Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. It is a European failure that we stand here today, once again, for 20 years, and see people dying in the Mediterranean in their search for security and for a better future. This is a European failure. Today, however, I would like to turn to Giorgia Meloni, who said during her election campaign that her Christian heart and her parental heart were burning for Italy and Italian values. The question is, do any refugee children fit in this parenting heart of Giorgia Meloni when she adopts legislation that punishes boats and volunteers who help people out at sea in need? No, it doesn't seem like her heart hears those cries. Ten years ago, when the Lampedusa disaster occurred, when Alan Kurdi’s little body was washed up on the beaches where we take our children to create memories of children – we said: Never again! The images of Alan Kurdi's body were seen on every European mobile phone. We said: Never again! Today we're here again, and I'll say a few names: Ibrahim Salim, three years old, Halil Munir Abdulrezzak, three years old, Madina Hussini, six years old, Alan Kurdi – again – two years old, but in a different shape. Thousands are dying. It is a European shame that we are standing here and that people are still dying.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, Minister Roswall! I call the European Parliament the stronghold of democracy. After all, we are the only directly elected institution in the whole of Europe. We should all be proud of the trust that our constituents have placed in us. I am proud every day to represent the Centre Party, Sweden and our voters. But with that trust comes a heavy responsibility. A responsibility to keep politics clean from cheating, a responsibility to keep politics clean from corruption and, of course, from the influence of foreign power. Unfortunately, in recent months, our constituents have seen us fail in this responsibility. We have seen Viktor Orbán wave away our criticism of his unlawful actions. It is the politicians in Brussels who are corrupt. No code of conduct can prevent a person who is ready to commit a crime from committing a crime. But it should be easy to do right and it should be difficult to destroy what is ours. Corruption must be combated, cheating must be punished and the impact must be made more difficult. The world needs a strong voice for democracy and we can be that voice. But first we have to sweep in front of our own door.

Madam President, thank you very much. Dear colleagues and Commissioner, Today is the day of love. Then we'll celebrate love. But one in three women in the EU fears for their lives. They are afraid of being raped. They're afraid of being beaten. They are afraid of being controlled by a man in their vicinity, perhaps in their home. At the same time, we have heard here a lot about how this is unimportant, about how this does not matter, when it is one of our most important tools that first highlights the violent relationships that exist. It tries to prevent and criminalize, it also tries to protect. So there are a number of tools. I'd like to know what the crazy right has ideas for protecting women? No, these six countries that have not ratified the Istanbul Convention yet, they must do so now. So this is a strong call to you: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia – whose president was here today talking about the fundamental values of the EU, but has failed to get their country to ratify the Istanbul Convention – Lithuania and Slovakia. Ratify the Convention now.

Madam President, thank you very much. Madam Commissioner, Madam Minister. The extreme right in this House is vomiting out its xenophobia without any consequences. In their hateful, extreme propaganda, there is no responsibility for the radicalisation they have contributed to our societies. They are good at pointing out everyone else as terrorists, but are unable to see for themselves their own responsibility in what has led to right-wing terrorism in Europe. I am sincerely afraid to meet any of your supporters one evening out on the street. Not to mention my concern for my children if they meet your supporters who are constantly listening to you – and you have been given a political platform here to spread your hatred, your conspiracy theories and your racism. In fact, I and all other Europeans have the right to be free from violations and racism and terrorism in the streets and squares of the European Union. The battle for democracy takes place every day. But we must not give up. Democracy is the product of a hard and long struggle, and therefore we must constantly fight for it. Let us not forget the principles that are close to our hearts, the principles that have built our Union. But let us also not forget those who constantly undermine these principles, leading to people being put to death because of your hateful rhetoric.

