Speeches

Madam President, so here we are again speaking about the situation in Poland and in Hungary. And I do come across people who say, well why do we actually bother? I mean, it’s their countries, and what does that have to do with us if democracy and rule of law is declining in some Member States? Well, last debate that we just heard, with Mario Draghi, was called This is Europe. And it’s all about that. It’s about the question, who are we as a European Union? Who do we want to be? And why do so many people all over the world actually look at us as a place where you can turn to when you are in need, in distress? That is because we have a very clear fundament of values. It is laid down in Article 2 that all Member States signed and it is worth having a look at it. What are the values in there? Respect for human dignity. Freedom. Democracy. Equality. Rule of law. Respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. And this is one of the things that some people really get wrong. They think they have obtained a majority in an election and then they can do whatever they want. Democracy is exactly not that. Democracy is exactly that, of course, as a majority you set the rules, but you have to respect the rights of those who are different to yourself, who think differently, who look differently, who believe differently, who live differently. That is exactly what the European Union is all about. Most of the Member States adhere to those values and some don’t. And it’s not the people – I really want to make this clear – it’s not the people in Poland and in Hungary, who are at the moment doing such an excellent job welcoming these refugees, giving them shelter, it’s the governments. And it’s the governments that we really have to address at this point. In Hungary, we haven’t seen fair elections for the last nine years – the OSCE said so. The media and the judiciary are under the control of the government. LGBTI people are being deprived of their rights. Corruption – I mean, look at Hungary, corruption everywhere. In Poland, the situation is different, but not less worrying. It has been seven years since the Polish Government abolished the independence of the judiciary, the constitutional tribunal, Commissioner Reynders talked about it, and it negates now the founding primacy of EU law. The facts are clearly established. We do not have to discuss any more about that. The European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights have found persistent violations, systematic violations on these rights and values. And this has to stop. Not only we demand this, it is also the people of Europe who demand this. In the Conference on the Future of Europe this aspect is one of the most important ones; representing almost 450 million European citizens, they sent us a very clear message. They demand that we all ensure the protection of EU values as they are laid down in the treaties that I just quoted. And the EU has the means at its disposal. One of them being the Article 7 procedure. Article 7 sends a strong signal. It’s not only about protecting the people in Poland and Hungary, it’s about protecting all of us, protecting our internal values, our data, our individual rights, our taxpayers’ money also. And it is high time to do so to protect all of this. Now, the Commission and the Parliament have sent their cases to the Council and the Council has to act. The French Presidency has promised to protect the rule of law in the European Union. Where are they? Where are they to protect the rule of law now that we discuss this very important topic? The European Union will ask three things at least from the Council. First, be transparent about the proceedings. The citizens have a right to know and they, in fact, demand this knowledge. Second, follow up the pointless hearings with recommendations to the Member States in question. And let me remind you, there is no unanimity necessary for this step. Third, consider the facts that are already there. If you look at the Commission’s letters to Poland and Hungary, under the rule of law conditionality regulation, the annual rule of law report, the rulings of the European Court of Justice, of the European Court of Human Rights, the OLAF reports, you will have it all on the table. Today we send a strong message to the Council. You, the Council, the governments of the Member States, you owe this to 450 million EU citizens and to the many more people who look at us because of our values, who fight and give their lives to defend just those same values.

Madam President, Right now, the European Union is fighting almost unanimously against an aggressor from Russia, against unspeakable suffering in Ukraine. A small minority does exactly the opposite. They blame Ukraine, they downplay the war and Putin's crimes. In Germany, this destructive force is the so-called AfD. Their deputies constantly travel to Russia, wave Russian flags in parliaments, travel to annexed Crimea or to the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine. They do not approach Russia in the spirit of peace and democracy as others do. They are approaching Russia to undermine democracy here. That is the crucial point. Unfortunately, there is not only the AfD in this Parliament and in the Member States. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán has sent Putin propaganda around the clock during the election campaign. In France, Marine Le Pen is a politician who makes no secret of her contempt for democracy. That's why I'm saying this today. Chers citoyens français, soyez conscients que Marine Le Pen est protégée et financée par Poutine. Prenez votre décision le 10 avril au vu de cette relation toxique et, s’il vous plaît, avec votre vote, défendez la France, défendez l’Europe et défendez la démocratie.

In accordance with Rule 136(5) of the Rules of Procedure, a motion for a resolution has been tabled*. The debate is closed. The vote will take place today, Wednesday 6 April 2022. _______________ * See Minutes. Written declarations (Rule 171)

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the oral question to the Commission on the global approach to research and innovation: Europe’s strategy for international cooperation in a changing world by Cristian-Silviu Buşoi, on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (O-000013/2022 – B9-0011/22) (2021/3001(RSP)).

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the report by Angelika Niebler, on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European data governance (Data Governance Act) (COM(2020)0767 – C9-0377/2020 – 2020/0340(COD)) (A9-0248/2021). I would like to remind you that, with the exception of the first two rows, which are reserved for the chairmen of the political groups, there is a free choice of seats. So you are welcome to get a little closer. After inserting your voting card into the voting device, you can then use your voting device to request spontaneous interventions and blue cards. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that interventions in the Chamber will continue to take place from the central lectern, with the exception of spontaneous interventions, blue cards and comments on the application of the Rules of Procedure.

