Speeches

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Colleagues! When the world gathered in Egypt for COP27, it was in the shadow of war and crisis. We are struggling with rampant energy prices and inflation. But despite gigantic challenges, the climate can't wait, and I wish I wouldn't have to say that, but COP27 was yet another disappointment. It would be necessary to agree on faster measures to bring down emissions in real terms. But at the same time, I am proud that Europe is living up to expectations and showing leadership. Last week, we reached agreements on new legislation on sustainable batteries and the world's first law against global deforestation. It will make a big difference and show the EU's clear leadership. Right now, we are continuing negotiations on a climate border adjustment mechanism. So let's now use this as inspiration to prepare for a successful climate summit next time.

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski is one of the courageous human rights activists in Belarus. Since last summer, he has been imprisoned without trial. A desperate dictator tries to keep the people in fear. It’s not only the Belarusian people who suffer from Lukashenko’s tyranny. By allowing Russia to use Belarusian territory for attacks against Ukraine, the regime in Minsk continues to enable Russia’s unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. We cannot let Lukashenko get away with this. He is, together with Putin, responsible for the war crimes in Ukraine and should be held accountable. It is Lukashenko who should be imprisoned while Ales and his 1 449 fellow political prisoners should go free. (The speaker used a slogan in a non-EU language)

– Madam President, thank you. Commissioner, thank you very much. Colleagues, listeners! When we shop, we can take responsibility and make sustainable choices. Price, labels and common sense go a long way, but not all the way. A nice sweater can be made with really ugly methods. Corruption is not visible, but it costs, in the form of reduced tax revenues, more expensive goods and non-compliance with laws and regulations. In a global economy, value chains are long and complex, but no longer than the ability, with the right tools, to track and trace content. Finally, companies must take responsibility for ensuring that the goods sold at all stages are manufactured with fundamental respect for human rights and environmental and health protection, and that bribery has not occurred in any business model. This responsibility cannot be placed solely on us as individual consumers or public buyers. Corporate responsibility and modern, up-to-date sustainability reporting are also needed.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, listen to me. The climate crisis is acute. In November, the COP27 climate summit will be held in Egypt. It is happening in the shadow of Russia’s war against Ukraine, rampant energy prices and inflation. In one situation, we have to deal with many big, difficult issues at the same time. Nevertheless, we must stick to our climate pledges and do everything we can, because emissions must come down. The EU is the world's most important environmental organisation, leading the way in many ways. But we need to sharpen our tools and work globally to reduce emissions. Let us have a climate border adjustment mechanism, a climate tariff, in place. Ensure global agreements to end fossil fuel subsidies. Use trade agreements to hook the arm of climate responsibility, growth and technology development. We are in a gloomy time, but let the climate summit be a bright spot and an opportunity to rejoice at concrete results. The world and the climate need good news.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. When former Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström launched the negotiations for a free trade agreement with New Zealand, the ambition was high. Many may have doubted. Some resisted. Is it possible to negotiate a free trade agreement that has both far-reaching trade liberalisation and at the same time high sustainability requirements? This debate is not about the agreement with New Zealand, but it is important to highlight what can be achieved. Now that we have the agreement on the table, we can see that it is imbued with the goals of the Paris Agreement, and that it promotes trade in climate-smart products. It includes a common agreement to remove fossil fuel subsidies, and it includes gender equality and social considerations. We can't go back to the time when trading was just about volumes. Trade policy is a tool for sustainability, and without trade we will not have sustainable development. Closeness and protectionism only make the world poorer and less sustainable. That is why the strategy we are discussing here is so important.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, Minister, colleagues! No one can turn a blind eye to what Russia has done and is doing when it comes to making the lie the truth in order to achieve its purposes. We can't say we didn't know, we didn't see it coming. After all, Russia's annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine were nothing more than a blow to the mouth of the European security order. The fact that the gas pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea had more purposes than pure business – it was obvious. Since the invasion of Ukraine, disinformation has reached new heights. When Ukrainian troops are about to take back their own country, a desperate Putin continues to make lies the truth. On Friday, Russia annexed four new Ukrainian regions with the backing of so-called referendums. The worst thing about disinformation is that it works. Look what Elon Musk tweeted the other day. No, an unprovoked war of aggression is not a matter of two parties agreeing, but Russia must return every square metre. We need to stop playing in Putin's theater. The lies are over. The truth must win.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. We cannot accept a Europe of discrimination and exclusion, a Europe where exclusion makes people unable to work and earn a living, unable to educate themselves, unable to participate. We cannot tolerate a Europe in which Roma continue to be excluded. It is not a coincidence that countries where the rule of law is weak, or even dismantled, are countries where the situation of the Roma is particularly difficult. At the same time, these countries receive large amounts of EU funding. It has been said before, but it must be said again: Countries that violate the rule of law, countries that do not use EU support as intended, should not be able to continue to offset payments from Brussels. The EU is a cooperation, not an ATM. Roma are Europe's largest minority group and one of the most discriminated against. This must end. All countries, including my country Sweden, have a responsibility to do so.

