. That is unacceptable. It is also unacceptable that the Sweden Democrats do not stand up for our Swedish legislation being the right one, but instead vote against all women in the EU having the same rights as Swedish women have. A European law on consent is crucial for the fight for gender equality and for the reparation of victims of crime. Not least because the debt should be placed where it belongs: with the perpetrators.

Mr President, thank you very much. "Dad, I'm burning!" It was a young woman's words in her father's arms, her last words after the regime's security forces had shot her. "Don't shoot us!" shouted another woman, before she was met with bullets. Shot wounded, she did not dare to go to hospital, as injured protesters are arrested there and abducted by security forces and never come back. Doctors and other health professionals are imprisoned for saving lives. The regime continues to spread terror in Iran, even if our media do not report it. We must therefore continue to shed light on the horrific abuses. We must do everything we can – much, much more – to help the Iranian people to freedom. No one should be left in the hands of the Iranian regime. No one is free until everyone is free.

Madam President, thank you very much. Masked men abduct children from their parents, chase and attack people in the open street. The racist and deadly violence by Trump's lackeys in ICE is unacceptable, but also a warning bell. Around the EU, far-right forces have praised ICE's efforts, and the Sweden Democrats Youth Association wants a similar organisation in Sweden. We must learn from what is happening in the United States, while securing our own institutions against the political forces that want to force us into a future of systematic persecution, where racism and discrimination are given free rein.

Mr President, thank you very much. No one should have to open body bag after body bag, lined up in hundreds, to find their dead brother or sister. No one should be shot in the street or tortured to death for the dream of freedom. The price paid by Iran's brave people is unbelievable. So also the fears and worries of the many Swedish Iranians and others who have not managed to make contact with their loved ones. Those who with violence and weapons want to curb freedom and democracy, they are many. But we who refuse to remain silent, who will never stop fighting for freedom and justice, we are many more. We hear you, we see you and we are with you. Europe must move from words to action. Life and freedom for the Iranian people.

Mr President, we speak endlessly of competitiveness in this mandate, yet equal treatment, fundamental rights and democracy are treated as secondary, delayed, compromised or quietly dismantled. This is not only dangerous, it is also expensive. I often speak here about justice, dignity and solidarity, but I've heard that money talks, so today I will for once try to speak this language. Colleagues, we have everything to gain from an equal society. Because what are Europe's democracy, our fundamental rights and our liberal values, if not advantages in a global competition? Let me give you some figures. A recent report from the OECD found that fully eliminating discrimination in Europe could generate up to EUR 500 billion in additional GDP and tax revenue. An even more recent study from the EPRS estimated that adopting the Horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive alone could deliver over EUR 1 billion in benefits in its first five years. We are constantly told that Europe must invest more, grow faster and get more people into employment, yet we are overlooking the potential of a proposal that has been ready for adoption for 17 years. The truth is, failing to harmonise equal treatment legislation means maintaining 27 layers of unnecessary red tape. As this year comes to an end, I urge colleagues in this House, in the Commission, and especially in the Council, to move beyond old political deadlocks and fears and to objectively assess the social and economic benefits of a Europe free from discrimination, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because we cannot afford not to do it.

Mr President, Rabbis for Human Rights write: 'Hanukkah teaches us that light is not passive. It is an act of courage. In moments of fear, violence and injustice, we are called not to retreat into silence, but to increase the light through compassion, solidarity and an unwavering commitment to human dignity and the sanctity of every life.' On the beach where families were celebrating light and miracles, lives were ruthlessly stolen by targeted antisemitic terror toward the Jewish community. They should have been safe. They should have been protected by all of us, by the society we form. But they were not. Amid the immense darkness, there was a flicker of light. Ahmed al-Ahmed tackled and disarmed one of the murderers. He saved lives. Let us stand in solidarity with the Jewish communities – not only with words, but also in actions.

Mr President, let me put it plainly. Many men in this Chamber would never accept anyone else legislating their bodies, and women should not have to accept it either. That freedom – her freedom – is what we protect when we vote for 'My voice, my choice', supported by more than 1 million Europeans. A woman's body must never be a political battleground. Yet 20 million people in our Union still lack access to safe and legal abortion. No vote taken here will ever stop abortions. It will only determine if they are safe. One million Europeans have spoken. Now it's our turn. Vote yes.

