What Assita spoke about.

Mr President, shootings in Brussels, threats in our ports, drugs in our schools, illegal migration and modern slavery in our cities, rape crimes even in daytime. Organised crime knows no boundaries and criminals too often are still outfoxing us. They use borders, busy trade routes and technology to hide their activities. I welcome the awareness that started emerging in recent years, particularly strong awareness among the so‑called 'coalition of the willing', including Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. These countries must continue to take the lead, but the problems must also be heard and tackled more widely within the European and global frameworks, through what you call security diplomacy. Dear Commissioner Brunner, as an MEP, as Chair of the Intergroup on the Police and as a mother, I greatly appreciate that this Commission is working so hard to change the mindset and will international agreements. This strategy is an important step and it gives hope also to our police forces. To them, I would like to say today, thank you and we shall help you.

Mr President, Commissioner, this is historic. We've been waiting for this for so long. Citizens want to see courage and decisiveness, and any immigration system that cannot deport 80% of asylum seekers who have been expelled is unbelievable. We can then talk endlessly about six weeks or twelve weeks for this or that procedural step, or about two or three chances of a review of the decision in court. But it's just not credible. That is why this Commission proposal is the most important proposal in the field of migration that we have seen in ten years. I am doing this as constructively as possible and I call on all my colleagues to do the same. We must move towards a situation where we can effectively implement the decisions of our immigration services. We owe it to our citizens. Specifically, I believe that the "obligation to co-operate" will help with enforcement. The European Return Order is a logical complement to national instruments and well embedded in our Schengen structure. The "return hubs" in third countries with fundamental rights safeguards have long been necessary. You can count on us.

Madam President, Commissioner, for energy we used to look at Russia; for trade we depend on China; for defence we rely on the United States. When we fail, we blame someone else. The truth is that we are weak because we neglected our potential power. Because by not investing enough, or soon enough, in defence and industry, we gave up the right to be respected. We abandoned our primary duty, which is to provide security and pride to our citizens. They wonder when we will take responsibility. Right now, we are only excited because Trump woke us up. Basically, he just showed us that there is no such thing as a free lunch. And we are upset? The fact that we needed this wake-up call about defence is so disturbing for our citizens. We need to remember that Europe was stronger, and can be strong again. We need to remember that still the end of the Cold War was not the end of history, that we cannot earn respect if we do not change our mindset. We need to invest in our defence and values, and stand firm for our principles – not only when it's comfortable, but also when it is not. Because to the question of whether our citizens can count on us, the answer must be 'yes'!

Mr President, this debate makes no sense. What is destroying our prosperity is the policy of the left. We all know very well that this pampering policy is the life insurance of the left-wing parties, with a newcomer as an eternal victim who is never responsible for himself, but always needs help. This is not only racist and paternalistic, but clearly a huge loss of income for society as a whole. The potential of the newcomer is always untapped. On the left she prefers to see as long as possible with a benefit, not with a job. As far as migration policy is concerned, the left prefers to continue with the current chaos. Any attempt at solution is seen as racism or fascism. But that's how you destroy Schengen and the internal market. This is how you promote poverty, not competitiveness. It is out of desperation that so many of our citizens vote for extremists. But they have no solutions, only shouts. The answer to the problems lies clearly with the centre-right. This parliament has to work on that.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, last time it was going to be a 'Geopolitical Commission'. Regarding the results, obviously none of our enemies or allies is impressed. This time it's about the simplification of regulation and economic competitiveness. Yet our businesses are not hopeful, and we have spent time recently chasing American tech companies instead of growing our own. We are so excellent at making big plans, but not efficient at achieving concrete results. Families do not eat plans for dinner and security on paper will not protect our women in the streets against rape, citizens against crime, or our ports against drug-related violence. Internal plans on paper will not fix issues like the return policy, a key area that has been neglected. Migration policy, especially return, is a key priority, and I appreciate the fact that the proposal is coming, I am worried about the fact that the Left could block it again. Security threats, especially terrorism, is far from being defeated and we keep giving money to the wrong people and organisations. We don't care about the lack of respect for our principles. I call on the Commission to work with the forces in this House who really want to defend our security competitiveness in the future – if you do this, we will be respected and trusted.

