What Stelios spoke about.

9

Nov

2022

EL Speech

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One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Mr President, we were disappointed to see the European Union silenced when the Turkish authorities, quite abusively, detained and barred the governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, from entering Izmir last Saturday. This action is unacceptable since, apart from being a Greek elected official, he is also a European official as First Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions. I'd…

9

Nov

2022

EL Speech

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Esports and video games (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased that this report shows not only that Parliament is leading the way, but above all that it recognises the extraordinary potential of this ecosystem as part of the creative and cultural industry, but also the benefits that we can derive from using them in our education systems to develop the necessary digital skills. It is for these reasons that …

18

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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Mental health (debate)

Mr President, dear Commissioner Kyriakides, dear colleagues, mental health has been marginalised for a long time. The COVID—19 pandemic brought the spotlight to the importance of mental well-being. Young people, women, disabled persons and other people are at risk of being disproportionately impacted by mental ill health. We are also less likely to receive tailored mental health support. To that e…

18

Oct

2022

EL Speech

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Keep the bills down: social and economic consequences of the war in Ukraine and the introduction of a windfall tax (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a few days marks eight months and is the only active front on European soil. Since that time, the social and economic consequences, mainly for Europe and more broadly for the world, have been and continue to be significant. Waves of refugees come by the thousands to find safety in the Member States, while at the same…

17

Oct

2022

EL Speech

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International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, 95.4 million European citizens were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2021, with women at even higher risk; 95.4 million. It is a relentless indicator that brings us all face to face with harsh reality. Above all, however, it must magnify our will and efforts to implement the Porto targets of reducing this number by 15 million by 2030, with active employment po…

6

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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COVID-19 – Sustaining EU preparedness and response: looking ahead (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, over the last year we have entered a new stage in our pandemic response, from emergency to a more sustainable mode of preparedness and reaction. Nevertheless, the number of cases is rising again. Having this in mind, we are calling on the EU and the Member States to do what is necessary to protect public health in a manner that keeps society and the economy open and resil…

4

Oct

2022

EL Speech

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Question Time (VPC/HR) Heightening tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan following the recent military escalation

Mr President, I would like the Vice-President to explain to us, if possible, what future actions he believes could stop the hostilities, so that a peaceful regime can come to the region.

4

Oct

2022

EL Speech

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Question Time (VPC/HR) Heightening tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan following the recent military escalation

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, as I have mentioned again with the ceasefire agreements and the ceasefires waiting for an empty letter, Azerbaijan, taking advantage of Armenia's position between Iran and Turkey, but also of its military superiority, has attacked again, and the Union's stance has been limited, as in previous outbreaks of Azerbaijani aggression, to mere verbal…

4

Oct

2022

EL Speech

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Situation of Roma people living in settlements in the EU (debate)

Madam President, while Europe is facing multilevel challenges, we must not forget population categories such as the Roma; groups that face discrimination and social exclusion on a daily basis. That is why the resolution that we have in our hands is of particular value, because it calls on the governments of the European Union to rise to the occasion, and I can only express my satisfaction that som…

3

Oct

2022

EN Speech

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

Madame President, as the COVID-19 pandemic evidenced, there is currently a limited legal framework for EU-level coordination into serious cross-border threats to health. We need a common EU-level response to harmonise communication and to show solidarity among Member States. Presenting these proposals sets a historical and more comprehensive legal basis for the EU to prepare and respond to future …

13

Sep

2022

EL Speech

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Adequate minimum wages in the European Union (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, two years after the original Commission proposal was tabled, we are delighted to be able to approve the final agreement on the directive on adequate minimum wages. The road was hard. Some at the beginning of the route did not believe that it would be implemented, but with much effort and persistent negotiations we managed to agree on a landmark directive. A dire…

6

Jul

2022

EL Speech

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Presentation of the programme of activities of the Czech Presidency (continuation of debate)

Madam President, Prime Minister, your priorities for the next six months are very essential, because it is true that Europe is again facing an unexpected challenge with Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, and it comes after another unexpected crisis, this COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore very important for health to be at the heart of our policy, and that is why I am particularly pleased that…

5

Jul

2022

EL Speech

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Mental health in the digital world of work (debate)

Mr President, first of all I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, Maria Walsh, on her very well-documented report on this important subject. Colleagues, 11% of adults in the European Union have symptoms of psychological distress, while the cost of job depression is 620 billion per year. The numbers are relentless and bring us face to face with a silent epidemic. To address it, we need to act…

