What Isabel spoke about.

17

Jan

2023

PT Speech

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EU response to the protests and executions in Iran (debate)

Madam President, the death penalty is a cruel, inhuman and degrading anachronism. The brutality with which the Iranian regime has responded to the peaceful protests of men, women, young people, who on the streets cry out for freedom, life, democracy, cannot be tolerated. What is happening in Iran, with the use of the death penalty and condemnations of it as a mechanism of terror, must call for an …

17

Jan

2023

PT Speech

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Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter - annual report 2022 (debate)

Mr President, we are looking at this report at a disturbing moment for democracy and human rights in the world. 75% of the world’s population has experienced a deterioration in the human rights situation in their country in recent years. Many authoritarian regimes have become radicalized. The conflict has not slowed down. And all this makes the need for protection even more pressing for those who …

14

Dec

2022

PT Speech

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Chinese government crackdown on the peaceful protests across the People's Republic of China

Madam President, after attending Xi Jinping's enthronement ceremony as supreme leader, what seemed impossible happened. Yes, there will always be hope as long as there are men and women capable of revolting against any form of tyranny and calling for freedom and rights. The Chinese people's protests over the Covid-19 measures, calling for freedom and even Xi Jinping's departure from power, demonst…

13

Dec

2022

PT Speech

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Turkish airstrikes on northern Syria and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (debate)

Mr President. No, no. Counter-terrorism cannot be used by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for electoral purposes to conduct indiscriminate airstrikes in northern and north-western Syria and the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Let's be clear. With the attacks on vital infrastructure and civilian populations, Erdoğan only seeks to scare away the Kurdish people and thus take the space for his plans for social and polit…

23

Nov

2022

PT Speech

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The continuing repression of the democratic opposition and civil society in Belarus

Mr President, arbitrary arrests, searches, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment are a constant feature of the Lukashenka regime. There is an extensive list of opponents, activists and protesters who are on the blacklist of more than 1,500 people removed from the most elementary civic rights. Long is also the list of banned media outlets and non-governmental organisations. Intimidation and t…

23

Nov

2022

PT Speech

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The future European Financial Architecture for Development (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to begin by congratulating Mr Goerens on the approach taken in this report. As draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, I would like to stress the importance of the revision now introduced into the European financial architecture for development, given the multiple demands that the present one places on us and those that are en…

23

Nov

2022

PT Speech

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The need for a European solution on asylum and migration including search and rescue (debate)

Mr President, seven years after the tragedy of 2015, and after more than 25 000 lives lost in the Mediterranean, we are once again discussing the need to implement an effective migration and asylum policy and to create a search and rescue mechanism. It will certainly not be by repeating solutions such as enhanced cooperation with Libya, a vast field of human rights violations contained in the acti…

22

Nov

2022

PT Speech

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New EU strategy for enlargement (debate)

Madam President, may I congratulate my colleague, Mr Tonino Picula, on this very clear report in defence of what is one of the most successful and important instruments of our foreign policy. The political framework dictated by the war and the decisions taken this summer on enlargement are of particular strategic importance to this document. It is now up to us to work on ensuring the continuity of…

22

Nov

2022

PT Speech

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Promoting regional stability and security in the broader Middle East region (debate)

Madam President, it is clear that it is important to strengthen our dialogue and engagement with partners in the Middle East. But this involvement and this dialogue cannot be maintained at any price. It must be maintained with full respect for the rule of law, democracy and human rights. This is the only way to achieve the desired dialogue and cooperation. And in this context, I want to express he…

19

Oct

2022

PT Speech

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Lukashenka regime's active role in the war against Ukraine (debate)

Madam President, Lukashenko’s usurpation of power is not new and did not only occur in 2020. We all remember the 2010 elections in which Andrei Sannikov ran against Lukashenko and how those elections were manipulated. And like many, many Belarusians ended up in detention, due to the protests that took place on the streets of Belarus. Again, the phenomenon was repeated in 2020. Once again, Lukashen…

19

Oct

2022

PT Speech

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EU-Western Balkans relations in light of the new enlargement package (continuation of debate)

Madam President, the return of war to Europe and the decisions taken this summer on enlargement make this a strategic report, perhaps the most strategic in recent years. Therefore, it cannot just be a monitoring tool, it has to assume a clear role of political definition and Serbia's positioning has to be definitely clarified. We are not just a community of economic interests, we are also a commun…

19

Oct

2022

PT Speech

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Whitewashing of the anti-European extreme right in the EU (topical debate)

Mr President, the fight against the far right does not allow for naivety, oblivion or postponement and must be carried out with the strictest respect for the rules of the democratic rule of law. Particular attention needs to be paid to funding radical movements through corruption, money laundering and cryptocurrency schemes, but also the clear fight against racism, xenophobia, homophobia, hate spe…