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, I am very sorry that I had a little accident on my phone. I am grateful that we are having this debate. And as you see, it makes us nervous because we feel powerless. We have been speaking about this situation for so many years. Colleagues mentioned Doctor Denis Mukwege, who even won the Nobel Prize, and we should also mention the Yazidi victims who also went through so much. Today the list is very long. Women are always the first victims of conflict – they are not only raped and kidnapped, but also sold and taken to be exploited as slaves. Their pain is neverending. It's not only a woman that is destroyed, but the whole community usually, a whole family. After that they cannot stand up anymore. The women of Congo, the women of Sudan, they all need us, they are totally abandoned. But today we can also speak about the women of Ethiopia who are also suffering. We must fight against this, and we must prevent the conflicts that create space for women to be destroyed and for communities to be assaulted. I am today also especially willing to have us remember the women who were also violated on 7 October and who were kidnapped, who were also raped. This was also rape as a weapon of war. We need to condemn it and some of them are still held as hostages. I would like to finish by honouring a woman from my city called Nathalie. Nathalie loves to go running in the morning. When she went out in 2016 to run in Vilvoorde, where I live, someone beat her up, raped her and left her down as if she was dead. After that, she went through so much pain, but the perpetrator was free three years after. The pain was so intense that Natalie requested euthanasia and she was granted the right to have euthanasia because the pain is unbearable. This is what our system does to women who are victims. We need to wake up for all of them. There is a war against women. It's called rape.

Mr President, Madam High Representative, we all agree that Assad was bad news. Bad news for Europe, and certainly bad news for the people in Syria and in the region. We should all know that the HTS is no better news. Not for us and not for them. The fall of Assad means less fuel for Hamas and Hezbollah, less power for Iran, a new balance with Russia in the region and an opportunity for something else. That good news is only one side of the coin, because the tyrant is replaced by Islamist jihadists. That remains a threat. So, while we can indeed rejoice in the fall of Assad, we cannot see any promising future for Syria, and even less so for women, Christians, religious minorities and Kurds today. We must be vigilant. How will you navigate between optimism and realism in this situation? How will you work with our transatlantic allies? The danger of European jihadists who went to fight us always try to come back to Europe. For that, we must protect our borders and be clear: they must stay there. Madam Kallas, your Christmas menu doesn't look very good. When we look at the situation in Ukraine, the crisis in the Middle East and the situation in Africa, you really have a lot on your plate. But in this Parliament, we stand ready to work for you, for security and for a better future.

Madam President, advocating for female genital mutilation is nothing more than calling for violence. The fact that this can happen in mosques in Europe without consequences says so much. It happened in the Netherlands. It is the women and girls who are being abandoned and that makes me incredibly angry and sad. How is it that we still have to make so much effort today to achieve results against female genital mutilation, to convince people that the call for such a thing by an imam or by anyone else is not possible. Have we become such a cowardly, cruel society? If you want to defend the basic rights of these young girls, you have to dare to confront the behaviour and statements of the imam. We must support the many girls who are still subjected to this horrible practice, and suffer the terrible consequences for the rest of their lives. As a survivor of female genital mutilation myself, I find the ruling of the Dutch Council of State after the statements of the imam a slap in the face. The call can incite families to mutilate girls, for example, during the holy days and the imam has a lot of authority within the community to encourage that. The branch of Islam that he is representing does not have a place in Europe.

Mr President, ‘What we want above all is freedom, and not to be burdened by endless taxes,’ writes Guillaume on Facebook. "How can my company survive if Europe continues like this?" sighs a CEO. "I want to be heard", whispers a woman who was raped and never got justice. ‘Why am I treated differently?’ We Europeans must dare to choose our values and norms, not allow sharia practices and not give money to organisations that want to destroy us. I, too, have my doubts about some of the new Commissioners, but it has been enough with the horse-trading and mudfighting. We have to work for the people now. And we all know that this is not possible without a new Commission. Otherwise, we will not be able to get to work and the citizen will pay for the loss of time. He's getting tired of this. Ladies and gentlemen, let us be honest and stop secret deals and secret relationships. We cannot expect others to be transparent if we behave in this way. Because there is only one person whose trust we must win, and that is the electorate. They want us to put our migration policy in order and to work on good return laws that are adopted and implemented. They want us to fight anti-Semitism; That Jewish children do not go to schools that need to be secured, but go to schools that are safe. They want us to dare to protect our rule of law; that we improve police and judicial cooperation; that we tackle organised crime and that we protect our ports from drug-related crime. They want us to make sure that no sexual crime goes unpunished; that the economy be repaired; That our industry will not be destroyed by the mad plans of the Greens and the Communists. They want us to finally be an EU they can count on. By giving you my vote today, I am doing something that I take very seriously, Mrs von der Leyen. I trust the woman in the cockpit and the capacity of this Parliament to recover. We are not abandoning the electorate. We have to get to work.

