Speeches

The next item is the debate on six motions for resolutions on the instrumentalisation of justice as a tool of repression in Nicaragua (2022/2701(RSP))*. _______________ * See Minutes of the meeting.

The next item is the debate on six motions for resolutions on respect for human rights in Xinjiang, including the leaked documents from the re-education camps in the region (2022/2700(RSP))*. _______________ * See Minutes of the meeting.

Information for you: the non-attached Members informed the Chair of the change in committee appointments. This decision will be recorded in the minutes of today's plenary session and will enter into force on the day of this announcement.

I have received one motion for a resolution tabled in accordance with Rule 132(1). 2 of the Rules*. I'm closing the debate. The vote will take place on Thursday 9 June 2022. _______________ * See Minutes of the meeting. Written declarations (Rule 171)

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. The war in Ukraine, the threat of its escalation, huge economic problems are the everyday life of today's Moldova. Despite this, Moldova received half a million refugees from Ukraine, half a million in a country with two and a half million inhabitants. Every day Moldova proves that it is politically and mentally part of Europe. Its citizens made their choice, voted for President Maia Sandu, and voted for Europe. Moldova is a strong link in the Eastern Partnership. I am sure that in view of the war in Ukraine, we must pay more attention to stabilising the whole region. Moldova, of course, needs material support, but in fact, above all, it needs hope. Creating a real European perspective for Moldova is both a moral obligation and an expression of political reason for us.

Madam President, I'm sorry. The war in Ukraine has completely changed reality. Ukrainian men had to immediately decide whether to join the fighting soldiers, while women decided whether to stay in the country or save their own lives and those of their children, fleeing Ukraine. Women took their necessities and left Ukraine with their children. Ukrainian girls grew up too early. As a result of this war, women were reduced to the role of family caregiver and even the head of the family. They had to face basic needs for themselves and their children. Those who remained probably regretted their decision when Russian barbarian soldiers raped and tortured them. The war in Ukraine will cause lasting changes in the psyche of Ukrainian women, in the psyche of women, accompanied by constant fear of husbands, fathers, brothers and sons remaining in the war. Will these women ever regain their mental balance, their sense of security, their faith in people? Will their traumas and nightmares continue for years to come? One of the protagonists of Sviatlana Alexievich’s novel, a writer and Nobel laureate, said: ‘A man’s soul is ageing in war. After the war, I was never young again.’ Let's give Ukrainian women a chance to save their youth. And finally: We women from Europe, we citizens of Europe, Europe without war, we must remember that it is our duty, not our privilege, to take care of the health and broadly understood rights of Ukrainian women.

The next item is the short presentation of the report by Karol Karski, on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the persecution of minorities on grounds of belief or religion (2021/2055(INI)) (A9-0071/2022). I would remind you that there is freedom to choose places, with the exception of the first two rows, which are allocated to the group presidents. I would also like to remind you that you will be able to apply for the catch-the-eye and blue card procedure once you have placed your ballot paper in your reader.

The next item is the report by Simone Schmiedtbauer, on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, on the EU action plan for organic farming (2021/2239(INI)) (A9-0126/2022). I would like to remind you that there is freedom to choose places, with the exception of the first two rows, which are allocated to the group presidents. You will be able to apply for the catch-the-eye and blue card procedure once you have placed your ballot paper in your reader. I would also like to remind you that, in the Chamber, speakers speak from the main rostrum, with the exception of catch-the-eye questions, blue card questions and requests to comply with the Rules of Procedure.

The next item is the topical debate (Rule 162) on the cooperation of the Putin regime with the extreme right and separatists in Europe and the similarities between them (2022/2626(RSP)).

I would like to inform you that the minutes of yesterday's meeting and the texts adopted are now available. Are there comments? I don't see it. The protocols were adopted.

Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you very much to the Commission for taking the floor on this very important matter. And I regret that I cannot address the representatives of the Council, who unfortunately are not with us today, in the same way. A year ago, we debated in this House the first-ever EU strategy on the rights of the child, and today there are no words to describe what children are experiencing during the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The sight of the children being treated in the basement of the Kiev hospital squeezed their hearts. The feeling of anger and tears came to my eyes when the Russians bombed a hospital in Mariupol. And for several days now, a new synonym for Putin's war crime is Bucha. Mass graves, torture, rape. Can you find words to describe it? In the escape from these bombs and cruelty, one in two children in Ukraine has already left their home. Every second of the seven and a half million children do not sleep in their bed, do not go to their school, do not play with their toys. Some of them were separated by the war with their father, with their mother, with their friends. Today during the debate, and on Thursday in the text of the resolution, we will stress the importance of providing care and protection, housing, access to education, healthcare, ensuring family reunification. How important it is that we provide Ukrainian children and young people with everything that the brutal Russian aggression has deprived them of. We must be especially vigilant about the dangers of those children who cannot be protected. Unaccompanied children, separated children or children from orphanages. Let's not be naive! Among the tens of thousands of wonderful, good, helping people will also be those who will want to exploit this war and its victims in the meanest way. That is why it is so important to create an effective registration system for the most vulnerable children. How can we help, support and protect children we don't know about, where they are and under whose care? There is no margin for error! Whatever we do today, we have to do more. We must be prepared for a marathon of help, because Ukrainians entrust us today with their greatest good and hope for the future. Your children and adolescents. The next generation. It is our responsibility that these children, who today are fleeing the war, return to their homeland healthy and certain that Europe is also their home, and that solidarity, respect for the law and respect for others are values worth defending. Always and before any, even the most barbaric aggression.