Madam President, thank you very much. Mr Prime Minister, Commission, honourable Members! Sweden is taking over the presidency at a turbulent time – the war in Ukraine and global inflation hitting the EU as a whole – but at the same time at an important time. Our citizens across the EU are looking to the EU for solutions that are difficult to find. It is no secret, Prime Minister, that my party, the Centre Party, is pursuing a policy that goes against much of the Swedish government's direction. But today I am proud to listen to you, Ulf Kristersson, here in the stronghold of democracy in the European Parliament. And it is with an expectant pride that I have followed the beginning of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. At the same time, there are concerns in a wide range of policy areas. It is about the fate of the climate. We have the biggest climate package in the history of the EU on the table, but half of the proposals are not yet on target. At the same time as the government at home is wavering, it will now try to bax a package of legislation in goal to secure climate neutrality by 2050. It is about migration. For eight years, we in this House have been fighting against the Council to pass legislation in the area of migration in order to have a sustainable, legally secure and humane refugee and migration policy. Will the Swedish government now also be able to take responsibility for migration policy in the future? That's the question. Last but not least, my concern is about our democracy in the EU. Our Union is built on values, and if we are not able to defend them, who are we? We have a real identity crisis. The Center Party will always be a blow to illiberal leaders like Orbán and Kaczyński They should be held accountable when they threaten our liberal democracy. Will your government be able to defend European values when going backwards at home? After almost 30 years in the EU, Sweden now has to shoulder the great responsibility of holding the presidency of the Council of Ministers. I wish the Government the best of luck, and I hope that all of us Swedes make sure to do the best and most of the Presidency.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. The EU's motto is United in Diversity. We shall promote each other's diversity, between Member States and between citizens, and strengthen each other. However, in several Member States citizens are oppressed for one reason only: disability. They are put into institutions for life. They are deprived of their fundamental rights, such as voting, and where they are allowed to vote, polling stations are not securely accessible to them. It is completely unacceptable not to allow people to live their lives fully because of a disability. Clear signals have been sent from Parliament with this legislation to those Member States where the rights of persons with disabilities are not respected and guaranteed. Clear signals have also been sent to the Commission, where we now also want to see an accessibility card in place as soon as possible for people with disabilities. And now you can't drag your feet behind you. To those Member States which are not yet able to guarantee the rights of all their citizens: We're watching you! I'm keeping an eye on you! It is time for you to abolish these oppressive laws. I would like to thank Mrs Pelletier for her excellent cooperation. I would like to thank all the groups from right to middle to left for good cooperation, where we put aside our ideological and political differences and actually came up with a good text, a good proposal. This topic is so important to so many European citizens, and we should not shy away from it because of politics.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, Twizire and Rebecca are two young Congolese women who are at the moment, as we speak, being treated for horrendous wounds after being raped at the same time as them being pregnant. They are like tens of thousands of Congolese women who are being treated for their wounds, and even more who never got treated. Rape is used as a systematic, strategic weapon of war by landlords who are financed by state actors in the region. On 20 October, over 180 000 Congolese were forced to be displaced, adding up now to nearly 6 million internally displaced Congolese. This madness has to stop. I call upon you, colleagues, I call upon the Commission and the Council, to keep pushing for peacebuilding in Congo. But there cannot be peace without justice. That’s why I promise tonight that these men, these landlords who are raping are going to be brought to justice. Mark my words: you’re all going to be punished.

Madam Chair, dear colleagues, it is amazing how that government in Qatar is using this to say that this is a smear campaign, that this is about racism, this is about them being a middle Eastern country when in fact there is nothing more racist than when you treat a migrant workers like this. Because, let’s admit it, if they were Europeans, this treatment would not be in place. It is because they are Asian. It is because they are poor that this government is protecting these oppressors and there is nothing more racist than when a government protects the ones who are abusing human rights, the ones who are not paying these salaries for these migrant workers. And to the FIFA chair: You suddenly started to understand how it is to be an Arab. Really? Do you know how it is to be a woman in the Middle East, deprived of your human dignity? You cannot file for divorce because then your children will be taken from you. You cannot be yourself. You cannot choose what to wear. You cannot even apply for a passport without a man. Do you understand how it is to be an Arab woman? No, you don’t.

Mr President, thank you very much. When I sat in the Swedish parliament, there was a debate about democracy in the Swedish parliament, and then Johan Pehrson, the Liberal Party chairman, ran into the hemicycle when the Sweden Democrats MP said that white people are easier for democracy than people like me, who come from the Middle East. Then Johan Pehrson rushed in and took a stand against this racist claim. From the anger that Johan Pehrson knew then, to today sitting in a government with the Sweden Democrats in the driver's seat, where they decide. An anti-democratic party decides, and Johan Pehrson is so happy for this cooperation. I wonder what happened? We haven't changed. We are still standing up for liberal democracy, for human rights, for cooperation, for international solidarity. What happened? Well, the established parties, it is they who have changed by first saying ‘but they are right about certain things’, then they adopt certain policies to win political points, and eventually they sit in the same government. It is our indifference when these forces are allowed in. No, enough is enough!