Madam President, thank you very much. Often for over six hours a day, so long are many of our children and young people in the hands of Musk, Zuckerberg, the Chinese regime and other irresponsible tech giants, whose big goal is to get our children and us adults stuck in their addictive web. On their platforms, ridicule and hatred spread faster than hope, lies faster than truth. The EU is the only player in the world that can put hard on tech giants, so let's do just that. We must dare to make demands, take back control, ban addictive algorithms. We need to put people's well-being and woe at the centre, not the right of tech giants to manipulate us. The future is shaped now, and it should be shaped by humans, not by algorithms.

Madam President, thank you very much. ‘Grab “em by the pussy!’ So the most powerful man in the world boasted and got away with it. Our sons' phones are filled every day with voices glorifying men's violence and domination over women. At the same time, I read about the mother of three in Västerås who was stabbed 35 times by her partner in front of her children. Globally, 140 women and girls are killed by a loved one every day. Violence is a pandemic, and we politicians must take responsibility for what shapes boys' and men's views on women, relationships, sex, violence and power. If we do not break this vicious circle now, it will be repeated over and over again.

Mr President, thank you very much. Putin has wrapped the as self-absorbed as unreliable Trump around his little finger. And it threatens not only the existence of Ukraine, but the security of Europe as a whole. We have to make up our minds. Are we prepared to do whatever it takes to defend Ukraine's freedom? Or are we going to keep pretending that we've done everything we can? That is not true. Even though from day one we environmentalists demanded an end to the fattening of Putin’s war fund through our imports of Russian oil and gas, it has taken until now – several years of Russian bombing of Ukraine – to get the rest of you on the train. And even though we environmentalists demand that we take hard action against the political forces that betray the EU by flirting with Putin and his friend Orban, the right continues to cooperate with these very parties over and over again. We need to do more and we need to do it now. Slava Ukraini!

Mr President, thank you very much. There is often a lot of talk about equality. At the same time, the very movements that make gender equality real are attacked and suspected: the women's shelters, which give shelter and a warm embrace when the patriarchy shows its dirtiest face, the abortion rights organizations, which despite murder threats, prison sentences and attacks continue to defend and practically give women the right to decide over their own bodies, the LGBTQ organizations, which conduct banned Pride parades and create safe places and faith in the future, despite Orban and other fascists trying to silence them. It is they and others who make equality in practice, in everyday life, locally, in the streets and squares that are the heroes. They deserve our unconditional support. In resources, in law and in action.

Madam President, thank you very much. In a time where truth becomes relative and facts become opinions, standing up for freedom of expression and the press – and for its defenders – is the most important thing we can do. Gui Minhai is a defender of freedom, a truth-teller, a pioneer and a symbol of the fight against authoritarian oppression. He is also a Swedish citizen, and this year it is ten years since he was kidnapped and imprisoned by the Chinese state. For every voice that the dictatorship tries to silence, we have to raise ours even more. And for every book that the dictatorship forbids, free speech must be defended with even greater force. Our common message is clear. Gui Minhai must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Madam President, thank you very much. October 7 was the biggest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. I have since shared the grief and horror with many Jewish friends. I have shared the fears and anxieties that were a reality even before the Hamas attack but have since become increasingly apparent. The debate repeats that antisemitism in Europe is an imported problem. It is frightening that those of us who represent a Union that was founded in the rubble of the Holocaust can be so historyless. The right of Jews to security, freedom, faith and identity is unconditional and absolute. Our democratic responsibility is to defend that right at all times; always – no matter where the threats come from.

Madam President, thank you very much. Hope is the most powerful feeling there is, and hope is what I was filled with when I walked through Budapest with hundreds of thousands of Hungarians. The Hungarian LGBTQ community, they wandered proudly, straight-backed, convinced that they have the right to be who they are and love who they want. They didn't go alone. Thousands and thousands of other Hungarians joined them. Many of them had never attended a Pride Parade before. But they went out of the house to show in action what solidarity and what courage is. I'm sure a lot of people were scared, but they did it anyway. This is a time for courage. It is a time to strengthen the work against all forms of discrimination. We need horizontal anti-discrimination legislation and we need it now. We have no time to lose.

Madam President, thank you very much. Hope is the most powerful feeling there is, and hope is what I was filled with when I walked through Budapest with hundreds of thousands of Hungarians. The Hungarian LGBTQ community, they wandered proudly, straight-backed, convinced that they have the right to be who they are and love who they want. They didn't go alone. Thousands and thousands of other Hungarians joined them. Many of them had never attended a Pride Parade before. But they went out of the house to show in action what solidarity and what courage is. I'm sure a lot of people were scared, but they did it anyway. This is a time for courage. It is a time to strengthen the work against all forms of discrimination. We need horizontal anti-discrimination legislation and we need it now. We have no time to lose.

