What Irène spoke about.

4

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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Question Time (Commission) Tackling depopulation through cohesion policy instrument

Mr President, the Commission has put forward many initiatives to combat depopulation and promote rural development. This includes the long-term vision for rural areas, the Rural Pact and the Brainstorming Initiative. However, these initiatives are not of a budgetary nature. How does the Commission intend to ensure that an adequate proportion of the funds under shared management will be redirected …

4

Oct

2022

FR Speech

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Question Time (Commission) Tackling depopulation through cohesion policy instrument

Madam President, Commissioner, the depopulation of certain territories is a worrying trend that risks undermining economic and social convergence in Europe. An ageing society, a high rate of migration, a lack of essential services, poor connectivity are the mirror of depopulation, which mainly affects rural and remote areas. In rural areas, however, we have a valuable tool to guarantee rural devel…

14

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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Economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU: the 8th Cohesion Report - EU border regions: living labs of European integration (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today is a moment of truth in our regional policy. At a time of the most difficult times in the recent history of our continent affected by the pandemic, the return of war, cohesion policy has proved to be a modern and flexible instrument that has been able and able to be deployed to respond to emergencies. The course of history leads us today t…

13

Sep

2022

FR Speech

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Consequences of drought, fire, and other extreme weather phenomena: increasing EU's efforts to fight climate change (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing the worst drought in 500 years. Fires have devastated more than 800 000 hectares in our Union, a figure that has never been recorded since the surveys began. These are no longer limited to the southern regions. Climate change is a major problem that affects us all. In France, in this year of sad records, seven out of ten fires a…

4

Jul

2022

FR Speech

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US Supreme Court decision to overturn abortion rights in the United States and the need to safeguard abortion rights and Women’s health in the EU (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, no, the fight for the right to abortion is not out of date, no offense to those in our Chamber who insist on saying otherwise. The US Supreme Court decision tragically reminds us that the right to abortion is never truly acquired. It is imperative that we learn from this dramatic situation and act quickly. I'm sorry to have to resume the fight o…

5

Apr

2022

FR Speech

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Situation in Afghanistan, in particular the situation of women’s rights (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union has repeatedly demonstrated that it stands by the Afghan people through its financial support and assistance programmes. In return, the Taliban have consistently flouted the conditions we set, including on fundamental rights, in particular the rights of women and girls, who are now deprived of education and employment. The Tal…

23

Mar

2022

FR Speech

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Need for an urgent EU action plan to ensure food security inside and outside the EU in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, we must collectively, here and now, meet the needs of Ukraine and Ukrainians. We must feed the refugees, feed their children, educate them, educate them also to rebuild their country. We have to send food to Ukraine. We must also help Ukraine, as requested yesterday, to harvest its crops. It is important that we set up the green corridors that have been requested and…

8

Mar

2022

FR Speech

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Gender mainstreaming in the European Parliament – annual report 2020 (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, our European Parliament has never had so many women. Today we represent 39.5% of MEPs in this legislature. We have even recently elected a woman President of our institution for the third time in its history. Is this a sign that gender equality is progressing in our assembly? Certainly. Is that enough? Absolutely not. This progress is far too slow.…

16

Feb

2022

FR Speech

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The EU priorities for the 66th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (debate)

Mr President – dear Michal –, Commissioner – dear Helena –, Minister – dear Clément Beaune –, ladies and gentlemen, we are very lucky to live in Europe, where the issue of climate change has been tackled with the European Green Deal, thanks to which the European Union aims to become the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. Climate change policies are a potentially formidable vehicle for promoti…

20

Jan

2022

FR Speech

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Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the European Union (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, Member States must commit to, I quote, ‘decriminalising abortion and removing barriers’ to its de facto exercise, and to ensuring ‘safe and legal access to abortion based on women’s health and rights’. These words come from the report we voted on in June on sexual and reproductive rights, led by our colleague Fred Matić, to which I had…

16

Dec

2021

FR Speech

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MeToo and harassment – the consequences for the EU institutions (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I am over 50 years old, so I too have experienced psychological harassment and sexual harassment in my professional life – and not just a little bit. I was a woman, they were men. This was not related to the fact that they were men. This was linked to the fact that they had power. And today, in this Chamber, we have the power. Mandatory training of…

13

Dec

2021

FR Speech

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Equality between women and men in the European Union in 2018-2020 (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are in the 21st century and here we are again debating inequality between women and men. It is disappointing. At the current rate, we may achieve equality in three generations, and that is without taking into account the impact of COVID-19 on equality, the full extent of which we cannot yet measure. We need a cultural revolution and a radical…

25

Nov

2021

FR Speech

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The International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women and the State of play on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention (continuation of debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Jennifer in France, Angelica in Germany, Sylvia in Italy, Anna in Poland. Some names of women who are sisters, cousins, friends, mothers, daughters. Four human groups destroyed because these women were killed by their spouse or ex-spouse this year in 2021, in the European Union, here and now. Unfortunately, the list is longer. Every year, hundreds …

18

Oct

2021

FR Speech

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Farm to Fork Strategy (debate)

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner. Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are. These words from Brillat-Savarin date back to 1825 and summarize the close connection that has always existed between our food and the world in which we live. So today, I am proud to be European and to support the ambitious policy objectives of the Green Deal, as set out in this Farm to Fork St…

7

Oct

2021

FR Speech

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The state law relating to abortion in Texas, USA

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, just a week ago we celebrated Abortion Rights Day. Today, once again, we are talking about restrictions on these rights. Yet, as we know, when abortion is prohibited, it is still practiced, because when a woman does not want to end a pregnancy, for whatever reason, that woman is her body, her choices, her rights. So we are talking, not about the…

14

Sep

2021

FR Speech

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Brexit Adjustment Reserve - Draft amending budget No 1/2021: Brexit Adjustment Reserve (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom is undoubtedly one of the darkest moments in the history of the European project. Divorce with devastating economic and social consequences. A shock, too, which calls on the European Union to react quickly and to show once again its true face, that of solidarity. With the crea…