. – Madam President, thank you. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. We hold our breath. In real time, we see how the Ukrainian army fights back. Square meters for square meters, street by street, village by village liberated. Putin's war, however, is not just about territory. This is not the first time that Russia has used hunger and deportation as a weapon. History repeats itself. These are not isolated cases. We are reached by reports that up to two million Ukrainian citizens are being deported to Russia, that children are being stolen and adopted away. This must end. Russia must be held accountable. All those who are in Russian violence must immediately get their passports back and be released. We must continue to give Ukraine our full support, until every mother, every father and every kid is back home – home to a free, peaceful Ukraine.

Mr President, thank you very much. A world without international cooperation would be both more dangerous, poorer and, above all, less free. To fight pandemics, save the climate, create rules of the game for space or protect human rights, we need multilateralism – organisations and structures where big and small countries can have their say. The alternative is that powerful countries dictate, that aggressive countries threaten. But we cannot accept countries abusing the international cooperation we have to ensure peace and freedom. Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, violated the UN Charter itself. They attacked, invaded a peaceful neighboring country. The fact that Russia was eventually expelled from the UN Human Rights Council was, of course, quite right – in the same way as they were expelled from the Council of Europe. We should be very careful about multilateral cooperation, but countries that turn their backs on themselves should know that a place in organisations that give influence and prestige is not something you subscribe to, but it is something you qualify for.

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, I am happy to see the broad support in Parliament for stronger trade relations between the European Union and Africa. I hope this means that we are ready for Africa as a true partner, that we are ready to trade with African countries and companies, producers and farmers on their own merits and respective strengths. Because successful trade is a partnership between equals. We know that trade is the base for growth, prosperity and jobs. Without free trade, billions of people all around the world still would be trapped in poverty. But trade is not only about business. When we trade, we tie bonds with our partners. We set up rules and standards that reflect values important for people, health and the environment – and we are ready!

Mr President, thank you very much. What the Chinese state calls vocational training, in Xinjiang, are effectively concentration camps to carry out genocide against the Uyghurs. There are about a million people in prison simply because they belong to a minority group. There is not only political indoctrination and torture, but also cynical exploitation of forced labour on a large scale for Chinese exports. Eighty percent of all cotton in China is produced there, and China accounts for a quarter of the world's cotton production. We want to trade with all countries, but we do not want a single thread or a single piece of cloth woven under slavery. We should not buy and wear clothes stained with unfreedom and blood. The EU is the world's most important trading partner. We will use that strength to say yes to everyone's freedom and no to forced labour. Legislation is needed that complements and reinforces the due diligence proposal that we are already working on here in Parliament.

Madam President, colleagues, listeners! On 3 March, Georgia submitted its application for membership of the European Union. Over the last 20 years, the country has clearly demonstrated both its ability and its willingness to move closer to the European family. And we'll welcome that. But now the leadership has gone down the wrong path. Because when journalists are threatened, prosecuted and imprisoned in a closely associated partner country, it is not only deeply unworthy, it is a serious warning bell. A candidacy for the EU entails a great deal of responsibility. There is no doubt that Georgia belongs in Europe. It is equally clear that free speech is a cornerstone of European democracy for all those who want to join the EU, and the Georgian Government knows that very well.

Madam President, thank you very much. On April 8, I visited Ukraine. When twilight fell on Bucha, we stood around the open mass grave and spoke to one of those who had taken care of the victims. He described in detail how people were executed, tortured, had their eyes burned out by cigarettes and raped. The fact that the Russian army used rape as a weapon is a fact. Equally true is that the hell that was going on Bucha right now as we sit here is happening elsewhere in Ukraine, but with the difference that the Russians have become better at sweeping away the traces and evidence. The EU must now do everything possible to stop Putin and give Ukraine the support and weapons it asks for. Victims of sexual violence have the right to protection, support and care, including abortion, across the EU. Also in Poland. Rape in war is a war crime and a crime against humanity. We need a special tribunal, and we should not give up until all the guilty have been convicted. The world knows who you are.

Madam President, thank you very much. The situation in Cambodia is dark, but it could have been different. The country could have been a democracy with bright prospects and an economy based on trade relations and growth. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Cambodia has had an agreement with the EU on preferential trade conditions under the ‘Everything but Arms’ programme, aimed at some of the world’s poorest countries, specifically to facilitate trade and cooperation and to support sustainable development. However, the Cambodian regime chose a different path and cooperation has been partially terminated. The fact that the country's government is attacking the political opposition with brutal methods and holding citizens, journalists and activists in an iron grip is a tragic development. The regime has long since crossed the border. It is time for the EU to end – completely – with the oppressors of Cambodia. Trade facilitation must go out, sanctions must go in and our wholehearted support for all freedom fighters must continue.

