Speeches

In accordance with Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure, six motions for resolutions were tabled. The debate is closed. The vote will take place on Thursday, 16. December 2021, took place. Written declarations (Article 171)

Mr President, gender-based violence has many forms and faces, and we see it everywhere. We have a tool to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence: the Istanbul Convention. It does not solve the problem all by itself, but it is a commitment to take action. Now we see that this Convention is being framed by autocratic regimes. They say it is against their history and culture to fight against gender—based violence. Are you serious? Some of them have even signed it themselves. We have to see it as part of the bigger picture. We currently witness the increase of transnational, highly-organised and well—funded anti—gender movements in the European Union and worldwide that go hand—in—hand with anti-democratic movements. These movements put into question the achievements of women’s rights and endanger, at the same time, our democratic foundation. Because it all goes together when you look at these regimes: fight against the independence of judiciary, fight against free media, fight against critical culture and the rights of women. That’s always the same pattern. Now, we have to fight for the rights of women, and I’m happy to say that the new coalition contract in Germany includes the full implementation of the Istanbul Convention. There are still small parts missing in the digital space, and this contract also makes clear that Germany will fight for the ratification and implementation in our Council of Europe partner countries. This is the way to go.

Mr President, once again we gather here today to talk about the rule of law in one of our Member States, and this time in the Member State that is still holding the EU Presidency. I heard your speech, Minister, and I would like to have agreed to your conclusion on the importance of the rule of law. But unfortunately, your government is led by someone who in recent months has left no doubt as to his lack of respect for the European Union and its institutions, as well as for the rule of law. We have seen Janez Janša trying to play propaganda videos during parliamentary hearings. We have witnessed him publicly insulting judges, journalists as well as members of this House. And last but not least, we have seen him obstructing the work of the European Prosecutor’s Office for six months, which has, fortunately, come to an end today. The establishment of the EPPO was one of the biggest milestones in the field of judicial cooperation in recent years, and we are rightly proud of it. But why is the head of state acting like this in the first place? The answer is the same as with all of these leaders: because he wants to get rid of any form of control – at European level by blocking EPPO, domestically when it comes to critical media and independent judiciary. This is always a very bad sign for the state of democracy in a country. Minister, we have to have a common understanding of the rule of law, you said. Quite – but not by negotiating between Member States what governments like as control and what they don’t like, but according to our Treaties and the rulings of the European Court of Justice. Freedom of media pluralism and the independence of the judiciary are cornerstones of the principle of the rule of law, and all Member States must respect them. Last sentence. Mr President, four months ago in this Parliament, Janez Janša said that there were many issues more relevant than the rule of law. Today I will say there is no issue that ever will be more relevant than safeguarding the rule of law, which is our backbone and our values, without which we cannot stand.

The meeting is closed and will resume tomorrow, Wednesday 24 November 2021 at 9 a.m. with the Council and Commission statements on the outcome of COP26 in Glasgow. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2021/2974(RSP)).

The debate is closed. The vote on the amendments will take place on Wednesday 24 November 2021 and the final vote on Thursday 25 November 2021.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Commission statement on the multilateral negotiations leading up to the 12th session. WTO Ministerial Conference from 30 November to 3 November. December 2021 in Geneva (2021/2769(RSP)). I would like to draw Members' attention to the fact that all debates at this part-session do not involve spontaneous interventions and do not accept blue cards. In addition, as in previous meetings, connections from Parliament’s liaison offices in the Member States are foreseen. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that speeches in the hall are still held at the central lectern. I would therefore ask you to keep an eye on the list of speakers and go to the lectern when your speech is due.

Mr President, I wish to welcome the Prime Minister to the European people’s Chamber, to the heart of European democracy that we fight hard for. The independence of the judiciary has to be an essential part of every Member State. It’s the European Court of Justice who said that – not in a Polish case, but in a Portuguese case. Why do I stress that? It’s because you keep keeping up this double—standard narrative. It’s just not true. The Polish justice minister wants to sue Germany now because of our election procedure for judges. Just go ahead. You have a very good example of the independence of the judiciary in Germany, with the German court ruling that you mentioned. The decision by the German Court of Justice, the Constitutional Court, is a good example. It ruled against the government, which fought heavily for a different outcome. In the Polish case you see the opposite. You see the Polish Government asking for a decision and the Constitutional Court delivering it. We’ve seen that also with the US, when it came to the abortion law. The Polish Constitutional Court was designed and organised to serve the government, not to control it, and that is the difference. In its judgment, the German Constitutional Court stressed the primacy of EU law explicitly. It has never declared parts of the European Treaties unconstitutional. No Constitutional Court has ever done that. How can you say that others get away with it and Poland doesn’t? Germany is facing an infringement procedure for this Constitutional Court ruling, and rightfully so. If the Commission takes action in the German case, of course it has to in the Polish case, which is in so many ways more severe. It is not the EU applying double standards, it is the Polish Government acting like no other. You’re trying to redefine democratic values in a way that you get rid of any sort of control – of what democrats call the separation of powers – and that is against the Treaties. So now you want to get rid of the Treaties, too – and that is anti—democratic. The Polish people deserve our greatest respect. They contributed so much to the fall of the Iron Curtain and are an important part of this European Union. They want to be part of it by a vast majority. Let’s make it clear: it is the Polish Government who is putting their European future at risk, and nobody else.