The next item is the report by Marianne Vind, on behalf of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, on the new EU strategic framework on health and safety at work beyond 2020 (2021/2165(INI)) (A9-0023/2022).

The next item is the report by Grace O'Sullivan, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2030 (COM(2020)0652 - C9-0329/2020 - 2020/0300(COD)) (A9-0203/2021).

Mr President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Equality between men and women is a fundamental principle of the Union. It is also the foundation for the functioning of society. There would be no such debate in an ideal world, but unfortunately we do not live in such a world. Today we need to see and name what is happening before our eyes. The challenges we face, which cannot wait for tomorrow, need answers today. They need, I would say, a revolution, a revolution about a woman's face. Women are the initiators of positive change. It is women who prevent conflicts, strive for their solution, for peace, because they bear the greatest costs of all negative changes. Women today must be leaders of social change, setting an example for young generations of girls, warming up to fight, teaching and inspiring. Unfortunately, there is a lot to do. Inequality is still the rule, not an infamous exception. As a result of climate change, women lose their jobs, are less competitive in the labour market, take on the role of carers of the elderly and forgotten. Very often they do not have a choice, they have to accept their fate, and at the same time with increasing anxiety look at what future awaits their offspring. In 2015, in the so-called Paris Agreement, which was one of the most important decisions on climate change, only 9% of women headed national delegations. That's far too little. And if the effects of the climate catastrophe will be more felt by women, shouldn't this mean that they should have as much or maybe more say in supporting climate action as men? Shouldn't they decide their fate more? Sometimes peace must be won through revolution, but revolution does not always have to be destructive, it can be the foundation of a new world. And one thing I want to tell you, believe me, he may have a woman's face.

Madam President, I'm sorry. I'll start by saying thank you. I would like to thank all those with whom I have had the honour to work in the BECA Committee, I thank the authors of the report on which we are now debating. I am convinced that this document, which we are currently dealing with, is groundbreaking. It is a document that will launch and become a pillar of a strong European Health Union. In my country, cancer kills 100,000 people a year. And we have to tell ourselves this bitter truth: Many areas of oncology in Central and Eastern Europe are much lower than in Western Europe. Such a situation is unacceptable. The chances of overcoming cancer cannot depend on latitude. Ladies and Gentlemen, in the 21st century, in the European Union, there are countries where cancer literally hurts more, so the very important provisions in this report, talking about joint purchases of medicines or overcoming geographical differences in access to diagnosis and treatment, are elements that undoubtedly invest in people, in their well-being. Health cannot be converted into material goods. What we are doing now is an investment in the lives and health of patients in a spirit of European solidarity and subsidiarity. So please: Let us stand in solidarity tomorrow and vote on this report.

Let's move on to the debates. Before we start today's extremely important debate for citizens and before giving the floor to the rapporteur, I would like to remind you that today we are celebrating the International Day for the Elimination of Childhood Cancer. The European Parliament has always supported and supported children with cancer and their parents in this difficult fight. The next item is the report by Véronique Trillet-Lenoir on behalf of the Special Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. Fighting Cancer on strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer – towards a comprehensive and coordinated strategy (2020/2267(INI) - A9-0001/2022) I would like to remind you that in any debate during this part-session there is no catch-the-eye procedure and no blue cards will be accepted. As in the recent part-sessions, the possibility to speak remotely from the Parliament Liaison Offices in the Member States is foreseen. I would also like to remind you that speakers continue to speak from the main rostrum in the Chamber. Therefore, please kindly check the list of speakers and approach the rostrum when the time comes for your intervention.

We will start by announcing the results of yesterday's vote. Here are the results of the vote of Monday 14 February 2022: (The Chair announced the results of the vote, details: see Minutes of the meeting)

Madam President, I'm sorry. We are seldom faced with decisions that can be described as the devil's alternative. When we talk about resolving the situation on the border between Belarus and the European Union, we are aware that this is not only about the problem of refugees. We are talking about acts of state terrorism perpetrated by the Belarusian regime – terrorism in which defrauded and abused people seek a better life in Europe and are used as weapons. We must not allow the border of our Community to be breached. We cannot accept that the unrecognized Belarusian regime, unfortunately with the support of its allies from Moscow, mocks our rights. Therefore, special regulations are necessary. At the same time, however, we must not forget our principles, the fact that Europe has supported and is supporting people who have been harmed and persecuted. A few hours ago, we presented the Sakharov Prize. Especially at this time, we need to remember about human rights. Special regulations cannot become the norm. We need to work out a sanctions mechanism that makes pushing people across borders political gold for no one. It will become an action in every respect unprofitable and amoral. Very close to the borders of Belarus and the Union in Königsberg, Kant said: "The starry sky above me, the moral law within me". Any special regulations cannot invalidate this moral law, because it is the foundation of the Union, our Community.