Madam President, thank you very much. Vice President Borrell! China is not only a growing global economy, but also a country with a special status at the UN. It commits, especially when the very basis of cooperation within the UN is violated. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the matter to a head, and China has deeply disappointed us. No country has the right to invade, occupy or annex another country in order to seize power or move borders. War crimes must be prosecuted and sentenced. Democrats living in the shadow of powerful dictatorships know all too well how dangerous it can be. Today, our concern is directed at Taiwan and the attempts to directly threaten and bully free democratic Taiwan from international cooperation, but also at China's aggressiveness towards, among others, the EU country Lithuania, which expresses its support for Taiwan's cause. Europe must always show in words and deeds that democracies stand together. Like Ukraine, Lithuania and my own country, Sweden, Taiwan is fully entitled to shape its democratic future.

Mr President, thank you very much. There are two problems with Russian gas. First of all: It is Russian; secondly: It's gas. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, no one can turn a blind eye to the problems. Cutting off dependence on gas, in particular Russian gas, is a matter of freedom for the whole of Europe. We must get rid of Russian gas so that Putin does not have power over our energy supply, over the heat in our homes or over whether our industry will function or stand still today or tomorrow. In addition, it is urgent to stop the Russian gas now to prevent the flow of money straight into Putin's war treasury. But we must get rid of all gas, no matter where it comes from, if we are to have a chance of meeting the climate targets. Fossil fuels cannot be part of our future. Europe's countries need more cooperation to ensure energy security without CO2 emissions. The Stone Age didn't end because stones ran out. Let's not get stuck in obsolete solutions. Don't waste new money on yesterday's gas pipelines. Let us move forward towards a European, sustainable, modern, high-tech, carbon-free energy production and distribution. Now is the time for us to build common European electricity grids and infrastructure that make the green transition possible.

Madam President, thank you very much. The EU is a cooperation, not an ATM. Countries that violate the rule of law should not believe that they can continue to offset EU contributions as if nothing had happened. Corruption is a poison that undermines democracy. It must be stopped, counteracted and revealed. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office plays an important role. It is difficult to talk about corruption today without mentioning Alexei Navalny, who last year received this year's Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament's Prize for Freedom of Expression. He is a very worthy winner and has paid a high personal price in the form of both assassination attempts and long prison sentences for his courageous struggle to expose corruption and abuse of power in Putin's Russia. No one should doubt today that Europe must keep its own house clean. There is no, absolutely no, place for corruption in Europe.

Madam President, thank you very much. Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you very much. Journalism is never a crime. The degree of media freedom and the possibility for journalists to express themselves is a litmus test of democracy in a country. When journalists are harassed, imprisoned, murdered, as in Mexico, it is our responsibility to see and act. Mexico stands out but is unfortunately not unique. In China, Belarus and not least in Russia, we clearly see the same pattern and how dangerous – how dangerous – it is to be a journalist. Safe, democratically elected leaders dare to allow themselves to be criticised and scrutinised. Insecure, desperate, more or less self-proclaimed presidents around the world are using every means to silence free speech. By disinforming and controlling what can be said and heard, you want to control your population. The goal is to distort people's worldview, so that they are not forced to obey, but on false grounds choose to obey themselves. Telling the truth is the biggest threat to authoritarian leaders. We see the courage of journalists and activists in Mexico who are being brutally abused. We must hold the government accountable and sanction all those responsible for the violence. Free speech is the foundation of democracy in Europe and the world.

Madam President, thank you very much. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. The EU is the largest economy in the world and the most powerful environmental organisation in the world. I am a warm friend of Europe, and I am proud of the EU's work to save the climate, protect biodiversity, secure access to clean water in lakes, seas and streams. A lot has been done, but the biggest challenge lies ahead: Removing environmentally harmful subsidies is a crucial issue where we need to see more results. Without international cooperation, we can neither tackle the common environmental challenges we share globally nor the problems we have to solve locally. Without green rules for our international trade and rules for the internal market, we cannot develop the circular economy. However, it is very gratifying to see how the EU is leading the way. Today, it is impossible to talk about our common European environmental work without starting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There is nothing more important than putting an end to the influx of Russian oil and gas. First, because it is Russian. Second, because it is fossil. My thoughts are with the people of Ukraine who are fighting for their freedom and for the freedom of Europe. Right now, during this debate, I am thinking of the environmental activists with whom I worked a few years ago. Today we will give Ukraine all the political, financial and military support we can. One of the most important things we can do is to urgently welcome Ukraine into the European Community. The country has been preparing for a long time, and I actually find it hard to imagine any more worthy candidate. A free Ukraine will be an important partner to also develop the EU's environmental work.