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, how many women and girls still undergo female genital mutilation today? How many are treated as second‑rank citizens? How many are economically deprived? How many are sexually assaulted without ever seeing justice happen? Too many. 'It's time that the macho, patriarchal society that trivialises rape changes' – Gisèle Pelicot said that. Her case in France has rightly sparked deep outrage and horror. Her husband has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for years of drugging and raping her. As if that were not already unimaginable enough, during that time, he also invited more than 70 other men to rape her too. How can someone who committed such atrocities for years ever walk free again? This man and everyone who knew did not only destroy Gisèle Pelicot's life, but also showed how deep evil can go and silence can hurt. This is organised, repeated and cruel abuse of trust, love and humanity. Women must be protected from such monsters. After all, what is the rule of law worth if justice cannot guarantee our safety? As Gisèle Pelicot said, 'It's time that the macho, patriarchal society that trivialises rape changes.' The new Commission must deliver on this topic. We must ensure that women can walk freely on the streets and not be afraid of the dark, that they are safe at home and not economically oppressed, that young girls never learn that their dignity is an option. Boys and girls are equal, and violence must always be punished. No religion is above the law. Investing in the safety of all women and girls is investing in our future as a society. Our legal system must also not discriminate, regardless of colour, religion or social position of women. The only answer to injustice must be justice.

Mr President, can we be honest today about this issue, the American elections and our relationship with the US? So far, Trump has not destroyed Europe: We did it ourselves. The chaos in Amsterdam resulting in ‘Jew hunting’: We have done so because we have repeatedly chosen multiculturalism over citizenship. The bureaucracy that suffocates our businesses: We have done this ourselves, because we like to over-regulate and remain in the Stone Age in terms of public finances and public efficiency. What are the Americans doing? They take action. We need to change our mindset in Europe and stop patronizing the American electorate. Whether we like Trump or disgust him, we have no voting rights in America and must respect the people there. Why do we forget a few simple facts? People who work must be able to pay their bills, walk safely on the streets, know that their children are safe and protect their prosperity. That's the same ambition and aspiration whether you're black or white. There, the left and a section of the press have completely missed the point, considering the legitimate concerns of the population as a detail. That's why Trump won. We need to get back together.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, 'They do nothing for our safety.' This was the heartfelt cry from German families about the many knife attacks in their country. They feel powerless and abandoned by us. Citizens are deeply concerned about the EU's failing migration policy. Integration is non-committal and border control barely exists. Taboos about protecting external borders and the illusion that return policy is a solution prevail, while only 20 % actually return. Therefore, Germany, France and others are reintroducing internal border controls out of justified fear of attacks and to stop illegal migration – understandable, but this destroys our prosperity because we have internal borders popping up here and there. Europe loses a substance that guarantees the single market. Who will bear the brunt of this? The consumer, the traveller and our businesses. If the EU still wants to be relevant, it's time to act more decisively. Throwing more money at Frontex will not help. Reviewing the agency's mandate and turning it into a real border protection agency will, and equipping, not hindering, the Member States to protect the EU external borders. I count on the new Commission to get serious about this.

Madam President, Vice-President Schinas, drug-related crime is eating away our society. Laundering money. Funding terrorism. Destroying our neighbourhoods. Bringing drugs into our schools. Disrupting our maritime transport. Creating healthcare issues. Threatening businesses and killing innocent people. Exhausting police resources. Killing journalists and lawyers. Trying to muzzle the politicians who dare to fight them. Remember Dutch journalist Peter R. de Vries, shot three years ago in the streets of Amsterdam. Regularly there are drug-related liquidations in Brussels. Last year, an 11-year-old girl was killed in a drug shooting in Antwerp. Antwerp mayor Bart de Wever, who dares fight the drugs criminals, was threatened and put under police protection. Not only Antwerp, but also Rotterdam and Hamburg face serious challenges that cities alone cannot solve, because drug-related crime and violence is not a local issue; it is a global issue with serious local impact. The drugs in our ports come mainly from South America. The EU must unite efforts for better container scanning and common safety procedures. We need international cooperation and coordinated diplomatic pressure on state complicity and corruption. If the criminals have faster mobility and technology, it's because we did not innovate enough, because we did not sufficiently fund and enhance police and judicial cooperation. If they have liquidity, it is because we did not tackle money laundering enough. As a society, we also need a change in mindset. Drugs and terrorism work hand in hand. Drugs have nothing glamorous. Crime is its only face. There is no such thing as soft drugs. There is only blood drugs. If we don't stop it, we will not be safe.