The ID Group has forwarded decisions to the President on changes to appointments in committees. These decisions will be published in the minutes of today's meeting and will enter into force on the day of this announcement. (The meeting adjourned at 13.04)

We now come to today's first round of voting. The dossiers on which we are voting can be found on the agenda. The voting session will be open from 1 p.m. to 2.45 p.m. The voting procedure is the same as in the previous voting rounds. All votes are roll call votes. I declare the voting session open. You can vote until 2.45 p.m. The results of the votes will be announced at 7 p.m.

We now come to today's second round of voting. The dossiers on which we are voting can be found on the agenda. The voting session will be open from 8 p.m. to 9.15 p.m. The voting procedure is the same as in the previous voting rounds. All votes are roll call votes. I declare the second voting session open. You can vote until 9.15 p.m. The results of the second voting session will be announced tomorrow at 9 a.m. The debates will continue at 20.30 with the debate on the oral question to the Commission on the evaluation of EU measures for the tourism sector towards the end of the summer season. (The meeting adjourned at 20.03)

The debate is thus closed. The vote will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 7 October 2021. The session is now suspended for a few minutes. It will resume at 8 p.m. with the opening of today's second voting session. (The meeting adjourned at 19.48)

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the report by Anna Fotyga, on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the Arctic: Opportunities, concerns and security challenges’ (2020/2112(INI)) (A9-0239/2021).

Mr President and High Representative, when Joe Biden took over, he sent a clear message to the world: America is back. And in many ways it is true that the US is indeed back. It reaffirmed its support for NATO, it rejoined the World Health Organization, the Paris Agreement, and will re-engage with the UN Human Rights Council. This is not only about trade and about defence. I would like to focus on something more general: on human rights, shared democratic values, combating the rise of authoritarianism and fighting racism, hate speech and discrimination – topics which are covered in our report in paragraphs 24 to 231. Because yes, the US is back. It has returned to multilateralism, but it is also pursuing its own interests beyond the Transatlantic Alliance. Therefore, the way to take is not back to the supposedly good old pre-Trump days. We have to define concrete pathways of mutual interest, and first and foremost, this common and shared interest lies in a rules-based international order. We saw President Biden take a clear position on the attempts when the UK wanted to violate the binding Northern Ireland Protocol; we saw him take a clear stance on the recent crackdown on independent media in Poland. This shows that we do have a common ground. We as Europeans should use this momentum and offer the US a global alliance for democracy and the rule of law. With whom else should we do this? With China, with Russia? What we need is to work together as Americans and Europeans for making the law rule.

Madam President, Of course, Mr Fest fled immediately and cannot hear how absurd his accusations are. A left-green government broadcaster in Germany? The Greens are in opposition. You can see just how absurd his argument is. Madam President, today is the international day of democracy, and that calls on everyone to respect and defend democracy. But what does democracy mean? It means limited power for a limited amount of time and with limits in its structure, separation of powers, checks and balances. It means free media and protection of minorities, and a lot more. What do we witness in Poland? A judiciary, where an unlawful disciplinary chamber punishes judges and prosecutors that dare to object to the government’s will. We see women deprived of their rights to safe abortion, and recently the attempt to eliminate a TV channel that might comment critically on political matters. We hear the same old story from our Polish colleagues over and over again. But no, just because a government has come into power democratically does not mean that everything it does is necessarily democratic. Just because your laws resemble some of those in other Member States does not mean that their effect is automatically the same. The decisive question remains: does the Polish Government regard an effective control by an independent judiciary and a critical media as necessary – even important or essential? The answer is ‘no’. We see it every day. This is different to what we see in other Member States. It’s not only the letter of the law, it’s the effect that you see on the ground, and that is different. The Polish people go to the streets for this idea; we’ve seen it in the past and we’re seeing it now. Because democracy is nothing abstract: it influences the life of every single person; It protects citizens. That’s what democracy is for – not because someone is a judge, or because someone is a pregnant woman, but because democracy is for every single citizen, every single one of us. It’s for Polish citizens. It’s for European citizens. It’s for the European idea. So let’s be clear on this, and stand with the Polish people who desire democracy.

The next item on the agenda is the brief presentation of Manuel Pizarro's report on "Fishers for the future: attract a new generation of workers to fisheries and create jobs in coastal communities’ [2019/2161(INI)] (A9-0230/2021).

The meeting is closed and will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m. with the announcement of the results of today's second voting session. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.