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, representatives of the Council, ladies and gentlemen. Schengen is undoubtedly one of the biggest gains we have with the EU. And when you ask our citizens what is the point of Europe, freedom of movement is one of the first things that our citizens mention. That is what enhanced cooperation means and what it leads to. This is the confidence we have in each other when we do what we have decided to do. That's what it will be: Our citizens will benefit. Unfortunately, however, this freedom is constantly under attack and under threat in several Member States, picking short-term and cheap points by introducing and prolonging border controls in a pale effort to show strength and authority. The resources to maintain these illegal border controls can be used in so many other ways. Call me if you want tips on how you can use them, instead of preventing ordinary Swedes from going to Denmark to work and earn a living. What is often forgotten to say is that these border controls are detrimental economically to our border regions. I would therefore call on the European Court of Justice to crack down on these arbitrary and illegal border controls now.

Mr President, three weeks of continuous courage shown by the women in Iran. Persian, Azeri, Kurdish women are paying the ultimate price for freedom – their lives. This is a courage that has not been met by you, Mr Borrell, when you didn’t take the opportunity during the General Assembly in the UN and take a stand for the woman in Iran. Enough for the press releases now, enough for the mumbling. It’s time to speak out. It’s time to act. The hands of the regime of the mullahs in Iran are stained with blood. Neither history nor Allah or God Almighty will forgive you for the crimes against humanity that you are committing against your own citizens. We, the peoples and the citizens of the EU demand the unconditional and immediate stop of all the violence against the women and men in Iran. Until Iran is free our fury will be bigger than the oppressors. Until you, the women of Iran are free, we are going to stand with you: (the speaker used a slogan in a non-official language) – Women, Life, Freedom!

Madam President, thank you very much. Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you very much. Once again, we are horrified by the abominable and inhumane nature with which many of our Roma citizens are forced to live, and how police brutality and racism only add to the poverty and misery of Roma communities. We are appalled at how mismanagement and the Commission's inability to act allow discrimination to continue, as if it were something new, and as if it were the first time the Commission has looked between its fingers as states and governments slip at their democratic values. Why is nothing happening? In Bulgaria, we see how EU money is being used to train police officers to fight so-called radicalisation in Roma communities. In Hungary, EU money is spent on demolishing Roma houses and evicting Roma families and building segregated housing for Roma only. Anti-Gypsyism against Roma is flourishing across the EU, often driven by governments themselves. Enough is enough! This Commission must act when countries abuse their own populations with EU money. This Commission must show that it seriously wants to stand up for democracy and human rights and the equal right and value of all.

Mr President, thank you very much. Thank you for a very good report, despite a very messy start, because of the crazy right over there trying to hinder the work. In addition to the systematic dismantling of rights in our Union in several quarters, several governmental parties have used these times of crisis to reduce the rights and freedoms of European citizens. In many cases, governments have used the security argument to increase the coverage of our citizens and further curtail privacy and limit opportunities for already marginalised groups, such as LGBTIQ people. People with disabilities have been deprioritised in the care queues, as if their lives were not as valuable. Women's autonomous right to their own bodies has been restricted, and our womb has become political propaganda for the far right. Racism thrives and women in the EU are beaten and murdered by a man in their own homes. They are controlled and restricted. We have to do better. We need to do more. This is simply not good enough in the world's only union of democracies.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. There is a difference between Hungary and the Hungarian government and Viktor Orbán. As you have heard, we are quite tired of standing in this House deploring the corrupt and authoritarian regime of Viktor Orbán. At the same time, we are pleased that the Commission has finally begun to implement the democracy lock or what is called the rule of law mechanism. I myself was in Hungary a few days before the elections and saw hope in the eyes of Hungarian citizens and the question: Why haven't we acted before? The longer we take, the deeper Viktor Orbán and his lackeys put their claws in Hungarian society. I would also like to say that I am very much in favour of the Commission now wanting to add corruption as a point to the European Magnitsky Act. I very much look forward to the conclusions of such a review of the accounts and financial affairs of Mr Orbán and his lackeys. There will be a lot of dogs buried there, funded with our taxpayers' money. (The speaker declined to reply to a post ("blue card") by Ádám Kósa.)