5

Oct

2022

PT Speech

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Humanitarian situation after the devastating floods in Pakistan and the climate crisis (debate)

Mr President, the scale of the tragedy that has befallen Pakistan is unquestionable and calls for our full solidarity and for the European Union to step up its humanitarian aid. We know very well that what has happened is the result of the climate change we are going through and the importance of combating it. But in the emergency, more needs to be done. Given the many examples of extreme situatio…

4

Oct

2022

PT Speech

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The EU’s strategic relationship and partnership with the Horn of Africa (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I have listened very carefully to your speech and it is essential to promote stability in the Horn of Africa in order to promote stability throughout the region and security and stability also in Europe. But I have not heard you speak about a very important issue at the moment, which is, exactly, the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which is…

4

Oct

2022

PT Speech

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Commission proposal for measures under the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation in the case of Hungary (debate)

Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, we are talking here about a long road of denunciations of corruption, attacks on the rule of law, attacks on freedom of the press and freedom of expression. And here we are talking about a long way in building a mechanism capable of protecting the European budget from such attacks. We come to a time when we can't admit to half-paints, nor can we be halfway …

14

Sep

2022

PT Speech

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Nicaragua, in particular the arrest of the bishop Rolando Álvarez

Madam President, Commissioner, in less than three years, this Parliament has adopted five resolutions on the deterioration of the situation in Nicaragua with regard to human rights and the rule of law. Corruption, the promiscuity between political power and the judiciary, the arbitrary detention of political opponents, journalists, human rights defenders, the persecution and closure of non-governm…

6

Jul

2022

PT Speech

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The situation of indigenous and environmental defenders in Brazil, including the killing of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira

Madam President, since the Bolsonaro government took office in 2018, the pace of deforestation in the Amazon has increased by about 75%. During this period, attacks and killings of environmentalists, human rights defenders, journalists and indigenous peoples, as well as cases of police violence, attempts to legitimise illegal mining and examples of disrespect for minorities have also increased. Th…

4

Jul

2022

PT Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Madam President, on 10 July the UN Security Council will vote on the renewal of the Bab al-Hawa humanitarian aid corridor, the only way for support from international organisations to reach the Syrian population after Russia blocked the other three corridors in 2020. Every month, hundreds of trucks pass by with goods essential to the survival of the people of the Idlib region. In May this border w…

22

Jun

2022

PT Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022, including the meeting with Western Balkan leaders on 23 June - Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia (debate)

There is no contradiction. There is clarity, there is firmness and there is no misunderstanding, in saying that this is not an easy process, in saying that we should not create false expectations, but also in saying that we should give a European perspective. All the rest are interpretations by Mr Rangel. With all due respect.…

22

Jun

2022

EN Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022, including the meeting with Western Balkan leaders on 23 June - Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia (debate)

It’s the colour of my football team; it’s a good colour! (The speaker agreed to respond to a blue-card speech)

22

Jun

2022

PT Speech

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Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022, including the meeting with Western Balkan leaders on 23 June - Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia (debate)

Mr President, where Mr Rangel sees hesitation, we see consistency, clarity and firmness in the intention to give a European perspective to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. But we do not forget the Western Balkans and, not forgetting the Western Balkans, we do not forget here the fact that North Macedonia and Albania have fulfilled all the conditions imposed on them by the Council to have their first …

19

May

2022

PT Speech

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The fight against impunity for war crimes in Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, the atrocities that we have witnessed in Bucha and throughout Ukraine, committed by the Russian invading forces, remind us of scenarios that we have already seen in Chechnya, Syria and many other places. And they are very much the mirror of the state to which impunity has been leading us. And this is a fight we all have to do: the fight against impunity! To this end, it is essential …

18

May

2022

PT Speech

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2021 Report on Albania (debate)

Mr President, at the end of this debate, it is clear that this House agrees on a fundamental idea: Albania fulfils all the conditions for the appointment of the First Intergovernmental Conference and for the rapid continuation of its accession process as soon as possible. Albania, as has already been said, is a country that has been going through a lot of difficulties. It has experienced an earthq…

18

May

2022

PT Speech

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2021 Report on Albania (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, the European Commission has repeatedly stated, since the end of 2019, that Albania has fulfilled all the necessary requirements to move to the new phase of negotiation in its process of accession to the European Union. In the Commission’s report for the years 2019 and 2020, the recommendation to mark the First Intergovernmental Conference, a recomm…

4

May

2022

PT Speech

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Reports of continued organ harvesting in China

Madam President, unfortunately, it is impossible to talk about China without presenting a long list of human rights violations. Systematically and commercially forced organ harvesting is yet another atrocity for which evidence is accumulating and whose victims are widely imprisoned on death row and prisoners of conscience who often end up succumbing during the organ harvesting operation. A crime a…