What Sara spoke about.

7

Jul

2022

PT Speech

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Recent heat wave and drought in the EU (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the drought in the European Union affects more than a third of the continent and today the picture is dramatic. For example, in Portugal, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, 66% of the territory is in extreme drought and 33% in severe drought. So more needs to be done. You have to bet on: monitoring and prevention strategies, supported by en…

7

Jun

2022

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Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 2))

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Minister, the current situation is dramatic. Transport accounts for around 25% of total emissions in the European Union and does not show a downward trend. CO2 emission performance standards in cars and vans have been a crucial element in limiting emissions from cars on our roads, but they are insufficient to respond to the climate emergency. And the review that th…

7

Jun

2022

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Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Social Climate Fund - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation - Notification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 1))

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Minister, in strengthening this system we must not forget the outermost regions which are exclusively dependent on air and sea connections for the transport of people and goods. If this is the case, a carbon tax will lead to higher shelf prices and the general cost of living in regions that are already among the poorest in the EU. In this sense, it could also jeopa…

6

Jun

2022

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EU islands and cohesion policy (debate)

Mr President, one of the main and increasingly frequent challenges on EU islands is the extreme natural phenomena and frequent alluvial events caused by climate change, which are devastating due to the lack of sustainable management and conservation of agricultural and forest soils. In this sense, the European Union Solidarity Fund needs to be improved to deal more realistically with the consequen…

18

May

2022

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, the outermost regions face permanent constraints on their development, as recognised in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. I therefore welcome the renewed strategy for the outermost regions presented by the European Commission on 3 May. A strategy that puts people first and addresses the specific challenges faced by these regions, such as Madeira a…

3

May

2022

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Impact of Russian illegal war of aggression against Ukraine on the EU transport and tourism sectors (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, transport and tourism are two sectors already highly impacted over the last two years by the pandemic and now by this war in Ukraine. As if that were not enough, disruptions in supply chains and the exponential rise in fuel prices particularly affect the most vulnerable, and also jeopardise the connectivity of the European Union, especially connections with …

2

May

2022

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, the role that the sustainable blue economy can play in the prosperity of the outermost regions of the European Union which, because of their insularity, are particularly dependent on certain activities, such as maritime transport and tourism, is undeniable. The protection of the oceans and their marine resources should also be ensured, recognising the biodiversity potential in the ou…

7

Apr

2022

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Mental Health (debate)

Mr President, Madam Vice-President, colleagues, in the European Union, mental health problems affect more than 80 million people and suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29. Mental health is then a problem of the present that irreversibly undermines the future of the Union. While the data show some improvements in the update of mental health legislation in the…

4

Apr

2022

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, I come here to talk about the outermost regions, which represent 80% of the potential of biodiversity in the European Union. Addressing climate and biodiversity emergencies requires a holistic approach that values and protects our natural resources. Protecting and restoring our ecosystems will bring benefits to our planet, but also, in particular, to some sectors, such as agriculture…

4

Apr

2022

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Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (debate)

Madam President, the latest IPCC report confirms the climate emergency we are going through. It also confirms that, without the dramatic reduction in emissions, we will quickly reach points of no return. It also confirms the inadequacy of our current mitigation measures and that adaptation measures are needed to address the risks and damage already caused by climate change. Proof of this was the i…

9

Mar

2022

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A new EU strategic framework on health and safety at work post 2020 (continuation of debate)

Mr President, given the high level of health protection that we aim to achieve in all Union policies and actions, it is essential that we focus on extending Vision Zero to also cover the active prevention of work-related accidents and diseases, including by taking into account psychosocial risks and mental health, adapting to the digital, environmental and demographic transitions, minimising negat…

9

Mar

2022

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General Union Environment Action Programme to 2030 (debate)

Madam President, this eighth environmental action programme is an essential instrument to guide the European Union in its environmental and climate objectives for the coming years with 2050 in sight. Our response to climate and biodiversity emergencies requires the implementation of a holistic approach, paying attention to mitigation and adaptation measures, the circular economy, the protection an…

