What Isabel spoke about.

14

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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The Commission’s reports on the situation of journalists and the implications of the rule of law (debate)

Madam President, I believe in our democracy and I believe in our values. To protect them, to even allow them to exist, journalists play a key role. They are indispensable to democracy. Defending journalists also means safeguarding freedom of expression and the independence of the media. Reliable information enables citizens to make informed decisions. It is by creating the necessary area of freedo…

14

Dec

2022

FR Speech

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Defending democracy from foreign interference (debate)

Mr President, what can we say today about foreign interference endangering democracy? We are now – and I would say – focusing on disinformation by foreign bodies, on China’s disproportionate influence on our economies and infrastructure, and on Russia’s disproportionate economic and political influence, with its active party support or influence in elections. We must protect ourselves and detect t…

4

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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The death of Mahsa Amini and the repression of women's rights protesters in Iran (debate)

Mr President, the death of Mahsa Amini is a tragedy. The Iranian population in revolt demonstrates exceptional courage given the brutality of the repression. I thought that the most appropriate way to condemn the violence of the Iranian authorities against its population, and women in particular, was to give a voice to those who revolt. So I will quote one of those anonymous but determined young I…

4

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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Commission proposal for measures under the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation in the case of Hungary (debate)

Madam President, Ursula von der Leyen, in her State of the Union address, said that the Commission would protect the EU budget by using the conditionality mechanism. This is what the Commission is doing with the present proposals on Hungary, on which the Council now has to take a decision. While the proposed measures are intended to protect the EU budget, the shortcomings underlying these measures…

14

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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Human rights violations in the context of forced deportation of Ukrainian civilians to and forced adoption of Ukrainian children in Russia

Madam President, the unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine is an attack on the international order. We must condemn it unreservedly and help the Ukrainian people by all means to win this war, for security in Europe and for the safeguarding of democracy on our continent. But the abuses of Russian officials go far beyond concerns about mainta…

14

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, having to present a report such as this is a difficult time. Hungary is a country of the European Union and, as such, it has to respect the values on which the Union is founded. While Hungary has deviated from these values, we have failed to keep it on the path on which we want to move forward together. It is also a collective failure that we are here. That said, the…

13

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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The situation in the Strait of Taiwan (debate)

Madam President, defending democracy, giving our support to those, government or civil society, who are trying to safeguard democracy is a duty, but also a necessity, not to put ourselves at risk. Authoritarian regimes are on the rise around the world. We must affirm with conviction that democracy is the goal, that democracy is the form of government most capable of respecting the human being and …

7

Jun

2022

FR Speech

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The rule of law and the potential approval of the Polish national Recovery Plan (RRF) (debate)

Madam President, the rule of law must be respected. The President of the Commission promised to do so. I assume that she keeps her word. Therefore, it is not a question of isolating Hungary and Poland within the European Union, but of protecting the Hungarian and Polish peoples and finding ways to convince those countries to return to the path of the rule of law. If Poland, as it stands, can be co…

18

May

2022

FR Speech

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Commission’s 2021 Rule of Law Report (debate)

Madam President, I would like to thank Commissioner Reynders. The Commission’s annual report is a real added value for democracy in the European Union. I would like to point out, also to counter biased voices, that in this report, all Member States are subject to the same scrutiny, according to the same indicators, with the same method. However, I would like to raise a criticism already raised las…

5

May

2022

FR Speech

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The impact of the war against Ukraine on women (debate)

Madam President, first of all, I would like to pay tribute to the incredible courage of Ukrainian women in this war imposed on them by Russia and which nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies. Women soldiers, they are combatants in the army. Mothers and politicians, I heard them say that humanitarian aid is important, but that the most important thing is the delivery of weapons to defend their free…

6

Apr

2022

EN Answer

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Ongoing hearings under Article 7(1) TEU regarding Poland and Hungary (debate)

The European Union has clearly asked for what needs to be done in a very clear manner, in a manner in which you can’t go and pick one word that wouldn’t be exactly what it should be. You have the text, so look at it and you’ll know it.…

6

Apr

2022

FR Speech

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Ongoing hearings under Article 7(1) TEU regarding Poland and Hungary (debate)

Madam President, the rule of law is one of the fundamental values that define the European Union. We must do everything we can to defend it, otherwise we will cease to be the area of freedom and democracy that we are. We know that this rule of law is being undermined in Poland, not least because of its judicial system, and in Hungary, not least because of the problems of corruption. The most impor…

5

Apr

2022

FR Speech

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Outcome of the EU-China Summit (1 April 2022) (debate)

Mr President, Russia’s war against Ukraine had to be at the heart of the EU-China summit. The horror of what is happening on Ukrainian territory demands it. If China concedes that this war threatens global security and the global economy, for us, this war is a threat that jeopardises everything we believe in and our immediate security. In light of Russia’s lies, our leaders face the harsh reality …