Mr President, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, I would like to start by thanking the Commission for adhering to Parliament when we sent a strong signal, with the support of two thirds of the votes here in Parliament, when it came to labour migration policy and the law report that I was rapporteur for. Thank you for that. I do hope that we will also gather strong support and remain united on this matter of the Talent Partnership, because these are of utter importance to our work, to our Union. Firstly, because the Talent Partnership can be used to create legal pathways to the Union for migrants who want to create better lives, who want to be part of our communities, who want to work – better, safe, legal pathways. Secondly, they can be part of our solutions to face the challenges of the ageing population, where we have a decrease in our labour force, meaning also a decrease of our welfare state or also the build of our welfare state. Thirdly, the Talent Partnership can improve the growth of our economies. As we speak, we are losing 2% every day of our productivity with the unfilled vacancies on the labour market. That’s why these Talent Partnerships are very, very important. But for them to be able to work and function, the first thing we need is good legislation, and we need to change the mind—set and narrative around migration, because now we are mixing everything. We need to know that not everyone wants to come to the EU. We are competing on a global scale over these talented, skilled people and we are losing in competitiveness. We are not as attractive as we used to be, or as we think. Thirdly, I think that we also need to work on the circularity of migration, so we prevent the brain drain, and we ensure that people who come also return. One last thing I would like to say, Mr President of the Parliament, is that I am very tired, I am really sick and tired, of being addressed as ‘the different one’. This Parliament contains non—ethnic Europeans. I myself came as an unaccompanied minor when I was 15 years old from Iraq to Sweden, and I am so tired of this racist narrative. I hope that whenever it comes, you stop it, because it is not acceptable. I am a part of the EU as much as you are and there are even more people who can be that! (applause)

Madam President, the crackdown on democracy in Cambodia is not news to us in this House or in our Union. For years, members of the Cambodian opposition have been – if not their parties dissolved – prosecuted, imprisoned and even killed. The prisons of Cambodia are overcrowded with activists, with trade unionists, with political oppositions, with journalists, with land rights activists, with human rights activists, and their one and only demand is a free and democratic society in Cambodia. Every day, leaders like Mu Sochua, Sam Rainsy, Kem Sokha and many others are still fighting the good fight. We have some brave Cambodians here today in our Parliament, and allow me, please, Madam President, to welcome them and let us today give them a strong message of support and let this message of support reach the Prime Minister in Cambodia – Hun Sen and his regime – that we are watching very closely and we stand ready to act with all our tools available, sanctions included, if the upcoming local elections in Cambodia will not be free, fair and transparent.

Mr President, thank you very much. Pegasus technology was developed for governments to fight terrorism and prevent crime, but the government of Hungary has been spying on its journalists, the government of Poland has been spying on opposition politicians and now this list has also become longer, with countries such as Luxembourg and Spain and the Belgian police. I am very pleased that our own Liberal group, Renew, has been the one who has started the work to create a committee of inquiry into how this technology has been used, with Sophie in 't Veld as the champion. But I would urge you all as you go home to your home countries to demand answers from your governments and see which governments have acquired this technology. I myself have written a letter to the Swedish Minister of Justice, Morgan Johansson, demanding to know whether Sweden has acquired this technology and whether it has been used. I would urge you to do the same.

Mr President, thank you very much. Honourable Commissioner, honourable Members! I survived a war when I was ten years old that changed my life forever. I remember how my single mom grabbed me and ran. I remember how she tried to protect my body with her little body thinking she could make me live in case the bombs hit us. I also remember the little Syrian boy Alan, whose body was washed up on the Greek beaches. He fled the war in Syria but never managed to get to safety. I also remember the little, lifeless, 18-month-old boy Kirill from Mariupol, his lifeless body and the desperate attempts of his parents and doctors to save his life. Couldn't be saved. What we are seeing today is a great tragedy, but we must not allow this tragedy to deprive us of action. We must do everything possible to give our support to the Ukrainian people, and we can do this in two ways: One is to immediately establish humanitarian corridors to protect Ukrainian civilian refugees, and the EU must give all the support we can to protect them. The second thing is that we have to put a lot of pressure on Putin. Russian oil smells like Ukrainian blood. As we continue to buy Russian oil, we also continue to give money to this war. This is probably the Union's biggest test in many decades. Let us continue to stand united for the people of Ukraine. Slava Ukraini.