Madam President, Commissioner, what' is going on in the Middle East today is nothing new, unless we are blind. Didn't we see the explosion in the port of Beirut? Where were we when the rockets fired by Hezbollah were threatening families and communities? Iran has never hidden its intentions. It kept financing and pushing its proxies and we have always answered with the same lame talks and kept giving in, including within Europe. Nothing is new in the Middle East except the growing irrelevance of the EU. And did you notice how the French communists, like Mélenchon and certain MEPs from his party have been mourning Nasrallah on their social media? They should know that Nasrallah's final exit is an opportunity to rebuild Lebanon free from Hezbollah, free from corruption, dedicated to the Lebanese population; an opportunity to build a new Middle East, without Hezbollah, without Hamas, without a destructive, powerful Iran, without radical Islam and brutal antisemitism. It is an opportunity for a safer world, including our home: Europe.

Madam President, High Representative, dear colleagues, can anyone tell me how raping, mutilating and kidnapping an innocent woman, parading with her half-naked body on a lorry, chanting 'Allahu Akbar', spitting on her, can improve the life of anyone? How was this supposed to be something good for the Palestinians? The truth is that this was never about love for the Palestinians, but hatred for the Jews. This was not about a two-state solution, but about erasing the Jews and destroying the West. Today, 7 October, we must honour the victims and acknowledge the profound impact of this massacre on communities across the globe. Learn at last. Our countries and universities are being taken over by so-called pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Our institutions are being infiltrated by politicians who confuse Hamas with Palestinians, rape with resistance. They betray and endanger the heart of European democracy by standing by terrorists. This danger is not only to the Jews, but to all of us. Radical Islam and its terror groups have no borders. The intention of the Muslim Brotherhood and affiliated criminal organisations, like Hamas and Hezbollah, is to establish a caliphate on Earth. Only justice and the courage to stand for our values can stop them. I will always stand by the victims and by Europe – the continent that grants our freedom and freedom for women like me.

Mr President, Commissioner, I would first like to emphasise that, both in Flanders and in the Netherlands, we find that the drug problem does not only exist on paper, but also takes place in the streets and in reality. You often hear that something has happened: an explosion, someone who was shot or a container that arrived somewhere unchecked. We talk about it very often, but so far there has been very little result at European level. I note, however, that progress has been made in cooperation between the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg. Systems have been implemented to tackle the drug problem. Today, drugs can circulate very easily in Europe. For example, there are farms in the Netherlands where synthetic drugs can be produced. Because the police do not cooperate sufficiently – not because they do not want to, on the contrary, but because there is too little cooperation, insufficient information or no timely exchange of information – drug producers and sellers can always be one step ahead of them. Of course, that doesn't help. Europe must therefore take back control and urgently needs more power. We decided on a new agency during the last legislature. Now we need to move on to its implementation. In this sense, there is an urgent need to improve the control of port networks and to promote police and judicial cooperation. We must also listen to our local mayors so that we can work together on this.

Madam President, Commissioner, Hamas is a terrorist organisation. This is not something that I'm saying. This is something that we all know. It is a reality. A reality studied and legally confirmed by the European Union, who clearly recognises Hamas as it is ‑ a dangerous Islamic terrorist organisation. Dangerous to whom? To all of us, a threat to our security. This is why an organisation is put on the list of terrorist organisations in the first place. So, dear colleagues, my question to you today is simple: How are we, the representatives of this Parliament, supposed to feel safe when a Member of this House elected to represent our country, citizens and freedom goes to a demonstration in a foreign country, namely Jordan, and stands enthusiastically among protesters, protesters who have slogans supporting Hamas, the terrorist organisation that is recognised by us as such and that demonstrated its level of cruelty and blood thirst? According to the French newspaper Le Point, this Member was left-wing Member Rima Hassan. She participated in a pro-Hamas demonstration in Jordan, where participants honoured Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh with slogans glorifying jihad and threatening to remove Jews from Jerusalem. Rima Hassan enthusiastically attended the demonstration and published the videos on her social media. Again, Hamas is recognised by the EU as an Islamic terrorist organisation and has killed, kidnapped and raped innocent people on 7 October. And long before us, we all know it is a terrorist organisation that means hell for Palestinians and Israelis and represents a serious danger to Europe, hence its presence on the EU list of terrorist organisations. So on the one hand, we have the hostages and the innocent victims. On the other hand, we have the Hamas terrorists and their friends from Iran and Hezbollah. On whose side do we want to stand as a European Parliament? I may hope that all of us will stand on the side of the hostages, of the innocent, of our own citizens and society, on the side of freedom and security, on the side of Europe.