Madam President, how many batteries do you have in your home? I tried to count mine: cell phone, computer, headphones, toys, speakers, smoke alarms and, hopefully, in my next car. Batteries do play an increasing role in our lives to ensure that appliances and services used daily, like mobility and energy storage, work. We need batteries for electrification and innovation as we leave fossil fuels behind us. The European Batteries Regulation is a new type of environmental legislation model that follows the product’s lifecycle from manufacturing to consumption and all the way to recycling into new products. With the new regulation, we will have more sustainable batteries that require responsibility for both human rights and the environment. Their carbon footprint has to be declared in a special passport and the material has to be recycled. With the new regulation, it will be easier to replace worn out batteries with new, recycled ones. A fully harmonised regulation, applicable in all Member States, also increases predictability for all stakeholders involved. A circular economy is a win for us and for the climate, and a decarbonised future requires sustainable batteries.

Madam President, thank you very much. Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you very much. Information is a deadly weapon. To tell the truth in today's Russia is punishable. No one can turn a blind eye to the fact that Russia is making and has made the lie the truth, to achieve its aims and to undermine and destabilise the democracy of Europe and its neighbours, to make its own population unhappy with the open liberal society and to make them falsely join Putin and not be dragged down in the libertarian decadence of the West. The truth is that without lies Putin would never have been able to invade Ukraine. Why is Russia lying? Well, because it has worked – because too many, too long, have been far too naive. We must stop playing in Putin's theatre, put an end to the lies, expose the disinformation, protect our democracy and integrity.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. Civil society is the origin and condition of democracy. That individual people choose to cooperate, organize themselves and start associations and organizations to pursue their cause, influence their environment, or actually just because they share an interest, gives us power, meaning, knowledge and context. A democracy without a democratic civil society is unthinkable. Civil society develops society and exposes shortcomings, meets needs and solves problems where the public sector is unable to do so. Without voluntary aid organisations, aid to Ukraine would not have been delivered so quickly. Without courageous women's organisations, we would not have had the right to free abortion. And when that right is threatened and curtailed today, in Poland, it is the women's movement that mobilizes the protests. Without the women's shelter movement, thousands of women subjected to violence would not have had protection and support even in my home country, Sweden, which is considered one of the most equal countries in Europe. A state that restricts the possibilities and rights of associations and organisations to exist and operate also restricts democracy itself. I would like to thank Mrs Donáth for this report, which strengthens civil society. In conclusion, I would like to express my full support for the courageous civil society that is currently fighting in Ukraine and Belarus.

Mr President, thank you very much. Commissioner, thank you very much. Colleagues! EU member states must live up to the democratic values they have signed up to. The principles of the rule of law not only protect the rights of the individual, but are essential to combat corruption and abuse of power. The European Commission must take firm action against countries such as Poland and Hungary that consistently violate the rule of law and where corruption can thrive when institutions are weakened and dismantled. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The EU is a cooperation, not an ATM, and countries that break the rules of the game should be severely punished. Corruption is a threat to democracy and human rights. The EU must sweep its own door and keep a clean house against those who want to use our freedoms, our economy and our institutions for corruption and economic crime. The EU is not a free zone for corrupt villains. They are to be hit by sanctions that sting hard.

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr Borrell, ladies and gentlemen. After the wave of freedom that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, we have taken democracy for granted, both within and outside the EU. Democracy is under threat all over the world. Today, it is more important than ever that we mobilise for democracy, with democracy as a guiding principle in our foreign, aid and security policy. Democrats need to work together. We have to stand up for each other. A majority of EU member states must be able to quickly take decisions to impose sanctions on countries that violate human rights and are not stopped because a single person crosses the line. The fact that there are political prisoners in Europe today in 2022 is a tragedy. Today, 15 February, 1062 people, including minors, are imprisoned in Belarus for their opinions. The EU should never betray democracy and we should never turn our backs on those imprisoned.

Mr President, Commissioner, Members. ‘From the crowd in the tear gas cloud, the sound of terror and slogans is heard. The strong vocal cords of the demonstrators create synchronized chants. It is the sound of devotion and stubborn proof that Hong Kongers are prepared to die for their freedom.” This is what Swedish liberal and author Simona Mohamsson writes in her book Hong Kong RIP. The battle for Hong Kong is bigger than the fate of a city. It is a settlement of China's influence in the world. The Olympics will be inaugurated in Beijing shortly. EU member states should jointly implement a diplomatic boycott of the Games. It is an opportunity for us, for the free world, to mark in unison our wholehearted support for a free Hong Kong. Nevertheless, I note that, among other things, my own country, Sweden, does not dare to make this obvious decision.