Madam President, thank you very much. Dear Members, Commissioner, If we have ever hesitated in the face of the warnings that our liberal democracy is under attack, as well as our institutions, our political system, our European way of life, then Putin's war against Ukraine has shown its true face with full force. However, Putin's war is not only going on against Ukraine, but it is also going on against the liberal democratic world order. These are hybrid wars and cyber-attacks against our institutions and the deliberate dissemination of false information and manipulation of messages to create division and distrust. However, these regimes, the authoritarian regimes, have not stopped there. They have also established close contacts with parties present in this house. Italian Lega Nord, French National Assembly, Austrian FPÖ have all concluded cooperation agreements with Putin's party. German AfD and Hungarian Fidesz were used as election observers in the elections in Russian-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk. In Sweden, the leader of the Sweden Democrats Jimmie Åkesson could not choose between Joe Biden or Vladimir Putin. The EU has shown itself to be united against the war. Now is also the time to show that we are united against the war against Europe. It is not only peace that we must defend, but also our fundamental freedom.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank you, Anna Donáth, for this important work. Even before the pandemic struck, we knew that some governments in our Union spent a great deal of time creating a narrative about civil society organisations that ultimately led to the dismantling of their activities. Right-wing populist governments, such as in Hungary and Slovenia, continue to restrict, defame and, at worst, criminalise the activities of associations. Often, these governments start by attacking organisations that defend women’s rights, refugees’ rights, LGBTIQ rights, Europeans with disabilities’ rights, in other words organisations that reflect the essence of what we call the European Union, our European Union – values, our common values, which right-wing populists hate most of all, which right-wing populists want to dismantle, dismantle with all their might. As long as associations are silenced, threatened, the foundations of our liberal democracy are also threatened. During the pandemic, some governments went pretty hard, pushing ahead, and banning the activities of organisations. Now that our societies are restarting, when we come back, all our rights and freedoms must be reclaimed. That is why I would like to see in the Commission's next report on the rule of law a specific chapter dedicated to the pre-conditions for civil society organisations. There is still time to reverse the trend. There is still time to win back our free union.

Madam President, thank you very much. Today, the verdict has fallen on the governments of Poland and Hungary. It was about time. Today's court decision is about us Europeans finally standing up for the peoples of Hungary and Poland, and not their governments. Today's court ruling shows that the human rights and freedoms of Polish and Hungarian citizens are important to all of us, concern all of us. The elections in Hungary, Commissioner, are right behind the door here. Is the Commission going to act and cut off the flow of money for Viktor Orbán, or will our money continue to finance a despot that no longer shares our common European values? Let me be clear. No matter what nonsense or abominable greetings you are doing, right-wing populists, you will not be able to frighten us into silence. We liberals will not be silenced when human rights are violated. We liberals will not back down from the battle for equal rights and dignity for all in the European Union.

Mr President, thank you very much. Even before the pandemic, violence against women was far too widespread here in the EU. One third of all European women have been subjected to some form of violence, i.e. one in three women in this room and across the EU. Every day, a woman dies from domestic violence. This pandemic has allowed domestic violence to flourish freely, and some conservative forces have taken advantage of the pandemic to further curtail women’s human rights. The Istanbul Convention's goal is to protect women from violence, but it is portrayed as gender propaganda and a threat to the nuclear family. The Polish government, led by the Law and Justice Party, is, as the first European country, about to leave the Convention. Instead of working against all forms of violence against women, the same government has proposed to introduce a national register of pregnant women, thus institutionalising violations of women’s human rights – the same government whose strict abortion laws have led to the death of a woman. Commissioner, this is not a gender equality problem for the EU in our society – this is a disgrace for us. I expect concrete action so that we can put an end to violence against women across the EU.

