Speeches

Madam President, thank you very much. Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you very much. Now the constitutional justice system in the United States has come to life and announced that this appalling abortion legislation is being temporarily stopped. Now let's hope that the Supreme Court also wakes up from its conservative hibernation and realizes that banning abortion is not only a violation of women's human rights, but also quite stupid to be honest. In all ages, women have found ways to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy. To ban abortion is actually to ban a safe abortion for women's health, nothing else. Let me say this again. A woman's right to control her own body is a human right. It is not a question of opinion, it is not a question of negotiation. But let's not think for a second that this is just going on elsewhere. It is also happening here in our Union and in this House. A couple of weeks ago, the Visegrad countries gathered for a summit where it was free to put the responsibility for the continent's survival on us uterus carriers. I blame myself for it and say: Keep your paws away from our right to control our own bodies. My uterus owes you, or you, or anyone else, nothing.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. What we see happening in Tigray is an unimaginable tragedy, an unimaginable evil and an unimaginable passivity from the outside world. Many times we have said: Never again, never forget. But equally, for almost a year we see how the civilian population of Tigray is attacked in cold blood, how rape is used as a weapon, how child soldiers are sent into certain death, how starving people have to sell their bodies to get some food and water. According to Human Rights Watch, this is a war crime. Those responsible must be held accountable through an international independent investigation. It is unbelievable that the UN has not used its Responsibility to Protect mechanism to protect the civilian population. The EU is Ethiopia's largest donor, and it is committed to doing so. We must use all our common weight to immediately force Ethiopia to open up Tigray for humanitarian aid before it is too late.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. On my wall calendar it says the year 2021. Nevertheless, when it comes to the rights of citizens with disabilities, in some places the Union feels more like the 1950s. The coronavirus pandemic has hit our societies hard. But it has hit even harder a certain group in our Union, namely people with disabilities. And now that we are moving towards greater freedom of movement and lifting restrictions, this very group of citizens continues to be discriminated against. The problem is no longer that we are in a bad situation. The problem is that in several parts of the Union there are countries that are worsening the situation of people with disabilities, such as access to healthcare, such as preventing the spread of the coronavirus among this group of our citizens. Countries such as Bulgaria and Romania should step up and fully comply with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It would give our citizens an opportunity to report any violations of their rights in their home countries. It is time to call for real action, once and for all. Ending all forms of discrimination, guaranteeing the right of everyone to participate and stand as a candidate in democratic elections, and fully enabling all citizens to exercise freedom of movement within the Union. Only then will we have a Union without restrictions and with free movement for all our citizens.

Madam President, thank you very much. The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan is a failure of the free and democratic world. To call the international withdrawal led by the United States a failure would be the understatement of the century. whereas the terrorist organisation Taliban has already systematically and calculatedly started dismantling human rights, erasing women from public spaces, targeting journalists and torturing them; Next up are the minority groups, which make up Afghanistan's historical and social fabric. Many years of commitment and work by the international community, Afghan organisations and citizens have been totally demolished. We need to take time for reflection and ask ourselves the following questions: Was there a betrayal of the Afghan people? What did we do wrong? We have the opportunity, as a Union, to fight for the most vulnerable in Afghanistan, but we must ensure that no money goes to the bloody hands of the Taliban. We must have a clear strategy and a long-term plan for humanitarian aid. It is not possible to legislate the Taliban or remove them with a press release from the Commission ... (The President interrupted the speaker.)

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen. When Poland and Hungary wanted to join the EU, you committed to certain values. You entered the European Union by fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria. It's not an entrance ticket. It is an agreement that must be complied with, day after day. You entered the Treaty of Lisbon with your eyes wide open, where the second article already guarantees the human rights of all our citizens in the European Union. Values about the rule of law, women's autonomous right to control their bodies, LGBTIQ rights which are also human rights. Mr. Minister. I have to say it again in front of everyone. Swedish taxpayers' money should not go to authoritarian governments that systematically violate the rule of law, systematically discriminate against LGBTIQ people, dismantle media freedom and build corrupt systems. My Europe should not be an ATM for Orbán in Hungary or Kaczyński in Poland or any other illiberal leader in the EU. It is time to show action, Commissioner. The EU must make the democratic lock on the EU budget a reality and cut off money for authoritarian states that do not respect the human rights of their citizens.