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 7 April 2022. _______________ * See Minutes. Written declarations (Rule 171)

Madam President, High Representative, all our eyes are on Ukraine and all our hearts go out to the people there. The more grateful I am that we have this debate today because we must not forget about what is happening in Afghanistan and especially what is happening to the women and girls there. The situation is terrible. They suffer and they starve. Afghanistan now has the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity in the world. More than 3 million children – 3 million children – are at risk of death from malnutrition. And the Ukraine crisis aggravates this situation even further with the food shortage that comes with it. And it’s especially the women that suffer under the Taliban regime. They cannot work. They now cannot even go to secondary school. They are banned from public and restricted to their homes. The Taliban deny them all their human rights. Journalists, lawyers, activists, fighting for these women, are silenced with abuse and terror. The Afghans have placed their hopes in the international community, in us, and we have a responsibility towards them, not only because of our prior involvement in Afghanistan, but as Europeans and as humans. And I want to mention especially Afghan women lawyers and judges, 200, that I tried to help leave the country. It didn’t succeed in every case. To live up to this responsibility, we have to walk a fine line. We must help the Afghan people quickly and efficiently without financing or legitimising the de facto Taliban government. And we have to look further. We have to see that feminist foreign policy is not a ‘nice to have’. It is what we need. It is a new approach that is heavily needed, not only for Afghanistan but for the world in foreign policy, in development policy. We know that where we foster, where we support women and girls, societies grow and become better.

The next item on the agenda is the debate on the Council and Commission statements on EU energy – a common European approach to more affordable, secure and sustainable energy (2022/2589(RSP)). I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you can use your voting device to request spontaneous catch-the-eye interventions and use blue cards after you have introduced your voting card. Please bring your voting card to the plenary. The instructions are also available in the Chamber. If you wish to register for a spontaneous intervention, I would ask you to do so now and not to wait for the end of the debate. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that interventions in the Chamber will continue to take place from the central lectern. However, this does not apply to spontaneous catch-the-eye interventions and blue cards, as well as to interventions on the Rules of Procedure. I therefore ask you to keep an eye on the list of speakers and to go to the lectern shortly before the start of your speaking time.

The debate is closed. The vote on the amendments will take place on Wednesday 9 March 2022 and the final vote on Thursday 10 March 2022. Written declarations (Article 171)

I now come to the announcement of the results of today's first voting session. (The President read the results of the first voting session.)1 The session is interrupted. It will resume at 1.45 p.m. with the opening of the second voting session. ________ 1 See the minutes. (The meeting adjourned at 13.05)

We take note of that. The process takes its further course. The political groups and the non-attached Members have informed the President of the appointments of the members of the delegations. The list of names of delegations will be published on Parliament’s website.

I would like to inform the Assembly that the President has received the request for Rules of Procedure under Rule 195. I give the floor to Mr Dzhambazki for one minute.

The debate is closed. The vote will take place today, Thursday 17 February 2022. The session is interrupted. It will resume at 13.00 with the announcement of the results of the first voting session. (The meeting adjourned at 12.30)

The next item on the agenda is the debate on seven motions for resolutions on the political crisis in Burkina Faso (2022/2542(RSP))1. ___________ 1 See the minutes.

Madam President, thank you, dear colleagues, dear Commissioner, the European Court of Justice has spoken, and the Commission must act now. No more holding back, no more hiding. The European Court of Justice has confirmed today what we all knew from the very start. The rule of law conditionality is fully compliant with Union law. It is a strong mechanism to protect the budget of the European Union and the money of the people in Europe. This mechanism is a powerful tool to safeguard the rule of law in every Member State. Now is the time to act. As the European Court of Justice said today, the values of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law define the very identity of the European Union as a common legal order. It also said that the European Union must be able to defend those values, and I add the European Union has to defend those values. We, the European Parliament, expect the Commission to now come forward and do exactly that – defend our shared values. The guardian of the Treaties must not let more time pass by, for example, by drafting unnecessary guidelines. The Commission must act now based on the law and on the absolutely clear cases of Poland and Hungary. Together, we have to stop the democratic backsliding in the European Union. We have to stand up for our common values and show the people in the European Union, and in Hungary and Poland, that we are in this together. Defending the rule of law is what the citizens of Europe were promised when joining the EU. It is what we owe to the citizens of Europe.

The meeting closed and resumed tomorrow, Tuesday 15 February 2022, at 8.30 a.m. with the announcement of the results of today's voting session. The agenda has been published and is available on the European Parliament's website.

The next item on the agenda was one minute's speech on important political issues (Rule 172). They are called ‘one minute executions’. I would like to point this out extra. I would also like to point out that you can hold your speech from your seat as part of the one-minute speech.

The next item on the agenda is the brief presentation of Katalin Cseh’s report on post-COVID-19 urban challenges (2021/2075(INI)) (A9 0352/2021).

The next item on the agenda is the brief presentation of Markus Ferber’s report on the impact of national tax reforms on the EU economy (2021/2074(INI)) (A9-0348/2021).