15

Feb

2022

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Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer(debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, hundreds of thousands of citizens are looking forward to the outcome of this report: patients, whose access to timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment is crucial for their survival, whether they are in Strasbourg, Brussels or Madeira, an outermost region; colleagues in healthcare, who want to provide patients with the best possible care; Rese…

13

Dec

2021

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Health technology assessment (debate)

Madam President, every day the pandemic reveals the importance of having innovative health technologies accessible to all capable of supporting health protection and promotion, as well as disease prevention. Enhanced cooperation in health technology assessment should contribute to addressing the needs of patients, ensuring the protection of health data at all levels, of health professionals, reduc…

24

Nov

2021

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A European Action Plan Against Rare Diseases (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, according to new developments in research, science and technology, current European policies on rare diseases are outdated. Despite their low prevalence, rare diseases affect around 30 million Europeans. There are 30 million unmet people with unmet health needs. We therefore need a new European Rare Disease Action Plan. This new action plan shou…

24

Nov

2021

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The EU's role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic: how to vaccinate the world (continuation of debate)

Madam President, colleagues, Minister, the European Union has taken a decisive role in the fight against the pandemic, in particular through the vaccination process. But the pandemic is not over yet and it has shown us that the weapons we have will always be insufficient if they do not reach everyone. While in several countries we have already vaccinated with a third dose, there are many who are s…

19

Oct

2021

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The Right to a Healthy Environment (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister, the right to a healthy environment has recently been recognised by the UN Human Rights Council, but here in the European Union we have to do more. This right must be enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The link between the environment and human and animal health has long been recognised from the perspective of a single health for which we have w…

5

Oct

2021

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Assessing the Union’s measures for the EU tourism sector as the end of the Summer season nears (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, the pandemic has caused an unprecedented economic and social crisis, strongly affecting the tourism sector, particularly in the regions that depend most on it, such as the Autonomous Region of Madeira, an outermost region. The workers who directly and indirectly contribute to the functioning of this sector have suffered the most. With vaccination reaching around 80% …

5

Oct

2021

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EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority: ensuring a coordinated EU approach for future health crises and the role of the European Parliament in this (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, the pandemic has led the European Union to embark on an unprecedented effort for a genuine European Union for Health. This includes the creation of HERA – the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, which strengthens our prevention, detection and response capacity. The goals we have all set ourselves can o…

4

Oct

2021

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The role of development policy in the response to biodiversity loss in developing countries, in the context of the achievement of the 2030 Agenda (debate)

Mr President, alongside the climate change crisis, our planet is plagued by an unprecedented crisis of biodiversity loss. Now is the time to step up our efforts against this crisis and thus achieve the goals of sustainable development. Biodiversity protection should be mainstreamed in EU foreign policy, including in relations with low- and middle-income countries. Financing and technical assistanc…

14

Sep

2021

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Presentation of the Fit for 55 package after the publication of the IPCC report (debate)

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, Minister, science tells us that if we do not act now, we will not be able to limit the increase in the temperature of this planet to the limits of the Paris Agreement. Fit for 55 will ensure the climate transition and the achievement of the objectives of the Climate Law. This transition will be cross-cutting and will affect all sectors. Today, I would like to highl…

13

Sep

2021

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European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - Serious cross-border threats to health (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Presidency of the Council, today the European Parliament is taking another step towards protecting the health of Europeans. COVID-19 has shown us many things and the main thing is that micro-organisms know no borders between countries. Coordinated work within and outside the European Union between Member States and international agencies such as the World Health Organis…

7

Jul

2021

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European Medicines Agency (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, today the European Parliament is taking another step towards making the real European Health Union a reality. I thank the rapporteur, Nicolás, and the whole team for having a strong and resilient mandate from the European Medicines Agency that delivers the response the European Union needs. By defining the list of critical medicines and medical devices we will be bet…