5

Apr

2022

FR Speech

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Situation in Afghanistan, in particular the situation of women’s rights (debate)

Madam President, it has been a year since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan. The situation is dramatic from many points of view: Hunger, disease, malnutrition and death have taken on alarming proportions. And the Taliban impose laws abolishing freedom. Of all the suffering inflicted on Afghans, that of girls and women is particularly cruel. Because they are women, public responsibilities a…

8

Mar

2022

FR Speech

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The deterioration of the situation of refugees as a consequence of the Russian aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, the images of lifeless elongated bodies are unbearable. Women, men and children who thought they could escape the horror in which they have been locked for days are trapped by Russian bullets. We must be ready to welcome all those who will succeed in escaping this horror. Nor are they happy, those who manage to flee. Most often women and children, alone, their father, their husband h…

8

Mar

2022

FR Speech

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Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the EU (debate)

Madam President, it was a war before the war. Disinformation supported or initiated by foreign states in our democratic countries is exactly that: A war. The associated term "hybrid" in no way diminishes the violence against our Western societies. Indeed, foreign interference seeks to manipulate public opinion through lies in order to destabilise our societies. It must be fought with all possible …

16

Feb

2022

FR Speech

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The Rule of Law and the consequences of the ECJ ruling (debate)

Madam President, the European Union has created the Next Generation EU fund to counter the disastrous economic effects of COVID-19. At the end of 2020, we voted for a historic budget with exemplary solidarity from the community of the countries of the European Union. It is therefore logical that this solidarity implies that EU funds are protected and used wisely. Many safeguards have been put in p…

15

Feb

2022

FR Speech

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Human rights and democracy in the world – annual report 2021 (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Mr High Representative, two years ago I was saying here that what was of particular concern to me was the rise of authoritarianism as a political project. Unfortunately, we must note that this movement has grown further and that authoritarian regimes around the world have now become the majority. However, it is these regimes that are the privileged places of arbitrariness. This is…

19

Jan

2022

FR Speech

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Violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong

Mr President, today's resolution to the European Parliament on violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong follows many others denouncing the repression of the democratic opposition in Hong Kong, including imprisonment. It is also a follow-up to statements by the High Representative and representatives of the External Action Service of the European Union, as well as by the Presidents of the Co…

14

Dec

2021

FR Speech

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European Year of Youth 2022 (debate)

Mr President, 2022, European Year of Youth. There would be a thousand justifications. I would just like to mention that young people bear more than their share in this pandemic. Not only have they been confined like us and their social life greatly restricted, even though the risks to their health were much less. It will also be up to them to repay the debts that are made so that our societies do …

23

Nov

2021

FR Speech

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Situation in Belarus and at its border with the EU and the security and humanitarian consequences (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, unfortunately, it is in the negative that Alexander Lukashenko shows what we are fighting for in the European Union. It shows how unscrupulous authoritarian regimes are and how dictators use unscrupulous force to stay in power. Its own population is crushed as it fights peacefully against the one who usurped power. But Alexander Lukashenko also flouts international l…

10

Nov

2021

FR Speech

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Strengthening democracy, media freedom and pluralism in the EU (debate)

Madam President, in a world of increasingly frightening disinformation, defending journalists and protecting their ability to carry out investigative work has become more than ever an act of defence of democracy, which cannot survive the absence of reliable information for citizens. It is therefore crucial, as we call for in this report, to prevent the powerful from using our own laws for abusive …

10

Nov

2021

FR Speech

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The escalating humanitarian crisis on the EU-Belarusian border, in particular in Poland (debate)

Mr President, Mr High Representative, the reality at the EU’s border with Belarus is an untenable human situation. Human beings are being instrumentalised to serve political agendas against the EU. This is a European affair! We in Poland must demand respect for our values and laws: No pushbacks. But neither can we accept that our borders are being stormed. Make no mistake, Russia is behind Belarus…

19

Oct

2021

FR Speech

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EU-Taiwan political relations and cooperation (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, if the European Union takes seriously its objective of being a real player on the geopolitical scene, it must give priority to democracy everywhere and give its support to those who defend it. Taiwan is a democratic state that is under threat. Chinese military maneuvers to intimidate and pressure Taiwan must be considered unacceptable, as must disinformation campaigns a…

19

Oct

2021

FR Speech

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The Rule of law crisis in Poland and the primacy of EU law (continuation of debate)

Mr President, on entering the European Union, the Member States have accepted the supremacy of European law over national laws, over their constitutions. Countries had to change their constitutions in order to join the European Union. European law is supranational. This has been explicitly accepted by the EU Member States. Paragraph. Therefore, we must not drag on to useless quarrels that take us …