Mr President, thank you very much. For over nine years, the Swedish doctor Ahmadreza Djalali has been imprisoned by the Iranian regime. He has been tortured for nine years. The possibility of his assassination by the regime is imminent. Sweden and the EU can save his life, but then we must act now and use all the tools available to get him free. The alternative is unacceptable. We must not abandon Djalali. We must not abandon his wife, his children and the thousands upon thousands of people imprisoned without trial in Iran. It's not too late. Ahmadreza Djalali must come home now.

Mr President, thank you very much. It is not possible to bomb peace, it is not possible to starve security, it is not possible to oppress people into submission. Violence breeds violence, hatred breeds hatred. Bombs, people forced to flee, parents who see their children starving to death, neighbors forced into shelters and buried, mutilated siblings do not lead to more security. Not for anyone. It is always civilians who pay the price for the madness of powerful people, who pay the price for our indifference and inability to do the only thing that is the right and long-term best. The great hope in all darkness is people around the world who, after all, refuse to be silenced, who insist, who gather, who protest.

Madam President, thank you very much. Children should be allowed to be children, but every year in the EU more than 1 million children are also forced to be something else: victim, victim, survivor. There are 1 million heartbreaking failures for society, 1 million lives that are always changing, 1 million life-long traumas. In Sweden, there is stronger protection for children against abuse than in many other EU countries, but that is not enough. The road is long to a society that does not fail, a society where the law is unconditionally on the side of the children. With the proposal now on the table, children and young people across the EU will have stronger protection against abuse and exploitation, which is our damned duty as adults and politicians to ensure becomes a reality.

Mr President, thank you very much. It is absurd that today it is possible to buy products that we know can be carcinogenic. It is absurd that the teenager who wants to be nice at an upcoming party risks clicking home a shirt that may affect her chances of having children in the future. Ultra fast fashion It is bad for our health as well as our planet. Fast fashion is a systemic flaw that we, who have the power to set the rules for our internal market, can change. And it's not really that hard. Fashion, and indeed everything sold in our common internal market, can and must be sustainable, for our planet and for us humans. But it takes many of us to rethink, think new and dare.

Madam President, standing by the Mediterranean Sea, which has become the final grave for so many people, Pope Francis asked: 'Who wept for these people who were aboard the boat? For the young mothers who brought their babies? For these men who wanted to support their families?' We are a society that has forgotten how to cry. Pope Francis reminded us of our humanity and asked us to overcome the paralysis of fear, the indifference that kills, the cynical disregard that nonchalantly condemns to death those on the fringes. Pope Francis' daily calls to Gaza and his final will to transform his Popemobile into a health clinic for Palestinians are testaments of his compassionate legacy. He said children are not numbers, they are faces, names, stories and each one is sacred. I will carry his words with me in committee meetings about deportations and into debates about humanitarian aid to starving children. I invite you all to do the same.

Mr President, I would like to thank you. Madam Commissioner, I would like to thank you. President Trump now also wants to dictate the conditions for the EU's diversity work, which is why European companies are being pressured to stop working to identify and capture the skills they need and give more people a chance to show what they can do. This attack shows with desirable clarity that the EU's work against discrimination must be strengthened, not stalled, and therefore the Commission's decision to withdraw the Anti-Discrimination Directive must be reversed. The EU's anti-discrimination work is not just a matter of strengthening the fight and work against discrimination in the EU. It is also an act of resistance. We must continue to stand up for our values, for everyone's right and everyone's freedom.

Madam President, thank you very much. Climate change, democracy in decline, another war on our continent, trade wars and major threats to our security. With Putin, Trump, Musk and Xi Jinping and company, the world desperately needs a counterforce. The EU must be that counter-force. The EU has the opportunity to be the answer to our common challenges. But the EU can only be that if it is a community where democrats stick together. Over the last 100 days, we have seen how the Commission has repeatedly met the far right: loosening and watering down disguised as simplification, delaying and sinking climate goals, anti-discrimination legislation being withdrawn, adopted climate legislation lying at the brink. Competing with Xi Jinping’s communism, Trump’s powerlessness and Putin’s aggression through a ‘race to the bottom’ is not how we, how the EU, become strong. Rights and freedoms are our strength. An uncompromising defence of the rules-based international order is our strength. And our main weapon, it is strong cooperation against all those forces that want Europe to be divided and forced to squat under authoritarian forces.