Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, I begin with an admission: that racism and discrimination continue to plague Europe. Anyone who doesn't see it just hides his head under the sand and turns a blind eye. There is no greater racism than attacking someone's country, Ukraine, because you simply disagree with them or want to gain something. For me, this is the biggest racism. What we experienced and are experiencing with Covid triggered a huge wave of xenophobia. Culture, education, sport and the media are important weapons in our quiver to tackle the phenomenon. We want, or rather demand, a comprehensive zero-tolerance approach to racism in all its manifestations. It is of paramount importance to educate and raise children's awareness in order to develop critical thinking and to stand as protectors and guardians of human dignity. We call on everyone to take effective measures to prevent the media from spreading false narratives, negative images of specific ethnic or racial groups that breed racism. Racism is a Hydra, it has many heads and we have to cut it all off, one by one. This requires cooperation and method.

Madam President, Commissioner, Mr Borrell, it is important that Europe speaks with one voice. You said that earlier, Mr Borrell. But I will not say that we all do it; Let's be honest with each other. If Europe spoke with one voice, we would be much more substantial in terms of Cyprus, threats against Greece, Armenia and many other issues, about which we talk a lot but do little. The question of Ukraine is more generally concerned with the question of the security of Europe, which, it seems, is in great danger today. Others are fighting on European soil, trying to establish zones of influence, which is unacceptable and insulting to all of us. We welcome the initiative of the French Presidency, which underlines that the issue of Ukraine will be solved only in the diplomatic field, and we condemn any use of force. As a European citizen and as a Cypriot, I must have and have as my compass the International Law, which must prevail also in the case of Ukraine.

Madam President, Mr Borrell, I would like to thank the rapporteurs for the excellent work on this report, which is more relevant than ever. Geopolitical developments, challenges and crises erupting, even in our neighbourhood, underline that the implementation of a common security policy is an absolute necessity. The European Union cannot be lagging behind and merely an observer of what is happening. The European Union cannot depend on anyone for its security and cannot simply react to developments without being able to play a meaningful role. There are many examples, Mr Borrell: Varosha, Armenia, Erdogan’s promiscuity and provocations; And now, the Ukrainian. We finally need a common policy, a will to adopt those initiatives that will lead to a stronger Europe. A Europe able to protect its own borders and stand in solidarity with Member States when they need it. A Europe that defines developments and does not "run" behind them.

Madam President, Commissioner, I would like to congratulate Véronique Trillet-Lenoir on the excellent work, as well as the rapporteurs. I would also like to extend a big thank you to Manfred Weber, because his vision has led us here today. Today is an important day for Europe and the European Parliament. Today, World Children's Cancer Day, after two years of hard work and hard work, we send a strong and optimistic message to those who have lost their loved ones, to those who are struggling in a hospital with the disease, to those who have lost their strength and faith: Europe is here and we are all one in this fight to make the lives of cancer patients better and more dignified. Today, we took a first step towards achieving our common goal with Commissioner Stella Kyriakides as our companion. Nothing was and is easy. In this report we have gone beyond different political approaches and put forward the common good. Tomorrow, with the vote in favour of the report, will be a great day for Europe, for which all those who have taken part in this effort can be prouder and more optimistic. Much remains to be done and we must do so to fully deliver on the promise we made to European citizens: We will fight cancer until we defeat it.

Mr President, Commissioner, I am speaking last and will be very brief. Once, a girl, a victim of systematic harassment by her boss, asked him: Why do you do that? His answer was very simple. He replied: Because I can. Who gives a man the right to verbally or physically attack another man because he considers him vulnerable? Who gives a man the right to regard another fellow man as the object of unwilling sex? Because he just thinks he can do it? Ladies and gentlemen, our role is to stop it, to make it impossible, to make the consequences so hard for it to stop being able to do so. Me too much! So let me and each of us join voices and forces and protect in the most drastic way those we love and those who seem vulnerable in the eyes of some people. It's too much to say I care, it's too much to say I'm reacting, it's too much to say I'm protecting the victims. He'll say I don't tolerate any form of harassment. Not all men are the same. But if we know and don't react, we are complicit. (applause)

Madam President, Commissioner, as a man, I want to express my admiration and respect for women who are fighting for the obvious, their rights, what must be given. It would be hypocritical to claim that there is equality between men and women in the European Union. Let's start from the beginning. At work, a pay gap of 14.1%. Harassment in the workplace: The evidence is depressing, really. Internet: an incomplete legal framework to combat new forms of harassment, such as vengeful pornography, identified and magnified during the pandemic period. Education for women in 13 Member States: the situation is worsening according to the data, while in the rest of the states the situation remains unchanged for women. Everything I have described above makes our work and mission as guardians of principles and values even more important. The European Union without equality in all areas and facets of life can neither exist nor function. We must act now.

Madam President, Commissioner, rare diseases are not so rare. Thirty million people suffer from rare diseases in Europe. I will focus on the role of companies. It is unacceptable that there are no medicines for children with rare cancers, because it is not cost-effective for large pharmaceutical companies to produce them. Many of these diseases require chronic, costly treatments. If we want to talk about a humane Europe, we need to focus on a single health policy. We must support these people. The health of thirty million people living with a rare disease cannot be left to chance or the interests of large corporations who see patients simply as numbers. We need to ensure access to treatments for all European citizens. Commissioner, thank you for being with us. Human life is not sacrificed on the altar of profit for pharmaceutical companies and we must put an end to these behaviours.

