What Bettina spoke about.

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DE Written Statement

Presentation of the programme of activities of the Slovenian Presidency (debate)

The Slovenian Presidency promises to resolve the blockade in the talks on the New Pact on Asylum and Migration. However, this project raises a number of questions: According to reports by NGOs and other institutions such as the Fundamental Rights Agency FRA, chain pushbacks of refugees have increased under the current Slovenian government. In the EU, all Member States have signed the Geneva Conven…

14 Sep

2022

DE Speech

Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded (debate)

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Madam President, esteemed representatives of the Commission and the Council, ladies and gentlemen! I would really like to be able to give this speech differently today. But unfortunately nothing has changed. Therefore, for the second time: For years, the Hungarian government under Viktor Orbán has been demonstrably systematically and consciously dismantling democracy, the rule of law and fundament…

4 May

2022

DE Speech

Use of the Pegasus Software by EU Member States against individuals including MEPs and the violation of fundamental rights (topical debate)

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Mr President! It is the end of a long debate, and I think we are all aware of how much the protection of our data in the virtual world has come under pressure. But how far have we come when governments from EU Member States use spyware such as Pegasus to monitor opposition and civil society, not real threats based on laws? It is high time that we finally defend the fundamental right of European ci…

2 May

2022

DE Speech

EU strategy to promote education for children in the world (short presentation)

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Mr President! Many thanks to all, the text has become really good. The COVID pandemic is bad, but particularly fatal for children and adolescents. Many did not have sufficient access to education even before COVID. However, the long school closures further hampered the right to education. 1.8 billion students had limited access. This means an immense lack of education, but also a lack of care and …

6 Apr

2022

DE Speech

The Schengen evaluation mechanism (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner! Today we are discussing our position on the new Schengen evaluation mechanism, which has already been presented by the rapporteur - thank you for that. Although the European Parliament has only been given a consultative role here and no formal trilogue negotiations will take place, we nevertheless expect the Council and the Commission to take our demands into account…

6 Apr

2022

DE Speech

Violations of right to seek asylum and non-refoulement in the EU Member States (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner! While we acknowledge with appreciation in recent weeks that the European Union is accepting millions of refugees from Ukraine in a long-awaited solidarity, people at other borders are still partly forcibly prevented from exercising their legal right to apply for asylum. The sad fact is that violations of rights at European borders are not the exception, but the norm.…

6 Apr

2022

DE Answer

Ongoing hearings under Article 7(1) TEU regarding Poland and Hungary (debate)

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The freedom of one ends where the freedom of the other begins. And to protect the health of the entire population, a vaccination obligation can also be constitutionally legitimized. It is precisely this case that we have in the course of a pandemic. It was not invented in Austria, it prevails worldwide. We still haven't defeated them. I think this also gives rise to a vaccination obligation. In Au…

6 Apr

2022

DE Speech

Ongoing hearings under Article 7(1) TEU regarding Poland and Hungary (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner, Secretary of State! The most important first: It is necessary to take action against authoritarian developments before it is too late. We have therefore been calling for the rule of law mechanism to be applied since it came into existence – not just because of the election result in Hungary, but because of the systematic dismantling of democracy, the rule of law and …

8 Mar

2022

DE Speech

The deterioration of the situation of refugees as a consequence of the Russian aggression against Ukraine (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, Minister! Polish women put their strollers on the border for exhausted Ukrainian mothers. Throughout Europe: Volunteer initiatives that show those fleeing the war zones that they are not alone. Finally solidarity with refugees – thank you! Europe shows that it is there for them, and we are finally showing that we can act in solidarity, socially and politically. The Temp…

16 Feb

2022

DE Speech

The Rule of Law and the consequences of the ECJ ruling (debate)

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Madam President, esteemed representatives of the Council and the Commission, ladies and gentlemen! Let me start with a reminder: Hungary was the country where the fall of the Iron Curtain began. At that time, Hungary led Europe's freedom movement. And today? The freedom fighters of old succumbed to authoritarian temptations and turned Hungary into a facade democracy. What is important to me: Hunga…

15 Feb

2022

DE Speech

A statute for European cross-border associations and non-profit organisations (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! If we consider what is currently happening in the EU in terms of the rule of law and fundamental rights violations, then one thing is clear: We urgently need vigilant democracies in Europe and therefore a strong civil society. We currently have to see where it leads when these are increasingly intimidated in individual Member States or when their w…

19 Jan

2022

DE Speech

Political crisis in Sudan

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Madam President, While the military regime in Sudan and its militias have nonviolently murdered demonstrators week after week, the democracy movement remains peaceful in its demands for a military resignation and the establishment of a civilian and inclusive transitional government. This democratic movement actually represents Sudan, not the military that took power. Regimes like this Sudanese mil…

10 Nov

2021

DE Speech

Strengthening democracy, media freedom and pluralism in the EU (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner! Dear colleagues! Thank you for this important report. The aim of SLAPPs is not to question a legal opinion in a fair trial, but simply to intimidate and silence critical voices. Whether multi-groups against environmental organisations, governments against critical journalism or brand companies against animal welfare organisations - all cases have in common: It is abo…

10 Nov

2021

DE Speech

The escalating humanitarian crisis on the EU-Belarusian border, in particular in Poland (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe has made itself blackmailed because we do not live up to our own moral values as soon as it matters. We provide the necessary breeding ground for the attacks of the Belarusian regime – or Turkey itself a few months ago – through the voluntary self-assembly of our European rule of law model. The EU should now act directly, the illegal Push-backs must be te…

7 Jul

2021

DE Speech

Breaches of EU law and of the rights of LGBTIQ citizens in Hungary as a result of the adopted legal changes in the Hungarian Parliament - The outcome of 22 June hearings under Article 7(1) of the TEU regarding Poland and Hungary (debate)

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Mr President, Commissioner, esteemed representatives of the Council, ladies and gentlemen! How long can you watch if something is going in the wrong direction? A university was expelled from the country, the freedom of the press was massively reduced, hate campaigns against independent journalists were stoked, hard-won women's rights were massively curtailed, attacks against the independence of th…

6 Jul

2021

DE Speech

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2021-2027 - Integrated Border Management Fund: Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy 2021-2027 (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner! July 28 marks the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Convention on Refugees. They have given refugees clear, human rights-based rights around the world for good reason. However, a look at the situation at our external borders shows that we do not live up to this claim in the least. European asylum policy has resulted in the most serious human rights violations: systemati…