5

Jul

2022

EL Speech

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Common European action on care (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased today that our Parliament, led by our political group, the European People's Party, is adopting a report that meets the expectations of European citizens; a report that recognises in practice the invaluable contribution of informal carers; a report emphasising the great care responsibilities of women, but also stressing the dimension of persona…

22

Jun

2022

EL Speech

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Implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (debate)

Mr President, first of all I would like to congratulate the two co-rapporteurs on the very good result, as well as all the shadow rapporteurs on the very good cooperation we have had on this report. The report allowed us to assess and redefine our priorities for the Sustainable Development Goals and the progress we have been making since they were adopted in 2015. The report also stresses the impo…

6

Jun

2022

EL Speech

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EU islands and cohesion policy (debate)

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to share with you the pleasure of bringing this important dossier to the vote in plenary. I would also like to thank all colleagues from the other political groups for their contributions. With Mr Omargee as rapporteur, we had almost unanimous support for the report in the REGI Committee. We managed to highlight in the report the importance of insul…

6

Jun

2022

EL Speech

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2021 Report on Turkey (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are all aware that the negotiations with Turkey have stalled and there is a rapid retreat. Turkey, indicatively only, is intensifying its aggression against Greece, questioning the sovereignty of the Greek islands in the Aegean, pursuing an aggressive policy in Cyprus with the opening of Varosha, violating UN resolutions, accusing Sweden and Fin…

5

Apr

2022

EN Speech

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

Madam President, it is true that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has spread terror and darkness in Europe in recent weeks. This has led to strict measures against Russia and, on the other hand, to strong solidarity with Ukrainians. This was the right thing to do. But I must admit that we have not seen the same unified response when other human rights atrocities took place in third countries. For m…

16

Feb

2022

EL Speech

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One youth, one Europe (topical debate)

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, as a new Member of the European Parliament, I am very pleased that this resolution seeks to respond to important youth challenges. Unfortunately, many of the indicators are not on our side. Youth unemployment and social exclusion rates across the European Union remain high. I therefore call on the Commission and the Council to put their fig…

15

Feb

2022

EN Speech

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Human rights and democracy in the world – annual report 2021 (continuation of debate)

Mr President, we are living in 2022. Our President is a woman and yet we still do not have full gender equality. We are speaking in this Parliament as one of the symbols of democracy. But still, there are countries with authoritarian regimes suppressing their own people – countries such as Turkey, which withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, or others which have revoked measures aiming to combat t…

19

Jan

2022

EL Speech

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Digital Services Act (continuation of debate)

Mr President, digital platforms have transformed our lives, but also the way we communicate, read news and consume. But they have also created a number of challenges, such as illegal content online and disinformation. And this report on digital services first and foremost demonstrates the readiness of the European Parliament to contribute to addressing precisely these digital challenges. On the on…

22

Nov

2021

EL Speech

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A pharmaceutical strategy for Europe (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, the previous strategy on medicines and businesses has shown us the way to be able to create a framework that will show a Europe that is becoming a frontrunner. We need from the conclusions we have learned in the past period to become a guide, so that we can strengthen research, to strengthen those scientists who want and can stay in Europe, to produce primary materia…

10

Nov

2021

EL Speech

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The European Education Area: a shared holistic approach (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner Gabriel, I am very pleased that this report puts at the centre the need for a European dimension in education – and we thank Ms Šojdrová very much for that – but also an inclusive education, accessible to all, which promotes the acquisition of skills necessary for the demands of the digital and green transition, with mobility, retraining, retraining and lifelong learning…

18

Oct

2021

EN Speech

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Employment and social policies of the euro area 2021 (debate)

Madam President, social policy is part of the EU’s duties and, as parliamentarians, it is important to ensure that we continue the legacy of the social market economy into the 21st century. It is true that progress also has a social dimension, in addition to the economic one, progress in which everyone can play a part and which allows economies to grow, reduce poverty and address inequality. But, …

7

Oct

2021

EN Speech

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European Union Agency for Asylum (continuation of debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the European Union is based on the principles of unanimity, solidarity and cooperation. We share the same values and aims of securing joint responsibility. The Common European Asylum System (CEAS) is founded on mutual minimum standards for asylum procedures. Despite the consecutive progress on the CEAS, there are still significant inequalities between the Member Stat…