Madam President, we are 27 Member States in the European Union. Our region ranks as one of the most prosperous and wealthiest regions in the world. Our Member States are always ranked as some of the best countries to live in and work in worldwide. Our economies are strong thanks to our businesses and their workers, who continue to improve our daily lives. But the truth is our economies are facing challenges that we have not experienced before. Today, a challenge that is becoming more and more pressing is the demographic shift in our continent. The shift will exert greater pressure on public budgets when it comes to funding while fewer people will be working to generate tax revenues for social security systems in the budget and more people dependent on social security systems. You do not have to be a mathematician to understand or realise that the sums don’t add up. The mismatch of skills on the Member States’ labour markets causes our economies to lose over 2% of productivity every year. Businesses are struggling to find adequate skilled workers within our Member States or within the Union. When our companies and businesses struggle to find skilled workers, they struggle then with growing and expanding. That means losing out on creating more jobs, opportunities and on tax revenues to fund our welfare services. The demographic and economic challenges that our Member States are facing is an urgent issue. We need to address it properly and with adequate solutions. To properly address the issue of mismatch of skills and difficulties in recruitment of workers, the EU needs to become a more attractive region. A more attractive region and the notion of becoming attractive for labour migrants of all skill levels who are considering moving abroad for work. But how do we become as a region more attractive? How do we avoid falling into economic stagnation? How do we tackle our demographic challenge? In my report, I have included several proposals that provide solutions to these problems. With the talent pool, third-country nationals will be able to register and express their interest in migrating to the EU. Employers will be able to quickly search and find the workers with the right set of skills that they need. This will improve matching of the labour markets of the EU Member States and meet their different needs and even help businesses grow. In this report, I have also addressed the issue of medium- and low-skilled labour migration, and it is simply because of the fact that over 13% of key workers in our societies are labour migrants, especially in the agricultural and health sectors. The businesses of our Member States have large differences in terms of needs, and that is why we need an admission scheme for all skill levels. We cannot, to be honest, speak of creating opportunities to fill vacancies in the labour market without also addressing the issue of exploitation and abuse in our labour markets of labour migrants. Seasonal workers are often prone to be exploited by their employers. By allowing them to leave an abusive employer and find a new one without having their work permit revoked for a three-month period, we will give them an option to leave an exploitative employer without having the risk of losing their legal right to stay within the EU. Council representative, dear Commissioner and dear colleagues, in the debate on labour migration let us not forget one thing. Labour migration means that a person arrives in the EU, in a Member State within the EU, and starts working directly, pays their taxes, and contributes to funding our welfare states and being an active part of our societies. It should not be compared or mixed up with other parts of migration or asylum policies, as a well-functioning legislative framework for labour migration can be described as a triple win: a win for European businesses, a win for the employee, and a win for the Member State. I would like to take this opportunity as well and thank my dear shadow colleagues with whom we have been negotiating to achieve this file. They have been very constructive, and although we sometimes had some difficult discussions touching upon sensitive issues, we have always shared a common goal and it is to find a final agreement, even if we had to make some difficult compromises. I do hope that you all will vote in favour of this report.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Dear colleagues, Today, the debate about the EU's external border authority, Frontex, is not about being or not being. We all recognise the importance of the existence of this authority, this European authority financed by European taxpayers' money. This is not an attack on the agency. This is a sensible way of demanding accountability from its management. Today, the debate is about how the EU's face towards our immediate neighbourhood works, or rather does not work. When I was elected to this house in 2019, I asked about this discharge. What is it, how does it work? I then got the answer that this is something that we only do alongside what we do otherwise. I accepted that answer then, but not today. I will not accept that answer today. Today, this feels like a heavy responsibility: that we who are directly elected should show that we are using one of our democratic tools to demand accountability, as citizens demand accountability from us every day. Frontex is an authority that has had many internal problems. I don't know where to start. First, we had the very serious accusations directed against the authority that it was involved in pushbacks of the asylum seeker. The investigations that were made into what happened land in a word-to-word situation. It could not be proved that pushbacks It had happened, but neither had it happened. Since then, the question has just been dropped. Then there is the whole situation where they would hire officials to ensure that the EU's fundamental rights are respected in the exercise of its authority. They were supposed to hire 40 more in the spring, but failed there as well. A few months ago, they had barely hired half and blamed various reasons as they always do. Now I mention only a handful of worries and a handful of the things that the authority has had problems with during Leggeri's time. For that reason, I cannot stand behind giving Frontex discharge this time, and the lack of ambition and willingness to actually show that it is genuinely concerned about what it is accused of, makes it very difficult ... (The President took the floor)

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. The Prime Minister! What we're talking about today is your people. What we're talking about today is how your government consistently dismantles the rule of law and how courts are turned into political megaphones. How you and your party are dismantling media pluralism. It is you and your government who argue that Polish women do not have the right to control their own bodies. It is you and your government who believe that rainbow families are not as valuable as your own family. It is you and your party who believe that LGBTQ people should be banned from certain places in Poland. The Prime Minister, in this house, it is the interests of the Polish people that we have in mind. In this house, it is their human rights, the human rights of the Polish people, that we are fighting for. The Polish people belong in the European Union. The question is, will you and your party do it? Commissioner, thank you very much. You have the tools. You have the support of this house. Use them. It's time to turn words into action and that now.