Speeches

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on Roma integration, equality and fundamental rights – putting Europe’s values into practice (2026/2695(RSP)). I would like to point out to the Members of the House that there will only be one round of speakers from the political groups in this debate, so no spontaneous interventions or blue cards will be accepted.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on the need to combat anti-Semitism and protect Jewish life in Europe following the recent attacks on the Jewish community in the Netherlands and Belgium (2026/2694(RSP)).

Seven motions for resolutions were tabled at the end of the debate, in accordance with Rule 136(2) of the Rules of Procedure. The debate is closed. The vote will take place tomorrow, 30 April 2026.

Mr President! The Internet does not forget. Unfortunately, the countless victims of cyberbullying and digital violence are all too aware of this. These people live in constant fear that humiliating moments will appear again and again and reach an almost unlimited audience. Deepfakes exacerbate the problem. One in six young people in Europe has experienced digital violence. One in eight admits to having bullied others online before. These are dramatic numbers. What to do? Potential perpetrators, who are often still very young themselves, must be experienced, brought to the forefront of what they do. Victims need to know how to protect themselves. Victims need easy access to the reporting system, reliable support and psychological support. Especially for particularly vulnerable groups, we need to further expand the protection structures. But the problem is that we do not solve cyberbullying solely by addressing it individually. The responsibility to counter this must not be unloaded from the young people. We need to get to the business model. Prevention, media literacy and digital education are key building blocks for creating a secure online environment in the long term. But platforms need to be forced to take responsibility. The safety and health of young people must be protected from the greed of tech giants. They want to make a profit with violent, pornographic, shocking, dangerous content. The Digital Services Act (DSA) requires them to ensure a high level of privacy, security and protection for minors. To achieve this, the Commission has provided them with clear guidance. These include the child-friendly adaptation of algorithms, effective 24-hour moderation, warning messages, referrals to help phones, the restriction of comments, child-friendly complaint procedures and the consistent and rapid deletion of illegal content. Unsurprisingly, however, the platforms have not implemented these measures. That's why we need to increase the pressure now. Our standards are not a pious request or a friendly reminder. They are a duty to operate in the European market. And we demand them.

The next meeting will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 29 April at 9 a.m. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.

We now come to the statements on the report by Evin Incir and Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus on the importance of consent-based legislation on rape in the EU (2025/2040(INI)) (A10-0047/2026). And the first statement is made by Mr Cristian Terheș.

This is followed by a statement on Dick Erixon’s report on the control of the financial activities of the European Investment Bank Group – Annual Report 2024 (2025/2237(INI)) (A10-0086/2026) and the statement is also made by Mr João Oliveira.

We start with the recommendation of Mr Siegfried Mureşan and Mr Carla Tavares, the interim report on the proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 (2025/0571R(APP)) (A10-0105/2026), and the explanation of vote by Mr João Oliveira.

At the end of the debate, six motions for resolutions were tabled pursuant to Rule 136(2) of the Rules of Procedure. The debate is closed. The vote will take place on Thursday 30 April 2026.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on promoting democratic resilience in Armenia (2026/2701(RSP)).

At the end of the debate, six motions for resolutions were tabled pursuant to Rule 136(2) of the Rules of Procedure. The debate is closed. The vote will take place on Thursday 30 April 2026.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! I would like to talk today about one aspect of the rule of law that is particularly close to my heart, namely espionage software. Those who use it can use a mobile phone as if they had it in their own hands – downloading photos, turning on a microphone, checking account movements, even writing messages. Such spying software – Pegasus, Predator – is used in many countries, including in EU countries. Controlled by some with restraint and the rule of law, by others to spy on journalists, opposition and civil society. On this subject, in the last mandate, there was the so-called Pegasus Committee of Inquiry, to which I have been a member. We have investigated numerous cases, including even the spying of colleagues here from the house such as Nikos Androulakis and now Krzysztof Brejza. Above all, we have given very good recommendations for dealing with espionage software. The most important: It should only be used in exceptional cases and to protect national security. It needs to be defined uniformly. It must be necessary and proportionate. Those affected need effective legal protection. What happened to these recommendations? Nothing. There is still a lack of clear rules and effective control. And new technologies are further exacerbating the situation. AI-based monitoring and biometric systems increase the depth of intervention. This is my message today: The protection of democracy requires clear limits on the use of spyware and stronger European oversight of its application.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the oral question to the Commission on the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act by Anna Cavazzini and Andreas Schwab, on behalf of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (O-000016/2026 – B10-0010/2026) (2026/2596(RSP)).

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Commission statement presenting the Communication on Better Regulation and Enforcement (2026/2699(RSP)).

The minutes of yesterday's meeting and the texts adopted are available. Are there any objections to the minutes? That is not the case. The minutes have therefore been approved.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the European Citizens' Initiative entitled "Prohibition of conversion in the European Union" (2026/2539(RSP)).