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, why are the people sitting in our parliaments and supporting radical Islam, fuelling anti-Semitism in Europe, resisting and destroying European values, supporting hatred in our streets and encouraging submission in our universities? Because they were elected by people who have passports and voting rights in Europe, but who hate us and find terrorism admirable. You see this phenomenon not only in France but also in other European countries. You may sometimes wonder whether certain politicians represent European voters or a foreign country. The reason for all of this is simple, integration has failed, and we live alongside each other with values that are sometimes fundamentally opposed. People who vote for such politicians are feeding the Trojan horse, and anyone who criticises this gets labelled as racist and Islamophobic. They even say it to me too. And these people who say it also send racist sentences and racist images. And you know what? They vote for the far left. We will not accept intimidation. And this problem, anti-Semitism will not go away because we stay quiet. It will go away because we fight.

Madam President, dear colleagues, I would like you – I would like all of us Europeans – to hear this name: Rebecca Cheptegei. Rebecca Cheptegei was a runner from Uganda. She was one of the best in the world. She ran the marathon at the Olympic Games in Paris; held the Olympic spirit high. She was also an independent woman, and for that she was murdered: burned alive by her former partner in Kenya. Rebecca Cheptegei was someone's daughter, sister, mother. She was an athlete. With her death, it's part of the Olympic flame that went off. Her death is a painful reminder that the fight for women's rights is nowhere over – not in Africa, not in Europe. We owe it to our daughters to fight for their rights, for their safety, for their place in society. Together, we must make the homes and streets of the world become better places, safer places for everyone, our daughters included. For that, we still have a lot of work to do. We owe it to them. We owe it to Rebecca Cheptegei. Let's commit to that.

Madam President, Madam Candidate, ‘I am a woman. I am a mother, I am European, nobody is going to take this away from me.’ These are words from Giorgia Meloni. Words that touched my heart. I feel the same as a European by choice. As a woman, as a mother and as a Member of this Parliament, I feel you too, Madam von der Leyen. Like many of us, I cannot unsee the Sofagate and the fact that one of the three most powerful women inside the EU had to struggle for a chair. Women in politics are still challenged and over-scrutinised, requested permanently to be perfect. If they show ambition, they are arrogant. If they stand for themselves, they are extremists. If they follow and let go of who they are, they are ignored. Of course, Madam von der Leyen, you are not perfect. But who is? None of us. However, the price of imperfection is much higher when you are a woman. Barroso and Juncker received a clear discount. If you make it today, I count on you to deliver on nuclear energy and defence ecosystem for Europe, on the protection of our European businesses against certain aspects of the Green Deal, you must deliver. On the geopolitical Commission you promised, you must deliver. On migration policy, one step forward is not enough, you must deliver more. On women’s rights, rape crimes cannot stay out of scope, you must deliver. On the bleeding Middle East, the forgotten Sahel region, the protection of our European values and the fight against radical Islam and antisemitism, you must sustain. Will you? One way to find out.

Mr President, I would like to thank colleagues for their contribution. It is clear that we have a solid majority in favour of this regulation. I am pleased that we have been able to build this constructive majority together, from the beginning of this process. I would like to thank all my colleagues in this majority and look forward to the vote on my report. This is my last speech in Parliament before the European elections of 9 June and I would like to share with you a few thoughts: First of all, I am deeply grateful that five years ago the Flemings asked me to represent them in the European Parliament. I have worked hard here and I hope I have confirmed their trust. Secondly, we often disagree in this Parliament, but I have also seen that together we can find solutions to important legislation, such as this regulation on the collection and transfer of passenger data. Legislation that can make the lives of our citizens safer and better. I am grateful that I have been asked on several occasions to be the chief negotiator for various pieces of legislation on behalf of Parliament, and I am proud that each time we were able to form a majority around the ideals that I always fight for. Finally: As we enter the election campaign, I hope we can have the debate on real problems and real solutions. Solutions to finally get asylum and migration under control. Safety for everyone, especially women. A stop to excessively regulating our companies, especially for the hard-working middle class and much more. Such a debate is what you, the citizen, deserve. Dear colleagues, we take care of that together.