Mr President, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, Roberta Metsola, who has taken careful note of the recommendations of the corresponding opinion of the Committee on Education and Culture, for which I was rapporteur. Giorgos Karaivaz, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Irina Slavina, are some of the names that will haunt us, that will give us strength to fight for the defense of freedom of expression and the protection of journalists. In 2020 alone, sixty journalists died. Two of them in Europe. Lawsuits against journalists with a view to their economic and psychological impoverishment must be addressed with concrete actions, with a specific mechanism. Free journalism is democracy. Without free journalists, no one in Europe can feel free. We will defend journalists and their right to freedom of the press, because that is how we defend democracy.

Mr President, Commissioner, culture is the mirror of our society. It contributes to maintaining democratic, sustainable and inclusive societies, and only these societies have a place in our European family. All these ambitious and beautiful things, however, we can achieve in a single way: If we manage to turn the "I", which unfortunately prevails today in Europe, into "we". Only "we" can take us forward; Only if we put aside the "I" can we be led to those changes that will give us a better and more humane Europe for all, whether we are talking about artists or society at large. We must therefore set a common European framework for recognising the status of the artist. We need to fund their work, ideas and creation. Europe means culture and culture means Europe. It's time to prove it in practice.

Mr President, Commissioner, what have we learned from the pandemic in relation to the rights of people with disabilities? Most importantly: We experienced for some time what they themselves experience in their daily lives, exclusion and barriers to free access. So I hope that we learned our lesson and finally take on our duty to ensure the obvious: accessibility and the right to work integration. I have already taken a position and I will repeat it before you, Commissioner, on the need to institutionalise and legally guarantee their right to be able to work for those who wish to do so by teleworking even after the pandemic. Member States should fully implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Colleagues, disability is first and foremost a human rights issue and it is our duty as a civil society, as a state and as institutions to respect these rights. And the way is very simple: With our policies to improve their quality of life.

Madam President, Mr Borrell, last year's explosion in Lebanon was heard as far as my home country Cyprus and really shocked us. Neighbours and friends from Lebanon are suffering and that hurts us. They are a people who have been through too much and deserve to live better days. A year later, the country is in a state of emergency. The shortages of food and basic necessities are enormous. Medications are rare and are mainly marketed on the black market. Even cancer patients can't have their medicines, and that's tragic. The European Union should be a great helper and help the country. In addition to financial aid, the European Union should play an essential role in promoting political stability in Lebanon. We really hope that the new government announced four days ago will last a long time. This is the great responsibility of the country's political leaders, who must now show unanimity. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr President-in-Office, Lebanon needs us and we, as Europeans, must stand by it.

Madam President, Mr Borrell, I know you are tired, I am the last speaker, you told us that we would be self-critical and that is what I will be doing. As Europe, we cannot fail to anticipate and always run, lagging behind developments. We cannot fail to have a coordinated common policy for dealing with serious situations. It is now more evident than ever that there is a need for a common foreign policy and a common army. We have once again left a shining field of glory for Turkey to take action and move forward, a regulator of the situation. I remind you that Turkey used the refugee crisis to demand billions, threatening us all. Today he wants to take over the security of Kabul airport. Oh, what a mess! Let us at least decide, even in the last resort, that this time we will face together the new refugee wave, that this time we will not choose the easy solution, we will not load it on the European frontline countries.

Madam President, Commissioner, rapporteur, my congratulations. Currently, in most Member States, there are no clear regulations for digital platform workers. There are no rules regulating either the rights to compensation in the event of illness or accident, or the social security of these people. You must and must establish a legal framework that ensures a level playing field for fair and equal treatment of workers in these new forms of work. We cannot talk about a smooth digital transition in Europe without safeguarding the fundamental rights of these workers, who have equal rights with others. "Many words are poverty," we say in Greek. The pandemic crisis has accelerated the need for a digital transition and we must follow suit, but without burdening any workers.

Mr President, Commissioner, I have heard a great deal from colleagues that the pandemic has taught us a great deal. He taught us the most important thing: Only together and united can we face such situations. We must not only monitor, but prevent and tackle serious health issues together. Europe must operate autonomously and be able to deal with health issues. Commissioner, we thank you. As a Cypriot, I am proud of the collective, calm and effective way in which you have dealt with the pandemic. The fact that we have a vaccination program, the fact that we have vaccines is largely due to you. We must continue together, because health concerns all of us and has no borders.

Mr President, Commissioner, Europe deserves a lot of praise for what you have achieved. Only three months after the proposal to create a Digital COVID Certificate we managed to have a secure certification system for all Member States without discrimination. The fundamental right of free movement has been regained for European citizens. The disease was better controlled and people began to travel. Of particular concern to all of us, however, is the increase in cases across Europe. It is absolutely essential to achieve the vaccination targets in all Member States as soon as possible. This can only be achieved if we fight disinformation about both vaccination and the virus. The certificate should be supported by all of us for the period of the pandemic. Member States should better coordinate and improve the functioning of the certificate in order to fully restore the right of free movement. We can't afford to waste any more time.

Madam President, Commissioner, let me first say a few words about my country. Cyprus is currently experiencing its worst tragedy since 1974 and the invasion. Fires that broke out at the same time resulted in human casualties, dozens of houses and businesses were burned, while 55 kilometers of forest and villages became ashes. I invite you to stand by us. We need our European family these days. As far as the subject is concerned, I will be clear. No paedophile should be able to act uncontrollably on the internet and disturb our children. We have to protect them. One in five children in the European Union has been the victim of some form of sexual violence. It is our duty to ensure a safe internet for our children. The Commission and Member States should step up coordination and strengthen the legislative framework. No law or personal data can act as a shield of protection for paedophiles.