Mr President, thank you, colleague Oetjen. I would also like to thank my good colleague Jan-Christoph and all the shadow rapporteurs. I think we made a very effective negotiating team. We found compromises, first within the Parliament and then with the Council, in a very positive atmosphere. And we brought in a lot of good points for Parliament and, more importantly, for our European citizens. I believe that these regulations are going to prove very useful in the fight against terrorism and organised crime. At the moment, 27 Member States and hundreds of airlines use a wide range of separate systems to send passenger data to countries of destination. The passenger data are collected in a self-declaratory manner. Of course, the vast majority of travellers are of goodwill, but the bad guys find ways to abuse the system and travel in and out of the EU undetected. I think that with the solutions we found, we will make life more difficult for criminals and terrorists, but easier for travellers, air carriers and Member State authorities. Now, picking up from my colleague Jan-Christoph, the first point I wanted to mention here is the new Article 5a in API law enforcement on the selection of intra-EU flights. It was not in the Commission proposal, but we made a proposal in the Parliament mandate. The reason is that the European Court of Justice 2 years ago ruled that PNR data may be collected for internal EU flights and shared with law enforcement authorities, but strict limitations will have to apply. The text we have agreed stays fully within the Court ruling on the PNR Directive, whilst offering the Member States and the Commission concrete tools for the implementation of this ruling. I am glad that we could also agree the 12-month deadline for reviews of the assessment. With everything we put in place, we make sure that people’s privacy is protected. The second point worth highlighting here today is that we agreed to move towards mandatory use of the router for PNR data as well. From Parliament’s side, we believed from the start that this would be wise. Most importantly, it will improve privacy oversight. It can truly help with the implementation and supervision of the Court ruling on PNR. It can also lead to a streamlining that is beneficial for air carriers and Member States alike. I think that the phasing approach is the right one, and I would like to thank the Commission for the updated legislative financial statement, which shows the commitment to make the router work also for PNR data starting in 2028. Thirdly, I would like to mention a point that was a bit more difficult for Parliament, namely, what to do in case of technical impossibility to use the router. Throughout the negotiations, Parliament always wanted to stay very closely within the scope of the regulations and avoid any parallel systems. However, we do understand that, in some exceptional cases, Member State authorities may need to ask air carriers for API data via other means if the central system managed by eu-LISA is down. I am glad that the Council accepted our wish to add some extra safeguards, and I trust that with the triple backup of the system, these situations will in any case be extremely rare. Finally, from my side, I would also like to underline our flexibility in accepting the Council’s text on the governance structure. We believe it is a bit unusual to be so specific at the level of the main legislation. However, we also do understand the Council’s desire to give clarity and legal certainty about the various groups and bodies involved in preparing and monitoring the system. Let me take this opportunity to again thank my colleagues, rapporteur Oetjen and the shadows, including Jeroen Lenaers and Tineke Strik, who are present here, and I think we were able to step over all kinds of difficulties from time to time, and we can be proud of the agreement on these important regulations. Of course, I thank all the staff and especially my advisor, Jannes De Jong.

Mr President, female genital mutilation is a brutal practice that breaks and destroys girls on the basis of sex, making them a property of the community or a man. Female genital mutilation has happened to 200 million women worldwide. I’m one of them. Believe me, no one can imagine such physical and mental pain or the lifelong consequences you have to bear. Today, female genital mutilation continues despite all laws. It breaks my heart when I see the governments of the Gambia wanting to repeal the law banning female genital mutilation, instead of protecting girls. It’s vital that we do all we can to convince the Gambia’s Parliament not to decriminalise female genital mutilation, vital because it could literally cost girls’ and women’s lives or adversely affect their quality of life. It’s also a dangerous precedent, as this could lead to a wave of reduction of women’s rights in other countries. The Commission and the European External Action Service should urge the Gambian authorities to honour their human-rights commitments and enforce the legal ban on female genital mutilation. The law against female genital mutilation is not a law against their religion or culture. It is a human right that protects and improves the lives of women and girls.

Dear colleague, I would just like to ask you the following question: How would you describe Hamas? What kind of organisation do you think it is? And in your opinion, how does UNRWA participate in terrorism in the Gaza Strip? And finally, in your opinion, what role did Iran play in the massacre that took place in Israel on 7 October, and instead of Israel, what would you have done and what would you say to Jews in Europe and around the world?